A beautifully restored barn, 92 acres of rolling hills and forest, and a river view, Paul Arsenault couldn’t have asked for a better location to build a legacy enterprise for his children. With 40 years of experience in accounting, he was no stranger to the financial aspects of running a business, which is why he and his family jumped at the chance to purchase and take over Clinton Hills in 2019. With four daughters in tow, the entire family came together to contribute to the dream of becoming PEI’s number one wedding destination. The eldest daughter Rachel even shifted career paths to take the lead in wedding and event planning. Since then, they have hosted weddings, elopements, proms, business meetings, and Ross Family ceilidhs that take place throughout the summer months. Most recently, they also opened a drive-in movie theatre in Slemon Park. As a result, Clinton Hills not only draws in locals but also customers from around the globe, making up around 30 events per year. The 2022 season has surpassed this average with 40 weddings and counting being booked already, not to mention the other types of events that will take place.

This takeover was all made possible when Paul applied for the CBDC First Time Entrepreneur Loan to help pay for the mortgage and cover some of the renovation costs. “CBDC was important to us, without it we couldn’t have finished the renovations that we did”, he explained. Now that there might be an upcoming season with fewer COVID related constraints, Paul and his family have been implementing even more improvements to the facility. The first being that they have purchased a neighbouring bed and breakfast to increase accommodation capacity. Additionally, they plan on establishing another permanent venue down by the river, complete with more cottages being built on the property. Lastly, the Arsenaults want to winterize the building that contains the kitchen and bathrooms, making the venue available for bookings year-round. All these improvements are to work towards their ultimate dream of not only becoming the top wedding venue in PEI, but in all of Atlantic Canada. For Paul, this also means building a business that will support his children and future generations to come.