SUMMERSIDE

Summerside is the second largest city in Prince Edward Island and the main trading centre of Prince County and the western half of the island. Summerside was originally named for an inn called Summerside House and was incorporated in 1877. The city now includes the communities of St. Eleanors and Wilmot.

Summerside is home to the Summerside Tax Centre which processes GST. Summerside is also home to Slemon Park Business Park (a former military base). Vector Aerospace, Testori Americas, and Honeywell are all large employers in Summerside located at the Slemon Park Business Park. Amalgamated Dairies and Cavendish Foods are two large food processors in the area and large employers in the area as well. Since the closure of the military base the former base is also the site of the Summerside Airport.

The population of the city is in excess of 15,000 people and has eight public schools, one French, the rest comprising of four elementary, two junior highs and one senior high school. The city is also the site of a Holland College campus and the Marine Training Centre as well as the Atlantic Police Academy.

The city is policed by its own force, Summerside Police. There is one major hospital, the Prince County Hospital that serves the area and beyond. Summerside operates its own city electrical utility. While the city buys most of its power from NB Power, it has a diesel generating facility and also operates several wind turbines.