A rising number of seniors in Prince Edward Island are feeling the pinch of poverty, and demand for both provincial and community services is as high as it's ever been.

The latest housing numbers for the Island show listings have increased, sales are up and prices are relatively stable. The president of the P.E.I. Real Estate Association discusses what those numbers mean with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.

P.E.I. currently has no endodontists, meaning any patient who needs a complex root canal has to travel to Moncton or Halifax for the procedure. 

At a PEERS Alliance information session about naloxone in Summerside, people heard how the substance can reverse the effects of overdose. Elysha Whitlock from The Village, a community organization dedicated to helping people facing homelessness, says naloxone is needed more than ever after several recent ODs.

Jacqueline Sark-Arsenault's crochet slippers bring people back to her table at the Indigenous Artisan market every year. Jacqueline's love of creating started as a child when her father showed her how to knit and she's been making things ever since.

MLAs expressed frustration at the legislature health committee meeting Wednesday, hearing about the number of patients in hospital acute care beds waiting for a space in long-term care.

A 34-year-old Queens County man is facing multiple charges in connection with child a pornography investigation.

Prince District RCMP began an investigation into a voyeurism complaint in October 2023. As a result of this investigation a 34-year-old Queens County man has been arrested and charged with multiple offences including voyeurism, making child pornography, transmitting child pornography, intercepting private communications and unsafe storage of a firearm.

This investigation spans two years of events, and multiple victims were discovered as part of this investigation including several youths. Out of respect for all those affected by these crimes, no further details concerning the victims or accused are being shared at this time. This investigation did not reveal a threat to the greater public, the investigation is ongoing.

The RCMP take public safety and sexual offences very seriously. “It is important that those affected by sexual offences know that there are no limitations on reporting historic events, they can be reported anytime. We use a trauma informed approach and are ready to hear your story when you are ready to tell it.” Said Cpl Gavin Moore, PEI RCMP Media Relations Officer.

The Charges will be heard in two different courts including:
Charlottetown court – March 11th, 2023
S. 162(1)(a) CC and S. 162(5)(a) CC – Voyeurism
S. 162(1)(b) CC and Section 162(5)(a) CC – Voyeurism
S. 163.1(1) CC and Section 163.1(2) CC – make child pornography
S. 163.1(1) CC and Section 163.1(3) CC – transmit child pornography
S. 163.1(1) CC and Section 163.1(4)(a) CC – possess child pornography
S. 86(2) CC and Section 86(3)(a) CC – Unsafe storage of a firearm
Summerside court – March 13th, 2023

S. 162(1)(a) CC and S. 162(5)(a) CC – Voyeurism
S. 162(1)(b) CC and Section 162(5)(a) CC – Voyeurism
S. 184(1)(a) CC – Intercept private communications
S. 163.1(1) CC and Section 163.1(2) CC – make child pornography
S. 163.1(1) CC and Section 163.1(3) CC – transmit child pornography
S. 162(1)(a) CC and S. 162(5)(a) CC – Voyeurism
S. 162(1)(b) CC and Section 162(5)(a) CC – Voyeurism
S. 163.1(1) CC and Section 163.1(2) CC – make child pornography
S. 163.1(1) CC and Section 163.1(3) CC – transmit child pornography

Prince Edward Island will be hosting this year’s Global Sustainable Islands Summit.

International experts and leaders will be gathering at Crowbush for two days in May to discuss climate change mitigation and renewable energy.

Environment, Energy and Climate Action Minister Steven Myers says the government has big goals to reach net zero emissions in the province by 2040.

Myers adds that they want to be a leading force in renewable energy and clean tech worldwide.

Students with Holland College’s accounting technology program will once again be helping low income Islanders, students and seniors with their income tax returns through the Community Volunteer Income Tax program.The students have been working with CRA in the program for over 40 years. The service is offered free of charge for those eligible and runs through March and April.

An individual with income of less than $35,000, or a two person family with less than $45,000 (plus $2,500 for each additional person in the family)
can get their return done free of charge through the program at tax clinics across the province.

Port Charlottetown is expecting a record breaking year for cruise ships in 2024. There will be 96 ships with more than 165 thousand passengers and over 74,000 crew pulling into port. 

The numbers set a new benchmark for Charlottetown. 

Last year cruise visits contributed over $21.5 million dollars in economic impact to the Island.  The first ship of the busy season will dock in Charlottetown April 8th.

Due to weather and road conditions, the Souris, Morell, Montague, Bluefield and Charlottetown families of schools will remain closed for the day.
Three Oaks, Kensington, Kinkora and Westisle families proceed following a one-hour delay.
In the French language school board La Belle Cloche, Francois Buote and Saint Augustin schools will remain closed for the day.
École Pierre Chiasson, Ecole Évangeline and Ecole sur Mer will open following the 1 hour delay.
All provincial civil service offices in the Kings County area(s) will open at 9:30 am.Service Canada offices in Montague and Souris are also opening at 930

The Summerside Western Capitals have an opportunity to widen their lead atop the Maritime Junior Hockey League overall standings.The Caps take a league-leading record into a home game against the Pictou County Crushers tonight at 7.

The playoff series between the UPEI Panthers and Saint Mary’s Huskies opens a best of three quarter final matchup in Halifax tonight at 7. Game 2 will be at UPEI Saturday night.

The Cape Breton Eagles made franchise history last night in their 5-3 victory over the Moncton Wildcats in the Q.

Lucas Romeo, Brayden Schmitt and Luke Patterson each scored over that span to set the new franchise record for the fastest three goals scored in one game
Pascal Siakam had 23 points to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Raptors 127-125 on Wednesday in his return to Toronto.

In the NHL Winnipeg Jets’ skated to a 1-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

Students with Holland College’s accounting technology program will once again be helping low income Islanders, students and seniors with their income tax returns through the Community Volunteer Income Tax program.The students have been working with CRA in the program for over 40 years. The service is offered free of charge for those eligible and runs through March and April

– Port Charlottetown is looking ahead to a record-breaking surge in cruise activity for the coming 2024 season, with 96 ships, over 165,000 passengers and a crew of over 74,000. There will be 18 double cruise ship days, 3 triple cruise ship days, and 1 four ship day on October 1st. This sets a new benchmark for the Island

Public schools on P.E.I. are delaying opening and officials are assessing whether they will open Thursday.

After years of being only two-thirds full on an average night, an overnight emergency shelter for women in Charlottetown is now packed most of the time, and usually has a waiting list for beds. 

Authorities say at least eight children are among 22 people who were hit by gunfire in a shooting at the conclusion of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade Wednesday. Police say one person was killed. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves says three people have been detained for investigation.

Social media users posted shocking video of police running through a crowded scene as people in attendance hurriedly scrambled for cover. A Chiefs official said players and coaches were on buses and returning to Arrowhead Stadium when the shooting happened.

The federal carbon price will increase April 1 to $85 per tonne, up from $60. The quarterly rebates associated with it — which the Liberals rebranded Wednesday as the “Canada Carbon Rebate” — are also getting their once-a-year overhaul.

Here is what you can expect to receive in April, July, October and January.

Prince Edward Island (includes top-up available to all residents):

Single individual: $110

Couple: $165

Family of four:$220

GRAMMY-nominated Maren Morris and JUNO Award-winning group The Beaches will perform on the main stage with performances at Sommo Festival this September. Morris and The Beaches join already announced main stage performers Greta van Fleet and Noah Kahan, undoubtedly making Sommo Festival the summer’s biggest show. .

Prince Edward Island will be hosting this year’s Global Sustainable Islands Summit.

International experts and leaders will be gathering at Crowbush for two days in May to discuss climate change mitigation and renewable energy.

Environment, Energy and Climate Action Minister Steven Myers says the government has big goals to reach net zero emissions in the province by 2040.

Myers adds that they want to be a leading force in renewable energy and clean tech worldwide.

Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier has held a meeting with her counterparts in the Atlantic provinces.

A news release says the group talked about the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems and economies in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and P-E-I.

The ministers also discussed the extension of the Atlantic Fisheries Fund through 2026.

Lebouthillier also noted the increased leverage of smaller fleets in the redfish fishery, reducing the share of the offshore fleets from 74 per cent in 1994 to 59 per cent in 2024.

A brawny nor’easter dumped up to 37 centimetres of snow on Nova Scotia on Wednesday before trudging to Newfoundland, where the wind picked up and a swirling snowfall enveloped much of the province.

Across the top of eastern and northeastern Newfoundland, up to 60 cm of snow was expected in communities from St. John’s in the east to the Bay of Exploits in the west, and the winds along the coast were expected to gust at 100 kilometres per hour until Thursday night.

Some politicians on P.E.I. are questioning the value of a new deal between the National Hockey League and Tourism Prince Edward Island, while the provincial tourism minister is defending it. 

P.E.I.’s Sommo Festival has announced that Maren Morris and The Beaches will join its two-day music lineup in Cavendish this September.

The P.E.I. government will find suitable shelter, with a fixed roof, for anyone who calls its shelter support line, says P.E.I. Housing Minister Rob Lantz.

The NHL has named Tourism PEI an official travel destination partner

The three year agreement will provide Tourism PEI access to the NHL and its fans through the hockey league’s marketing digital and social media channels

PEI Minister of Fisheries Tourism Sport and Culture Cory Deagle says the collaboration will allow the Island to use the NHL global fan base to grow and strengthen tourism.

The Tourism Industry Association of PEI says the opportunities are huge to showcase the Island to such a large audience and attract visitors.

The provincial government is paying the NHL $2.5 million for the first year of the agreement.

Fourteen modular units were delivered to the parking lot near the Park Street Emergency Shelter earlier this week, destined to become part of the Community Outreach Centre's new home.

Three years ago, the P.E.I. government rolled out its new electric school buses with much fanfare. But school bus drivers say the buses are plagued with problems, leaving sometimes 16 to 18 of the buses in the shop at any one time.

The third time was the charm for the members of a P.E.I. legislative committee who wanted to hear from former premier Robert Ghiz about the state of the Island’s cellular service.

RCMP officers in eastern Prince Edward Island didn’t expect animal control to be a large part of their job description this past weekend, but they did earn a seal of approval.

According to a recent report, many companies are not hiring Canadians with criminal records. The P.E.I. Human Rights Commissioner lays out the law.

Tourism Prince Edward Island and the National Hockey League have entered into a three-year marketing partnership that will see the Island branded as the NHL’s official travel destination.

Health P.E.I. says a lack of staff is leading to an early closure for the emergency department at Western Hospital in Alberton on Tuesday afternoon.

A volunteer group in Summerside is still looking for places to set up tents it has purchased to provide some shelter for homeless people in the city.

P.E.I. physiotherapists are hoping to be able to request diagnostic imaging for patients after Nova Scotia colleagues learn that it will soon happen there.

Royal Star Foods in Tignish, P.E.I., has launched a new lobster dip, the first of several future products that will help the processing plant stay open during the winter months when production is usually shuts down.

Every month on P.E.I., a group of young people from the 2SLGBTQ+ community meet at PEERS Alliance to share their writing, find kinship and celebrate their passion.

RCMP on Prince Edward Island took a weekend's worth of calls concerning sightings of animals where they shouldn't be.

A Charlottetown-based football club says it is frustrated that its 186 athletes might be left without a place to play come spring.

Health Minister says the department has five vacancies for recruiters, following a Summerside town hall at which the former chair of the Health P.E.I. board said Island medical students weren't getting contacted about employment.

Percy Downe from Prince Edward Island has walked back comments he made urging security checks on international students and immigrants from Gaza, but an advocacy group is still calling for his resignation.

An event in Charlottetown Saturday rang in the Lunar New Year. CBC News spoke with some of the people who attended to find out what the celebration means to them.

The Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl champions.  The Chiefs scored a touchdown in overtime to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22.  The Chiefs are the first repeat Super Bowl champions in 19 years.

Canadian Nick Taylor made an 11-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a playoff to win the Phoenix Open.

There were two games in the NHL on Sunday.  The St. Louis Blues beat Montreal 7-2 and Vancouver edged Washington 3-2 in overtime.

The Holland College Women’s Hockey Hurricanes blanked Cape Breton 5-0 on Sunday.  Next up for the Hurricanes is the 2024 Atlantic Championship in Wolfville, Nova Scotia in early March.

Canada’s women’s basketball team is headed to the Olympics after qualifying on Sunday.

The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce says it’s pleased with word of the agreement between Ottawa and the City of Charlottetown to fast-track 300 new housing units over the next three years.  Chamber CEO Bianca MacGregor says Charlottetown’s vacancy rate fell to 0.5% in 2023 and the city is in desperate need of more housing. She says the current lack of housing inventory has been identified as a significant barrier to Chamber members looking to recruit and retain employees and grow their businesses.

With just weeks to go before another proposed rate hike from Maritime Electric would kick in, the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission has turned down an application from a group that wants to intervene on behalf of the public.

The UNB Reds finished with a perfect 30-0 season as they won 9-1 over the UPEI Panthers in AUS men’s hockey. Austen Keating led the Reds with 3 goals.

UPEI Will meet Saint Mary’s in the first round of the playoffs.

The women Panthers finished out of the playoffs dropping a 5-4 decision to Dalhousie. The Tigers came back after being down 4-1 early in the second.

The Halifax Mooseheads shutout the Charlottetown Islanders, 7-0 in the QMJHL. 

The Summerside Western Capitals romped to a 9-1 victory over the Valley Wildcats in the MHL. Jonah MacDonald scored twice. 

Fredericton trimmed the Kensington Wild, 5-4 in a shootout in Major U18.

UPEI over Memorial, 66-54 in men’s basketball.

The Panthers lost the women’s game,65-59.

Holland College women over Mount St. Vincent, 98-86.

The Mystics won the men’s game, 87-76.

Of course the big game tonight – Super Bowl Sunday where the Kansas City Chiefs will be aiming to win their second consecutive Super Bowl game tonight in Las Vegas against the San Francisco 49ers

Saturday’s Scoreboard

NHL

Los Angeles 4 Edmonton 0

Ottawa 5 Toronto 3

Calgary 5 N.Y. Islanders 2

Dallas 3 Montreal 2

Detroit 4 Vancouver 3 (OT)

Winnipeg 2 Pittsburgh 1

St. Louis 3 Buffalo 1

Washington 3 Boston 0

Florida 4 Colorado 0

Carolina 1 New Jersey 0 (OT)

Philadelphia 3 Seattle 2

Tampa Bay 4 Columbus 2

Nashville 5 Arizona 4 (OT)

—

AHL

Laval 7 Toronto 1

Manitoba 4 Grand Rapids 3 (SO)

Belleville 5 Utica 4

Colorado 3 Abbotsford 2

San Diego 7 Calgary 4

Charlotte 4 Cleveland 1

Lehigh Valley 2 Bridgeport 1 (SO)

Providence 4 Hartford 1

Syracuse 3 Rochester 2 (OT)

Milwaukee 2 Texas 1 (SO)

Iowa 5 Tucson 4 (OT)

Springfield 6 Hershey 3

Rockford 2 Chicago 1

San Jose 4 Bakersfield 2

Coachella Valley 4 Henderson 0

—

NBA

Cleveland 119 Toronto 95

Dallas 146 Oklahoma City 111

L.A. Clippers 112 Detroit 106

Brooklyn 123 San Antonio 103

Charlotte 115 Memphis 106

Chicago at Orlando, 7 p.m. (OT)

Philadelphia 119 Washington 113

Atlanta 122 Houston 113

Indiana 125 New York 111

Golden State 113 Phoenix 112

New Orleans 93 Portland 84

—

NLL

Calgary 11 Toronto 10

Saskatchewan 13 Vancouver 9

Georgia 14 Rochester 12

New York 10 San Diego 8

* * * * * * * * * *

Sunday’s Games

(All times Eastern)

NFL

Super Bowl

San Francisco vs. Kansas City, in Las Vegas, 6:30 p.m.

—

NHL

St. Louis at Montreal, 1 p.m.

Vancouver at Washington, 1:30 p.m.

—

NBA

Boston at Miami, 2 p.m.

Sacramento at Oklahoma City, 3 p.m.

The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce says it’s pleased with word this week of the agreement between Ottawa and the City of Charlottetown to fast-track 300 new housing units over the next three years.  Chamber CEO Bianca MacGregor says they’re glad to see movement on their pre-budget recommendations to the City.  McGregor says Charlottetown’s vacancy rate fell to 0.5% in 2023 and the city is in desperate need of more housing. She says the current lack of housing inventory has been identified as a significant barrier to Chamber members looking to recruit and retain employees and grow their businesses.

Acting on drug information received, the Charlottetown Police Services Street Crime Unit arrested a 37-year old Charlottetown man Thursday afternoon on Euston Street.  Officers seized a small quantity of orange fentanyl, similar to the type health officials warned of earlier in the week.  The man was charged with Possession of fentanyl and breach of probation.  He has been released from custody with conditions and will soon appear in Provincial Court.

PEI RCMP traffic enforcement initiatives resulted in eight drivers being stopped for impaired driving by cannabis in a span of just four days this week.  On Thursday, an additional driver was charged with impaired driving by alcohol after RCMP were called to assist as a car was stuck in a snowbank.  Since the start of 2024, PEI RCMP have stopped 30 impaired drivers, 9 of these have been impaired by cannabis.  Last year RCMP laid charges on approximately 230 impaired driving investigations.