It started snowing on P.E.I. this past week, and that means some students are learning just how frosty the Island can be.

Cecily Erzuah moved to Canada from Ghana at the age of 18. After grappling with racism for the first time, she eventually learned how to be confident and speak up for herself.

The proposed move of the Community  Outreach Centre on Euston St. to Park St. comes as a public rally is being organized outside the Legislature at the Coles Building at 4.00 on Tuesday afternoon, as the Legislature opens its fall sitting.

The “Keep Our Neighbourhood Safe” rally is open to all citizens to address concerns about the present site of the Outreach Centre and the neighbourhood. 

Premier Dennis King says the temporary move of the Outreach Centre has to be approved by the City of Charlottetown and that plan is being submitted. It would move next to the overnight emergency shelter within 60 days of City approval.

The PEI Sports Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2023. There are five new inductees announced including hockey star player and coach Dave Cameron and the 1969-70 Charlottetown Islanders hockey team that went to the Memorial Cup semifinals.

Rugby star Katie Baker is also inducted, who played in 114 games for Canada after being recruited by St. Mary’s and a stellar high school career in the early of the new century. 

Ray Moore, who passed away recently will be inducted posthumously for his major role in rejuvenating rugby in the province in the 1970’s and 80’s.

Also to be inducted is Rickey Burns a longtime 5-pin bowler and coach who has been involved for years with youth bowling and Special Olympics.

A formal induction ceremony will be held in 2024 with a date to be announced.

Canada is celebrating its first-ever Lebanese Heritage Month. For some members of the Lebanese community in P.E.I., the recognition has been a long time coming.

Everyone is busy, and we probably all have a long list of things we’d like to do with the extra hour we get when the clocks turn back for Daylight Savings Time this weekend.

Veterans Affairs Canada is getting an extra $164.4 million that the department's minister says will help clear a backlog in the number of veteran cases being assessed.

'Probably the biggest challenge is recruiting doctors to participate in our program, when they are heavily strained by clinical responsibilities,' Dr. Preston Smith tells CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.

The P.E.I. government's decision to move the provincial outreach centre is drawing fierce criticism, with some Islanders saying the province is just kicking the can down the road.

The University of Prince Edward Island says it spent $677,578 on nine different settlements that included non-disclosure agreements over the decade covered by this summer’s Rubin Thomlinson report.

A 28-year-old Queens County man has been charged in connection with the theft of three snowmobiles and a snowmobile trailer from Stratford, P.E.I.

Premier Dennis King has announced a plan to temporarily relocate the Community Outreach Centre to Park Street in Charlottetown.  He says an application will be submitted to the City in the coming days to request a temporary variance to allow the Community Outreach Centre to relocate to the government-owned property on Park Street, next to its overnight emergency shelter.  If the application is approved by the City, the provincial government would close the Outreach Centre’s current location on Euston Street within 60 days of approval from the City.   The province says the current Euston Street property will be repurposed in consultation with the surrounding communities to create housing and appropriate services that the neighbourhoods require.  That development could include a childcare centre, affordable housing, commercial space, and market rental units – based on suggestions brought forward from the community. 

Meanwhile, King also announced that Carlene Donnelly, a seasoned professional in social services, will serve as the Senior Advisor to the Premier and Cabinet in reviewing programs and services for vulnerable Islanders.   While the Community Outreach Centre is temporarily moved to Park Street, Donnelly will complete a review and make recommendations on a renewed model for programs and services. 

The provincially funded Community Outreach Centre, which started drawing complaints soon after moving to the former Charlottetown Curling Club building on Euston Street, is on the move again.

On Thursday, Queens District RCMP executed a search warrant at a home in Brackley Beach and recovered 3 stolen snowmobiles and a stolen snowmobile trailer.  They have a total value of over $60,000 and were stolen from Stratford on Tuesday.  A 28-year-old Brackley Beach man was arrested and will soon appear in court to answer to charges of theft over $5000 and possession of stolen property.  

Statistics Canada says the country’s unemployment rate rose to 5.7 per cent last month, as the economy added a modest 18,000 jobs.  The federal agency released its October labour force survey Friday, which shows the unemployment rate has risen for the fourth time in the past six months.  The unemployment rate was 5.5 per cent in September.  The latest job numbers come as high interest rates are slowing down the Canadian economy.  Employment in PEI dropped by 300 in October while the unemployment rate stood at 6.2 percent, down from September’s 6.3 percent.

Senator Percy Downe, who was chief of staff to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, says it is time for the Liberal Party of Canada to have a discussion about who will lead them into the next election.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for Malichita brand cantaloupes sold in Nova Scotia and PEI because they could be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.
The affected fruit was sold between October 22nd and November 1st in the two provinces and Quebec, but may have been distributed in other provinces as well.
There have been no illnesses reported in connection with the product.
The recall was triggered by inspection agency testing, and further recalls may be announced.

A new provincial housing support program was announced on Thursday.  The PEI Rent-to-Own program gives eligible participants the opportunity to purchase their home without the immediate need for a down payment or a pre-approved mortgage. 

 To be eligible for the program, applicants must:

• not be a homeowner currently; 
• have a household income of $65,000 per year or less, for individuals, or less than $100,000 for a dual income household;
• demonstrate the ability to meet monthly payments.

 Finance PEI will purchase the property and enter into a rent-to-own agreement with the program participant on a five-year, five per cent interest rate over 25 years. At any point during the five-year loan period, applicants can purchase the property from Finance PEI with an approved mortgage and apply 40 per cent of the interest paid as part of their down payment.

You’re paying less for gasoline, furnace oil and diesel on PEI.  The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission approved a decrease of 2.5 cents per litre in the price of gasoline.  The price of furnace oil went down by 1.5 cents per litre.  The price of diesel decreased by 1.0 cents per litre.  Including taxes, pump prices for regular unleaded gasoline at self-serve outlets will range from 161.5 to 162.6 cents per litre and prices for diesel are now between 208.6 and 209.8 cents per litre.  The maximum price for furnace oil is 162.1 cents per litre.  Propane price adjustments ranged from no change to an increase of 0.4 cents per litre.  Propane prices now  range from 81.8 to 83.0 cents per litre.

The incidence rate of problem gambling has shot up in P.E.I. So have gambling revenues. An expert shares her notes on a new provincial website meant to encourage responsible gambling.

Some farmers on P.E.I. say the unpredictable weather this fall is making for a frustrating harvest season.

As many as 200 hockey scouts will be looking for the next big NHL prospect in P.E.I. over the next week and a half as Summerside and Charlottetown host the 2023 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.

One P.E.I. athlete is going for gold Thursday evening at the Pan Am Games in Chile, and another has just missed out on bronze.

Wet and chilly weather didn't bother cruise ship visitors in Charlottetown Thursday. They zipped up their coats and even made snow sculptures for fun.

The Confederation Centre of the Arts has announced the two musicals that will headline next year's Charlottetown Festival: Its long-time centrepiece about a beloved red-haired orphan, and a classic jukebox musical.

RCMP across PEI responded to 11 collisions Thursday morning with one person taken to hospital.

• Nine involved single vehicles going off the road, two involved two vehicle collision.
• One tractor trailer collided with several power poles in Green Road.
• One person was transported to hospital with non life-threatening injuries following a roll over in Mount Stewart.
• One person was trapped in their vehicle in Victoria Cross.

The collisions occurred across PEI with the majority happening in Queens County. RCMP remind motorist to adapt to winter conditions by slowing down, driving to the road conditions, clean off snow from vehicles and install winter tires for better traction.

The P.E.I. government announced details of a new program Thursday that it hopes will make it easier for Islanders to purchase their own homes.

On Wednesday, Flair Airlines announced its 2024 summer schedule, and it offered some good news for Island travellers.  Flair Airlines says it will increase its flights out of YYG Charlottetown Airport to Toronto and Kitchener next summer.  Flair says it will not have any increase in the number of routes out of Charlottetown, but will increase the frequency of flights between Charlottetown and Toronto and Kitchener.

There are some power outages this morning.  About 25-hundred customers are without power in the Charlottetown area, as well as in the Bonshaw, Argyle Shore and Desable areas.

Maritime Electric crews working to restore power to those areas.

After some summery conditions on Saturday it’s been winter-like on P.E.I. all week, and Thursday morning some Islanders are being greeted with some significant snowfall.

Many areas of PEI have seen some snowfall overnight.  That has made for some slippery road conditions, Charlottetown area and Central Queens.

The Department of Transportation is asking everyone to adjust their speed and drive with caution.

The Transportation Department does have trucks out working to improve conditions.

Following testing by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, canteloupes under the Malichita brand name have been recalled.

Maciej Karczewski, the CEO of WindTAK, says it's 'a dream come true' being able to work on wind turbines and help deliver clean energy to people in places like Summerside, P.E.I.

Tourism operators on Prince Edward Island are getting together to collaborate and help shape a new industry strategy after an abnormal few years.

The Medical Society of Prince Edward Island says its role in the physicians recruiting physicians program is over.

Flair Airlines says it will increase its flights out of Charlottetown to Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., next summer.

The City of Charlottetown's licensing rules for short-term rentals are now in effect, setting out the blueprint to both license STRs and fully enforce regulations regarding them in the capital.

Queens District RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in locating 59-year-old Ronald Blair Parsons.  He was last seen on Wednesday at 6:30am on the St Patricks Road near the Millvale Road in St Patricks.  Ronald Blair Parsons is described as 5-feet 9-inches tall, about 130lbs, with light brown/grey hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing blue pants, and a blue denim jacket, with red rubber boots.  RCMP have engaged the PEI Ground Search and Rescue Team, which is searching the area with an RCMP Helicopter from New Brunswick, RCMP Police Dog, drones, and officers on ATVs. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ronald Blair Parsons is asked to contact Queens District RCMP at 902-368-9300.

Health PEI is advising that the COVID-19 outbreaks on the Blue Heron and Valor Hall households at the Prince Edward Home have been declared over.

Health PEI is thanking staff for their dedication in managing and limiting the COVID-19 outbreak within the facility.

A 69-year old Kensington man is to be sentenced next February after pleading guilty Tuesday in Supreme Court to possession of child pornography and making child pornography.    He was arrested and charged in July of 2022 after Kensington Police and the RCMP executed a search warrant at a home in Kensington and seized several electronic devices.  The search came after the RCMP in Ottawa and local police were alerted in July of 2021 by the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that concerning images were uploaded to Dropbox, a US based online file hosting service.

Health P.E.I. is reporting better conditions at the province's hospitals Wednesday morning, after warning that all four were over capacity generally and in their emergency departments on Tuesday evening.

P.E.I.'s French School Board, the Conseil scholaire de la langue française, is in the middle of planning its first rezoning in almost 20 years.

On Wednesday night, the provincial government hosts the second of four in-person workshops it’s holding as it’s seeking feedback from Islanders to help develop a long-term plan for use of the Confederation Trail.

Islanders are encouraged to attend one of these workshops to share recommendations, personal stories, and comments about the trail. 

Wednesday’s workshop is in St Peters Bay from 6:00-7:30 pm at the St. Peter’s Complex.

Margaret Stewart Ellis home has declared a facility wide outbreak of COVID-19.  For the time being, visitors are restricted to three partners-in-care for each resident, with only one partner-in-care present at a time. Visitor restrictions will remain in place until the outbreak is declared over.

Health PEI is advising that due to increased patient volumes, the Health PEI Emergency Departments and hospitals are over capacity.

As a result, anyone going to the emergency department with less severe illnesses should expect longer waits to see a physician. 

As always, people will be assessed when they arrive at an emergency department by a triage nurse. 

People with more serious illness or injuries will be seen more quickly and should stay in the emergency department once triaged until seen.

The increased volumes also mean more patients are waiting in the emergency department for a hospital bed.

Health PEI says the overcapacity level 3 policy is being implemented, which increases the number of beds available across the system. They’re also working to move patients in hospital back to their community hospitals, long-term care or community care if possible.

With record damage to P.E.I.'s shoreline from post-tropical storm Fiona, the provincial government and researchers are looking at new ways of protecting the Island shoreline. There have been some successes, including offshore, or intertidal reefs.

Some people who live near a gravel pit in Charlottetown say they’re concerned about dump trucks hauling material without coverings. 

Lane Hinkley has been reflecting on his hockey career after a doctor told him he should retire from competitive hockey.

A 69-year-old Kensington, P.E.I., man pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing and making child pornography. 

Public Schools Branch students on Prince Edward Island have a new online tool to report incidents that negatively impact them or the school climate.