Louste Island

The Province of Louste Island
Flag
Province of Louste Island
Capital	Louste City
Official languages	English, French
Demonym(s)	Louste Islander
Government
• First Minister	Blessing Burns
Legislature	Legislative Assembly
Establishment
• Colonized by Cartier	March 18, 1511
• Organized as Parish of Louste Island	June 12, 1519
• Parishes elevated to Provinces	July 20, 1750
Area
• Total	5,304 sq mi (13,740 km2)
Population
• 2020 estimate	301,294
• Density	56.8/sq mi (21.9/km2)
GDP (PPP)	estimate
• Per capita	$35,000
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	$10,545,255,000

Louste Island (LI) is one of the 10 provinces of Cheirol. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population. Its capital and largest city is Louste City. It is one of the three islands provinces and one of the western provinces.

Louste was colonized by Cartier in 1511 as part of the colony of Terre du Chein Royale. The island, along with the rest the colony, was captured by Albion the Twenty Years War in 1560, and in 1750 the island became its own province within a newly independent Cheirol.

The province of Louste Island has 301,293 residents. The backbone of the island economy is farming; it produces 25% of Cheirol's potatoes. Other important industries include the fisheries, tourism, and renewable energy.

Louste Island is located in the Bay of Albion, about 180 miles (290 kilometres) northwest of Renard, Corbeille, and has a land area of 5,304 sq mi (13,740 km²).

Economy

The provincial economy is dominated by the seasonal industries of agriculture, tourism, and fisheries. The island also has tourists who visit year-round. with tourists enjoying a variety of leisure activities, including the beaches, various golf courses, eco-tourism adventures, touring the countryside, and varied cultural events in local communities around the island. The economy of most rural communities on the island is based on small-scale agriculture. Industrial farming has increased as businesses buy and consolidate older farm properties.

A harvester at work in a soybean field. Agriculture remains a major part of the province's economy.

Agriculture remains the dominant industry in the provincial economy, as it has since colonial times. In 2015, agriculture and agri-food manufacturing was responsible for 7.6% of the province's GDP. In 2016, the Census of Agriculture counted 3,904 farms on the Island, which is a 9.5% decrease from the previous census (2011). During the 20th century, potatoes replaced mixed farming as the leading cash crop, accounting for one-third of provincial farm income. There are approximately 330 potato growers on the island, with the grand majority of these being family farms, often with multiple generations working together. The province currently accounts for a third of Cheirol's total potato production. The province is a major producer of seed potatoes. An estimated total of 70% of the land is cultivated and 25% of all potatoes grown in Cheirol originate from the Island. The processing of frozen fried potatoes, green vegetables, and berries is a leading business activity.

As a legacy of the island's colonial history, the provincial government enforces extremely strict rules for non-resident land ownership, especially since the Lands Protection Act of 1962. Residents and corporations are limited to maximum holdings of 400 and 1,200 hectares respectively. There are also restrictions on non-resident ownership of shorelines.

Lobster traps at the harbour of Cowansville. Lobster fishing continues to be a major economic sector for coastal communities.

Many of the province's coastal communities rely upon shellfish harvesting, particularly lobster fishing as well as oyster fishing and mussel farming.

The island's economy has grown significantly over the last decade in key areas of innovation. Aerospace, bioscience, information and communications technology, and renewable energy have been a focus for growth and diversification. The bioscience industry employs over 1,300 people and generates over $150 million in sales.

Farming on Louste Island

Louste Island has one of Cheirol's highest provincial retail sales tax rates at 10%. The provincial government provides consumer protection in the form of regulation for certain items, ranging from apartment rent increases to petroleum products including gas, diesel, propane and heating oil. These are regulated through the Louste Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (LIRAC). LIRAC is authorized to limit the number of companies who are permitted to sell petroleum products.

Energy

A wind farm at North Cape

Since 1918 Louste Electric has delivered electricity to customers on the Island. Nearly all of the electricity consumed on the island is generated from renewable energy (largely wind turbines); the provincial government had set a renewable energy target for 30-50% for electricity consumed by 2015, though this goal has not been met. There are eight wind farms on the island, the largest being West Cape Wind Park with a capacity of 99 MW from 55 turbines. A thermal oil-fired generating station is used sometimes for emergencies. It is being decommissioned.

Education

Louste Island's public school system is administered by the five County School Districts. These range in size from Scott County's 2,404 students, to King County's 34,446.

The Main Building at the University of Louste Island, the only university on the island

Three public post-secondary institutions operate in the province, including one university, and two colleges. The University of Louste Island is the province's only public university, and is located in the city of Louste City. The university was created by the Island legislature in 1921. ULI is also home to the Western Veterinary College, which offers the region's only veterinary medicine program.

Louste College and Laurier College are two public colleges that operate in the province. Louste College includes specialised facilities such as the Louste Police Academy and Marine Training Centre. In addition to public post-secondary institutions, Louste Island is also home to a private post-secondary institutions, Louste Christian College.

Government and politics

Main articles: Government of Louste Island and Politics of Louste Island

The provincial government is responsible for such areas as health and social services, education, economic development, labour legislation and law. These matters of government are overseen in the provincial capital, Louste City.

Louste Island Island is governed by a parliamentary government within the construct of constitutional monarchy; the monarchy in Louste Island is the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The sovereign is Queen Astrid II, along each of Cheirol's nine other provinces. As such, the Queen's representative, the Lieutenant Governor of Louste Island (presently Pénélope Harrison), carries out most of the royal duties in Louste Island.

The exterior of Province House, meeting place for the Legislative Assembly of Louste Island

The direct participation of the royal and viceroyal figures in any of these areas of governance is limited; in practice, their use of the executive powers is directed by the First Minister, the head of the Legislative Assembly (presently Blessing Burns), the head of government. To ensure the stability of government, the lieutenant governor will usually appoint as First Minister the person who is the current leader of the political party (or coalition) that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the Legislative Assembly. The leader of the party or Coalition with the second-most seats usually becomes the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition (presently Vanessa Darby) and is part of an adversarial parliamentary system intended to keep the government in check.

Each of the 20 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is elected by simple plurality in an electoral district. General elections are called by the lieutenant governor for the first Monday in October four years after the previous election. Historically, politics in the province have been dominated by the Labor and the Green Parties. The Conservative Party also maintains a small number of seats (currently four) and, together with the Republic Party's one seat, form the official opposition.

Administrative divisions

See also: List of counties of Louste Island

Louste Island is divided into five counties that have historically been used as administrative divisions for the provincial government.

Counties provide limited services to unincorporated areas of the province, such as law enforcement through county sheriff departments.

Municipalities

See also: List of municipalities in Louste Island

Ten largest cities by population

Cities	2020
Louste City	95,395
Bromont	21,093
Augustine	15,328
Thetford	14,950
Austin	12,934
Laurier	12,093
Hemmingford	9,830
Chambly	9,230
Princeville	9,102
Drummond	8,330

Zoning

The island's landscape is pastoral. Rolling hills, woods, reddish white sand beaches, ocean coves and the famous red soil have given Louste Island a reputation as a province of outstanding natural beauty. As a result, the provincial government has enacted laws to preserve the landscape through regulation, although there is a lack of consistent enforcement.

There is no province-wide zoning and land-use planning. Under the Planning Act of the province, municipalities have the option to assume responsibility for land-use planning through the development and adoption of official plans and land use bylaws. Nine municipalities have taken responsibility for planning. In areas where municipalities have not assumed responsibility for planning, the county remains responsible for development control.

Health care and sanitation

The province has a single health administrative region (or district health authority) called Health Louste Island. Health Louste Island receives funding for its operations and is regulated by the Department of Health and Wellness.

Many Louste Island homes and businesses are served by central sewage collection and/or treatment systems. These are operated either by a municipality or a private utility. Many industrial operations have their own wastewater treatment facilities. Staff members with the Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change provide advice to operators, as needed, on proper system maintenance. The LIRAC regulates municipal water and sewer in the province, now under the Environmental Protection Act.

Louste Island offers programs and services in areas such as acute care, primary care, home care, palliative care, public health, chronic disease prevention, and mental health and addictions, to name a few. The provincial government has opened several family health centres in recent years in various rural and urban communities. A provincial cancer treatment centre at the Queen Astrid Hospital provides support to those dealing with various types of cancer-related illnesses. A family medicine residency program was established in 2009 as a means to encourage new physicians to work in Louste Island.

Long-term-care services are also available with several programs in place to support seniors wishing to remain independent in their communities. Many medications for seniors are subsidized through a provincial pharmaceutical plan, however, Louste Island remains one of the only provinces lacking a catastrophic drug coverage program for its residents.

The provincial government has several programs for early illness detection, including mammography and pap screening clinics. There are also asthma education and diabetes education programs, as well as prenatal programs, immunization programs and dental health risk prevention programs for children. The government is also attempting to implement a comprehensive integrated Electronic Health Record system.

The provincial government has recently committed to enhancing primary care and home care services and has invested in health care facilities in recent capital budgets; mostly replacements and upgrades to provincial government operated nursing homes and hospitals.

Some specialist services require patients to be referred to clinics and specialists on the mainland. Specialist operations and treatments are also provided at larger tertiary referral hospitals in mainland provinces.

Ground ambulance service in Louste Island is provided under contract by Louste Island EMS. Air ambulance service is provided under contract by LifeFlight.

Prince Edward Island is the only province in Cheirol that does not provide abortion services through its hospitals. The last abortion was performed in the province in 1982 prior to the opening of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital which saw the closure of the Catholic-affiliated Louste City Hospital and the non-denominational Louste Island Island Hospital; a condition of the "merger" being that abortions not be performed in the province. The Government of Louste Island will fund qualifying abortions for women who travel to another province. Women from Louste Island may also travel to the nearest private user-pay clinic, where they must pay for the procedure using their own funds.

Transportation

Louste Island's transportation network has traditionally revolved around its seaports of Louste City, Augustine, and Laurier —linked to its railway system, and the airport in Louste City, for communication with mainland Cheirol. There are no ferry services to the island

The Island has the highest concentration of roadways in Cheirol. The provincially managed portion of the network consists of 3,824 miles (6,154 km) of paved roadways and 1,558 miles (2,507 km) of non-paved or clay roads. The province has very strict laws regarding use of roadside signs. Billboards and the use of portable signs are banned. There are standard direction information signs on roads in the province for various businesses and attractions in the immediate area. The by-laws of some municipalities also restrict the types of permanent signs that may be installed on private property.

Several airlines service the Louste Airport (LSA); the Laurier Airport (LRR) is an additional option for general aviation.

Sports

The most common sports played on the Island are hockey, curling, golf, horse racing, baseball, soccer, rugby, football and basketball. Water sports are also popular on Louste Island during the summer. In 2008 and 2009, Louste Island hosted the Tour de Louste, a province-wide cycling race consisting of women from around the world.