Hannah Bell was elected as the MLA for District 11: Charlottetown-Parkdale in a by-election on November 27, 2017. She also serves as the Green Party Finance Critic.
Hannah Bell holds an MBA in Innovative Management from UPEI, and has 30 years of varied experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors in Canada and the UK. Prior to being elected, she served as Executive Director of the PEI Business Women's Association for 5 years. Hannah Bell is the owner of consultancy firm ‘The Solution Agency’, a partner in the training firm ‘Business Learning Solutions’, and co-owner of ‘The SPOT Charlottetown’ - a creative co-workspace and business incubator. Her work has focussed on building capacity and influencing change through the power of storytelling, practical training and skills development, strategic planning and partnerships, and sustainable project design.
Hannah Bell is a community leader locally and nationally, including representing the province as governor with National Trust Canada and as champion for Startup Charlottetown, part of the Startup Canada entrepreneurs network.
She lives in Parkdale with her daughter Ava and her mother Judith.
See the Office of the Third Party's website to find out what Hannah is working on right now, and how to get involved: www.thirdpartypei.ca
It’s been just over a year since I was sworn into the PEI legislature as MLA for Charlottetown-Parkdale, and in that time I have had so many opportunities to help people and make a real difference in provincial affairs. From working with the Ostomy Support Society to advocate for provincial coverage of ostomy supplies to introducing and passing an amendment to the Innovation PEI Act to include culture and green technology on our list of strategic sectors, I have relished advocating for progressive change and I have tried to live up to the trust my constituents have placed in me.
A simple playground game - would you rather? You can only pick one!
Am I the only one who feels that there are two Prince Edward Islands? There is the one that we are constantly being told about by government--the “Mighty Island” that’s “on a tear” and where everyone is “getting ahead together.” On this Island, no matter what the question, the answer is economic growth, population growth, export growth, growth, growth, and more growth. If you say anything negative on this Island, you can be sure the Premier will respond with a big confident smile and cherry-picked statistics to prove just how well we are doing, as he did recently in O’Leary when he was asked about the closure of the Cavendish plant and the loss of 40 jobs. Instead of addressing the workers’ anxiety, he reminded us that employment is up overall, so we really don’t need to worry about the 40 families who will be impacted. 
For many Islanders, the day-to-day cost of living is overwhelming. Most of us know what it feels like to have more month than money - deciding what bills will be paid late this month so we can get caught up on the others; saying no to activities and events because we just can’t afford it and still get groceries or gas. Low and moderate income households are often managing at or near the poverty line, and the lack of affordable housing is at the crisis stage in the current PEI market. It is affecting families who are being evicted from their rented home as it is converted to an AirBnB, and prospective homeowners who cannot find a property in their price range; it is preventing Islanders from coming home and keeping Islanders new and old from staying. But what we mean by affordable isn’t always clear - and if we are going to make major decisions and investments with tax payers money, we should agree on the terms we are using. 
We were delighted to read the province’s recent announcement of one-time financial support for 16 non-government organizations (NGOs). Discretionary funds are invaluable for these non-profit community organizations to move forward on projects and activities, and we applaud this move. 
Being fiscally responsible is socially responsible. As the special edition of The Guardian (April 6) dramatically demonstrated, poverty is a huge issue in PEI with 15.8% of Islanders classified as low income. The reality for too many Islanders is that our social systems are not meeting their needs, and band aid solutions are not going to be enough. We are not meeting our obligations to our citizens if we are not providing basic and equitable quality of life to all – and that requires a commitment to fiscal policy that is different, but not radical.
