Rural Community Inquiry: The Biggest Challenges in a Rural Community (By: Brayden Bakker)

Does the city have a government?

The city does not have it's own government due to
the fact that the city is so small. The government of PEI
controls the rural community. It controls its economy and it's
social activities. It even helps its necessities for the city to thrive.

This is related to the big question
because how can a tiny community
thrive without a government? With
a government, politics and economics would be
easier but since Victoria has no government, all of
that would be harder even with the help with the PEI
government.

Does the city have healthcare?

The healthcare system (including the workers like nurses and doctors) are provided by the government of PEI. In Victoria however, there is only one hospital since there are only 104 people. The building is small and any tourists might have to travel to Charlottetown for any kind of health check.

This (The way this) is related to the big question is that what would
happen if there are too many people that are sick? Since
there is only one hospital, (and) we can't forget about the tourists.
Without them, Victoria couldn't survive and with the population and tourists all merged together, that one hospital might have a harder time getting people well and some people
wont have that time due to their conditions.

Why is the population so low?

Many people have been looking for a new life including
a new job, housing and other necessities for them and
their families. But since Victoria's community is so small,
that ideal of life sometimes cannot happen. So people live in
other places (ex. Charlottetown) to have that luxury of life.

Without jobs in Victoria, how are people supposed
to get money, when most jobs are in Charlottetown?
When living in Victoria, finding a job is harder since the
community (is) so rural. Economics are the only main job in the
community and some people don't want that, and doing
that they want, they might have to travel really far to get that
opportunity.

What is it's population?

The population of Victoria is about 104 people.
The population density in unknown since the
population is so low. The people are reliant for
tourism, it's rich agriculture and it's resources.
The city is also reliable for the government for
exports and imports from other provinces and
the world. As the climate fluctuates, so does the
population. (how so?)

If the population is so low, how are people going to live
in their community? It's going to be a challenge because
their are barely any jobs, and they have to rely on the
government on a couple of things live entertainment and
healthcare. How are they going to get those necessities?
Despite the help from the government, living in these
conditions is going to be hard for those who live in a
rural community. (How so? Explain - show your thinking!)

Is it connected with other places?

Although the city is lesser known for
it's population, the city is connected
with a cluster with a couple of other
rural communities that aren't far from
the location. It also has a very strong
connection with Charlottetown because
it's so reliant for it's resources from other
parts of Canada.

Socially, this won't be a problem. (What won't be?)
The community can rely on other
communities that aren't that far away.
But for people who don't like travelling for
a couple hours might be a little challenge for them
unlike Southern Ontario where it takes less than an
hour to get from Brantford to Hamilton.

What kind of education is in the city?

Due to the fact that the population is
so low, education here is very limited.
Although there are schools here, students
may choose to go to other cities like
Charlottetown for more and better options
for education. It takes 1-2 hours from Victoria
to Charlottetown depending on the weather.

This is definitely going to be a challenge
for those seeking for education. There are only a
limited amount of schools and if the students don't
like the education, how are they going to find a school
when it takes one hour to go to a school in Charlottetown.
So those seeking education in Victoria, it's going to be a little bit harder.

Where is it located?

Victoria is located in the Queens Municipally in
Southern PEI. Most of the cities that Victoria relies
on is in Queens so getting help from other
communities is easier to get. Besides, the community
is only a few hours away from Charlottetown.

This might not be challenging for some people
because even though its a few hours away from
the Charlottetown, getting things like imports and
exports are a little bit easier depending in the season.

Can you reach it by road?

As part of the major municipally in
PEI, getting to Victoria is accessible. It's
connected to the PEI highway so tourists and
imports can come into Victoria without any
roadblocks and any other obstacles.

This might not be challenging because since its
available by road, it will be easier to get there
especially for those who are willing to live there
and those who want to visit there.

How is it realtive to it's location?

Despite it's small population, the location of Victoria
is perfect for it's economy. The community is rich
in resources and helps/thrives with PEI in anyway.
It's relative to it's location because without the
resources, the community wouldn't be much of a help
and it wouldn't be as thriving as today.

Without the valuable economy that the government
provides, live would be very challenging. But despite
the fact that the government can help with anything,
it's still a little bit hard for relying the government Because you never know what's happening and it might
take weeks before the community gets it's resources they seek.

What kind of climate is there?

The community of Victoria has a mild but long
winter with a high of -3°C and a low of -12°C.
The summers also tends to be mild and warm
with a high of 23°C and with a low of 14°C.
Most of the islands climate is like this.

The challenge here is that in the winter, PEI get's lots
of snow and sometimes that can interfere with the community's relationship with the government. Exports and extra supplies can't get through, heightening the challenge of the rural community. In the summer though, it's easier because supplies can get through and agriculture will be much easier to grow and supply for the population.

What kind of terrain is it located on?

Victoria's terrain is mainly flat, like
most of PEI. There are no mountains or high elevated areas,
just some flat agricultural areas with some hills. The community however, does sit beside the Northumberland Strait which provides resources for the residents of Victoria.

The challenge depends on how flat the terrain is.
Lucky for Victoria, the community is on a flat area,
making is easier for agricultural growth in the area.
The only problem is winter, where economics can be
challenging and relies on the government for exports
during the winter.

Does it have good agriculture?

Victoria's potential for agriculture is really great.
The agriculture for growing vegetables especially
potatoes is essential for the economy and for the population. The economy is what keeps Victoria thrive. It's contribution to PEI's economy is really great because of the good agriculture

Another challenging problems that only happens
in the winter. The use of agriculture is easier in
the summer since the climate is warm. But during
the winter however, the climate can be freezing
and it's hard for agriculture to happen. Like before,
the community has to rely on the government of PEI
for resources during the winter.

Is Victoria a tourist site for people?

Victoria is one of the main tourist sites
in PEI. The tourism in the city is extremely
vital for the cities economy. Even though
the government of PEI takes care of Victoria,
the money from tourism is what makes the
community survive.

The community is so low that it relies
on tourism to get it's money. This can
be challenging for the rural community
as they don't get that much tourists in the
winter. So life is harder as they need to rely
on exports for them to thrive.

Does it have good resources?

The city of Victoria
has lots of great resources. They
keep the food (fish, lobsters, potatoes) for
fresh food in groceries and also export them
for money, and so also parts of Canada can
enjoy their goods.

Due to the harsh conditions, they can't get
their resources during the winter, making it
harder for them to get their necessities despite
the help from the government of PEI.

When was the city founded?

The city was founded in 1819
by James Bardin Palmer, who
was an immigrant lawyer and
worked for the government in
the island (it wasn't PEI at that
point of time).

This historic information
is useful because it tells how the
community thrives and survives despite it's isolation
and the challenges it faces. It

Was the city historicaly important?

The city was used for a thriving
business that was used for produce
such as potatoes and eggs. It was
also really important because it was
one of the many cities in Canada built
on the Trans-Canada Highway in the early
1980's.

The fact that the city was important
back in the day is really crucial because
because without the thriving business
the city would be truly be isolated from the world
and life for Victoria would be really challenging.

Why was it founded?

It was founded because the
government needed a place to
settle and also had a good amount
of resources.

Another reason on why Victoria's history
is so important is that without the importance
of being here, then why is Victoria here? How
can they survive when they can't import and export
without other communities knowing their existence?
With it's historical background, people will know why
why Victoria is important and how it's thriving today.