Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher has joined P.E.I. business owners and prospective immigrants in speaking out against the provincial government’s plans to moderate population growth by cutting back on the number of immigrants working in food service and retail.
In an effort to put the brakes on population growth, the provincial government announced in February that it would reduce its use of the provincial nomination program by 25 per cent.
Kutcher is concerned that’s too big a cut.
“I will take managing the pressures of growth over the alternative — which is managing the pressures of decline — every single day of the week,” he said.
Problems connected to rapid population growth on Prince Edward Island, which at times has hit a record four per cent year over year, include a housing crisis that dates back to 2019.
Premier Dennis King has repeatedly said the health care system is also struggling to keep up, most recently in comments last week.
