TOPIC: CBC P.E.I. FIRST PERSON
First Person
I never thought Canada would face the threat my homeland did
Nino Antadze was a student at the University of Waterloo when her homeland, Georgia, was invaded by Russian troops. She never expected to see Canada’s sovereignty threatened by the United States with a playbook that feels eerily familiar.
First Person
I'm a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Upholding our rights is my election issue
Corbin Clark is not a single-issue voter, but his fears about 2SLGBTQ+ rights being stripped away are at the top of the list as he considers who will get his vote this federal election.
CBC P.E.I. First Person FAQ
First Person pieces feature the personal stories and experiences of Islanders or those with a strong connection to P.E.I. — in their own words. Want to share your story with CBC P.E.I.? Here's how.
First Person
I love P.E.I. But it's no longer the affordable place I knew growing up
Maggie Campbell moved home to P.E.I. with her husband and kids in the hopes of starting on the path to home ownership and stability. Instead, they’re barely making ends meet and their dreams of raising kids in a small farmhouse on P.E.I. are long gone.
First Person
Ramadan leaves me feeling hungry, tired and a bit giddy. It also makes me a better person
As a child in Cairo, Fairouz Gaballa loved the jubilant celebration that accompanied Ramadan. As an adult, the fasting month is harder — and that in itself is something that she’s learned to love.
First Person
I was on the road to financial stability but now even a trip to the grocery store gives me anxiety
Crystal MacCormac and her spouse used to be financially comfortable and were able to cover the necessities with a little left over for savings. Now, the cost of everything has skyrocketed and each trip to the grocery store is demoralizing.
First Person
Losing at gambling didn't deter me because I held onto hope I would strike the jackpot some day
Chanarae Turnquest didn’t understand how anyone could become addicted to gambling with its high possibility of losing until she found herself getting swept up in the promise of winning and the escape it offered.
First Person
I left Charlottetown for a rural homestead and it changed my idea of work-life balance and food
Erin Gillespie always wanted to start up a homestead someday. When opportunity knocked, the idea of moving her life and her business to the country seemed impossible at first.
First Person
I learned what it means to be Black after moving to Canada
Cecily Erzuah moved to Canada from Ghana at the age of 18. After grappling with racism for the first time, she eventually learned how to be confident and speak up for herself.
First Person
As an artist, I'm learning to balance what materials I can afford and what is climate-friendly
Fairouz Gaballa is an artist and a recent university graduate. Her tight budget leaves little room for prioritizing sustainability, so she’s learning to balance what she can afford with what she feels is the more environmentally-friendly option.
First Person
I want my daughter to feel safe in her home. That's why I'm rebuilding with climate change in mind
After Dorian’s wrath, Jason Charette started rebuilding his home with eco-friendly material in the hopes it can withstand future hurricanes.
First Person
'Is this going to survive another hurricane?' After Fiona, I ask myself this all the time
Omair Imtiaz felt light-headed seeing the extent of nature’s fury, but the spirit of determination on P.E.I. helped awaken a sense of purpose to rebuild not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.
FIRST PERSON
I'm learning to live with my climate change anxiety by making friends with Mother Nature
Artist and performer Becca Griffin finds herself increasingly grappling with the weight of climate change. She finds solace in leaning in to Mother Nature, even when it's scary.
First Person
It's not a compliment when I'm told I don't sound Black
The last time someone told Evelyn Bradley she didn’t sound Black, it caught her off guard. What is the sound of Blackness, if not the way I sound? she asks.
First Person
I'm supposed to be embracing a post-pandemic normal, but that 'normal' doesn't exist anymore
Danielle White says she feels an increasing inability to make good choices, but she refuses to become apathetic.
First Person
I've always taken pride in studying to be a nurse. Now, I'm discouraged by the system.
Being a nurse is my dream job. But I don’t know how long I will be able to work in P.E.I.’s broken health-care system, and my career hasn’t even begun.
First Person
ADHD doesn't have to define me. It's a difference, not a deficit
Allie Cantwell is a counselling therapist who was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and that helped answer a lot of questions for her.
First Person
Writing a semi-autobiographical play unlocked the artist I kept hidden as a trans man
Jay Gallant identifies as a trans artist because both aspects of his identity — being visibly trans as well as an artist — are important to him for visibility.
First Person
My family caught COVID-19. Here's what I wish I'd known
For the better part of two years, I convinced myself that I could dodge COVID, writes Meaghan Blanchard. I'm not sharing my story to scare you. I'm sharing my story because I honestly thought that if I did everything right, it wouldn't hit my family.
First Person
Gen COVID: I worry for my child who has known nothing but the pandemic
They say it takes a village to raise a child, writes Omar Imtiaz as he reflects on his daughter's second birthday. But that has not been the case for children born in the pandemic.
First Person
On loss, a road trip and the bygone days of P.E.I.'s railway
Dann Alexander reflects on a visit to the Elmira Railway Museum with his brother, David, on what would be their last road trip together. David died of cancer a few months later. He was 43.