Minister denounces 'Pot Edward Island' article
Last Updated: Friday, August 15, 2008 | 7:24 AM AT
CBC News
An article in a Boston newspaper that implies Prince Edward Island is a haven for dope growers is full of inaccuracies and sends a disappointing message, says P.E.I.'s Tourism Minister.
The Boston Phoenix article, which appeared this week, was headlined "Pot Edward Island" and featured a Canadian flag with a marijuana leaf instead of a maple leaf.
"Canada's most picturesque province is surprisingly also the fertile center of an underground marijuana explosion," said the sub-headline.
"Obviously, as an Islander, this is not Prince Edward Island," said Tourism Minister Valerie Docherty.
"It's not the way we view Prince Edward Island, nor from a tourism perspective is it how we want it. But unfortunately, as you also know, I have no ability, nor does anyone else have an ability, to control what's printed. Certainly lots of inaccuracies."
The article, amongst other inaccuracies, said Islanders are helped with their grow-ops by cheap electricity from Quebec.
It's not apparent whether the article's writer, Alan R. Earls, ever visited Prince Edward Island. He did not reply to a request from the CBC for an interview.
The Boston Phoenix, a news and entertainment weekly, has a circulation of about half a million.
