UPEI’s Presidential Search Committee launched an online survey Wednesday as part of the consultation phase in the 12-month search process for the selection of  a new President and Vice-Chancellor for the University.  The Search Committee has met several times with an executive search firm to plan and develop the year-long, multi-phase process for the search. The consultation phase, which will run through to September, will offer several ways for people to provide input.   One option is to complete the confidential, anonymous online survey that is now available until September 8th.  The Search Committee will also hold virtual and in-person meetings with key stakeholder groups and accept written submissions at [email protected] until September 8th.

Islanders woke up Wednesday morning to an unscheduled hike in diesel and furnace oil prices. Gas price is holding steady.

The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce has opened applications for its second annual Rising Entrepreneur Award, sponsored by Innovation PEI.  It’s part of an effort to encourage and inspire Islanders 30 and younger to follow entrepreneurship as a career path. 

The award winner will receive a one-time $2,500 cash prize, recognition during Small Business Week, quarterly mentorship meetings with the sponsor for one year, and a one-year complimentary membership with the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce.

The deadline for applications is September 1.

Marci Ien, the Federal Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, will be on the Island today.  She’ll be joining the Provincial Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Natalie Jameson, to make an announcement supporting the implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence on Prince Edward Island.

In an unscheduled adjustment, IRAC has approved increases of 6.0 cents per litre in both diesel and furnace oil prices.  There is no change in gasoline prices.  Including taxes, pump prices for regular self-serve gasoline range from 183.5 to 184.7 cents per litre and prices for diesel are now between 194.2 and 195.4 cents per litre.  The maximum price for furnace oil is 148.9 cents per litre.  

Monica Lacey is the writer, director, producer and photographer behind the short film All Water Touches All Water. Sound design and drone footage by Devon Ross. Millefiore Clarkes is director of photography and editor. This story is part of a CBC Creator Network summer series called Immersed: Our Connection to Water.

It happened more than 10 months ago, but post-tropical storm Fiona is still affecting events on Prince Edward Island.

Liberal Opposition Leader Hal Perry says Health PEI’s announcement increasing the maximum daily room rate in public long-term care homes by almost $5,000.00 per year is unreasonable.  Perry says the announcement comes at a time when families are already grappling with fixed incomes and the rising costs of essential needs, and when the healthcare system is already under immense pressure.  He says it’s unfair to burden seniors and families with additional financial strain right now.  Perry is calling   on government to consider a phased-in approach for the increase.

On Tuesday, Premier Dennis King issued a statement marking Emancipation Day yesterday.  King says it’s an important day to recognize the strength and perseverance of Black communities.  In 1833, the British Empire introduced the Slavery Abolition Act and on August 1, 1834, slavery was abolished.   The Premier says it’s important to acknowledge that slavery was present in Atlantic Canada, including PEI. The Bog was a neighbourhood in Charlottetown settled by Black slaves in the early 19^th century.  In recognition of Emancipation Day, The Black Cultural Society of PEI held a celebration event in Rochford Square, formerly the Bog, on Tuesday night.

Some Charlottetown businesses say they didn't get enough warning their water would be shut off for much of the day Tuesday.

Health P.E.I. announced Monday the maximum daily rate will change from $92.19 to $105.78 per day due to rising inflation and to align with private LTC rates.

Beginning next week, the Upper Room Soup Kitchen in Charlottetown will no longer be offering takeout service.

Cavendish residents had a chance to have their say Monday night about Whitecap Entertainment’s decision to stage two back-to-back concerts in the resort municipality in July.

With July breaking records as one of the hottest in Prince Edward Island's history, applications for the province's free heat pump program have shot up.

Opposition parties and unions are concerned about what the resignation of Dr. Michael Gardam as CEO of Health P.E.I. could mean for the Island's health-care system.

A local man built the Fancy Stick Library in St. Peters Bay, P.E.I., where pooches can choose their own hand-crafted stick. The CBC's Tony Davis met up with him to find out more.

Shortly before 4:00pm on Sunday, there was a collision between a pick-up truck and a cyclist in Scotchfort.  The cyclist was taken to hospital with critical injuries and is now reported by RCMP to be in stable condition. Route 2 in Scotchfort was closed for several hours while an RCMP traffic reconstructionist analyzed the scene. EMS, the East River Fire Department and the department of transportation all attended and assisted at the scene.  The investigation is ongoing.

Early Sunday night, at about 6:30pm, Kings District RCMP received a report of an incident involving the pointing of a firearm at a person in Murray River. Police responded to the area, set up containment on the property and ensured there was no one else at the home, and then began several hours of negotiation with a 62 year-old man.  At about midnight, the man surrendered to police without incident.   He’s facing threats and firearm related charges. A loaded prohibited revolver was seized by police. Police say that as the situation was contained by officers and there was no threat to the greater public, no Alert was issued at the time of the incident.

A male cyclist is in stable condition after a collision with a pickup truck on Route 2 near Scotchfort, P.E.I., Sunday afternoon.

The maximum daily room rate in public long-term-care homes and manors is changing from $92.19 to $105.78 per day, to align with private long-term-care rates.  The change takes effect August 1 for new residents entering long-term care. Current residents will see the rate change on October 1st to allow time to adjust to the new rate. Individuals can use that time to apply to the Subsidization Program if their income does not cover the new rate.  Eighty five percent of Manor residents are already covered by the Long-Term-Care Subsidization Program and will not be affected by the rate change. All current residents who are affected have been notified directly.

The province says amendments to the Building Codes Act Regulations will help reduce wait times for building permits and support increased development.  The amendments are to allow for the creation of intern level building officials in the province with the authority to review and approve smaller-scale building projects such as single-story accessory buildings and decks.  Officials say that will reduce the workload of the province’s building officials allowing them to focus efforts on large-scale projects suited to their training and experience.  Government has committed to reducing wait times for building permits to less than 30 days; further amendments are expected to assist in meeting this goal.

Dr. Michael Gardam has submitted his resignation as Health PEI CEO effective March of 2024.  Dr. Gardam sent a letter to all Health PEI staff Monday morning to notify them of his decision.  In that letter, Dr. Gardam says he gave notice to the Health PEI Board of Directors on Friday, and makes it clear that he is leaving for personal reasons – including being closer to his family.  Dr. Gardam says that for the next nine months, his plan is to continue just as he has since he started in 2020 – making changes to the system to support staff, and building resilient healthcare services for Islanders.  As for work still to be done, Dr. Gardam points to looking at the physicians’ master agreement to make being a family physician on PEI more attractive and sustainable. He also says they need to find and/or build spaces for staff to provide services; and recruit many, many people and integrate new professionals such as physician assistants, midwives, and associate physicians.  

Health P.E.I. CEO, Dr. Michael Gardam has submitted his resignation and plans to leave the role in March 2024, he confirmed to CBC News.

The Black Cultural Society of PEI is getting set to celebrate Emancipation Day on Tuesday.  Emancipation Day commemorates the abolition of slavery across the British Commonwealth, including in Canada, on August 1st, 1834. 
All festivities will take place in ‘ The Bog’ in Rochford Square from 5:30pm to 8:00pm.  Everyone is welcome and those attending are asked to bring their country’s flag if they are of African and Caribbean descent.

The Emergency Department at Western Hospital reopens as of 8:00am Monday.  Health PEI announced Friday that the Emergency Department at Western Hospital was closing as of 4pm Friday and would remain closed through the weekend. The closure was because of a temporary lack of staffing. 

Data from Statistics Canada shows that, on average, there were more cases of non-consensual intimate image sharing on P.E.I. than any other province from 2018 through 2022.

Lennox Island First Nation was filled with people celebrating Mi’kmaw culture on Sunday.

The Liberals and Green Party on P.E.I. are calling on the PC government to address the dip in tourism seen by some operators this summer.

Islanders participating in a workshop held by the Native Council of P.E.I. Thursday got a chance to explore gender identity from an Indigenous perspective as they learned about the history of two-spirit people.

How to feed your friends when all you want is a cheeseburger

Amanda Grady tries to make time to come back to P.E.I. every year. This time, she's meeting some special guests.

Check your lotto tickets.  A Tag ticket with Friday’s Lotto Max draw, which was purchased in Queens County, is worth $100,000.  The winning ticket matches all six digits, 666732. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a quick stop in Prince Edward Island on Saturday.  Trudeau was on the Island to take part in the Pride Parade in Charlottetown, marching the parade route along with MPs Lawrence McAulay and Sean Casey, and provincial and municipal politicians.   Since 1994, PEI’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community has come together as a collective voice with allies to show support for 2SLGBTQIA+ equality and equity.

There will be plenty of crunchy apples to munch on and bake with this summer on P.E.I. But anyone looking to sink their teeth into a juicy local plum or peach may be out of luck.

A new partnership between Holland College and the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation should help keep some of the Island's historic homes preserved for years to come.

Federal Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was in Charlottetown on Friday.  Freeland was questioned about the ferry service between Wood Islands and Caribou, but said she had nothing new to announce.  The service has had to be suspended at times this season due to mechanical issues with the MV Confederation.  Freeland emphasized that Cardigan MP and new Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay has been clear in discussions with her about the importance of a reliable ferry service for PEI.  She says that MPs Sean Casey and Heath MacDonald have also raised the ferry issue with her.

Since 1994, PEI’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community has marched in the streets of Charlottetown, joined by allies to collectively voice and demonstrate support for 2SLGBTQIA+ equality and equity. The 2023 Pride Parade is Saturday, with a 12pm start time on Terry Fox Drive behind the Provincial Government Buildings, then onto Euston Street, to Great George to Grafton Street and onto Rochford Street with it ending on Kent Street.

There are some rolling road closures along the parade route.

Registration is not required for individuals, families, or friend groups interested in participating in the 2023 PEI Pride Parade. Registration is required for organizations.

It's been almost three months since the Atlantic physician registry was launched, but officials can't confirm if any doctors who've signed up are actually working in the province.

A survey of radon gas radioactivity has found slightly elevated levels in four P.E.I. schools.

The Western Hospital emergency department is closing this afternoon at 4.00 due to a lack of staff and will be closed on Saturday and Sunday before reopening on Monday morning at 8.00.

Energy prices on P.E.I. were up again overnight.

Maritime Electric has released its 2023 Sustainability Report which shows 86% of customer-supplied energy came from carbon-free sources in 2022.

It says Maritime Electric contributed $103 million directly to the PEI economy

and purchased 100% wind energy generated by the PEI Energy Corporation,

It also donated to 229 organizations, activities and events across the Island.

Maritime Electric also saved over a million sheets of paper with 60% of customers receiving their bills electronically.

There will be rolling road closures in downtown Charlottetown during the 2023 Pride Parade that will go on Saturday starting at 1.00 on Terry Fox Drive behind the Provincial Government Buildings. It will head toward Euston Street, then turn right on Geat George to Grafton Street and head down to Rochford Street and Kent where the parade will end.

You can expect some delays if you are traveling in the area. Please watch out for the participants and people who are viewing the parade.

The Charlottetown Police Major Crime Unit has laid charges in connection with a robbery reported  on Tuesday, July 18th on Grafton Street where a man, who was walking with a woman, was assaulted and had his cellphone stolen.

Three Kings County teens have been charged with a single count of robbery. Two are nineteen  men and the other is a seventeen year old.

They have been released with conditions and will be in Provincial Court at a later date.

A Green Meadows man was arrested on impaired driving charges after being 4.5 times over the legal limit for alcohol on Wednesday afternoon.

Kings District RCMP say the 42-year old man was arrested after providing breath samples after receiving a report of an impaired driver from the public.

RCMP Constable  Gavin Moore, the Mounties Media Relations Officer says it’s rare to see numbers that high andi it’s very dangerous to be driving at that level.

The Provincial Traffic Unit assisted in the investigation.

The driver will now face a court appearance.

The Indian government has stopped the exports of non-basmati white rice in an attempt to protect its domestic supply. Now local grocery store owners on P.E.I. are working to secure their rice stocks for customers.

Fuel prices are way up this morning. 

IRAC has announced a 6.5 cent a litre hike in the price of gas which is going for 187.3 as the lowest price.

Diesel increases by 8 cents and it’s going for 77.8 per litre as the lowest price.

Furnace oil is up 8 cents and is 142.6 a litre.

Propane goes up 2.2 cents at Irving, 2.5 cents at Superior, 1.3 cents at Island Petroleum and 3.5 cents at Kenmac Energy and Noonan Petroleum. 

 A big night for driver Adam Merner who reigned five winners at Red Shores in Charlottetown in harness racing.

Among his drives was New Legacy in 1.58/2 in the Fox Group Island Trot Challenge in Race 12. The race had a purse of $5,300.

Elm Grove Mistress won the 13th in 1.56/2 for Jason Hughes.

Stratford got by Summerside, 4-1 in PEI Jr. Baseball.  Isaac Compton pitched the win.

It was Sho-Time in Detroit.

Shohei Ohtani pitched his first complete game shutout for the Los Angeles Angels  on a 1-hitter blanking the Tigers, 6-0 in the opener of a doubleheader.

He then hit his American League leading, 37th and 38th home runs as the Angels won the second game, 11-4.

The Angels opened a big series in Toronto tonight, three games back of the Jays for the last wild card spot.

In other games: 

NY Mets 2  Washington 1

Chicago Cubs 10  St. Louis 3

Cleveland 6  Chicago White Sox 3

Thursday’s Scoreboard

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

At Hamilton, N.Z.

Portugal 2 Vietnam 0

At Brisbane, Australia

Nigeria 3 Australia 2

At Dunedin, N.Z.

Argentina 2 South Africa 2

—

MLB

American League

L.A. Angels 6 Detroit 0 (Game 1)

L.A. Angels 11 Detroit 4 (Game 2)

Cleveland 6 Chicago White Sox 3

National League

N.Y. Mets 2 Washington 1

Chicago Cubs 10 St. Louis 3

—

MLS/LIGA MX Leagues Cup

Chicago 3 Minnesota 2

Toluca 4 Nashville 3

Club America 4 St. Louis 0

Guadalajara at Cincinnati, ppd.

—

Friday’s Games

(All times Eastern)

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

At Sydney, Australia

England vs. Denmark, 4:30 a.m.

At Adelaide, Australia

China vs. Haiti, 7 a.m.

—

CFL

Hamilton at Ottawa, 7:30 a.m.

—

MLB

American League

N.Y. Yankees (Cole 9-2) at Baltimore (Rodriguez 2-2), 7:05 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Silseth 2-1) at Toronto (Gausman 7-5), 7:07 p.m.

Cleveland (TBD) at Chicago White Sox (TBD), 7:10 p.m.

Minnesota (Gray 4-4) at Kansas City (Singer 6-8), 8:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay (McClanahan 11-1) at Houston (Javier 7-2), 8:10 p.m.

National League

Philadelphia (Wheeler 7-5) at Pittsburgh (Keller 9-6), 7:05 p.m.

Washington (Gore 6-7) at N.Y. Mets (Scherzer 8-4), 7:10 p.m.

Milwaukee (Houser 3-2) at Atlanta (Chirinos 4-4), 7:20 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (TBD) at St. Louis (Montgomery 6-8), 8:15 p.m.

Cincinnati (Williamson 2-2) at L.A. Dodgers (Miller 6-1), 10:10 p.m.

Interleague

Detroit (Olson 1-4) at Miami (Garrett 5-3), 6:40 p.m.

Oakland (Sears 1-7) at Colorado (Freeland 4-10), 8:40 p.m.

Seattle (Gilbert 8-5) at Arizona (Henry 5-3), 9:40 p.m.

Texas (Dunning 8-3) at San Diego (Musgrove 9-3), 9:40 p.m.

Boston (Crawford 4-5) at San Francisco (Webb 8-8), 10:15 p.m.

—

(The Canadian Press)

UPEI has come a long way when it comes to reconciliation, according to the president of the Native Council of P.E.I.

The Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I. is looking for answers amid reports July business on the Island hasn't been as strong as hoped.