The P.E.I. government says it's been harder than anticipated to develop a new program to provide caregiver grants that could let many Islanders age at home rather than need a bed in a care home or hospital.

P.E.I. needs to reconsider some of the provisions in its new Mental Health Act, says a Western University psychiatry professor.

East Prince RCMP say one man was seriously injured in a two-vehicle collision on route 20 in Springbrook on Thursday at 11:00am. Police say it was a head-on collision involving a dump truck and a pick-up truck.  Island EMS, New London Fire Department and the Provincial Department of Transportation also responded to the collision. The investigation is ongoing.  The section of Route 20 was closed for several hours as the RCMP conducted their investigation.

Familiar addresses usually crop up when you're a firefighter in a small place like Charlottetown, but Jamie Lewis was a little taken aback by one that came up on an alarm on Oct. 3.

A 44-year old Charlottetown man has been charged with Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking; and Possession of unstamped tobacco for the purpose of sale. The charges stem from the search of a home on Barbour Circle at about 5:45pm Wednesday night, led by the Charlottetown Police Street Crime Unit. That search resulted in the seizure of a quantity of cocaine, several boxes of contraband tobacco containing more than 46,000 cigarettes, drug paraphernalia and over 80,000 dollars in cash.

Police say the man is also facing charges that were laid after a targeted traffic stop in September that resulted in 43 grams of cocaine and a replica firearm being seized.

He has been remanded in custody and will soon appear in Provincial Court.

BIOVECTRA is celebrating the completion of a more than $90-million biologics expansion at the company’s new state-of-the-art Biomanufacturing Centre in Charlottetown.  The expansion was announced by BIOVECTRA, together with the federal and provincial governments, in November of 2021.  BIOVECTRA’s CEO says the expansion places BIOVECTRA at the forefront of supporting the next generation of treatments for today’s rare and incurable diseases and producing vaccines to tackle future pandemics.  The expansion was part of a national effort to expand domestic capabilities to manufacture mRNA vaccines and therapeutics.

Malpeque MP Heath MacDonald has announced a federal investment of $650-thousand for the Tourism Industry Association of PEI to support new and diverse product development in PEI’s tourism industry. The money is being administered through the PEI Events Innovation Fund, and it’s supporting more than 30 projects that will help expand PEI’s tourism offerings during all four seasons. TIAPEI CEO Corryn Clemence says the PEI Events Innovation Fund allows TIAPEI to work closely with festivals and events across the island to strategically enhance and grow the festival and event offerings.

Saturday may be a night for settling in at home with a game or a movie rather than going out on P.E.I. this week.

Prices for gas, heating oil and diesel were all up Friday morning.

The 33rd Annual Stratford & Area Food Drive – Drive-Thru is set for Saturday from 9:00am to 2:00pm.

Organized by Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, the Food Drive is in support of The Upper Room Hospitality Ministry.  There are five drive-thru locations with volunteers on-site, ready to accept non-perishable food items or monetary donations.  Those drive-thru locations are:

– Our Lady of the Assumption Church

– Stratford Town Hall

– Mike & Andreea’s NoFrills

– Sobeys Stratford

– Pownal Sports Centre

Demand for Food Bank services is at an all-time high. Food Banks Canada released the annual Hunger Count report in October showing that Food Bank usage in PEI was up 27% in comparison to 2022 and a 42% increase since 2019.

Route 20 in Springbrook was closed for about 4 hours by the RCMP on Thursday as a result of a two vehicle collision.  The RCMP advised of the closure at about 11:30am and it was about 3:45pm when the Mounties announced the road was re-opened.  Island EMS and New London Fire Department also responded to the scene.  No further details have been released.

Health Minister Mark McLane faced questions from the opposition Thursday in the legislature about the need for formalized agreements between Health PEI and health authorities in neighbouring provinces — giving Islanders guaranteed access to out of province care.  The issue has come to the forefront after Saint John Regional Hospital refused to accept cardiac patients from PEI last weekend.  Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly questioned Minister McLane about how close PEI is to signing formalized agreements — saying it’s something that needs to get going now.   Minister McLane says Health PEI CEO Dr. Michael Gardam has been clear that these formalized agreements are needed, and work is being done to get such agreements signed and in place.

Charlottetown-based pharmaceutical company BioVectra is getting ready to open up new facilities in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia.

Environment Canada has issued a Special Weather Statement for all of PEI, advising of heavy rainfall and strong winds expected Saturday night.  We could see upwards of 40 to 60 mm of rain, combined with maximum wind gusts of 70 to 80 km/h.

The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission has approved an increase of 2.5 cents per litre in the price of gasoline.  The price of furnace oil went up overnight by 4.0 cents per litre, and the 

price of diesel increased by 4.0 cents per litre.  As for propane price adjustments, they ranged from decreases of 0.8 to 1.0 cent per litre.  

Including taxes, pump prices for regular self-serve gasoline now range from 161.5 to

162.6 cents per litre, and diesel costs between 207.5 and 208.6 cents per litre.  The maximum price for furnace oil is 146.0 cents per litre.

Propane prices range from 80.8 to 82.2 cents per litre.

The services are being added, include new services in health, education, transport and infrastructure, said Acadian and Francophone Affairs Minister Gilles Arsenault.

Prince Edward Island's health minister says he wants formalized agreements signed quickly with health authorities in other provinces so Islanders can get guaranteed access to out-of-province care.

The contract with Nye Fanafjord AS will see the passenger and vehicle ferry replace MV Holiday Island, which was scrapped after an engine fire last year.

The P.E.I. and federal governments are pitching in to help build a new water tower in Cornwall.

It’s not easy for anyone on P.E.I. to find the kind of housing they are looking for these days, but people with extra challenges face additional obstacles.

PEI Crimestoppers is hosting it’s annual Officer of the Year Awards Luncheon on Thursday.  The event is held to recognize Municipal Police Officers, RCMP Officers and Department of Public Safety Officers who perform their policing duties here on PEI.  Three will be receiving awards in the different categories to recognize and honour them for going above and beyond in their duties.  There’s an RCMP Officer of the Year Award, Municipal Police Officer of the year Award, and Peace Officer of the Year Award.

In an address to Health P.E.I.'s AGM Wednesday, CEO Dr. Michael Gardam called the issues facing the organization "a perfect storm."

P.E.I. Housing Minister Rob Lantz says the use of illegal drugs was at one point condoned on the grounds of the Community Outreach Centre in Charlottetown before the policy was reversed this summer. 

Health P.E.I says formalized agreements with health authorities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have become an even more urgent priority after the Saint John Regional Hospital refused to accept cardiac patients from the Island last weekend.

There are more questions than answers about what will happen when the ferry running between Souris, P.E.I., and Quebec's Magdalen Islands is out of commission for maintenance for several weeks this coming spring. 

On Wednesday, Charlottetown MP Sean Casey announced an additional investment of $46-million for the final two phases of the Province House conservation project.  A contract is in place to complete the remaining work in Phase 3 of the project.  That involves work focused on establishing universal accessibility, fire code compliance, building systems including electrical, mechanical and HVAC as well as interior finishes, such as painting and flooring. The final portion of the project, Phase 4, involves the design, development and installation of the new visitor experience offer at Province House. With Wednesday’s funding announcement, the total investment for the long-term preservation of Province House is $138-million.  The new timeline for the work to be completed and the building to be reopened to the public is expected to be in 2025.

The Active Transportation Fund is offering $5-million to grow PEI’s active transportation network.

 Indigenous and municipal governments and community groups are being encouraged to apply to the Active Transportation Fund by December 1st.

Last year, 24 projects across the province received $5 million.  The government says that since 2020 it has invested in 106 active transportation projects including 112 bike racks for schools and public buildings; 100 km of paved shoulders on roads and highways; and 35 km of active transportation pathways.

The Island's Liberal Party and Green Party have put forward nearly identical bills that looks to give Islanders up to five paid sick days per year.

The chair of Charlottetown's parks and recreation committee says he's cautiously optimistic the new $33-million Simmons Sport Centre will indeed open in October of 2024, the latest date given by the city last month.

The federal government has announced an additional $46 million in funding for the Province House National Historic Site conservation project. CBC's Jane Robertson stopped by to hear what comes next — and when the building might reopen to the public.

The federal government is committing another $46 million to the conservation project that is restoring and updating P.E.I.'s historic legislature building in downtown Charlottetown, bringing the total cost to $138 million.

The twinning program pairs young women with female MLAs in what's being called an empowering way for young Islanders to see themselves reflected in politics. Olivia McNeill and Emma MacPhail took part in the program and say it's given them ideas for the type of political careers they'd consider in the future.

Premier Dennis King says constituents in Borden-Kinkora, whose district is now vacant after the resignation of PC MLA Jamie Fox, will have a byelection before the next legislative sitting. The next sitting is expected to start Feb. 27, 2024.

Former P.E.I. MLA Jamie Fox, who resigned his seat last week to run federally for the Conservatives, understood he could not campaign federally and be an MLA, says Premier Dennis King.

The City of Charlottetown has announced its lineup of festive events for the holidays.  The Christmas Tree Lighting is on Friday, November 24th at the Upper Plaza at the Confederation Centre of the Arts.  That will include live music and a candlelight promenade from Founders’ Food Hall & Market at 6:15 p.m.

The Charlottetown Christmas Parade is Saturday, November 25th at 5 p.m.

There will also be the Holiday Projection on the Plaza from Friday, November 24th to January 2nd with the animated, holiday-themed projection and music show on the Grafton Street façade of the Confederation Centre of the Arts.

Charlottetown city council voted unanimously Tuesday night to move a proposal for a 158-unit apartment building at 199 Grafton Street, in the parking lot behind the Polyclinic, to public consultation.

Summerside is announcing the return of its annual Yuletide Village downtown at Veteran’s Memorial Square Park. 

The Yuletide Village, organized by Explore Summerside, Downtown Summerside and Sport Entertainment Tourism Summerside, has become a highlight of the holiday season. 

The Yuletide Village will feature a range of activities, including light displays, a Santa’s Workshop for children, a holiday market showcasing local artisans, and live performances.  The village is set to open on December 1 directly following the Santa Claus Parade with the lighting of the city Christmas tree.

The Fiona After-Action Review report that was released last week was a focus in the PEI Legislature on Tuesday for both the Opposition Liberals and Third Party Greens.  The review was conducted by an Ottawa-based firm, and it examined how all levels of government and non-government agencies responded to the storm.  The King Government has said that it’s already been working on implementing some of the report’s recommendations.  Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly called it a “pat on the back” for the King government, and a “whitewash.”  He says it doesn’t mention shelters, vegetation management and barely mentions government’s responsibility to keep Maritime Electric accountable to Islanders.  Meanwhile, Green Party MLA Peter Bevan-Baker said the report lacked details and he pressed government for answers on what report recommendations it was implementing. 

Atlantic Canadians are being reminded about a scheduled test of the Alert Ready system on Wednesday.  The test of Canada’s national public alerting system will take place in most provinces and territories.

One test message will be sent from provincial or territorial emergency management organizations over radio, television, and smart phones.  

The test in PEI is scheduled for 12:55 p-m.

Debate has begun on a bill to replace P.E.I.'s Child and Family Services Act, and the government says the law makes it clear for the courts and anyone else involved in child protection cases that the best interests of the child take precedence over any other consideration. 

RCMP across PEI arrested 5 impaired drivers last Friday and Saturday. Three of those arrests were after single vehicle crashes. During the noon-hour on Friday, a 68-year old woman was arrested for impaired after driving her vehicle  over curbs and a stop sign near a local business in Stratford.    At 3:00pm on Friday, there was a single vehicle roll over crash in Murray Harbour. A 46 year-old man was arrested for impaired while two people were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.  At about 10:30 pm Friday, Kings District RCMP received a complaint of an impaired driver and located and arrested a 22-year-old man driving in Montague.

Late Saturday night at about 11:25pm, RCMP responded to a single vehicle crash in South Winsloe. A 19 year-old man was arrested at the scene. No one was injured.  And at 11:30 pm, Kings District RCMP responded to a single vehicle crash in Fortune Bridge. This investigation led to the arrest of a youth for impaired driving. No one was injured.

Both P.E.I. opposition parties questioned the premier Tuesday about the Fiona After-Action Review report released last week, saying most Islanders would take issue with it.

The Town of Stratford is finding a way to spread the Christmas spirit around the community this season while it honours a man who, for years, helped do just that.

Shortly after 4:00 am on Saturday, Summerside Police responded to a 9-1-1 call regarding a collision at a home on Duke Street. A witness identified the driver of the suspect vehicle, who police say was showing signs of being impaired by alcohol. A thirty-year-old Summerside man was arrested for impaired and provided two breath samples – one of which was more than double the legal limit. 

Island New Democrats held their Annual Convention at Beaconsfield Carriage House in Charlottetown on Sunday.  Among the resolutions approved at the convention, New Democrats affirmed support for tenants, calling for an extension of the moratorium on renovictions, which expired on November 1st; as well as consideration of tenants’ wages and incomes in the determination of annual rent increase guidelines.  Leo Cheverie, a long-time Party activist who recently passed, was honoured with the establishment of the Leo Cheverie Labour and Advocacy Award which will be granted to an outstanding member at each future Annual Convention.

Summerside Police are investigating a single vehicle collision last Thursday afternoon.  Police received a 9-1-1 call shortly before 1:30pm about a vehicle in a ditch on Mill Crescent. Police arrived on scene and say the driver of the vehicle, a thirty-five-year-old woman from Summerside, was showing signs of drug impairment.  The woman was arrested for driving while drug impaired and released with a seven-day driving prohibition and the vehicle was impounded.  A blood demand was made to the driver and blood analysis is pending.

A new green energy project on Prince Edward Island is getting an unexpected boost: The small-scale hydroelectric project developed by Andrew Murray of Aslan Renewables in Stratford, P.E.I., is included in a new book about King Charles III.

The demand for Christmas hampers is expected to be higher this year on P.E.I.