The Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI will induct eight Island entrepreneurs into its prestigious Acadian and Francophone Business Hall of Fame of PEI during its 22nd Entrepreneurs’ Gala on March 16 in Abram-Village.  The inductees include:

 ALFRED ARSENAULT (URBAINVILLE FARMS);

 THE LATE ÉDOUARD T. ARSENAULT (THE BOTTLE HOUSES);

 ERNEST ARSENAULT (ARSENAULT PAINTERS LTD.);

 THE LATE FRANKY ARSENAULT (FRANKY’S SAWMILL);

 JOSEPH (JOE) CAISSIE (FISHERMAN AND EGMONT BAY SEAFOOD);

 JOHN AND ALPHONSE ARSENAULT (J.C. DRILLING INC.);

 LÉO-PAUL ARSENAULT (L.P. ELECTRONICS).

Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez says the ferry that links Digby, Nova Scotia, and Saint John, New Brunswick, will not be moved to another route next year, including the service between PEI and the Magdalen Islands. 
Rodriguez says the M-V Fundy Rose will remain on its current Bay of Fundy route between the two Maritime provinces.
Transport Canada said last month that it was considering transferring the ferry to cover the route between P-E-I and the Magdalen Islands in the spring.
Rodriguez says his department is looking for alternatives to serve that route when its ferry is dry docked for safety maintenance next spring.

Myles Goodwyn, the award-winning Nova Scotia singer and songwriter who shot to stardom as the former lead singer of April Wine, has died at age 75. 

His publicist says Goodwyn died eSunday in Halifax.

No cause of death was announced.

April Wine formed in Halifax in 1969 and went on to sell over 10 million recordings worldwide.

Goodwyn stepped away from the band earlier this year but continued to perform live until not long before his death.

P.E.I. farmers had a tough go with the weather this season, with too much rainfall, and then, on top of that, a shortage of trucks slowing some down during the fall harvest. 

Two tree farms say this season has been busy, but they still have a good selection.

Islanders say they love to shop local, but aren't afraid to order online when something can't be found here.

The Green Party of PEI has nominated Matt MacFarlane as their candidate for the upcoming byelection for Borden-Kinkora. He’s the first party candidate to be officially nominated. He was chosen at a nomination meeting in Crapaud on Saturday night.

Some significant snow is coming to the Maritimes on Monday. PEI will get about 5-10 cm mixed with rain while central New Brunswick from Fredericton to Moncton could get 10-20. A snow and rain mix for Nova Scotia where 20 cm could come down.   

The snow will change to flurries on Monday night into Tuesday.

A reminder to slow down on snowy roads and to clear snow off your vehicle.

37-year old Derrick Gormley, who was wanted in Kings District on a province-wide arrest warrant, has been arrested. Kings District RCMP had turned to the public on Saturday for help in locating Gormley,from Brackley Beach, after obtaining an arrest warrant for him on charges of break and enter and breach of probation. This morning, the RCMP announced the arrest and thanked the public for their help through shares on social media.

A new audiobook dramatization of the Lucy Maud Montgomery classic Anne of Green Gables was released this week, and director Megan Follows describes it as an entirely different kind of approach to the novel.

When staff consultation first began for the new Kings County Memorial Hospital, the conversations were expected to wrap up by July. But that process is headed into winter.

Two people have come forward to seek the PC nomination in District 19, Borden-Kinkora with former MLA Jamie Fox now running federally.

Shamrock resident Carmen Reeves and Jordan Johnston of Victoria have announced they will seek the party nomination for the upcoming byelection. 

Reeves recently retired after a career with Canada Revenue Agency.

Johnston is works as a Director of Parliamentary Affairs  for MP Michael Cooper.  He’s been a rugby coach at Bluefield High School and football coach with the Cornwall Timberwolves. No date has been set yet for the byelection. 

A bit of a break on your property tax bill is coming next year. 

The provincial government is rolling back property taxes to prevent a sharp rise in 2024. An amendment was passed on Wednesday in the PEI Legislature with a tax credit for owner-occupied residential properties. It will help remove a large increase in property taxes which were subsidized in 2022 and 2023. That’s if assessments were set back to 2020 values.

Finance Minister Jill Burridge says it’s a challenging time and this will help keep more money in Islanders’ pockets.

The amendment includes a tax credit for long term multi-unit rental properties.

Property tax bills will be released in early May next year.

Summerside’s annual Santa Claus Parade was held Friday night. 

There was also the official tree lighting in Cornwall to welcome the Holiday Season. 

The 43rd Souris Christmas Parade is Saturday afternoon at 2.00 in the town. 

The Christmas Parade in Kensington will be held  Sunday evening starting at 5.00. There will be a visit with Santa at the Murray Christian Centre on School Street at 5.45 during the evening.

Northumberland Ferries has invited P.E.I.'s Harmonix Quartet to perform Christmas favourites on MV Confederation for two Saturdays' worth of midday crossings between the Island and Nova Scotia.

The high demand for housing in Prince Edward Island has some rural towns expanding their housing stock.

RCMP on P.E.I. say thefts of almost anything with wheels and a motor are on the rise in the province.  

Several large developments are on the horizon at the Royalty Crossing shopping centre in Charlottetown.

The Lieutenant-Governor has announced the date for the annual Christmas open house at her residence in Charlottetown.
Lieutenant-Governor Antoinette Perry says Government House will be open to the public on Wednesday, December 6th, from 3 to 6 p-m.
Perry issued a statement Thursday saying the decorations include a “spectacular tree” and other  “yuletide splendor.”
As well, festive music will be performed by students from the music department at UPEI.

An incredibly generous donation Friday to PEI Food Banks.  The Dairy Farmers of PEI have donated $40-thousand to food banks across the Island through the Hot Holiday Food Drive on Hot 105.5.  The demands for the services of food banks in PEI this Christmas season have grown significantly.

Job figures came out today, and they show that following successive monthly increases from June to September, and little change in October, employment in PEI declined by 13-hundred in November. The provincial unemployment rate rose by 1.9 percentage points to 8.1%.

Statistics Canada says the national economy added a modest 25-thousand jobs in November.

The federal agency’s labour force survey shows the unemployment rate ticked up to 5.8 per cent last month — now hovering around pre-pandemic levels.

But the jobless rate is expected to continue rising as higher borrowing rates weigh on businesses.

P.E.I.'s ombudsperson Susan Hermiston is looking forward to hearing from more Islanders.

Many Prince Edward Islanders will once again not see an increase in the provincial portion of their property tax next year — but the province is going about it in a different way this time.

Parishioners at St. Martin of Tours in Cumberland, on P.E.I.'s South Shore, gathered to see their beloved church get its steeple reinstalled again after Fiona heavily damaged it. They sang and cheered as crews installed the steeple, all under the serene morning sun.

A reminder from the City of Charlottetown that the overnight on-street parking restrictions are now in place until April 15th.

The restrictions prohibit parking on all municipal roads between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Vehicles parked on municipal roads during the restricted hours may be issued a parking ticket and/or towed at the owner’s expense.

The overnight parking restrictions also apply to those with residential parking permits. 

Residents are encouraged to subscribe to the City of Charlottetown’s Alert System to receive notifications related to the city’s de-icing and snow clearing efforts. 

Prince District RCMP are investigating the theft of a white 2008 Toyota Tundra on Thursday in Bloomfield Corner.  Of note though is what was in the truck at the time of the theft.  On the rear-view mirror is a heart shaped necklace that holds the ashes of a family member of the truck’s owner.  The white truck has a white cap on the back, broken tail light on the passenger side, scratch on the passenger side door, and a logo of a husky on the cap. If you have any information regarding the truck, you can contact West Prince RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

The City of Charlottetown is encouraging residents who have decorated the outside of their home or property to register for the 2023 Holiday Home Decorating Contest.  Registration is now open and closes at 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 4th. Entries will be judged the week of Dec. 11th on the following criteria: use of natural materials, use of lighting, creativity, and overall design.

Retired Senator Diane Griffin, alumna and honorary degree recipient, has been unanimously elected as the 10th Chancellor of UPEI for a four-year term. An installation ceremony will be held early in 2024.

The University Chancellor is a volunteer, titular role that presides over convocations and confers degrees, diplomas, and certificates.  UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Greg Keefe chaired the Chancellor Electoral Committee.

Griffin will replace the University’s ninth chancellor, Catherine Callbeck, who was installed in 2018 and whose extended term ended in June 2023. 

It’s status quo for gas, diesel and furnace oil prices in PEI.  In its weekly setting of prices, the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission has decided on no change Friday for gas, diesel or furnace oil prices.  Propane price adjustments range from no change to a decrease of 0.4 cents per litre.

More than a year after post-tropical storm Fiona knocked out almost all of P.E.I.’s electrical grid, there’s been no word from the provincial government on when it might expand access for utilities to cut trees along their power lines.

For the thousands of drivers who travel back and forth across the Hillsborough Bridge every day, there has been lots to see lately along the Stratford waterfront. A new wooden boardwalk is being installed where the sewage lagoons used to be.

CBC P.E.I.’s annual campaign in support of local food banks is underway in the leadup to the holidays.

A 10-year-old girl from Prince County is the new Easter Seals P.E.I. ambassador for 2024.

A white 2008 Toyota Tundra has been taken from the garage of a Bloomfield mechanic. Its owner, Melinda Piche, says a locket containing some of her father's ashes was hanging from the rearview mirror and she wants it back.

Michelle Hughes will always remember the long trip through the corridors of P.E.I.'s biggest hospital to get a CT scan after she collapsed in August of 2021.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation has launched its annual Friends for Life campaign to raise funds for the many medical equipment needs of the QEH.  Those needs include a CT scanner for the QEH Emergency Department.  A CT scanner is used for the diagnosis of critical illness, injuries and trauma.  Right now, transporting a patient from the emergency department to the hospital’s CT scanner involves navigating through three hallways, many corners and several doorways.  Having a scanner within the emergency department would improve patient safety, including allowing quicker access to essential brain imaging for stroke patients.  The cost for a CT scanner is $1.3-million, and the QEH Auxiliary kicked off the campaign with a gift of $100-thousand.

The P.E.I. government announced a low-interest loan program for early childhood education facilities to expand this week, and Wendy Foote of Appleseed Childcare in Montague is thrilled.

A Murray Harbour Councillor has been fined $500 over a sign that he posted on his property denying the existence of residential school graves.  John Robertson had displayed the sign ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Robertson must pay the fine by Friday and has been suspended from Council for a period of six months.  He must also write a letter of apology.

One of the owners of a private hockey school in North Rustico says the ‘chaos and uncertainty’ around the town’s new rink resulted in a significant drop in enrolment, cutting the school’s revenue in half this year.  

RCMP on PEI are urging Islanders to be vigilant after an increase in break-and-enter incidents over the past several days.
They say the spike in reported cases mostly involves entry into outdoor buildings, sheds, and unlocked vehicles.
Police say several incidents were reported in the Cornwall and Stratford areas.
The Mounties say people can take precautions, such as using good locks on outdoor buildings, and installing motion-sensor lights.

Lieutenant Governor Antoinette Perry was called to the legislative chamber in the Coles Building Wednesday to give royal assent to more than 30 bills and bring the fall sitting of the PEI Legislature to a close.  It was a short session with 14 sitting days, and featured the $368.8 million Capital Budget.  But it was a session dominated by issues surrounding the Community Outreach Centre, health care and the housing crisis.  

The 2024 Easter Seals PEI Ambassador is ten year old Lucie Gallant of Sherbrooke. 

Lucie is a Grade 5 student at École-sur-Mer in Summerside. Her parents are Melissa and Chris and she has a younger brother Jackson. Diagnosed on the autism spectrum, Lucie has experienced social and cognitive challenges but is excited to help increase awareness about neurodiversity and the power of optimism with her motto: ‘With a positive mind you can do extraordinary things.’  

An East Royalty woman worries the removal of on-street parking in her cul-de-sac of Elena Court will prevent future care workers from being able to help her. The City of Charlottetown says the way people were parking was a public safety risk.

Over the course of the 14-day stretch, the biggest financial item on the agenda was the capital budget — which saw $368.8 million budgeted to purchase, expand or maintain provincial assets like roads, hospitals, schools, equipment and much more.

Murray Harbour councillor John Robertson has been fined $500 over a controversial sign he posted on his property in southeastern P.E.I. two months ago.

The University of Prince Edward Island says it’s making good on a commitment it made more than a decade ago to two women who came forward in 2012 with complaints of sexual harassment against the university’s former president.

Hockey P.E.I.’s Hockeywell program has helped hundreds of families get young players started with needed equipment over the last dozen years, and there’s always one area where supply has some trouble meeting demand.

Charlottetown mortgage broker Steve Swyer is getting a lot of calls these days from clients wondering how they are going to manage their mortgage renewals.

Summerset Manor in Summerside has declared an outbreak of COVID-19 on its Horizon Household.  Patients on these households will be limited to three partners-in-care, with one visitor at a time. All partners-in-care will be asked to follow the current infection control measures. Visitors are reminded to not visit if they are experiencing any symptoms of respiratory illness.

The City of Summerside has reached a milestone in growth and development, as it surpasses the $100 million mark in building permits issued year to date. The new record surpasses the previous $73 million-dollar high total.  The City says that at a time when housing volatility remains top of mind, the diversity of this year’s development permits is very encouraging with over $68M of the $100M total being directly related to major housing development projects.