Statement from Enactus Canada
Public discussion surrounding the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) Enactus student project led by Maggie McNeil and Samuel Harding has centered largely on how the project was presented and subsequently interpreted by media outlets.
In correspondence dated August 18, 2025, Catherine Fowler, President and CEO of Enactus Canada, provided clarification regarding the organization’s communications about the project. She wrote:
“We have reviewed our mention of the project and don’t believe that Enactus Canada has stated, nor implied, that the UPEI student team ‘invented’ potato soap. We believe our articles and communications reference the project solely in the context of its impact and their achievement in our competitions, but I welcome any specific notes in our communications that you believe may be untrue. We have also reviewed the competition presentation and don’t believe that the team deliberately tried to mislead any of the judges to imagine that they were the first producers of potato soap.”
This statement addresses two important points. First, it indicates that Enactus Canada does not believe its communications claimed that the UPEI team invented potato-based soap. Second, it states that the organization did not find evidence suggesting that the students deliberately attempted to mislead judges during the competition.
At the same time, public interpretation of the project was influenced by broader media coverage following the competition. In several outlets, the project was described as an innovative initiative involving the production of soap from unharvested potatoes. One international agricultural publication, Argenpapa, published a headline describing the project as:
“Innovations: The first soap made from discarded potatoes.”
This headline illustrates how the project was understood by some audiences outside the immediate Enactus competition context.
Subsequently, an editor’s note was added to a UPEI media release acknowledging that potato-based soap had previously been produced on Prince Edward Island. The note referenced earlier commercialization of potato-based soap by Island Potato Soap.
Taken together, these developments highlight the difference between three distinct elements:
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Competition context – where the project was evaluated primarily for its social enterprise impact and student entrepreneurship.
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Institutional communications – which described the student project and its sustainability objectives.
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Media interpretation – where some publications characterized the project as a novel or first-of-its-kind innovation.
The distinction between these contexts has become an important part of the public discussion.
The purpose of documenting these materials is not to question the value of student innovation or sustainability initiatives. Rather, it is to ensure that the historical record surrounding potato-based soap production on Prince Edward Island is accurately reflected and that prior local commercialization is properly acknowledged within public narratives.
Innovation frequently builds upon earlier ideas and developments. Transparency about that history helps maintain clarity in public communications and preserves trust in both academic and entrepreneurial communities.
Note of Interest: Samuel Harding's online profile states "I'm a born and raised Islander and I've lived in Stanley Bridge my entire life." The Island Potato Soap Company operated in Hope River, approximately one mile from Stanley Bridge. Joan Harding from Stanley Bridge, a possible relative, sold Island Potato Soap at the Stanley Bridge Farmers Market for several years.
