A new Health P.E.I. survey sheds some light on some of the challenges children with complex needs face when trying to navigate the health-care system. 

Scott Alan with PEERS Alliance joins CBC News: Compass after participating in a big meeting of LGBTQ+ advocates from all across Canada this weekend in Ottawa.

Both landlords and housing advocates say they're not completely happy with P.E.I.'s newly announced rental increase cap for 2024. Housing advocates say the province should freeze increases again, while a landlord group says a 3 per cent increase is not enough.

John (Jan) Vanderzwaag testified at his sexual assault trial Tuesday, telling the court he had no sexual contact with one of the complainants, but was romantically involved with the other and believed what happened two decades ago in Charlottetown was consensual.

The inflation rate on P.E.I. climbed back over three per cent in August, but it stayed below the national average, which was also up last month.

Canada’s inflation rate rose from 3.3 per cent in July to four per cent in August. Statistics Canada says the increase was largely driven by higher gas prices.  It’s the second straight month inflation has risen even though economists expect progress on getting it down over the next few months.  PEI’s inflation rate in August was 3.5 percent, up from 2.1 percent in July.

Three young people will soon be in court after being arrested Monday by Summerside Police in connection with an incident early in the afternoon.  At about 12:15pm, police responded to a call about someone at a Granville Street convenience store being struck with a projectile from a pellet gun.  Officers arrived to find at least six more victims, none of whom were seriously injured.  Witnesses told police that there were three young people who were discharging an airsoft gun at people in the area of the convenience store. The investigation resulted in the three arrests and they’ve all been released from custody.

It’s Gender Equality Week in Canada, and the theme for this year’s campaign is “United for Gender Equality: Stronger Together.”  Natalie Jameson, PEI’s Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, says that from eliminating discrimination and harmful stereotypes to preventing gender-based violence, advancing gender equality contributes to a higher quality of life for everyone. Gender Equality Week is an opportunity to raise awareness of the important contributions women and gender diverse communities have made to the growth, development, character and identity of Canada and PEI.

Northumberland Ferries has announced that because of the weather conditions on the Northumberland Strait, it has cancelled the 10:15am and 12:00pm crossings on Tuesday from both Caribou, and Wood Islands.  An update will be given later regarding the afternoon sailings.

Three youths have been arrested after people reported being hit by pellets from an airsoft gun near a Summerside convenience store, police say.

Blustery weather has prompted Northumberland Ferries to cancel some of its morning sailings.

Former town councillor Brian Poirier is the new mayor of Alberton.

You can now get help at Access PEI locations to apply for health care related services.
Health and Wellness Minister Mark McLane says the additional assistance being offered province-wide will make it easier than ever to apply for a health card, be added to the registry, and register for virtual care.  Those Islanders looking to register for the patient registry and virtual care must have a PEI health card.

Charlottetown Police charged two alleged impaired drivers over the weekend.  At about 3:20am Saturday, Officers responded to a call about a possible impaired driver on Allen Street.  They located the vehicle and determined the driver was impaired by alcohol.  The driver was taken to the Police Station and refused to provide breath samples.  The 30 year old Charlottetown man has been charged with refusing to provide a breath sample upon demand.  At 5:15 pm Sunday, police were called about a possible impaired driver on Orlebar Street.  Officers located the vehicle sitting on Summer Street.   The 66-year old Charlottetown man was arrested for impaired but later refused to provide breath samples. He’s been charged with refusing to provide a breath sample upon demand.

The maximum allowable rent increase in PEI for 2024 was announced on Monday by the Director of Residential Tenancy for PEI.  Effective January 1st of 2024, landlords can raise the rent by three per cent on all rental units, heated or unheated.  They can also apply to the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission for an additional three per cent increase.  To gain approval for the additional three percent, the landlords would have to present and argue their case as to why that additional three percent is necessary.

The wildlife is returning to Moore's Pond in Stratford, P.E.I., after years of the pond being filled with sediment, mainly runoff from nearby construction projects. The town is working with developers to keep it and another pond clear in the future.

The P.E.I. Nurses Union says it's concerned an incentive to help fill nursing shifts has expired while vacancies remain high.

An external review of the P.E.I. government's response to post-tropical storm Fiona is expected before the end of October, says Premier Dennis King.

The P.E.I. Crafts Council is hosting the work of 17 local artists at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. Most of the art was created using materials found after post-tropical storm Fiona hit the island on Sept. 23 and 24, 2022.

More than 20 people rallied in Charlottetown as part of Canada-wide protests calling for action on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls Monday, the same day P.E.I. police confirmed they have found the body of Summer Kneebone.

The maximum allowable rent increase on Prince Edward Island in 2024 will be three per cent — unless landlords apply for and receive permission to charge up to six per cent more than the 2023 rate.

RCMP arrested three people for impaired driving over a six hour period in three different Island communities last Friday.

Shortly before 1:30pm, RCMP made a traffic stop in Woodstock and found the driver to be impaired. A 75-year-old man was arrested.

Then, close to 5:00pm, officers responded to a 911 call about an impaired driver in Cornwall. RCMP located and arrested the 65-year-old man for impaired driving.

Finally at 7:40 p.m., RCMP followed up on a tip and arrested a 56-year-old man in East Bideford for impaired driving.

All three men will soon be appearing in court.

As post-tropical storm Lee has now passed the province, PEI EMO has deactivated the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre from Level 1, back to regular operations and routine monitoring. The provincial government has reached out to neighbouring provinces who were harder hit by Lee to offer assistance and support. Provincial and EMO officials remind you to stay prepared as hurricane season runs from June through November.  You should be preparing by:

• making a household emergency plan so that everyone knows what to do in case of emergency;
• updating your preparedness kits, including extra food, pet supplies, water, masks and hygiene products;
• bringing in or tying down furniture, play equipment, barbeques or anything that can become projectiles in the event of high winds;
• ensuring you have fuel for generators and vehicles, as well as propane for outdoor cooking devices such as barbeques;
• replacing batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide alarms;
• never operating a generator or barbeque anywhere inside a home, including a garage. Best practice is to keep a generator 20 feet from the home and pointing the exhaust away from the home;
• ensuring a generator is not operating in heavy rain unless the generator has a top cover protecting the electrical system; and
• keeping up with the latest information from reliable sources such as following PEI Government, local media, and law enforcement social media channels.

The P.E.I. government is taking a close look at a federal government request that it remove the provincial portion of HST on new rental housing construction.

This is Sexual Assault Awareness Week — a time to raise public awareness about sexual assault and educate Islanders on how to better respond to and prevent sexual violence.

Throughout the week, the PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre is creating safe and welcoming spaces where Islanders can come together to learn, share, heal and be empowered.  

On Thursday, Islanders from across the province will join at Beaconsfield Historic House Carriage House in Charlottetown for the annual Take Back the Night march against sexual and gender-based violence. Take Back the Night is the oldest worldwide movement to stand against sexual violence. Funding for Take Back the Night activities in PEI is provided through the Interministerial Women’s Secretariat. 

Provincial Housing Minister Rob Lantz says he will meet with cabinet colleagues in the coming
days to discuss taking on a complementary program to remove the provincial portion of HST on new rental builds.  Lantz said Friday that the province will pick up on the plan by Ottawa to remove G-S-T on construction of new rental apartment buildings. Lantz called the removal of the tax “a positive step forward,” and says he’s happy to see the federal Liberals are listening.

He indicated the province would take the initiative a step further by “looking at” a complementary program to remove the provincial portion of HST on new rental builds.

Post-Tropical storm Lee left the Maritimes with a trail of downed trees and debris that caused wide-scale power outages in two provinces. 

Residents in parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick spent yesterday clearing tree branches, leaves and other debris. 

In Bridgewater and other towns along Nova Scotia’s South Shore, fast-food outlets did a roaring business as residents stopped for a coffee, a hot meal and wifi access.  

In Halifax the cleanup continued as the city dealt with as many as 130 downed trees.

As of 4:00am Monday, Nova Scotia Power was reporting more than 1,400 power outages affecting more than 23,000 customers.  Many of those customers are not expected to get their power restored until 11:00pm Monday night.

NB Power, meanwhile, has been reporting more  than 270 outages this morning, affecting more than 1,400 customers.

Here in PEI, Maritime Electric says power has been fully restored.  Crews were working through the storm on Saturday restoring power in widespread scattered power outages across the province, mostly in Charlottetown, central and eastern PEI, although there were some in Prince County as well.  At peak times of the storm, there were as many as 4.600 customers without power.

Finance minister says there’s no current plan to launch an online casino, but new strategy provides ‘solid foundation’ for future decision

Weather forecasters predicted post-tropical storm Lee would be nowhere near as devastating as Fiona or Dorian, and they were correct.

Post tropical storm Lee was located 23 kilometres northwest of Summerside this morning at 6.00 and heading out to sea toward Newfoundland.  Lee travelled from the southern tip of Nova Scotia before crossing into the Bay of Fundy heading up southeastern New Brunswick before crossing the Northumberland Strait overnight into western PEI.

Power outages were caused on the mainland with Lee’s high winds affecting more than 150,000 electric customers across the Maritimes.

PEI had outages throughout the day with over 46-hundred at one point during the mid afternoon.  There were just a few outages left this morning, reported by Maritime Electric.

Rainfall was not as heavy as expected.

About 8 mm in Charlottetown, 15 mm in Summerside and just over 7 mm in St. Peters Bay.

Wind gusts up to 80 or more blew across the Island. Peak winds gusting to around 115 K hit the Confederation Bridge.

Traffic was restricted most of the afternoon and over night but traffic is running smoothly this morning with a wind advisory in affect.

Northumberland Ferry crossings at Wood Islands and Caribou are cancelled this morning through the 12 noon crossing.

The Terry Fox runs scheduled for today are cancelled.  The Charlottetown run will go on Tuesday evening in Victoria Park beginning at 5.30 with registration.

The Downtown Charlottetown Farm Market is cancelled today.

A new group called the UPEI Kerala Federation hosted its first event at the school on Friday. Students and staff were invited to learn more about the southern India community at Aaravam 2023, a cultural festival called Onam.

The exhibit is part of Sexual Assault Awareness Week and is set to run at the Hilda Woolnough Gallery at The Guild in Charlottetown from Sept. 17 to Oct. 7.

Due to the forecast of continuing strong winds in the region, Northumberland Ferries is cancelling the 7:00am, 8:30am, 10:15am, and 1:200pm crossings for Sunday, September 17th from Wood Islands and Caribou.

As of 1:45pm: Maritime Electric is reporting there are currently 53 customers without power due to wind-related issues.  The number had been as high as 389 earlier on Saturday.  Areas currently affected by outages include Cardigan North, Charlottetown, Cornwall, Elliotvale, Georgetown Royalty, Greenvale, Huntley, Melville, Murray Harbour, and Murray River. To report outages, call 1-800-670-1012 or report online with Maritime Electric.

The City of Charlottetown Emergency Measures Organization met Saturday morning, and the City says it’s prepared to open reception centres on Sunday if there are extended power outages. For use as primary reception centres, the City currently has four community centers, five city schools, and the Eastlink Center.   Several other key locations in Charlottetown also have agreements in place and can be opened as secondary reception centres, if necessary. The locations of the opened centres will be determined as the storm progresses.

Meanwhile, additional fire, police and public works crews will be brought in overnight as a precaution.

The Provincial Government is asking Islanders to make final preparations as the remnants of Lee approach the province.

PEI EMO remains in Emergency Level 1 Activation as the storm approaches, which is basically a level of enhanced monitoring.

The province says the most up-to-date forecast from Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Canadian Hurricane Centre indicates that Islanders can expect winds around 60km/h with gusts reaching 80km/h, rainfall amounts ranging from 20mm-40mm throughout the weekend with heavy downpours at times, as well as higher than normal waves and water levels around coastal areas.

In the event reception centres are needed in PEI, you can find information on reception centres across the province, here: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/justice-and-public-safety/reception-centres. As certain communities may be impacted differently, Islanders are asked to reach out directly to their respective municipality for status on opening.

Islanders are encouraged to take the following steps when preparing for hurricanes or other emergencies by:

• making a household emergency plan so that everyone knows what to do in case of emergency;
• updating your preparedness kits, including extra food, pet supplies, water, masks and hygiene products;
• bringing in or tying down furniture, play equipment, barbeques or anything that can become projectiles in the event of high winds;
• ensuring you have fuel for generators and vehicles, as well as propane for outdoor cooking devices such as barbeques;
• replacing batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide alarms;
• never operating a generator or barbeque anywhere inside a home, including a garage. Best practice is to keep a generator 20 feet from the home and pointing the exhaust away from the home;
• ensuring a generator is not operating in heavy rain unless the generator has a top cover protecting the electrical system; and
• keeping up with the latest information from reliable sources such as following PEI Government, local media, and law enforcement social media channels.

Hockey PEI has a new executive director. Tammi Lewis of Brackley replaces Connor Cameron who has become President of the Maritime Junior Hockey League.

Lewis served in administration and finance roles with Hockey PEI for  21 years. She left the organization in 2019 but returned last June to become Coordinator of Membership Services.  She is also a hockey mom and has a strong background in hockey and baseball.

Hurricane Lee is still a Category 2 storm as it approaches  the southern tip of Nova Scotia near Yarmouth. The storm will make landfall by mid afternoon. 

Lee will track across Western PEI after midnight, tonight. Rain at times heavy and strong winds can be expected.  Up to 20 mm of rain expected for Queens and Kings but up to 30 possible for Prince County.

Winds should peak between 10 tonight and dawn on Sunday, according to PEI Stormchaser.  Wind gusts 70 to 80 and maybe 90 in higher areas and along the south shore.

Power outages are possible.

Northumberland Ferries is not sailing today.

There is a wind advisory on the Confederation Bridge between 3.00 this afternoon and 6.00 tomorrow morning.

Islanders are hunkering down to prepare for the storm as Hurricane Lee makes landfall in the Maritimes Saturday morning.

Similar events are taking place around the world this weekend, all organized by local grassroots groups.

The suspension comes after horses trained by Marc Campbell tested positive for banned drugs a total of four times in the past year. His supporters say he hasn't been given due process — or a chance to explain.

The two men who have accused John (Jan) Vanderzwaag of sexually assaulting them two decades ago both testified at his judge and jury trial in Charlottetown Friday. 

At approximately 11:40 am Friday, detectives from Charlottetown Police located human remains in a remote area of Kings County. The remains are believed to be those of 27-year old Summer Kneebone, who went missing on August 7th from Charlottetown.  Police say the remains were found outdoors on a rural property, and police have declared the area a crime scene.  Early Thursday afternoon, Charlottetown Police arrested two people from Pembroke in connection with the case for indecently interfering with human remains.  Police say they plan to give a further update later in the day on Friday.

A body found in a remote area of Kings County, P.E.I., is believed to be the remains of 27-year-old Summer Kneebone, Charlottetown police said Friday.

Atlantic Liberal MPs say they want an additional rural carve-out on the carbon tax to ease cost-of-living pressures specific to Canadians living outside of major urban centres.

The COVID-19 outbreak at Wedgewood Manor’s Land household has been declared over.   The outbreak was declared on September 6th.  Health PEI is thanking the staff for their efforts in managing and limiting the COVID-19 outbreak within the facility.  

RCMP continue to investigate the September 1^st sword attack in Seacow Pond.

The RCMP Major Crime Unit is conducting the investigation, and they say the primary focus is public safety and stress that if there’s any information that police can share that would enhance public safety, they we will do so.  RCMP say many details of such an investigation cannot be shared publicly as it could have serious impacts on possible court outcomes.  Police do say that no new information has come forward showing any intent towards any other individual or group.

Islanders are being encouraged to follow good home security practices like locking doors and windows, and keeping outside lights on.

Due to the forecast of strong winds in the region, Northumberland Ferries is cancelling all crossings for Saturday, Sept 16th from Wood Islands, PEI and Caribou, N.S.