Upon reading the title from this short piece from the Government of Prince Edward Island I was naturally intrigued and interested in what new developments could be happening to the developing economy of the place of my youth. Especially so with our impending move there this summer. Unfortunately it’s a poorly formed success story of one remarkable individual, and not local industry looking for talent. The title is weak sauce at best.
So no, there isn’t a sudden demand for iOS devs, software engineers, interaction designers or user researchers that you see in demand elsewhere.
What they could have focused on, and what I would have liked to have read, is more detail into what advantages that the Island provides. There surely are many. I would love to read more about Emily Coffin and how she makes her life there, her story. What services are available for her and like minded individuals? What detailed advice does she have? How is Prince Edward Island a competitive location for remote workers, independent contractors, tech entrepreneurs and the like, over larger centers like Toronto or Montreal? Or why choose Charlottetown in the summer, over popular remote work locations like Chiang Mai? How about more detail about her work with Canada Learning Code, and how she is helping Islanders prepare themselves for the realities of work today, gaining new skills, or enabling them to start what Chris Guillebeau calls a Side Hustle. I’m sure this would be inspirational, important, and stand a far better chance of influencing more to invest in a move to the Island, than the current hollow piece.