P.E.I.'s minister of economic development says it's a 'major issue' right across the province, adding that government officials have met with phone companies and the Canadian Telecommunications Association about the problem.

Christmas events will mean a variety of street closures starting at 5 a.m. AT Friday and lasting until 9 p.m. Sunday, and water line replacement work will begin Friday on busy Grafton Street.

Canada needs to move more quickly in response to the housing crisis, says housing researcher Steve Pomeroy, who has worked extensively with Prince Edward Island data.

Summerside Electric is trying to determine the reason power went out across the city mid-morning Thursday.

Just after midnight on Thursday morning, Kings District RCMP responded to a report of a car fire. The Montague Fire Department also responded to the vehicle fire that was in the driveway of a home in Brudenell, and extinguished the blaze.  No one was injured in the fire, which the investigation determined was set on purpose.  The investigation quickly led to the arrest of a 56 year-old Brudenell man who has been charged with one count of arson and one count of uttering threats. 

Associate physicians are a new idea for Prince Edward Island, but Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kathie McNally says they could soon be having an impact on the province’s health-care system.

Due to weather conditions on the Northumberland Strait, the 7:00am crossing from Wood Islands and the 8:30am crossing from Caribou have been cancelled for Thursday. 

In the PEI legislature on Wednesday, the PC government, with its majority, voted down two pieces of legislation put forward by the Third Party Greens.  The PC government voted against the Green bill that would have provided 5 paid sick days to Island workers. It also voted against the Green bill that would extend the moratorium on renovictions.  

The first two ferry crossings Thursday between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S., have been cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

Colville Manor in Souris has declared a facility-wide outbreak of COVID-19

Visitors to Colville Manor will be limited to 3 partners-in-care, with one visitor at a time. All partners-in-care will be asked to follow the current infection control measures. 

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, including the emergency department, is currently overcapacity due to increased patient volumes. As a result, anyone going to the emergency department with less severe illnesses should expect longer waits to see a doctor. 

The increased volumes also mean more patients are waiting in the emergency department for a hospital bed.   Officials say measures are being taken to increase the number of beds available across the system and to move patients in hospital back to their community hospitals, long-term care or community care where possible.

Those people with a serious illness or injury should continue to seek emergency care at the emergency department.

P.E.I.'s Ukrainian community will mark one of the darkest periods in their country's history this weekend, called Holodomor, a Ukrainian word that means 'death inflicted by starvation.' The genocide was recognized by the P.E.I. legislature in a bill passed unanimously this week.

P.E.I.'s minister of housing says his department is working on a plan to open another 10-bed emergency shelter this winter, this time in Summerside.

New funding from the province will let the Charlottetown school, which its principal says is currently over capacity by about 30 students, grow by roughly 10,000 square feet.

P.E.I.'s health minister took the brunt of questions at the legislature Wednesday as MLAs brought up concern after concern about the state of the Island's ailing health-care system.

The amount of money daycares get from the province is based mostly on the number of educators and their qualification levels — leaving out support staff, which some daycares say they'll need to hire in larger numbers in order to take on more kids.

The P.E.I. government releases two big budgets in any given year: the operating budget and the capital budget. We walk you through the difference between the two, and some of the announcements in this year's capital budget.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown, including the emergency department, is over capacity and patients can expect a longer than average wait to see a doctor, Health P.E.I. said in a news release Wednesday afternoon.

Speaking to reporters about P.E.I.’s capital budget on Tuesday, Finance Minister Jill Burridge defended the government’s reliance on private industry to build housing.

Wednesday saw the release of a new report called A Proposal for a Guaranteed Basic Income Benefit in Prince Edward Island. The report was written by a team of public servants, politicians, and advocates from PEI and across the country.  It presents a basic income model for a fully-funded 5-to-7 year demonstration program in PEI, which it says would considerably reduce poverty for Islanders while being more cost-effective than previously presented models. 

The report estimates that the proposed Guaranteed Basic Income benefit would put PEI on a path to meet its poverty reduction targets by considerably reducing the poverty rate for Islanders aged 18 to 64 from almost 10% to nearly 2%. It says the poverty rate for families with children would be reduced from 5.4% to 1.8% and that of single adults aged 18 to 64 would fall considerably from almost 27% to about 3%. 

A detailed report on guaranteed basic income released Wednesday morning says it would mean 65 per cent fewer P.E.I. children would be living in poverty, along with 90 per cent fewer people who live alone — and poverty could be virtually eliminated for people with disabilities.

Colville Manor in Souris has declared an outbreak of COVID-19 on its Lupin household.

Visitors on Lupin household will be limited to 3 Partners-In-Care with one visiting at a time. All partners-in-care will be asked to follow the current infection control measures that are in place.

On Tuesday, the Official Trustee of the Rural Municipality of Murray River passed a resolution supporting a study into the possibility of forming a new municipality in the Southern Kings area. The same resolution was adopted by the Rural Municipality of Murray Harbour on Saturday.  The area would encompass the two rural municipalities and the fire districts of the Murray River and Murray Harbour fire departments. The resolution states that both municipalities are concerned about their ongoing viability, and interested in exploring the funding, economic development and tourism opportunities that a larger municipality could bring to the area. They’re also interested in studying the costs and benefits of incorporating the two communities and their two fire districts into one new sustainable municipality of approximately 3000 residents in the Southern Kings area.  

Charlottetown Police have released a couple of pictures as part of their investigation into a home break-in last month.  It was about 7:00 pm on Oct 28th when a home on Forest Drive was broken into, with the culprit getting in through a basement window. Police are looking for the public’s assistance, and ask anyone with information regarding the individual in these photos to contact them or PEI Crime Stoppers.

The southeastern P.E.I. rural municipalities of Murray River and Murray Harbour have taken the first step in a process to explore the possibility of amalgamating.

P.E.I. Minister of Health Mark McLane says some new nurses have been caught in clerical limbo when it comes to receiving a recent recruitment incentive, but the province is committing to getting them their money.

As the group plans new builds in Tyne Valley, O'Leary and Three Rivers, it's working to change a commonly held perception that its homes are a form of poverty relief.

The number of bats on the Island has dropped drastically in the last decade, and there is little indication that they will recover.

The Liberal government’s fall economic statement
acknowledges the cost-of-living crisis weighing on Canadians but offers few new measures to tackle it while pledging to keep deficits in check.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland presented her fiscal update in the House of Commons Tuesday, stressing the pressure inflation and a slowing economy are putting on federal finances.
As the Liberals face pointed criticism for their spending by the Opposition Conservatives, the update also outlines new fiscal anchors to show restraint, including setting a new goal to keep
deficits below one per cent of Canada’s GDP beginning in 2026-27.
The federal government projects the deficit for the current fiscal year to come in at $40 billion, largely unchanged from its spring budget forecast, with deficits shrinking, but not disappearing, over five years.
The update adds $20.8 billion in new spending since the spring budget over five years, with some new measures designed to boost the housing supply, including rental units and affordable housing.

People with mobility issues now have another option for getting around Charlottetown. Marcel Archambault says demand wasn’t there to keep the service running in 2014 but he's giving it another shot.

Health care infrastructure and housing lead increases in spending in another record capital budget for P.E.I., which was tabled in the legislature by Finance Minister Jill Burridge Tuesday.

Health P.E.I. is looking at consolidating outpatient services in the West Prince region, a move that has O'Leary residents worried about losing yet another health-care service in their community.

The TransCanada Highway at Orwell in eastern P.E.I. will be closed briefly on Tuesday to let crews remove an overturned tractor-trailer from the side of the road.

The COVID-10 pandemic forced P.E.I. courts to go virtual for many appearances by people accused of crimes. It was a change that ended up saving time and money, while cutting down on safety risks.

Queens District RCMP responded to a two-vehicle head on collision in Mount Albion on Friday at 9:30pm. No serious injuries were reported but a 39 year-old Head of Hillsborough man was arrested at the scene for impaired driving and will appear in court January 3rd to answer to impaired driving charges.

Funding is now available for agriculture operations across PEI that are facing extraordinary costs in restoring and rebuilding infrastructure due to Hurricane Fiona.

The PEI Agriculture Fiona Recovery Fund is open to agricultural operations that experienced significant infrastructure damage on insured assets from Hurricane Fiona and were not able to fully rebuild or replace the infrastructure through disaster relief supports. The program is available through an $8.5M investment from the Federal Government through ACOA.  It will be administered by the PEI Department of Agriculture.

More information, including how to apply, will be available on the PEI Agriculture Fiona Recovery Fund webpage in the coming days.

Housing Minister Sean Fraser said Monday the federal government is considering a series of measures to curb the number of Airbnb and other short-term rental units on offer to boost the supply of homes available to rent.

'If somebody wants to dance with me, I'll dance with them,' volunteer says about Dancing with Parkinson's program.

The annual Yuletide Gala Auction was held at the Delta Prince Edward in Charlottetown to raise money for medical equipment at the QEH hospital.

Premier Dennis King issued a statement Monday on Transgender Day of Remembrance.  King says Transgender Day of Remembrance is a solemn occasion dedicated to honouring and remembering the lives of transgendered individuals who have lost their lives because of violence, discrimination and hate.  He says it’s an important day to pause, reflect, and learn about the systemic challenges and prejudice that transgender people face in their daily lives.   King adds that as a society, we must remember that we are all people – no matter who you worship, who you love, or how you identify – no one deserves to live in fear, be threatened, or experience violence or harm.   The Premier says that he hopes that all Island residents pause on Monday to show their support and continue to learn and come together to exemplify acceptance and love for all.

A Snow Squall Watch is in effect for Kings County for Monday night and Tuesday.  Upwards of 10 to 15 cm is possible in the heaviest bands of snow squalls.  Environment Canada warns that visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow, and accumulating snow may results in poor road conditions.

Premier Dennis King is noting that as the province celebrates National Child Day, the province is pushing through legislative reforms that recognize the rights of children.  King says province’s legislature is now considering reforms to its Child, Youth and Family Services Act.  The legislation has been drafted to make it clearer for the courts and anyone else involved in child protection cases that the best interests of the child must take precedence over any other consideration.  Among other things, the legislation limits the time a child can be in temporary care of the province, and changes departmental rules to permit services to youth in care until they’re 25, rather than 21.

The College of Registered Nurses and Midwives has issued a disciplinary order against the final member of a trio of Queen Elizabeth Hospital staff who took an ambulance for a drive last year.

A group of researchers wants to look into how making testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) more accessible can impact the health of Prince Edward Islanders.

PEI Crime Stoppers has held its annual Officer of the Year awards event, recognizing Municipal Police Officers, RCMP Officers and Department of Public Safety Officers who have given exceptional performance in the line of duty. PEI RCMP Corporal Travis Gallant was presented with the RCMP Police Officer of the Year Award; Sgt. Dale Corish of Summerside Police Services was awarded the Municipal Police Officer of the Year Award; and Constable Trent MacSwain, a member of the Department of Justice and Public Safety – Conservation Enforcement team, was presented with the Peace Officer of the Year Award. 

The Adventure Group has received an $8,500 grant from the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund to support Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training. The Adventure Group says Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training allows it to build capacity and increase supports within the organization to the most vulnerable populations within the community. It says that, in addition, it allows front-line staff to help improve mental health and wellness coping strategies.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will table the fall fiscal update on Tuesday, which is expected to focus on housing and affordability. 

The outlook comes as the Liberal government struggles to regain favour with Canadians feeling overwhelmed and angry about the rising cost of living. 

But, ahead of any announcement, and with little money to spend, Freeland has tried to temper expectations. 

The finance minister has been relatively tight-lipped on any details but has repeatedly said measures will be geared toward addressing housing and affordability.