A RENEWED VISION

Taking an Honest Look at the History of Charlottetown

Knowing the history of a city helps you understand and appreciate the place you’re visiting—for better and for worse. And although modern-day Charlottetown on the surface is filled with a colourful mix of restored heritage buildings, beautiful shops & restaurants, and refreshing harbour views, our history hasn’t always been so bright and charming. In fact, reminders of colonization are almost everywhere and there has been a lot of (un)learning and unpacking of our collective history over the last several years.

A (VERY) BRIEF HISTORY

While we can’t ignore that being the Birthplace of Confederation was once one of Charlottetown’s biggest claims to fame, the history of this place is much fuller and a lot longer than that one event. During your visit to Charlottetown, you may want to take time to explore the various perspectives, including the injustices at play and those who were notably absent from deliberations in 1864, including the Mi'kmaq people.

These original inhabitants of Prince Edward Island called the island Epekwitk (which means “lying in the water”) and have inhabited the land and waterways of the Island for over 12,000 years. Epekwitk’s history includes horror and heartbreak, with the takeover and occupation of Mi'kmaq land, the largest Acadian Expulsion taking place across the Charlottetown Harbour at Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst, slavery by government leaders, bigotry, and racism.