Housing boom seen in P.E.I.’s cities, but affordability remains a challenge [Video]

P.E.I.’s two largest cities have seen a major housing development the past 12 months, but affordability remains a key concern for officials in both municipalities.

Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown told This is PEI podcast host Mitch Cormier that the city saw a staggering $250 million in new developments over the past year — a 63 per cent increase from the previous year.

This surge goes beyond single-family homes, Brown said.

“These are multi-unit, single-unit, institutional, commercial, right across the board,” he said.

Summerside is also experiencing significant development. The city surpassed $100 million in building permit values for the second consecutive year in 2024.

Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher credited this growth to the city’s proactive housing initiatives and a community-wide effort to tackle the issue.

“There’s a whole bunch of layers to this problem,” Kutcher said. “And the first was there’s just simply not enough housing units for people.”

Both mayors stressed the importance of partnerships between different levels of government to keep the momentum going.

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