Indigenous Summerside: Epekwitk, Nations and Community
An introduction to Summerside: its history, the Nations whose lands it sits on, and Indigenous community life today, with sources.
About Summerside
Summerside had 16,001 residents in the 2021 census, with 18,157 in the wider area. It is the second largest city on Prince Edward Island and the main service centre for the western part of the Island. The city sits on Bedeque Bay, and it serves as the Island's principal port for potato shipments. It was incorporated as a city in 1995. Major employers include the Summerside Tax Centre, aerospace firms at Slemon Park and Amalgamated Dairies. In 2009 the city built Canada's first municipally owned and operated wind farm. Its four turbines usually supply about a quarter of the city's electricity. The Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI keeps an office in Summerside, on Read Drive.
Summerside history
The Mi'kmaq have lived in Epekwitk for more than 12,000 years. They used the Summerside shore as a summer hunting and fishing ground. Their name for it, Eptek, means hot place, since this side of the Island is warmer. Acadians followed the Mi'kmaq into the area. The Peace and Friendship Treaties of the 1700s set out relations between the British and the Mi'kmaq. They contained no land transfer provisions. In the 1870s, the Aborigines' Protection Society bought Lennox Island for the Mi'kmaq. Around 1800, the settlement was known as Green's Shore after landowner Daniel Green. An inn called Summerside House opened around 1840, and the town took its name. Joseph Pope moved his shipbuilding business here in the mid-1800s, and shipyards drove the economy. When shipbuilding collapsed late in the century, silver fox breeding brought new wealth around 1910. The fox industry had its headquarters here by 1920 and declined around 1945. An air force base opened in nearby St. Eleanors in 1941 and steadied the economy. Harness racing has run at the Summerside Raceway since 1886.
Treaty and territory
Summerside is in Epekwitk, part of Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. Prince Edward Island falls under the Peace and Friendship Treaties, which did not transfer land.
Nearby: Lennox Island First Nation · Kensington · Slemon Park · Bedeque · Miscouche · Tyne Valley
Indigenous Summerside today
The Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI represents the Island's two First Nations, Abegweit and Lennox Island. It works toward self-determination for Mi'kmaq and Indigenous people, and one of its two offices is in Summerside. Its programs cover education, employment, health and family support. An Indigenous Justice program draws on traditional healing approaches. Indigenous Sport Circle PEI creates sport and recreation opportunities for young people. The Confederacy also runs integrated resource management work on land and water. Lennox Island First Nation had 1,108 members in March 2025. About 415 of them live on the reserve. A bridge built in 1973 connects the island community to the rest of Prince Edward Island. In the 2000s the Nation added two more reserves, at East Bideford and Fernwood. Chief Tabatha Bernard has led the band since 2025, with a council of four. More than half of Lennox Island's members, 685 people, live off reserve. For Mi'kmaq people in the western Island, the Confederacy's Read Drive office in Summerside is close at hand.
Life in Summerside
Summerside's waterfront faces Bedeque Bay. Spinnakers' Landing is the city's waterfront development. Credit Union Place holds a 4,000-seat hockey arena, a swimming pool and a bowling alley under one roof. Music and dance have a home at the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada. The city also has two national historic sites, the former post office and the old railway station. Harness racing fans head to the Summerside Raceway, where standardbreds have raced since 1886. Potatoes shape the local economy, with the port shipping much of the Island's crop. Cavendish Farms, the province's largest private employer, operates nearby in New Annan. Slemon Park, on the old air base, is home to aerospace companies. The city's own wind farm is a point of local pride.
Summerside seasons and weather
Summerside winters are cold and snowy, with about 278 cm of snow a year. Summers are moderate, though the city set a 35°C record in August 2025. A hoodie covers breezy harbour evenings for much of the year, and a heavier layer earns its keep from December to March.
More on the region: Indigenous Prince Edward Island · all of Canada.
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- How to Write a Land Acknowledgement That Means Something
- Orange Shirt Day & the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- National Indigenous Peoples Day and History Month: A Guide
- All Journal articles
Summerside questions
Do you ship to Summerside and the rest of PEI?
Yes. Orders of $90 or more ship free to Summerside and anywhere else in Canada. For smaller orders, the shipping cost appears at checkout. Every order is packed in Saskatoon and leaves our shop within 1 to 3 business days.
Can XUSI print custom shirts for a Summerside team or community group?
Yes. Custom screen printing starts at 10 garments, with up to 4 colours per design. Every order gets a full quote before anything is printed, and design help is included. We print in Saskatoon and ship the finished order to Summerside.
Is XUSI connected with the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI or Lennox Island First Nation?
No. XUSI is a separate Indigenous-owned company founded in Saskatoon in 2020 by two brothers, on Treaty 6 territory. We have no partners, stockists or events on Prince Edward Island. Many of our designs carry a Cree word, and each story is on our meanings page.
What XUSI layers suit Summerside's winters?
Summerside averages close to 278 cm of snow a year. Layer our heavyweight 100% cotton tee or the Black Oni long sleeve under a hoodie, priced from $59.95 to $89.95. The Revitalize Culture crewneck at $89.95 is another warm option for cold rink nights and harbour walks.
Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources listed below.
Indigenous clothing from XUSI
On the warm south shore that the Mi'kmaq called Eptek, Summerside is Prince Edward Island's second city, and XUSI ships Indigenous-designed tees, hoodies and hats here from our Saskatoon print shop.
Summerside's sea breeze and snowy winters make layering part of life. Our heavyweight 100% cotton tee is the go-to for a summer afternoon at Spinnakers' Landing. Pull on a hoodie for evenings by Bedeque Bay when the wind picks up. The Golden Era ringer tee suits a night at the Summerside Raceway. In winter, the Revitalize Culture crewneck layers well under a coat for a game at Credit Union Place. Our A-frame snapback helps on bright days along the shore. When spring comes slowly, the Black Oni long sleeve bridges cool mornings and milder afternoons.
