Canadian Tire Stores in Charlottetown - Historical Notes

There is also an illustrated version of this article available on the Vintage Charlottetown site on Facebook.

In July 1, 1939, Lincoln Kennedy opened a sub-dealership for Canadian Tire (along with his Purina Feed operation) and eventually he was also selling Kaiser cars once Kaiser Motors was established in the US in 1945. The location was on Kent St. where the National Bank is located now.

By 1949 Allison MacRae and Milton C. Stewart opened a full-fledged franchise on Great George Street with the partners being the only full time employees. A 2,000 sq. ft. operation it promised "the very latest design for the utmost in pleasant shopping and modern service for the automobile driver."

It appears that the partners had both family and business connections as the Guardian reported the marriage of Milton's daughter Helen Stewart to his business partner Allison MacRae in Oct. 1947.

By 1953 Stewart and MacRae were advertising their Canadian Tire store as being located at 96 Queen St. On Saturday April 27, 1957 with large congratulatory ads from Charlottetown building contractors on their completely renovated store at this location.

In the Oct. 4, 1960 edition of the Guardian it was reported that the Monaghan Building (96 Queen Street) in which they were operating was sold to the Canadian Tire Corporation. A list of locations compiled in 2005 by Canadian Tire indicates that in 1961 the store moved to this 3,200 sq. ft. location, although it appear that a dealership had been operating there since the early 1950's and that this later date may indicate the transfer of ownership of the building.

On Jan 27, 1966 history was made when a new 12,000 sq. ft. location at Royalty Mall opened. It was the first in the country to be located in a mall and the largest Canadian Tire store in Atlantic Canada at the time according to the same 2005 write up by Canadian Tire.

In 1985 Canadian Tire moved to a new site at 202 Buchanan Drive location across the road from the Charlottetown Mall. In 1997 the store underwent a major expansion raising the size to 94,000 sq. ft. with more than 150 full and part time employees. In 2005 the owners published a statement indicating that their store was "the #1 Canadian Tire store in Atlantic Canada."

On Thursday October 29, 2014 The Guardian noted in an article that Canadian Tire will officially open its new Charlottetown store Thursday morning [Nov 6, 2014] on Spencer Drive.

The new store . . . features 64,000 square feet of retail space, approximately 50 per cent more retail space than the previous store. The auto centre will have 14 service bays and will now service cars seven days a week. Customers will also find an ‘in store pickup’ area for products purchased online, allowing customers to pay in advance and avoid checkout lines and shipping costs. To staff the company’s larger retail space they’ve added upwards of 35 new employees, bringing the total to 186 full- and part-time staff.

The street address is 20 Babineau Avenue, Charlottetown, PE C1A 0G1

An article on Cameron Beach, the 52 year old owner of the Charlottetown store was featured in The Guardian on November 7, 2015 outlining his career in retail across Canada and his commitment to Canadian Tire.


References:

• The Guardian - online version http://islandnewspapers.ca/
• Celebrating 66 Years, Advertisement by Canadian Tire, pg. 12  A City's Journey, The Guardian, Charlottetown PEI, April 2005
• October 29, 2014, Canadian Tire rolls out new store in Charlottetown Thursday, The Guardian,  http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Business/2014-10-29/article-3921079/Canadian-Tire-rolls-out-new-store-in-Charlottetown-Thursday/1
• Day, Jim,  November 07, 2015, Canadian Tire store owner Cameron Beach driven by pressure to succeed, The Guardian, http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Business/2015-11-07/article-4335612/Canadian-Tire-store-owner-Cameron-Beach-driven-by-pressure-to-succeed/1

A Verdure of Living Beauty: Arbor Day in Charlottetown

How did we come to have such wonderful elms in Charlottetown you might ask? Well the simple answer is - many hands make light work  - dig a bit deeper and a grand rural tradition across the Island emerges - using youthful vigour - known simply as “start ‘em young on chores.”

The year was 1860 and the town was more than rough around the edges. Our papers were asking, “is it not disgraceful that the Public Square (Queen Square) which should be an ornament to the city, should present . . .  the appearance of a farmer’s pig pen or a cow shed?” 

The call to action did start some planting that same year but without much protection; many trees were soon damaged.  It was not until the 24th of May, 1884 when the first Arbor Day was held and the newly formed Arbor Society tackled the job with 300 trees planted that first year. The list of participants on that Saturday was impressive as was the number of species they planted - 21 different varieties including bushes that would be valuable for birds. The Society defined which species were allowed and the size required and someone was in charge of each public square.

But quickly it was realized that this noble pursuit required more helpers and within two years

“It was deemed advisable to secure the hearty cooperation of the Education authorities and the children of the public schools.”

Saturday May 8th 1886 was declared a public holiday and 1,000 children paraded around the town to be addressed by the Lt Gov from the balcony of Province House. Arbor Day continued to be observed in the school system for decades. Programs included recitations, singing, speeches, band music, as well as tree planting. It was at one such event that the Island Hymn by Lucy Maud Montgomery was first performed in 1908.

1903 saw 200 trees planted under Mayor Paton’s direction, to line Elm Ave. - what is now known as University Ave. running from Allen St. to Euston St.

All this effort was producing results and a New Brunswick paper in 1885 noticed that the, “desert waste known as Queen Square . . . had been converted into a thing of beauty - a veritable oasis.”

Much credit for beautification should go to people like Arthur Newbery who showed personal dedication; being well placed within the public service also helped him advance the beautification effort. Others like Henry Smith, planted many trees personally, and as chairman of the Charlottetown School Board in 1921 he would recall the history of Arbor Day for the children assembled at Prince St. School:

 “Thirty-seven years ago there were very few trees in the public squares or streets of Charlottetown. Today we see them all around us as they are budding into leaf... These trees have transformed the city and clothed it in a verdure of living beauty. This is all the result of one day in each year by the Arbor Society, and the teachers and pupils of our City Schools.” He concluded his talk with describing our city as “one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the Dominion of Canada.”

We have much to be thankful for - while elms remain an enduring legacy due to their impressive size and graceful shape we can also thank the beautification founders for their emphasis on many varieties so that our urban canopy continues to be rich in tree species.

In looking ahead they knew, and we inherit that wisdom - to continue to plant more trees, and to protect the ones we have.

- Ian Scott, Charlottetown, April 22, 2015

Read at a special evening of tribute and remembrance for the elm trees of Charlottetown, held at Trinity United Church.