Global Courant
Bad behavior at Prince Edward Island’s Government House, including visitors peeing and defecating on the historic building’s grounds, has prompted the county’s lieutenant governor to ban group photo shoots.
The grounds and nine gardens, on the edge of Victoria Park along Charlottetown’s waterfront, have always been a popular spot for wedding and family photos, as well as graduation and prom photos.
But Antoinette Perry, the lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island, said the situation is “deeply disturbing” getting out of hand.
“It really breaks my heart to see the disrespect,” said Perry, who has been the island’s lieutenant governor for more than five years.
“There was damage to the property – or there was definitely disrespect to the property, from smoking, to drinking alcoholic beverages, to taking their animals, to taking the furniture on the porch.
People on my property have yelled at me, yes. I just turned and walked away because I was afraid I would say something I would regret.– Lieutenant Governor Antoinette Perry
“As you can see, there’s no furniture right now — they’re just throwing it around whichever way they want.
“They would ride on the lawn. Actually, they peed and pooped on the property as well. It’s just a lack of respect for the property.
“To see something like this, with that total disrespect for property, is very disheartening, it really is.”
The Fanningbank grounds and nine gardens, on the edge of Victoria Park along Charlottetown’s waterfront, have always been popular for wedding and family photos. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)
The Lieutenant Governor’s Office has posted a notice on its website stating that while the grounds are open for tours daily, groups are not allowed. That includes photo shoots for weddings, graduations, and family reunions, as well as family picnics.
The gates to the grounds are now closed at night to prevent cars from entering the grounds, and Perry said they’ve increased security this week because it’s high school graduation season on the island.
‘They didn’t come to dukes, but almost’
Perry said she was even spoken to personally.
“I’ve been yelled at. I’ve been yelled at for saying something to people, so I’m just not saying anything,” she said during an interview with CBC News outside her official residence, which was built in 1834 and is also known as Fanningbank named.
“People on my property have yelled at me, yes. I just turned and walked away because I was afraid I’d say something I’d regret.”
The Gardens of Government House on Prince Edward Island are at their peak of green this week. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)
Perry said wedding parties were particularly challenging.
“We used to write down names for weddings. Then another party would show up and they’d get into a fight because one of them was at a favorite photo shoot spot too long. They didn’t come to dukes, but almost.”
Need more security?
Perry said she thinks it’s time to take a closer look at Government House security.
Unlike other provinces, PEI does not assign a security team to the property. Commissioners based in provincial government buildings a stone’s throw away routinely patrol the Fanningbank grounds.
Fanningbank may not allow group photos on the property, but it has a history of welcoming thousands of islanders. In this photo from her 2020 New Year’s Levee, Lt.-Gov. Antoinette Perry poses with Miles Miao, Teresa Zheng and their son Harris. (Laura Meader/CBC)
“We don’t have security or staff to guard the grounds after hours,” Perry said.
“It might be time to look into it. We definitely need to have some conversations from now on.”
‘Maybe they’ll open it up again’
Questioned by CBC News outside Government House, visitors expressed mixed opinions about the decision to bar groups from entering the premises.
Tara Mahamad, in town from Toronto, said she understands the lieutenant governor’s decision.
“I think it’s really sad that you can’t take prom pictures and wedding pictures and stuff,” she said. “If people start respecting it again, maybe they’ll open it up again.”
If we are respectful and want to have a wedding or some kind of party there, at least they should be able to do that.—Dave Holdway
David Holdway of the neighboring town of Cornwall said PEI taxpayers foot the bill for the property and should be able to use it for photo shoots, or whatever they want. He said officials could issue a warning to people who disrespect the property instead of banning the property for all groups.
“It’s our house. If we’re being respectful and want to have a wedding or some sort of party there, they should be allowed to do that anyway,” Holdway said.
The view of the water, from the front yard of Charlottetown’s historic Government House, is one of the reasons so many people head there to take pictures. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)
“It distances you from the office,” he said of the group ban.
Majority ‘become good kids’
Deann Sullivan, a retired high school teacher who lives in Brackley Beach, said the key is to have proper supervision of prom groups, either by parents or teachers. She said it’s a pity that all students have to pay the price for a few bad apples.
“There will always be kids who want to cause some trouble,” said Sullivan, who said she has hosted many proms. “But the majority of kids will be good kids.”
Charlottetown police chief Brad MacConnell said officers have not been called to the Government House grounds for reports of drinking or causing a disturbance. He said they did get a few calls about suspicious people in the nearby forest areas, which turned out to be people who had no access to housing and were setting up tents.
Bad behavior at Prince Edward Island’s Government House has prompted the province’s lieutenant governor to ban group photo shoots. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)
Perry said she realizes Fanningbank’s green spaces are public land, funded by taxpayer money. She said her arms are wide open for non-group people to come and explore the property, but she asks that those on the property treat it with respect.
“People do come — they come by the thousands (every) year and they enjoy the real estate — but it’s the groups that are causing the problems,” Perry said.
“Like, do you see chairs here? I can’t put chairs in here so I can come and sit and watch the sunset, because they’ll take them and throw them around. I don’t know what the answer is. How do you do that? educating people about proper conduct on someone else’s property – or even government property?”
