Unofficial P.E.I. newsmakers of 2019 include cab-hailing thief and a dog who isn't cold

Transcript

When Dave Atkinson and his colleagues compile their annual list of the top P.E.I. newsmakers, they don't look for big important stories. 

Instead, the unofficial list celebrates the small stuff — the eccentric, mundane, low-stakes and refreshingly local stories that would never make the news if they happened in a bigger province. 

Atkinson, along with his friends Neal Gillis and Ty Stapleton, scour the public broadcaster and local newspapers for the most quintessentially P.E.I. stories they can find. They publish their final list every December on Twitter. 

"These are stories that prove that we live in the greatest place on Earth, that these are the headlines," Atkinson, a former CBC journalist, told As It Happens host Carol Off. 

"We actually have a great crop of journalists doing a great job every day. I hope they don't see it as an insult, because I love their work, and this is just our love letter to them."

Here are the top seven P.E.I. newsmakers of 2019.

1. '[Alleged] Arsonist just watching'

When police found a man at the scene of a November arson in Prince County with an empty gas tank in the backseat of his car, he declared: "You caught me."

He pleaded not guilty, reports the Guardian. He told the judge that he didn't set the fire; he was just watching it. 

"I mean, it is something to see," Atkinson said. "So it could be a coincidence that he was just there."

If that's the case, why did he act like he'd been caught red-handed?

The accused told the court: "I said, 'You got me,' because I thought they were getting me for what I had in my car, like the beer and the bong and stuff."

A judge is expected to issue a verdict in early 2020. 

2. 'Grocery thief hails getaway cab'

Atkinson admits his headline for this January CBC News story is a little off. 

"I've actually been called on this by a few Islanders because no one on P.E.I. ever successfully hailed a cab," he said.

Police in Summerside got a call from a Superstore reporting that someone had stolen several items.

At almost the same time, they got another call from a taxi driver saying that he had just dropped off a man at the Superstore, and a few minutes later, he came back out with a basket of items and told the cabbie to flee the scene.

The cabbie wasn't having it. Police say he got out of the car rather than serve as a getaway driver. 

Officers found the suspect hiding in a nearby apartment building and charged him with theft under $5,000.

3. 'Dog not cold'

Riley is a husky mix in Charlottetown who prefers to spend his days outside in the snow. 

That doesn't sit well with Riley's neighbours. Owner Courtney Porter and her partner got so many complaints about their pooch's alleged mistreatment, they had to put up a sign that reads: "The husky is not cold! Leave us alone."

This very P.E.I. story not only made CBC News on the Island, but was also featured right here on As It Happens.

4. 'P.E.I. getting an IHOP some time in the next 6 years'

"This is one of the very few times when the actual headline made it to the list," Atkinson said. 

Dine Brands International told CBC News it plans to open five new IHOPS in Atlantic Canada, including one on P.E.I.  But the company was mum on the details. 

"There's no location. There's no timeline. And shockingly, in the few months since the story first went, we haven't had an update yet," Atkinson said. 

5. 'Homemade licence sticker'

In June, a police officer pulled over a driver in Kings County whose registration sticker looked a little suspicious.

That's because it was a fake — and not a very good one. In fact, the inspection sticker on the front windshield was handmade too. 

"It was very poor quality, that's what brought the attention of myself to the plate and the sticker," Sgt. Chris Gunn told CBC News. 

The driver was fined $275 and had his car impounded for driving with a suspended licence.

6. 'Dragging porta-potty down the street not funny, police say'

This headline is also quoted verbatim from CBC News. 

Some people might be tempted to laugh at someone dragging a portable toilet down the street. But not Kings District RCMP Const. Conor Hickey. 

Hickey told CBC News he doesn't think there's anything funny about it. In fact, he insisted, it's "fairly serious."

"The police are the police of a lot of things," Atkinson said. "But I don't think they're the police of what's funny."

7. 'Horse checks up on seniors' 

The final newsmaker a horse named Queen who clopped her way through the front doors of a seniors home in Souris earlier this week. 

It was a planned visit, meant to give residents a chance to feed and pet the creature, and reminisce about their rural childhoods, CBC reports.

"This one made it in just because the photos are amazing," Atkinson said. "It's just this great big gorgeous Belgian horse just sort of checking in like a local country doctor, just saying, 'Hey, how's everybody doing?'"

Written by Sheena Goodyear with files from CBC News. Interview produced by Chris Harbord.