A 79-year-old Stratford man is facing a charge of impaired driving after fleeing the scene of a two-vehicle collision early Saturday afternoon.  At about 12:15 p.m. the RCMP responded to a 9-1-1 call from someone saying their car had been struck by another vehicle.  Police responded and were able to gather enough information to locate the vehicle and its driver.  Police arrested and charged the driver with impaired driving.  No one was injured in the collision.

As a result of an ongoing drug investigation, the Charlottetown Police Street Crime Unit arrested a man and woman as they got off a bus at the bus terminal on Mount Edward Road Wednesday night at approximately 5:20pm.  Drugs seized include fentanyl, oxycodone and hydromorphone.  A 50 year old Charlottetown man has been charged with Possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking and breach of a probation order; while a 28 year old Charlottetown woman has been charged with Possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.  They were both released from custody with conditions and will appear in Provincial Court at a later date.

The province is seeking applications from municipalities, Indigenous communities and community groups for renewable energy projects.

The province has provided 3.5 million dollars for its Community Renewable Energy Generation Fund.

The new annul fund will help between six and 10 projects to generate cleaner and greener power.

Eligible projects range from wind and solar generation to emergency power sources generated by renewables.

People from all walks of life were welcome at the dinner, whether they needed a free meal, a friend, or just wanted to get out of the house.

Most business and services on Prince Edward Island will be closed for the statutory holidays tied to the Christmas weekend.

Michelle Neill sat down for a year-end interview with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin on Friday. 

One of the wind turbines in Hermanville, P.E.I., had two of its blades completely torn off as powerful winds raged across the province this week.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency wants feedback on three new risk management documents connected to potato wart.

A school in eastern P.E.I. is providing counselling and support this week after the loss of a teenager from the region. 

Police expect to charge a total of eight people with assault following a September rally that saw two groups of people with opposing values marching in downtown Charlottetown.

Health P.E.I. is reminding Islanders that some health-care facilities will be on reduced hours over the holiday season.

The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission has ruled that Irving Oil can continue to pass along costs related to the federal government's new clean fuel standard to consumers.

Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown is hopeful an eight-storey apartment building will rise on Grafton Street, despite the developer pulling the plug after planning board recommended it be rejected.

The City of Charlottetown is advising residents of Smallwood Crescent from Edinburgh Drive to Inkerman Drive that the Water and Sewer Utility is currently working on repairs to a watermain leak. That will result in a temporary disruption of water service to customers for an estimated 5 to 6 hours.  Officials warn that unforeseen circumstances may impact those estimated timelines. When service is restored, customers may experience temporary air and/or discolouration. The Utility recommends flushing cold water through the bathtub until it runs clear.  Because of that work, Smallwood Crescent between Edinburgh Drive and Inkerman Drive will be closed to through traffic until approximately 5 p.m. today.

Health PEI advises that some health care facilities will be operating on reduced hours as staff take time off for the holidays.   

• The emergency department at the Kings County Memorial Hospital in Montague will be open 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from Monday, December 25 to Friday, December 29. The emergency department will be closed the weekend of December 30 and 31, but will be open 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, January 1 and Tuesday, January 2.
• The emergency department at Western Hospital in Alberton will be closed on the weekends of December 23 and 24, December 30 and 31, and January 6 and 7.
• The mental health walk-in clinic at the McGill Centre in Charlottetown will be open from 12 p.m. to 4p.m. on Sunday, December 24 and Sunday, December 31.

 Anyone with emergency medical needs should call 9-1-1.  If you have any health concerns or need immediate health information, call 8-1-1 to speak to an experienced registered nurse for advice on the best course of action. 

The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission has approved increases in gas, diesel and furnace oil prices.   The price of gasoline increased overnight by 2.0 cents per litre.  The price of furnace oil went up by 4.0 cents per litre, and the price of diesel increased by 2.5 cents per litre.  Including taxes, pump prices for regular self-serve gasoline now range from 156.9 to 158.0 cents per litre, and diesel now costs you between 197.1 and 198.3 cents per litre. The maximum price for furnace oil is 142.8 cents per litre.

After declines through the early part of December, prices for heating oil, gas and diesel popped back up again on Friday.

About 25 species of birds seen on Prince Edward Island will have new names in 2024, as the American Ornithological Society moves to change the name of any bird named for a person. The idea has ruffled a few feathers, but Island birders say they're okay with it.

Hal Perry is no stranger to serving Prince Edward Islanders, but it's probably fair to say that became a bigger part of his job in 2023. 

For the second year in a row, the federal government will subsidize the operator of the bridge that links Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick in order to freeze what travellers pay.

A three-year-old English bulldog named Shanty was surrendered to the P.E.I. Humane Society recently, with multiple serious problems that will require surgeries.

Long-awaited State of the Forest report shows that industry still accounts for 43 per cent of land use on the Island, compared to agriculture's 38 per cent.

Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez has announced that 2024 tolls for the Confederation Bridge will remain frozen at their current rates for a second year.  Bridge operator, Strait Crossing Bridge Limited, will receive funding from Transport Canada to avoid increases in tolls related to high inflation.  Ottawa says that freezing tolls for 2024 on the Confederation Bridge will support Islanders and businesses who have been hit hard by high inflation in this time of economic rebuilding and recovery.  The toll for a regular passenger vehicle is $50.25.

Maritime Electric is reporting power outages Thursday morning as the province is being hit with strong winds, gusting as high as 90kh in Kings and Queens Counties.  As of about 10:45am, there were more than 3,500 customers without power.  By 11:15am, that number was down to 985.  The outages are affecting the Cornwall, Meadowbank, Eldon, South Pinette, Belle River, Flat River, Point Prim, Panmure Island, Brudenell, Belfast, and Mount Buchanan areas.  You can report outages by calling 1-800-670-1012 or doing so online.

Two youths appeared in Charlottetown Provincial Court on Wednesday to answer to homicide related charges.  The two had been arrested Tuesday night in connection with a missing person file that police had been investigating since last Friday.  After the arrests, police located human remains in the area of Milltown Cross. The identity of the human remains has not yet been confirmed as police work with the Provincial Coroner to make the identification. A publication ban has been issued preventing the release of information that could identify the victim as well as the two accused in the case. Both have been remanded into custody – one will appear on December 27 and the other January 18 in Charlottetown Provincial Court.  Police say the investigation is ongoing, and Kings County residents might see a continued strong police presence as RCMP continue their investigation. There are no further searches planned at this time and there are no further suspects in the investigation.

Two youth have been charged with homicide after human remains were found in eastern P.E.I., according to a news release from RCMP.

For the third time in two weeks Prince Edward Islanders are dealing with wind warnings.

A single mother and her children are living in a Charlottetown hotel after a fire displaced them earlier this month, but a group of volunteers is providing support as Christmas approaches.

Every year, Sue Gallant's team organizes hundreds of Christmas hampers for families in Summerside. It takes months to organize and they have only a few days in December to pack them all. They do it because they love their community, and Gallant wouldn't miss it for the world.

Karla Bernard, the interim leader of P.E.I.’s Green Party, sat down with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin for a year-end interview on Wednesday. 

UPEI held its 22nd Recognition of Founders ceremony last Friday to acknowledge those who have contributed to the University in a significant way. 

 Recognized as 2023 Founders during the ceremony were the late Merritt Crockett, founding University Librarian; the late Leo Cheverie, library technician and community advocate; and Betty Jeffery, Librarian Emerita. 

The latest State of Forest Report for PEI includes a first – data on forest carbon storage.  PEI’s forests are projected to capture and store between 0.04 and 0.08 megatonnes of carbon emissions per year in the coming decades with the help of PEI’s 16,000 woodlot owners.  The report covers PEI forest trends from 2010 to 2020.  The volume of PEI’s forest is estimated to be 41.2 million cubic metres, an increase of 7.2 per cent from 2010, which indicates that forest growth outpaced forest harvest.

As usual, P.E.I.’s Mark Arendz Provincial Ski Park will try to be open for the first Saturday after Christmas, but as always it will come down to the weather.

The RCMP held a media briefing Wednesday morning in which it announced that on Tuesday night, the RCMP Major Crime Unit arrested two youths in connection with the disappearance and murder of a 17-year old boy who was the subject of a missing person case.  As a result of those arrests, early Wednesday morning human remains were located in an area of Milltown Cross.  The remains are believed to be those of the missing teenager, although Police are awaiting positive identification by the Coroner’s Office.  The investigation is ongoing and several charges are expected to be laid, including homicide.

RCMP have found human remains they believe are connected to a missing teenager on P.E.I., and made two arrests.

Agriculture Canada’s experimental farm is a valuable green space in the heart of Charlottetown, says Coun. Mitchell Tweel, and he does not want to see housing or any other kind of development on it.

Music PEI has announced the nominees for the 2024 Music PEI Awards.  Leading the way with five nominations is Noah Malcolm. Malcolm is nominated for Single of the Year, Pop Recording of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Digital Presence of the Year and Album Art of the Year. There are also three artists with four nominations each – Inn Echo, Sirène et Matelot and Tara MacLean.  The winners will be announced during Music PEI Week 2024, which will be held March 6th-10th, 2024.

Wednesday is the final day of the sailing season for Northumberland Ferries in its service between Wood Islands and Caribou.  The final sailing of the season will be the 4:30pm from Wood Islands.  The 6:00pm sailing from Caribous is cancelled.

A woman in rural Prince Edward Island is frustrated by the lack of government response to her complaints about garbage on her neighbour's property. The official in charge of unsightly properties won't comment on her case, but says they handle 80 to 120 complaints a year.

If it wasn't for the dedication of Lynda Leard, many western P.E.I. families would struggle to eat and make ends meet. She's worked tirelessly to care for the people of West Prince and her friends call her 'an angel on earth.'

Court documents indicate a settlement has been reached in a civil suit connected to a P.E.I. musician convicted of sex crimes against a teenaged girl.

The power is back on at school in western P.E.I. after students were left in the dark Monday without water or phone lines for hours.

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King sat down with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin on Tuesday for a year-end interview about his year in politics — and what's to come in 2024. 

RCMP provided s an update Tuesday, saying they continue their investigation into the disappearance of 17-year-old Tyson Blair MacDonald. The PEI RCMP Major Crime Unit is leading what the police said Monday is now a criminal investigation. On Tuesday, the RCMP helicopter and the RCMP Atlantic Divisions Tactical Support Group have been searching for evidence in areas of Kings County.  The RCMP Tactical Support Group is a unit made up of officers from across Atlantic Canada who’s many duties include conducting evidence searches. The RCMP Major Crime Unit is getting help from a number of RCMP teams and resources, including the PEI RCMP Digital Forensic Services, PEI Forensic Identification Section, PEI RCMP Police Dog Service, and PEI RCMP Drone Operators.  Anyone with information that can assist in the investigation is asked to contact the RCMP at 902-566-7112 or PEI Crime Stoppers.

As the police search for a youth from eastern P.E.I. continued Tuesday, the RCMP is asking Islanders to be cautious of rumours about the case spreading on social media. 

P.E.I.’s population was 175,853 on Oct. 31, according to figures released by Statistics Canada on Tuesday, a growth of 4.0 per cent or 6,707 people.

Statistics Canada says the national annual inflation rate was unchanged in November, holding steady at 3.1 per cent.  The consumer price index report today shows progress on easing inflation stalled as higher prices for recreation and clothing put upward pressure on headline inflation.  Meanwhile, the pace of grocery price increases continued to slow for a fifth consecutive month.  Grocery prices were up 4.7 per cent from a year ago, marking a slowdown from 5.4 per cent in October.  PEI’s annual inflation rate was 0.4 percent in November.

Summerside's municipal planning board gave residents an opportunity Monday night to comment on the province's plan to establish a 10-bed emergency overnight shelter.

Maritime Electric continues this morning to deal with some power outages caused by Monday night’s strong winds.  As of 5:45am, Maritime Electric was reporting that more than 11-hundred customers were without power. We are currently experiencing outages affecting customers in Stanhope, Fairview, Rocky Point, Donagh, Donaldston, Johnstons River, Tarantum, Brooklyn, New Argyle, Nine Mile Creek, Montague, New Dominion, Argyle Shore and surrounding areas.  Crews have been dispatched.

To report outages please call 1-800-670-1012 or report online.

Due to the winds in the forecast for Tuesday morning, Northumberland Ferries has cancelled Tuesday’s 8:30am crossing from Wood Islands and the 10:00am crossing from Caribou.