During his visit to the Island, Mayor Lastman will attend a reception at the Delta, take part in a tree planting ceremony and tour the Province House. Joining Mayor Lastman on Monday evening, will be Premier Pat Binns and Minister of Development & Technology, Mike Currie.

Snowplow drivers and clean up teams who participated in the emergency snow removal in 1999, as well as mussel and potato processors who assisted during the SARS crisis will also attend.

At the Monday evening reception, Mayor Lastman will announce a donation of trees to PEI from the City of Toronto to replace trees knocked down by Hurricane Juan. The reception will also acknowledge Islanders who assisted the City of Toronto during times of need over the past number of years.

"It was important for me to visit PEI before the end of my term as the Mayor of Toronto and to personally thank the people of this Island for their generosity towards the City of Toronto," said Mayor Lastman. "As soon as our office heard about Hurricane Juan and the damage it had caused to some of the Island's most historic trees, we wanted to help in any way we could. We felt that it was our turn to show our support for this great Island who has come to our aid on more than one occasion."

"We are very excited to welcome Mayor Lastman to our province," said Premier Pat Binns. "We are proud of the relationship that has formed between PEI and Toronto, and I would like to thank Mayor Lastman for taking the time to visit us here in PEI."

"Our friendship with Mayor Lastman and the City of Toronto has been a rewarding experience from day one," said Minister Currie. "We will certainly miss Mayor Lastman and I would like to thank him for coming to PEI's aid before stepping down as mayor of the City of Toronto.

Mayor Lastman will officially step down as mayor of the city at the end of November after serving two terms – the longest-serving mayor of any city in the world.