Wood Islands rising to the sustainable transportation challenge
The community of Wood Islands is home to one of two ferry terminals on Prince Edward Island, which means it is the first or last stop for many travelers coming to or leaving the province.
About 45 per cent of PEI’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation. With so many vehicles passing through, the not-for-profit Wood Islands and Area Development Corporation (WIACD) wanted to do its part to make transportation cleaner and help cut carbon emissions.
Todd St. Clair is the executive director of WIADC.
“The electric vehicle chargers were already in place when I came aboard. The board of directors gave the space to the province to install two chargers. Since then, we’ve authorized the extra space for them to install a third charger,” he said.
While charging an electric vehicle, visitors can pick up a souvenir, grab some candy, or have a bite to eat at the food truck.
To offset the power used by their facilities, WIADC installed solar panels behind the Tourist Information building. These solar panels were funded by the province’s Community Renewable Energy Generation Fund.
“We're hoping that in the future there might even be an opportunity to offer battery storage. We could use solar to charge those batteries and provide the power during peak times of the day to take that extra load off the grid,” said St. Clair.
Another great way to reduce emissions is to choose active transportation like walking or biking, rather than relying on a personal vehicle.
“We were excited that we could work with the Active Transportation Fund to have the existing Confederation Trail extend through our facility. It continues all the way to the Wood Islands ferry terminal. You can walk right up using the trail and not have to worry about being on the highway.”
Visitors in Wood Islands can rent bicycles to enjoy the area’s natural beauty and WIADC also plans to offer e-bike rentals in July of 2026.
According to St. Clair, no special cycling expertise is needed to ride an electric bike.
“e-Bikes will let you simply just ride them, and they'll be self-propelled if you want them to be, or you can pedal to whatever limit you want. They have a good range,” he said.
These sustainable transportation options are all conveniently located at the Wood Islands Market, which is a popular spot for residents, as well as tourists coming off the ferry.
“If you want to tour the area, you can rent the e-bikes. If you have an electric vehicle, you don't have to worry about finding a place to charge the vehicle. We will have three good chargers,” St. Clair said.
He is looking forward to developing more renewable energy projects for Wood Islands in the future. WIADC is committed to helping make its community more sustainable as climate change worsens, he said.
“We can all learn best practices for mitigating climate change and preserving what we have.”
The provincial government offers funding for projects through the Active Transportation Fund and Community Renewable Energy as part of its broader plan to become net zero.