Has P.E.I. lost its Islandness? A study of Confederation Bridge 20 years on - Action News
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Has P.E.I. lost its Islandness? A study of Confederation Bridge 20 years on

A UPEI student wants to know whether Islanders feel P.E.I. changed after the Confederation Bridge was built.

Janice Pettit looks back to concerns expressed in mid-1990s

Confederation Bridge opened in 1997, and many were concerned about its cultural impact. (CBC)

A UPEI student wants to know whether Islanders feel P.E.I. changed after the Confederation Bridge was built.

When the bridge opened 20 years ago, many felt it would change the essential nature of the province as an Island. Masters student Janice Pettit's thesis will look at those concerns, and see how they bear out 20 years after the bridge opened.

"I'd like to determine, has the quality of life on P.E.I. been impacted by the bridge, or have we lost our Island way of life, or our Islandness." said Pettit.

"So it's more of a qualitative study than quantitative."

Pettit has been going over media coverage of the time to learn more about what Islanders were thinking back then.

She will follow that up with interviews with Islanders about their thoughts now, including people who weren't even born when the bridge was built.

With files from Island Morning