New book chronicles Women's Institute's role in shaping P.E.I.
- Judith Mendiolea Lelo de Larrea
- Feb 27, 2025
- 4 min read
(Story oroginally published by The Guardian on Feb 25, 2025)
It was the summer of 1889. Adelaide Hunter Hoodless cradled her infant son in her arms, unaware that his last breath was just hours away. The cause? Contaminated milk — an invisible killer in an era before food safety standards.
In the weeks that followed, grief consumed her but so did determination.
She would not let another mother suffer as she had. She realized that knowledge – the right knowledge – could have saved her son. Women needed education, not just in literacy, but in food safety, household management and public health.
By 1897, Hoodless had turned her sorrow into a revolution. In a meeting at the Ontario Agricultural College, she spoke about the urgent need for rural women to organize, share knowledge and advocate for better living conditions.
Inspired by her words, a group of farmers’ wives in Stoney Creek, Ont., formed the first Women’s Institute.
Fourteen years later, that movement made its way to P.E.I.
Prince Edward Island
In 1911, while their husbands tilled the fields, groups of women in P.E.I. gathered in community halls, around kitchen tables and in church basements. They were farmers’ wives, mothers and homemakers, but they were also problem-solvers.
“They started with small things – sewing circles, homemaking lessons – but they always had bigger ambitions,” said Sheila Gallant, president of the P.E.I. Women’s Institute (PEIWI) provincial board. “They saw the power of women coming together and knew they could accomplish more.”
More than a century later, Gallant is making sure these stories are not forgotten.
This May, she will launch WI Resilience: The Untold Stories, a book chronicling the history and impact of the Women’s Institute in P.E.I.
The book, which will be presented to Agriculture Minister Bloyce Thompson, compiles decades of contributions made by WI members, many of whom remained unsung voices of their time.
The profits from the book will fund a new scholarship for high school graduates in P.E.I.
“We’re recognizing women who made an impact but were never acknowledged,” Gallant said. “Their work changed lives, and it’s time their efforts were seen.”
Preserving stories
Mayté Luna, a member of the Confederation Branch of the P.E.I.’s Women’s Institute, says the book fills a gap in Island knowledge.
“I think it is very important to know the role that women have played on the Island, especially being such a small province,” said Luna. “It helps create bigger and more powerful activities and connections between women.”
She added, “It’s the same as if you know a country was at war. You study it to understand why was there a conflict. How could it be avoided? You can see the condition women were in and what was done to change it.”
The Women’s Institute has played a significant role in shaping the province, from pushing for the hiring of P.E.I.’s first public health nurse in 1921 to advocating for school meal programs in the 1940s.
Beyond policy, WI members have also left their mark on the Island’s social fabric, establishing libraries, creating arts and culture programs and preserving P.E.I.’s heritage through oral history projects.
“They never did it for credit,” Gallant said. “But their work built the foundation for so many things we take for granted today.”
Advocating care
The upcoming book serves as both a tribute and an archival record, ensuring that future generations understand the organization’s role in shaping the province.
Throughout the 20th century, Woman’s Institute members began pushing for health-care improvements. The organization was behind the province’s first maternal health programs and helped establish the Provincial Sanatorium in 1930 to treat tuberculosis patients.
During the Second World War, WI members contributed to the war effort by organizing clothing drives, knitting socks for soldiers and teaching women how to can food to ensure their families had enough through the harsh winters.
By the 1980s and 1990s, their focus had shifted to more modern issues, including women’s rights, food security and environmental conservation. One of their recent accomplishments came in 1998 when they successfully fundraised for a stereotactic mammography machine, advancing breast cancer detection in P.E.I.
“The WI has never been just about homemaking,” Gallant said. “It’s about shaping the province.”
A changing role
Today, the Women’s Institute continues to evolve, welcoming a new generation of members. Gallant has overseen the creation of new branches, including one composed entirely of international students — marking a new chapter in the organization’s legacy.
“The world is changing, and so is the WI,” she said. “We’re welcoming new voices, new ideas. The heart of the WI is still the same: women supporting women.”
With WI Resilience: The Untold Stories set for release, Gallant hopes it will serve as both a tribute to the past and an inspiration for the future.
“The WI is not just history,” she said. “It’s still shaping the Island today.”
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