The COVID-19 outbreak on the Harbour Household of Charlottetown’s Beach Grove Home has been declared over.  

Health PEI is thanking staff for their dedication in managing and limiting the outbreak within the facility. 

Visitors are encouraged to wear a mask inside the facility and to not visit if they are feeling ill.

The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce handed out the hardware Wednesday night, hosting its 2024 President’s Excellence Awards Gala.  Awards were handed out in nine categories, and the winners were:

The Emerging Business Excellence Award — Mezza Lebanese Kitchen. 

The Excellence in Small Business Award — New Glasgow Lobster Suppers. 

The Excellence in Business Award — Charlottetown Metal Products. 

The Not-for-Profit Excellence Award — Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation

Excellence in Customer Service Award — Coast to Coast Beauty 

Innovation Excellence Award — Island Abbey Food Science Ltd. 

Workplace Excellence Award — A.M. Financial Matters Inc. 

 People’s Choice for Community Impact Award — Big Brothers Big Sisters of PEI. 

Lifetime Achievement Award — COWS

Summerside officials want P.E.I.'s health minister and the head of Health P.E.I. to attend next week's town hall, with Mayor Dan Kutcher saying lives are at risk while the Prince County Hospital is not able to offer full intensive care services.

Some people are worried about what a proposed 600-unit development will mean for their community of Winsloe, on the northwestern edge of Charlottetown.

An appearance before the P.E.I. legislature’s health committee by outgoing Health P.E.I. CEO Dr. Michael Gardam led to a tense exchange with Progressive Conservative MLA Steven Myers on Wednesday.

As electric vehicles become more common on P.E.I. roads, Holland College is stepping up with a short subsidized course for the mechanics who will be dealing with them when they break down.

Provincial Communities Minister Rob Lantz says he has gotten legal advice that the P.E.I. government can't rely on an investigation commissioned by the Murray Harbour council as it moves forward in the John Robertson matter.

The RCMP says it conducted 67 traffic enforcement investigations across PEI in the past two days. That includes traffic stops by officers as well as responding to complaints from the public. The incidents resulted in 78 tickets and warnings being issued.

Communities Minister Rob Lantz says the deadline for Councillor John Robertson to follow the ministerial directive to comply with the sanctions placed on him by the Rural Municipality of Murray Harbour or resign from his role on council, has passed without any resolution.  Lantz says Legal Services has advised his Department that the legislation as it’s currently written does not allow the Minister to make a final determination without carrying out an independent inquiry into Robertson’s conduct,  regardless of the inquiry already conducted by the Municipality.  The Minister has  signed an Order appointing Michael Drake of McInnes Cooper to carry out an inquiry into the conduct of Roberston and the response to sanctions.  Lantz says the matter has gone on for far too long and he’s asked that the inquiry be conducted diligently, but as quickly as possible.

The Bank of Canada held its key interest rate at five per cent on Wednesday and signalled it has begun discussing when it should start cutting rates.  Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says discussions are shifting from whether its key policy rate is high enough to how long it needs to maintain it at five per cent. Economists were widely expecting the central bank to maintain its benchmark rate but were waiting to see if the Bank of Canada would indicate a pivot toward rate cut considerations.  Despite the shift in messaging today, Macklem maintained that the central bank is not ruling out more rate hikes if inflation doesn’t co-operate.  The Bank of Canada’s new forecasts suggest inflation is still expected to return to two per cent in 2025.

The influenza outbreak at the Margaret Stewart Ellis Home in O’Leary has been declared over.  

 Health PEI is thanking staff for their dedication in managing and limiting the outbreak within the facility. 

 Visitors are encouraged to wear a mask inside the facility and to not visit if they are feeling ill. 

The City of Charlottetown’s 2024/2025 draft capital and operational budgets are now being presented and discussed at the Council Committee level. City Council as a whole will debate and approve the final budget at a public meeting of Council in March. Residents are encouraged to keep an eye on the city’s social media platforms for details on how they can take part in the budget process and provide feedback.  There will be an in-person open house and the date for that will be announced soon.

The Association of Atlantic Universities says the federal government’s move to temporarily cap international admissions will hurt the region.  Executive director Peter Halpin says the caps could undermine work Atlantic schools have done to make the region an attractive destination for foreign students.  Halpin says international students represent about 30 per cent of the enrolment at the 16 universities in Atlantic Canada, compared to about 20 per cent across the country.  Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller has said the two-year cap will give federal and provincial governments time to deal with some bad actors that have taken advantage of the student visa system.

Residents of the St. Timothée area are calling on the P.E.I. government to pave a road they say has deteriorated to the point where it is sometimes almost impassible.

Overcrowding has school bus drivers on P.E.I. worried “kids will go flying” if they ever have to slam on the brakes, a legislative committee heard Tuesday.

It's not hard to get people in Summerside talking about recent changes at Prince County Hospital, where a staffing crisis led administrators to say this month that some patients will have to be diverted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, an hour away.  

With seven nominations, P.E.I.’s East Pointers led the pack as the 2024 East Coast Music Awards kicked off the trip to Atlantic Canada's big music week in May.

The East Coast Music Association announced the 2024 nominees Tuesday for the 36th annual East Coast Music Awards, set to take place in Charlottetown May 1-5, 2024. 

Prince Edward Island’s own, The East Pointers lead with an impressive seven nominations, bringing them to a grand total of 29 nominations since 2015. Followed closely by Jenn Grant and Tim Baker with six nominations each, and Jimmy Rankin and Neon Dreams with four nominations each.  

Prince Edward island artists received 41 nominations.  Nova Scotia leads the way with 88.

The Provincial Government says that within the next 60 days, it will relocate the Community Outreach Centre to 15 Park Street and close the current centre on Euston Street.  On Monday night, Charlottetown City Council, by a vote of 6-5, approved the province’s application for a major variance to allow the relocation of services to the provincially-owned land on Park Street.  The Province says this will be a temporary move for one year to allow government the time needed to build a model of care that balances the needs of clients and interests of residents and neighbours.  

In the meantime, Government says that based on the immediate recommendations of the Special Advisor to the province, some service changes will be taken:

–          Improved triage and intake processes so that the Centre does not continue to be a catch all location for individuals;

–          Move clients through the centre to appropriate services available in the community;

–          Reduced loitering; and

–          Zero tolerance drug and alcohol use.

The Province says that it will be meeting with residential neighbours and the business community during the relocation, and will also put supports in place, such as:

–          Funding to support enhanced policing resources with the Charlottetown Police Service;

–          On-site security 24 hours a day, 7 days a week;

–          A Resident Support Team to work with homeowners in nearby properties;

–          Perimeter fencing;

–          clean-up crews to ensure garbage, debris, and paraphernalia are cleaned up in public spaces within the area; and

–          Appropriate procedures and processes to work with clients who don’t follow the accountability measures and respect for neighbours, community, and staff.

The Province says it will maintain a security presence around the Euston Street property once the Centre vacates. Planning for repurposing the Euston Street property, in consultation with the surrounding communities, will begin this Fall. 

Pending increases in the legal size of lobster that can be sold in the United States are something to watch, according to the Lobster Fishers of P.E.I. Marketing Board

The operator of Charlottetown’s Community Outreach Centre is welcoming a move approved by city council Monday night, but she doesn’t believe the service for people with 'greater, complex needs' has found its final home yet.

The nets and lights are back at Moore's Pond in Stratford after weeds and sediment put a damper on the neighborhood rinks for the last two winters. The local resident who takes care of the rinks is also back, for his 28th year.

Charlottetown city council voted for a temporary use variance for the Community Outreach Centre Monday night, allowing a move to Park Street, but the province will have to meet some conditions.

Mayor Philip Brown cast the tiebreaking vote as Charlottetown City Council voted 6-5 to approve the variance application by the Province, allowing the Community Outreach Centre to move from its current location on Euston Street to Park Street.  The City of Charlottetown Planning Board had made a recommendation to Council last week that it approve the variance application by the Province.

The province made the application in its plan to temporarily relocate the Community Outreach Centre to two combined modular buildings at 15 Park St. for up to one year.  

The mayor of Kensington is frustrated that a $150-million renewable diesel plant proposed for the town’s industrial park will not happen, and he is blaming the provincial government. 

The federal government's decision to cap how many international student permits are issued over the next two years — and the 'aggressive' tone in which it was delivered Monday — has students and post-secondary institutions on P.E.I. wondering how it will affect them.

PEI has a new Senator.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced the appointment of Mary Robinson to fill the vacancy for PEI in the Senate.  Mary Robinson is a leader in the agricultural sector and currently serves as the Vice-President of the World Farmers’ Organization.  She is a managing partner of the Robinson Group of Companies, a 6th-generation farm and agribusiness on the Island.  Robinson will be sworn in during a ceremony set for early next month, joining the current Senators for PEI Percy Downe, Brian Francis and Jane MacAdam.

Ottawa is slashing the number of study permits it approves over the next two years to get a handle on a ballooning international student program.
New student visas handed out this year will be capped at 364-thousand — which represents a 35 per cent decrease from the nearly 560-thousand issued last year.
Federal officials will set the number for 2025 following an assessment of the situation later this year.
The cap will apply only to post-secondary undergraduate students and not those seeking visas for master’s programs, doctoral degrees or elementary and high school students.

RCMP across PEI made four impaired driving arrests over the weekend. On Friday afternoon in Cornwall, a tip from the public led the RCMP to a 63-year-old woman who is now facing charges of refusing a breath demand.  A traffic stop Friday afternoon resulted in a 19-year old man, suspected of being impaired by drug, failing a roadside test and giving a blood sample.  Early Saturday morning, shortly before 2:00am, a traffic stop was conducted in Mermaid and an 18-year old man provided breath samples that were over the legal limit.  He’s now facing impaired driving related charges.  Also, around 2:00am on Saturday, a traffic stop in Tignish resulted in a 33-year-old man providing breath samples that were almost twice the legal limit.  He’ll be appearing in court soon to answer to an impaired driving charge.

The City of Charlottetown’s 2024/2025 draft capital and operational budgets are now being presented and discussed at the Council Committee level. City Council as a whole will debate and approve the final budget at a public meeting of Council in March. Residents are encouraged to keep an eye on the city’s social media platforms for details on how they can take part in the budget process and provide feedback.  There will be an in-person open house and the date for that will be announced soon.

Environmental groups on P.E.I. will be keeping a close watch on how an oil spill in Charlottetown affects fish life and other marine habitats in the Hillsborough River.

Prince Edward Island no longer has any vacant Senate seats, with Monday’s news that Mary Robinson has been appointed to Canada’s upper house of Parliament.

The P.E.I. government says it is going to bring lung cancer screening to the province, but the Canadian Cancer Society wants to know when.

The P.E.I. Nurses’ Union joined doctors associated with Prince County Hospital in Summerside in declaring an emergency at the hospital in an open letter published on Saturday.

The Liberal cabinet’s retreat kicked off Sunday with a working dinner and will be followed by two full days of meetings in preparation for the House of Commons to resume sitting next week. 

Liberal M-P Francois-Philippe Champagne indicated to reporters that affordability and pocketbook policies will be the focus of retreat discussions. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s  spokespeople say the biggest emphasis will initially be on affordability measures which includes the need to stabilize food prices and government programs like the ten-dollars-a-day national child-care initiative.  

The manager of a driving school on P.E.I. says a program meant to help newcomers obtain a driver's licence isn't reaching its full potential.

The East Coast Music Association has a new initiative called Pledge to Pause, encouraging people to pause and reflect on the impact of alcohol in the music industry and to individual lives and careers.

Formally uncommon varieties of mushrooms have grown in popularity recently, and now P.E.I. fungi lovers can grow them at home with a little help.

Two longstanding volunteer fundraising groups on the Island are joining forces.  In 1933, 12 caring Islanders came together to form Wo He Lo, a group of volunteers committing work, help, and love to hospitalized infants in PEI. Since then, Wo He Lo has raised more than $1.1 million for the QEH Nursery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. After 90 incredible years, Wo He Lo is combining strengths and uniting efforts with the QEH Auxiliary. Together they will serve as one volunteer organization supporting all QEH patients and staff.   

Wo He Lo president Theresa Corcoran says that combining their efforts will eliminate a duplication of executive responsibilities, allowing volunteers to engage more in what we love to do – fundraise to support Island health care.

Local business leader and philanthropist Warren Ellis, together with his wife Marlene and sons Josh and Brody, has made a generous gift of $100,000 to the Holland College Foundation’s Thrive campaign. The campaign is a $2.5 million fundraising effort to establish a centre for student wellness, resilience, and success at Holland College. 

A broad range of services will be offered through the centre including mental health supports, a health clinic, academic support services, and career and academic counselling. 

The Ellis family says it was inspired to support the initiative and sees it as an investment in the overall health and wellbeing of the province. 

After three plus years as Executive Director of Island Nature Trust, Bianca MacGregor’s last day with the Nature Trust was January 12th, as she is the new Executive Director of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Island Nature Trust will be hiring a new Executive Director over the next few months.

A Search Committee will begin its work within the month.

In the interim, Shannon Mader and Melissa Cameron will share the position as Acting Executive Director(s).

The field of candidates is now set for the February 5th by-election in District 19 with the passing of the candidate registration deadline on Friday afternoon.  There are 4 candidates vying for the District 19 seat in the provincial legislature – Matt MacFarlane for the Green Party; Karen Morton for the NDP; Carmen Reeves for the Progressive Conservatives; and Gordon Sobey for the Liberals.  For those voters wanting to cast their vote by mail-in ballot, the deadline to apply for your mail-In ballot is Tuesday, at 6 p.m.   A mail-in ballot will only be counted if the Chief Electoral Officer receives it at Elections PEI by 12 Noon on Election Day, which is Monday, February 5th.  Advance polls will be held on January 27th and 29th and February 2nd.  

As the waters around Prince Edward Island warm and experts warn of more severe weather events in the future, some oyster harvesters on P.E.I. are balancing the pros and cons of the changing climate.

A Charlottetown man who refused to cut his grass was surprised to get a bill for almost $800 from the city for doing the work.

Saturday afternoon racing at  Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park gets underway shortly….start time is 1230

After switching up tactics his last two starts, Rollwithhottytoddy will try to make it three-straight in the afternoon feature. 

Catch all the action live at the track or tune into the worldwide broadcast at Redshores.ca.  

The Shawinigan Cataractes went to a shootout to edge the Charlottetown Islanders in the QMJHL.

Matthew Butler had a goal and two assists for the Islanders. 

Tonight, the Islanders host Acadie Bathurst at 7

In the Maritime Junior league…Summerside Western Capitals are in Yarmouth this evening. 

The UPEI women’s Panthers playoff chances continue to fade as they were shutout 3-0 by St. FX.

UPEI has lost four straight and 7 of its last 8.

Tea (tee-ah) Pearce had a goal and two assists and Brooklyn Oakes made 20 saves in the nets.

UPEI hosts  #1 nationally ranked UNB in men’s hockey at 7.00 tonight (Saturday).

The Panthers have won three in a row.

Both UPEI womens and mens basketball panthers play in ST FX tonight with game times of 6 and 8pm

NBA 

The Toronto Raptors meet the New York Knicks tonight. 

NHL

All seven Canadian NHL teams are in action today for Hockey Day in Canada. 

The Habs and the Bruins play tonight at 8 …The Leafs meet the Canucks, also at 8

An organization that helps Prince Edward Island families with the cost of travel to medical appointments outside the province says demand has increased drastically.

P.E.I. Cannabis is set to open a new retail location on Monday, this time in the Town of Stratford.

Two years ago, Alison Millard resigned from her permanent position at Prince County Hospital because she felt 'suffocated and drowning' in P.E.I.’s health-care system. She hopes a letter signed by 42 doctors will finally draw action from government.

A ship believed responsible for spilling fuel into the Hillsborough River is still tied up in Charlottetown Harbour — and officials still haven't said how much fuel spilled into the tidal estuary or when it might be cleaned up.

According to the latest data from Statistics Canada, P.E.I. ranks last among all the provinces when it comes to access to a regular health-care provider. In 2022, 76 per cent of Islanders surveyed said they had a primary care provider, down nine percentage points from three years before.