The New York City based daytime talk show, ‘Live with Regis and Kelly’, arrived on PEI a few days ago to set up production and all of PEI is taking notice. The crowds are huge, as are the expectations for what this visit will do to increase PEI tourism and recognition for Canada’s smallest province in the U.S. "Many people simply do not know that PEI exists", said Robert Ghiz (PEI’s top politician) in a recent interview. The PEI government has been strongly critisized in recent weeks for shelling out about one million in tax payer’s funds to lure the highly rated U.S. morning program to do four shows on Canada’s Island Paradise, but PEI tourism officials stand by their decision to bring Regis Philbin and Kelly Rippa to the Birthplace of Confederation and hope the move will be a panacea for the Island’s sluggish performance as a tourist mecca in recent years.

Others question the wisdom and performance of PEI Tourism officials for maintaining ‘The Gentle Island’ advertising campaign that has been widely critisized as unimaginative and ineffective in recent years. There is little doubt that the ‘Regis and Kelly’ show will have a positive impact  to some degree. Future statistics will show if the effects will be long lasting or simply ‘fly by night’, but thousands of people are embracing the excitement. Some may  argue that it’s simply a ‘Hail Mary Pass’ late in the fourth quarter and not a more elaborate initiative designed to provide a well defined marketing strategy- time will tell.

The woods can be thick with spruce trees on Prince Edward Island and they often grow tall and skinny, so what to do? Healthy wood lot management on PEI means you have to become friends with your chainsaw and thin out the forest, allowing certain trees an opportunity to meet a healthy maturity. It is an endless amount of work, but is probably the best physical workout you can ever experience, and once you invest in a chainsaw and safety gear, it’s free, unlike a monthly gym membership.

PEI pioneers did not have the luxury of a chainsaw and so many modern tools that help cut down on time and effort. How did early PEI settlers manage in this new world with just basic axes and simple tools? I can work for hours in my woods clearing an area and building my somewhat unique pioneer stockade, but no progress seems to have been made. How did the pioneers do it?

My ’stockade’ isn’t quite finished and I’ve only been working on it for about four years, mind you, I can go months in between a day of cutting down my thin spruce, which are nailed vertically into place. It’s quite the sight if you stumble upon it by chance in my woods. I imagine early settlers from the Isle of Skye in Scotland would have assembled similar structures upon their arrival in eastern PEI, on Selkirk’s ships, in August of 1803. Hopefully I have the time to finish it this year. It’s almost done, but it all depends on where it falls on my list of priorities. There’s always so much to do when you’re living the PEI dream.

PEI Web Virtual Tours-  An Essential Marketing Tool

No one would ever consider having a website without at least one photograph. It would seem odd and be a waste of a visual medium that is meant to showcase your product and develop business leads and sales. In fact, most web sites are strategically designed for best effect and include a large number of appropriate photos and art work. Well, the time is now upon us that is seeing the wide use of video in on-line marketing to better illustrate our services and capture the imagination of the intended audience. After all, this is a highly visual medium and video is the next logical step.

Web Virtual tours have been used in real estate for quite some time, but mainly in major markets and with higher end listings due to the initial high cost. Prince Edward Island is only now seeing a move in this direction and PEI Realty TV & www.LivethePEIdream.com offer short, affordable videos in high quality digital format for home owners who wish to sell their properties privately. PEI Real Estate agents are also able to market their listings on the website. The only thing worse than having no video option is to have a video that is poorly shot and edited. A quality digital camera should be used and it should appear to be professionally filmed (no shaky bits), and include captions, narration, and/or music to enhance the mini-production. People judge a video instantly and a certain level of professionalism should be achieved. After all, image is everything.   

A video on PEI Realty TV is affordable, custom designed and edited according to specs, and will achieve results in this highly competitive PEI real estate market.

Call Hamish at 902.659.2778 to learn more about showcasing your PEI property in high quality digital video on www.LivethePEIdream.com. The video can also be integrated into other websites and placed in a PEI MLS listing (if applicable). Prices start at only $250. Get the edge on the other listing in this competitive marketplace and sell your property this year.

1. The above average size of PEI’s lobster (No one can honestly say size doesn’t matter).

2. Prince Edward Island sunsets. (second to nowhere)

3. The Golf on PEI. (Sean Connery agrees)

4. The cost of PEI seaside real estate. (Best deal in Canada or U.S.)

5. Bothwell beach near Souris, PEI. (Check it out)

6. The PEI Potato (Especially the organic spud)

7. The entire works of Lucy Maude Montgomery. (No one would know of PEI otherwise)

Prince Edward Island offers some exceptional sights after a storm, especially if you cross country ski or show shoe on a backwoods trail like this one in eastern PEI. If you have ever wondered how many hares are hopping around, just count the footprints in the snow as you make your way through the woods. You might not see them, but you know you’re surrounded. Prince Edward Island is paradise, whatever the season.

Prince Edward Island is one of Canada’s most spectacular Islands. Vancouver Island is also a beautiful place, but  has become increasingly expensive and populated in recent years. The west coast also boasts the Gulf Islands that sit between Vancouver Island and the mainland. These islands command enormous real estate prices in exchange for a peaceful enough existence. A small hobby farm on Mayne Island was recently advertised in Harrowsmith Country Life Magazine for well over 2 Million. Big Bucks! Another unfortunate aspect of the west coast Island lifestyle is that surrounding waters are incredibly cold for swimming- even in mid-July. That said, the sailing culture of the west coast islands is a great lure, but even the elite can find these prices a bit O.T.T!

It is hard to compare Prince Edward Island to Vancouver Island and the other Gulf Islands. They are very different, but the once peaceful, affordable, and underpopulated west coast seems to have lost much of its lustre for those seeking an idyllic seaside lifestyle. A trend is afoot, as BC residents of  Vancouver Island, and elsewhere, pack up the car and head east to places like PEI, where one can still find peace, a healthy lifestyle, and affordable real estate, without a burgeoning population. And let’s not forget PEI’s vibrant arts, theatre and cultural scene.

PEI deserves the Title of Canada’s Island Paradise for obvious reasons. Although Canada boasts magnificent Islands from coast to coast t coast, Prince Edward Island allows us to revisit a more simple time, when people smiled more and helped their neighbours, and  young families or retirees could afford a house near the sea to call home.

Canada’s Island Paradise is a registered Federal Trademark belonging to Hamish Redpath, the owner of this website.

PEI B&B Profile

It’s tucked away in the northeast corner of PEI, not far from the quaint town of Souris, where the ferry departs for Quebec’s Magdellan Islands.  Murray and Kerry Howarth stepped back from successful military careers in Alberta to pursue their PEI dream.When they first set eyes on their old homestead they knew it was meant to be. It even included two cozy cottages that they now rent out on a weekly basis and the main house is a heritage B&B with all of the character of another era. 

Kerry stuns her guests with delectable homemade meals and baked treats and Murray insists on a hands-on approach when it comes to hosting guests. The proprietor is always happy to discuss the local history and all that is amazing about this magical island. You will often find Murray guiding guests along the local trails or fishing on the nearby trout pond. "It gives us great pleasure to know that people have come here to have a real break from their chaotic lives and are going home happy, rested, and with fun memories.",  says Murray. "The PEI pace of life, especially around here, brings you back to earth quickly.

For more information on Howarth House B&B and Cottages please see their video on this site …..PEI Vacation Rental TV (to the right>>>>>)