Audited financial results for PEI show the province recorded a surplus of 14.4 million dollars for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.  Finance Minister Jill Burridge says that’s a decrease of almost 68 million dollars from the previous fiscal year.  The government had forecast a deficit for the 2022-2023 fiscal year of about 66 million dollars.  Burridge says the surplus came from higher-than-expected tax revenue.

Canada’s premiers presented a rare unified front as they took turns saying Ottawa’s recent changes to its carbon pricing measures were unfair to the country.  Following a meeting in Halifax, premiers from across Canada, including Premier Dennis King, called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ensure that federal policies, like carbon pricing, are delivered in an equitable way.  Last week, Trudeau announced his government would pause for three years the carbon price on home heating oil to make it easier for users of that fuel to switch to electric heat pumps.  But the move immediately drew criticism from premiers in Western Canada, where few residents and businesses use home heating oil.

Port Charlottetown has wrapped up the 2023 cruise season and is setting its sights on a record-breaking 2024.   After three years of instability due to COVID-19  and Hurricane Fiona, Port Charlottetown welcomed 89 ships and more than 119,000 passengers to the Island this year — making it one of the Island’s biggest seasons ever. 

Port Charlottetown CEO Mike Cochrane says this year marked their largest ship count to date, with 89 calls to port and visitor numbers almost at par with pre-pandemic levels. 

The direct economic impact of this year’s cruise visitation was approximately $18.2-million.  It’s anticipated that there will be an unprecedented 100-plus cruise ship arrivals to Port Charlottetown next year.

The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission is considering 11 recommendations on how fuel prices should be determined on P.E.I.

Canada's premiers lashed out at the federal government Monday, saying Ottawa is treading on thin ice by signing bilateral housing deals directly with municipalities while leaving provinces out of the mix.

Some restaurateurs on P.E.I. say they're struggling to break even as they grapple with rising costs and a change in customer habits.

Provincial and territorial premiers hold a news conference after meeting about health care and energy costs.

Health P.E.I. has hired nearly 300 nurses and hundreds more care support workers so far this year, the agency said in a news release Monday.

Lisa Cooper has been re-elected to another four-year term as chief of the Native Council of PEI. She won re-election on Saturday at the Native Council’s general assembly in Mill River.  Cooper has served in numerous different positions within the Council, including Director of Operations from 2011 to 2014.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says health care is the main agenda item as he hosts Canada’s premiers and territorial leaders, including Premier Dennis King,  at a meeting in Halifax Monday.  Houston says the discussions will focus on health care innovations in the hopes of producing ideas that can help provinces address the problems plaguing the health system.   

The premier says there will also be opportunity to discuss other issues such as federal carbon pricing and Alberta’s proposal to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan.   

The premiers and territorial leaders arrived yesterday and are set to have meetings throughout the day today. 

Dennis King’s PC government says it will bring forward new legislation during the fall sitting of the legislature. But it still has a significant backlog of unfinished business to attend to.

The chief of the Native Council of P.E.I. says she will continue to stand up for Indigenous people living off reserve on Mi’kmaw land, including those who use the controversial mobile harm reduction unit.

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are calling on the federal government to axe the carbon tax on fuel.

This comes after a virtual call was made with federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. 

Nova Scotia’s finance minister says the message was conveyed despite the fact there was no opportunity to have any discussion on the issue as provincial and territorial finance ministers spoke with her. 

Allan MacMaster, the finance minister of Nova Scotia says the carbon tax doesn’t allow people to move away from fossil fuels but simply adds to the growing cost of living.

Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta finance ministers also called for the end to the carbon pricing program. 

The carbon tax will come off the cost of furnace oil in the Atlantic Provinces including PEI beginning this Thursday, November 9th for three years as announced by the feds.  It will mean about 17 cent reduction in cost per litre. 

Canada’s premiers including PEI’s Dennis King are meeting in Halifax for a two-day health summit.

A news release says the discussions will focus on issues including housing, infrastructure and the health care workforce.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says the meeting will allow the heads of provinces to work together on key issues and discuss innovations in health care.

A news conference  will be held Monday following the summit.

The City of Charlottetown’s Short-Term Rental Licencing Bylaw came into effect this week.  All Short Term Rental owners/operator hosts in Charlottetown must register their property with the City annually.Operators can register at: [email protected] along with an application fee of $175;.  Those owners and operator hosts with a current provincial Tourism Establishment License don’t require a license from the City until the provincial license expires March 31, 2024.

The province says it’s actively recruiting for five physician assistants to join Health PEI and help with much-needed access to care for Islanders.  All five positions are currently being advertised.  The province says several physicians have expressed interest in working with a physician assistant and integrating them into their practice.  

Physician Assistants, under the supervision of a physician, can complete physical examinations, administer vaccinations, set or cast a fracture, gather patient history, develop treatment plans, and even assist in surgery.  

In June, regulations allowing them to practice in the province came into effect.

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.