Food banks in Charlottetown are preparing for a big spike in demand as thousands of students return to classrooms this fall.

Maritime Electric has awarded a contract for the demolition of the combustion power plant in Cumberland Street. The iconic smokestacks will likely disappear from the skyline by the end of 2024.

There will be fewer low-cost options for flights in and out of Prince Edward Island starting in mid-October, but the Charlottetown Airport CEO says Flair does intend to return next summer.

The beef processing company is heading to Brazil for a recruitment mission with the goal of finding between 15 and 30 workers who have experience in the beef processing industry. 

Summerside Police are investigating a smash and grab at a jewellery store in the County Fair Mall, in Summerside. Police say a man with a face covering smashed a wall display case in the store last Friday night and fled the area on foot with a quantity of jewellery. Anyone with any information is asked to call Summerside Police Services or Crime Stoppers.

The province says students across the province will benefit from greater access to programs, staff resources and renewed curriculum this school year.  Staffing for schools across the province has increased by 159 Full Time Equivalent frontline positions – including 59.5 teachers, 92 educational assistants, 2 Speech Language Pathologists, 3.5 school counsellors, and 2 bus drivers.  The 2023/24 school year will start for teachers on September 1, with students starting on September 7. The province is providing free school supplies for all students from kindergarten to grade nine, as well as new equipment for our trades classes and added supports to address both academic and behavioral needs of students.

The City of Summerside is hosting an “Open House Forum” of the Mayors Task Force for Attainable Housing Wednesday at 5:00pm at Veteran’s Convention Centre at Credit Union Place.  Mayor Dan Kutcher says they encourage everyone to attend as your opinion and, more importantly your ideas, are a critical component to the task force providing City Council with the next steps in addressing housing needs in Summerside.

The City of Charlottetown says it will not allow construction work to start one hour earlier in the summer.

Researchers on P.E.I. say they are one growing season away from selecting several varieties of wild hops they think will be successful in commercial production.

Per-student spending on public schools has increased in every Atlantic province between 2012-13 and 2020-21, with one of the biggest increases in the country occurring in Prince Edward Island.  That’s according to a new study published by the think tank Fraser Institute.  The study found that per student spending in public schools increased by 19.0 per cent in Prince Edward Island.  Over the nine year period, PEI moved up from the second lowest per-student spender to fifth highest. 

Councillors in Charlottetown are asking the city’s police department to come up with a strategy for tackling crime in the downtown.
At a special meeting, council members voted unanimously for police to come up with what they call a “community plan with key performance indicators that address illicit drug use and related illegal behaviour.”
Police plan to hold a public meeting at Birchwood Intermediate School next Tuesday to discuss crime and safety concerns in the city.

Occupants of a tent encampment near Three Oaks Senior High have been told by the authorities to leave the premises.

Last week, the federal government announced it's helping fund the creation of 300 new child-care spaces set to open within the next 18 months. But a Montague child-care centre says it won't see any of that money.

An eight-year-old child was pricked by a needle while playing in the Hillsborough Square park in Charlottetown, city police say.

Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for all of P.E.I. Tuesday afternoon. Rainfall is expected to start early Wednesday morning.

The P.E.I. government has completed the first round of its Housing Challenge project, a $50-million low-interest loan program designed to encourage new housing builds.

Terry Avery is staying in a cottage in North Lake, worried, she says, about returning to her Charlottetown home because drug use in the area is so bad.

The P.E.I. government has announced a Major Incident Readiness Team, bringing together several government departments to prepare for future weather-related disasters.

Christopher Drummond says he's still in shock after his SUV was stolen at a hotel parking lot in Laval, forcing him and his family to return to P.E.I. in a rental vehicle.

About 150 students were on the wait-list for student housing in July. Now, it’s about 115.

The province hopes changes to the way temporary doctors are employed on P.E.I. might get them to stay longer.

As we face a 2023 hurricane season that is forecasted to have 14 to 21 named storms in the Atlantic this fall, the province announced that a Major Incident Readiness Team has been created.  The team is made up of elected and government officials, and its focus is to prepare for major events and emergencies that have the potential to impact the Island. The team will work with Emergency Measures Organization, government departments, and local municipalities to help prepare the Province for any major event.  The Major Incident Readiness Team will begin its work immediately, including receiving a briefing from EMO and other experts in the coming days. The entire Major Incident Readiness Team will meet bi-weekly, or more frequently if required as needs become clearer.

The inpatient unit at Kings County Memorial Hospital has declared an outbreak of COVID-19. The emergency department will close at 4 p.m. daily until the outbreak is declared over to accommodate the possible transfer of patients.

For the time being, patients on the inpatient unit are restricted to three partners-in-care, with only one partner-in-care present at a time. Visitor restrictions will remain in place until the outbreak is declared over.

All partners-in-care will be asked to follow the current infection control measures, including wearing a mask at all times while visiting.

An outbreak at Kings County Memorial Hospital's in-patient unit will shut down the emergency department starting Monday afternoon.

A 19-year-old man is facing charges after a stabbing incident at a fishing port in western P.E.I.

The P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission has issued a recall notice for some cans of vodka sold on the Island, citing the possibility that the containers could rupture.  

The Lennox Island First Nation on P.E.I. celebrated a mawi'omi on the weekend, with some participants drawing a direct line from tragedies in the past to Indigenous pride in the present.

Late Friday night, West Prince RCMP responded to an altercation at the North Port Wharf involving a youth and adult at a party setting. A 19-year-old Alberton man has been arrested.  When Police responded to the scene, they found a youth with injuries consistent with those involving a knife.  The youth was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was released from the hospital a short time later. A 19-year-old man was located and arrested a short time after.  He has been charged with assault causing bodily harm and has been released on strict conditions. He will appear on Wednesday in Summerside Provincial Court.  Island EMS, West Prince RCMP and East Prince RCMP all responded to the incident.

Bridge repair work on Callbeck Street in Bedeque is scheduled to begin Monday.  A detour will be in place and drivers should be prepared to stop and follow detour signs.  Work should be completed on September 15.

Road work is underway on Route 20 – Hamilton/Baltic between Kensington and Malpeque Bay.  Existing asphalt is being removed and new pavement is being laid.   Two-way, one-lane stop-and- go traffic is in place. Expect some delays.

Hurricane Franklin is continuing to track off North America’s east coast.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre says while the storm was originally forecast to affect parts of southeastern Newfoundland this week, it is no longer expected to have much impact on land.

It says the latest models show Franklin is tracking further south and more slowly than originally predicted, taking it further away from the province’s coast.

 in PEI, the rain is it’s expected to start Tuesday night and continue through Wednesday, and there will be heavy rains at times in some areas.

Meanwhile, tropical storm Idalia is gaining strength off of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and is tracking for a northern Florida landfall as early as Wednesday. 

Judy Clark, has been named to the Assembly of First Nations Council of Elders.  Judy is a member of Abegweit Mi’kmaw Nation  and is UPEI’s Elder in Residence. Judy is a member of the UPEI President’s Indigenous Advisory Circle and the Indigenous Education Advisory Circle. The University says this is the first time that Prince Edward Island has its own regional Elder to represent the province within the Assembly of First Nations.  The Assembly of First Nations is a political organization representing approximately 900-thousand First Nation citizens in Canada.

With energy production at the Hermanville wind farm in eastern P.E.I. going from bad to worse, the provincial government has decided to make repairs itself, despite the fact it has a warranty.

Nearly a week after tents were removed and tarps taken down from encampments in Summerside, city officials and locals facing homelessness are renewing calls for a 24-hour low-barrier shelter in the area.

The P.E.I. Invasive Species Council wants gardeners to keep their eyes out for a new worm on the Island.

The Dundas Plowing Match parade begins at 11.00 this morning. It will begin at the corner by Campbell’s Irving. The parade had to be postponed yesterday due to rain.

Bridge repair work on Callbeck Street in Bedeque is scheduled to begin on Monday.

A detour will be in place and motorists should be prepared to stop and follow detour signs.

Work should be completed on September 15.

Road work is underway on Route 20 – Hamilton/Baltic between Kensington and Malpeque Bay.

Existing asphalt is being removed and new pavement is being laid.   Two-way, one-lane stop-and- go traffic is in place. Expect some delays.

Road work begins Tuesday on Route 2 in Morell East.

Asphalt milling and the installation of a storm sewer will take place before paving begins.

Work begins at the Route 2-Dingwell Road intersection and runs west for 1.3 kilometres.

Two-way, one-lane stop-and-go traffic is in place. Expect some delays.

Work should be completed by September 22.

A waterfront piece of art to remember the late Kerri Wynne MacLeod will be unveiled on Sunday afternoon at 1.00 in Montague to honour  her memory.  The art installation will take place on the north wall of the freight shed at the Montague waterfront which will remember the very popular Ocean 100 morning show host who passed away in February.

Heather MacLean, a longtime friend, is a member of the Three Rivers Arts and Culture Festival committee who is very excited about the art work and dedication. She says it will give people a chance to honour her memory and learn more about her.  Kerri Wynne grew up in Montague.

The dedication was scheduled Saturday morning but was changed to today due to weather conditions.

Lots of rain on Saturday across the Island but it began to taper off in the evening.

Summerside received 38.8 mm, Charlottetown had 31.1 and 16.5 mm fell in St. Peter’s Bay.

Parts of Nova Scotia were expected to see up to 50 mm.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre says Tropical Storm Franklin will track a bit slower than earlier expected, which means it is less likely to affect land and more likely to have limited influence to the Grand Banks marine district off Newfoundland on Thursday as opposed to Wednesday.

But, it says strong winds and high seas are still a moderate to high possibility there.

It says rainfall may be the main aspect of the storm to contend with for southeastern Newfoundland.

The track of  the storm will blow well off the southeast coast of Nova Scotia.

PEI is still expected to get some rain on Wednesday. 

About 200 people from the Kerala region of India gathered in Charlottetown on Saturday to celebrate Onam, an annual harvest event.

The Atlantic International Film Festival, taking place next month in Halifax, will see the premiere of an Island-produced feature film called Who's Yer Father.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has announced the opening of the commercial eel fishery for licence holders from PEI will be delayed until Monday  at 6 a.m. and will remain open until Wednesday, October 25th

The Canadian Hurricane Centre says tropical storm Franklin is likely to pass well south of Nova Scotia on Wednesday.

Franklin could pass close to southeastern Newfoundland late Wednesday or Thursday.

The storm could bring rain, strong winds and high seas to southern parts of Atlantic Canada.

PEI can expect some heavy rain starting near dawn on Wednesday in Thursday afternoon.

It’s a wet weekend on the Island with rain at times heavy forecast for today and tomorrow.  25-40 mm of rain possible and up to 50 mm if thunderstorms develop between now and Sunday morning.

Heavy rain between 10 and 20 mm possible per hour if thunderstorms develop.

Watch your driving, especially in heavy rain.

A few events have been changed today due to the weather. 

A Waterfront artpiece to remember the late Kerri Wynne MacLeod will be unveiled on Sunday afternoon at 1.00 in Montague to honour  her memory.  The art installation will take place on the north wall of the freight shed at the Montague waterfront which will remember the very popular Ocean 100 morning show host who passed away in February.

The dedication was scheduled for this morning but was changed to Sunday due to weather conditions.

 The Art in the Open festival is moving indoors today at Confederation Centre, the Charlottetown Library and Learning Centre, the Guild theatre and Beaconsfield Heritage House.

The ever popular March of the Crows will have a new route, weather providing.  It will start at the Confederation Centre of the Arts Amphitheatre and travel along Victoria Row and will arrive at the old Confederation Centre Plaza library door this evening. The Festival will be held from 4 this afternoon until midnight.

It’s Gran Fondo weekend on PEI with cycling events continuing through Sunday.

The main race event is scheduled to begin at 8.00 this morning with cyclists travelling through various streets around the city.  There will be rolling delays along the streets.

Please use caution when driving and watch out for an increased amount of people on bicycles.

The Dundas Plowing Match parade has been moved from today until Sunday at 11.00 in the morning.  It will begin at the corner by Campbell’s Irving.

The 23rd annual Mawi’omi will be held today on Lennox Island First Nation. It will be celebration of Mi’kmaq culture, tradition and people with a special gathering of Indigenous dancers, drummers and artists.

The Grand Entry will begin at 1.00 this afternoon.

The event continues through Sunday.

Beyond NDAs, which can be used in workplaces to silence people who come forward with human rights complaints, experts say there are other systemic and cultural challenges to reporting workplace harassment.

Crews in Charlottetown and Summerside are gearing up for heavy rainfall this weekend while also taking steps to prepare for peak hurricane season.

The P.E.I. government has changed regulations to give itself "clear authority" over permits for renewable energy projects such as wind farms, a move that will allow projects to proceed without requiring approval from local councils.

A Special Weather Statement has been issued for all of Prince Edward Island as heavy rainfall is possible on Saturday for some areas.  Environment Canada says total rainfall amounts could reach or exceed 50 millimetres in some areas during a period stretching from Friday after midnight until Sunday.  Rainfall amounts could exceed 25 millimetres per hour in some areas.  Heavy downpours can cause flash flooding and pooling of water. Similar events have caused hazardous driving conditions and localized flooding in low-lying areas.

The RCMP are asking tool owners to mark their tools to protect against theft. RCMP in PEI say they regularly receive complaints of stolen tools and the investigations can be very challenging if people don’t keep track of serial numbers or mark their tools. When tools are recovered or suspected as stolen it is often hard for police to determine with certainty if the tools are stolen. You can help by marking your tools.

Downtown Charlottetown's annual open-air art festival Art in the Open is moving inside Saturday due to forecast torrential rains.

An Island-born labour and delivery nurse was part of a team that helped evacuate a hospital in Yellowknife.