Happy Easter Ocean FamJam!

PEI WEATHER

TODAY: Sunny breaks with a chance of showers. High 8°

TONIGHT: Cloudy. Low -1°

TOMORROW: Sunny by the afternoon. High 8°

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Prince Edward Home in Charlottetown has declared an outbreak of influenza on its Blue Jay Way household. This is in addition to the outbreak declared this past weekend on the Lupin Valley household. 

 Residents of both households are being limited to one visitor at a time and all visitors are asked to wear a mask. 

P-E-I’s Green Party has tabled a bill to help protect farmland.

M-L-A Matt MacFarlane says the bill is an amendment to the Planning Act and will ensure the protection of agricultural land, recognizing its importance for food security.

He says the province is losing farmland at the “alarming rate” of as much as up to 39 acres every day.

The federal party leaders will remain in Montreal for another day for the English debate Thursday night. 

However, Thursday night they exchanged words in French with Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre aligning on support for new oil and gas pipelines as a matter of national security. 

N-D-P Leader Jagmeet Singh says that Canada needs to prioritize what matters most and invest in sectors like agriculture, culture and the French-language. 

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet says Canada needs to align itself with other countries that have been impacted by the U-S tariffs. 

The Green Party was removed from the debate earlier yesterday after fielding candidates in fewer than 70 per cent of ridings. 

With less than a month until Canadians head to the polls to vote in the federal election, candidates across P.E.I. are hitting the campaign trail in an effort to become — or remain — a member of Parliament.

The City of Charlottetown and the province are doing some temporary patching of deep potholes in Island roads, but a more permanent solution is coming next month. CBC's Tony Davis has more.

Here's a list of which Island businesses are open and closed. Some restaurants will be open, but it's a good idea to call ahead and check.

A new cross-Canada coalition of feminist organizations is calling on all federal parties to include a basic income guarantee in their platforms as a policy commitment. 

Premier Rob Lantz says he will do whatever it takes to protect P.E.I.'s Lands Protection Act amid concerns about how that legislation would be affected by the governing Progressive Conservatives' proposed bill to eliminate trade barriers between provinces. 

Johnathan Joseph Trainor, 29, pleaded guilty to eight charges in January and was sentenced last week. All of the charges against him stemmed from incidents in the summer of 2024.

The Bank of Canada is hitting pause after seven straight interest rate cuts as it grapples with global trade uncertainty.  The central bank held its benchmark interest rate steady at 2.75 per cent on Wednesday, the first time it has foregone a cut since last June.  Governor Tiff Macklem says the Bank of Canada kept the key rate unchanged to give the central bank more time to see how the U.S. tariff situation will impact the economy.

The province’s health minister says P.E.I. is getting a lung cancer screening program, something advocates have said is urgently needed on the Island.

Hope you’re rested after a wonderful weekend.

PEI WEATHER

TODAY: Sun and cloud. Winds light by the afternoon. High 3°

TONIGHT: Clouding over near midnight. Low -2°

TOMORROW: Cloudy with some snow starting near noon. High 1°

TEXT YOUR ANSWER TO 902-368-1720

Charlottetown Police say a 36-year old man has been charged with possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking after they seized, with help from Canada Post inspectors, 13 grams of fentanyl which had been shipped from out of province.  The seizure was part of the same investigation that saw the man arrested and charged when the Charlottetown Police Street Crime Unit executed a search warrant in mid-March at a home on King Street.  That search led to the man being charged with several offenses, including possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes and possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking. He has been in custody since his arrest March 15th.

A new Chief of Lennox Island First Nation will be elected June 14th.  Chief Darlene Bernard announced last week that she had decided not to seek re-election, calling it one of the hardest decisions she’ ever had to make.  She served as Lennox Island Chief from 2001 – 2013, and was re-elected again in June of 2019.  Bernard will remain in office until the new chief is elected. 

Federal party leaders were all over Canada Sunday on the campaign trial, making pledges to voters just three weeks out from election day.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney says Indigenous issues would be at the core of his government, also echoing his previous remarks about the need to fundamentally reshape U-S relations.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced a plan to tackle drug addiction in Canada including “results-based funding” to treatment centres– based on the number of people they help to get sober.

The P.E.I. Humane Society says it's making progress on its new home, but there are issues sourcing some equipment used to perform surgeries on animals like this one. The non-profit says the cost to buy equipment from the United States has gone up and they’re looking for other options. CBC's Tony Davis has more.

Prince Edward Island’s tourism industry association held its second job fair of the year in Cavendish on Saturday. 

The City of Charlottetown is conducting a review of its Zoning and Development Bylaw and is seeking public feedback.
The updated bylaw will serve as the regulatory framework for land use development in Charlottetown, introducing zoning categories and design guidelines. To gather feedback, the City is hosting a Public Open House on Monday from 5:30pm to 8:00pm at the Charlottetown Library and Leaning Centre.

The provincial government is funding a one-year pilot program with Reactive Health to provide rehabilitative physiotherapy for uninsured or underinsured patients who have had total hip or knee replacements.

Through the Health Innovation Fund, $80,000 was allocated for the program.  It provides eligible patients with an initial assessment and up to six follow-up physiotherapy treatments at no cost to the patient.

The Province is seeking Islanders’ opinions on proposed changes to the Lands Protection Act.

 The Act regulates property rights, including limits on land ownership for individuals and corporations. The proposed amendments will strengthen landownership rules for non-residents by requiring them to obtain Executive Council approval before acquiring an interest in municipal property.  More information on the changes, and details on how to provide feedback, can be found on the government website.

As the PEI Government failed this week to fulfill a campaign promise from two years ago to eliminate the provincial patient registry by April 2025, the PEI Nurse Practitioner Association says nurse practitioners can play a role in rapidly improving the healthcare situation.  The Association says investing in the Master of Nursing program to increase the number of NPs graduating from UPEI would ensure better care for Islanders in the near future, as over 90% of NPs that graduate stay on the island and work for their communities.  The Association adds that since it only requires two years for an experienced Registered Nurse to complete an Nurse Practitioner program, the taxpayer cost for their education is significantly less than other primary care providers.  The Nurse Practitioner Association is calling on the Province to open dialogue with the Association on alternate solutions.

On the federal election campaign trail on Saturday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to cut bureaucratic red tape by 25-per cent in two years if he is elected.  NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh promised to offer an additional one per cent in Canada Health Transfer funding to provinces that guarantee access to a family doctor.  Liberal Leader Mark Carney pledged to boost Canada’s skilled trades workforce and plans to expand labour mobility. 

The P.E.I. government intends to explore the idea of building a new shipping port on the Island, but an expert in maritime and port systems says such a project is not feasible and could be extremely costly.

Canada's next federal election is April 28. Here's everything you need to know to cast your ballot on election day or at an advance poll on P.E.I.

P.E.I. woke up to lower gas prices for the second time this week following an unscheduled price adjustment by the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission.

Canadian and U-S stock markets’ worst crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic slammed into a higher gear Friday as the numbers sank for a second straight day.  There were sharper losses Friday compared to Thursday as U-S President Trump’s tariffs continue to stir recession fears.  They come as China matches Trump’s big raise in tariffs announced earlier this week, escalating a trade war.  The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 4.7 per cent — more than six per cent off from last week’s close.

With the volatility in the markets, the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission announced an unscheduled adjustment in gas prices.  The prices of regular and premium gasoline decreased overnight by 5.0 cents per litre.  The price of furnace oil went down by 4.0 cents per litre.  The price of diesel decreased by 6.0 cents per litre.  Including taxes, pump prices for regular self-serve gasoline now range from about $1.48 to $1.49 per litre.  Diesel costs you $1.55 to $1.56 pere litre.  The maximum price for furnace oil is $1.19 pere litre.

Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside hopes to get more students on stage and in seats through a program it just launched. 

Testimony wrapped up Friday at the coroner's inquest into the death of Colton Clarkin in July 2023, but the process will now stretch into an unplanned fourth day on Monday.

Many boxes of military artifacts donated by Island families are sitting in the basement of the Royal Canadian Air Force Association 200 Wing in Summerside. Veteran advocates say it’s tough to see the once-revered items collecting dust. Now, the P.E.I. Regiment Museum plans to go through the boxes of uniforms and photos, catalogue everything, and possibly put some of it on display. CBC's Connor Lamont reports.

There were more questions in the P.E.I. legislature Friday about the costs associated with the province’s deal with the NHL, with Opposition Leader Hal Perry tabling receipts for what he called 'incredibly expensive parties.' 

From Pierre Poilievre's rally to Donald Trump's tariffs, and from Maritime Electric questions to the Community Outreach Centre dispute, the Compass political panel has the Island covered. CBC's Louise Martin welcomes Paul MacNeill and Sally Pitt for their regular Friday check-in.

Crown and defence lawyers made their sentencing arguments in a P.E.I. courtroom Friday for a man who was behind a string of fires that destroyed cottages and damaged homes in 2023. 

After nearly two decades in leadership, Lennox Island First Nation Chief Darlene Bernard is stepping down.

A 32-year-old man is facing charges after an armed robbery late afternoon Tuesday at the Irving Parkdale Mainway on St Peters Road. Charlottetown Police say a lone masked male threatened the employee at the gas station/convenience store with a needle and made off with some cash. Police say the suspect fled the scene in an un-plated black Honda Civic. With video surveillance and police work the investigation was solved and the suspect was arrested without incident within 24 hours.

P-E-I’s government is bringing in regulations that will allow a Charlottetown emergency shelter to keep operating.Steven Myers says a recent city decision that would have ended the ability of the shelter on Park Street to continue was unacceptable and would have caused encampments and homelessness.Myers says the province will enact regulation to create a special planning area that includes the shelter and allow the minister to take the decision directly to keep it going.On Tuesday night, the city council had voted to reject the province’s request for an extension of a zoning change to cover the shelter’s operations on Park Street.

In Question Period Thursday, Green MLA Matthew MacFarlane said people he's spoke to are paying hundreds more on their electric bills this winter, compared to last.

Some young players say they're being iced out by Hockey P.E.I. because of the format it has chosen for its provincial championships this weekend. 

Although the former premier suggested P.E.I. might be looking to get out of its multimillion-dollar sponsorship agreement with the National Hockey League, MLAs heard Thursday that the province spent even more money on promotion at a major league event in January. 

A provincial emergency overnight shelter and Community Outreach Centre will continue operating in its current location within Charlottetown despite a city council vote earlier this week, P.E.I.'s housing minister says. 

Clarkin was 27 years old when he died by suicide in the summer of 2023. He was being held in custody at the Hillsborough Hospital in Charlottetown, but he was 'absent without leave' from the psychiatric hospital at the time of his death.

Stratford residents will see another tax increase this year as part of the town's budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

A new online tool is available to help Islanders easily find information about local sports and recreation facilities located across the province.    

The Sport and Recreation Facilities Map provides an easy way for people to explore a variety of options, offering quick access to detailed information with just a few clicks.

The map includes details about various facilities, from sports fields and community centers to gyms and outdoor spaces. People can find helpful information like facility names, addresses, and other key details to help plan their next activity or event.

The online tool is free and accessible on the provincial government website

PEI RCMP have charged three people as part of Project STEEL, an extensive nationwide operation led in part by the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre.  The project, which brought together 63 law enforcement partners across the country, targeted online child sexual exploitation.   The PEI RCMP Internet Child Exploitation Unit conducted three investigations and executed Search Warrants resulting in three people being charged with offences related to Child Pornography.  

Veterans Affairs staff in Charlottetown are preparing for what could be the last trip to Europe for the remaining veterans of the Second World War. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Holland and V-E Day, and about 25 elderly veterans will travel to the Netherlands. As the last survivors pass away, Veterans Affairs Canada also looking to redefine who Canadians identify as veterans. CBC's Nancy Russell has the story.

Snow crab fishers on Prince Edward Island are preparing to start their season next week facing a 33 per cent reduction in the amount they're allowed to catch. 

Federal and provincial political leaders promised to retaliate after U.S. President Donald Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on all vehicles entering the United States, starting next week.

What's normally a matter of routine became a minor controversy in the Prince Edward Island legislature Wednesday, when the governing Progressive Conservatives made MLA Brad Trivers Deputy Speaker over the continued objections of the other parties.