Family Literacy Day, Jan. 27, encourages Islanders to build lifelong literacy skills among even the youngest members of their families. Amanda Beasley and Meaghan Blanchard spoke to CBC's Kerry Campbell about how families can read and learn together.

Significant overcapacity issues continue to be a concern in P.E.I. hospitals, the provincial health agency says. 

P.E.I.’s opposition parties are using their combined majority on legislative standing committees to compel government records and information that otherwise might never see the light of day, flexing privileges they’ve had since committee rules changed in 2019.

The lineup for the Canadian women's curling championship was completed Sunday with the crowning of eight champions. A field of 18 teams will curl Feb. 14-23 in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ont.

As Health P.E.I. brings back universal mask mandates on Monday in its facilities to prevent more people from getting sick, an infectious disease specialist says while masking is helpful, other precautions are essential.

Among the slew of stellar athletes at last weekend’s P.E. Classic competition, one person stood out from the crowd — and not just because he’s a very familiar face on the Island’s gymnastics scene.

Woodlot owners in the province are being asked for their opinions on a range of topics, including the impact of post-tropical storm Fiona. A conservation specialist hopes the survey will help the P.E.I. government better understand forest management and harvest decisions.. CBC's Nancy Russell tells us more.

The MV Northumberland (formerly the MV Fanafjord) arrived in Canada on Sunday.  The vessel, which will serve the Wood Islands – Caribou route, was acquired by the federal government as an interim replacement for the former MV Holiday Island, which had to be taken out of service after a fire in July of 2022.  The MV Northumberland will now undergo final refit work to prepare for service. The vessel is expected to be ready for service for the beginning of the 2025 operating season.

Health PEI’s masking policy is now in place for all its facilities.  The policy is due to the ongoing overcapacity issues currently facing the Island’s health care system.  As of Monday, Health PEI is requiring all visitors and staff within its facilities to wear a mask.  Health PEI CEO Melanie Fraser says emergency departments and acute care units have been straining from overcapacity for weeks, and they must take all precautions necessary to prevent more people from getting sick.  

Canada’s transport minister will order an audit of the company that operates the ferry service between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, CBC News has learned. The news came on the same day that the MV Northumberland arrived in Pictou, N.S. It will begin service on the route this spring.

The City of Summerside is inviting residents to participate in a discussion about the future of the City’s electricity system.  It says that with increasing energy demand, the need for cleaner energy solutions, and the upcoming decommissioning of aging diesel units, the City is exploring sustainable, resilient, and cost-effective options aligned with climate goals.

The PEI RCMP has added to its Digital Forensics Unit by creating two dedicated positions.  For PEI RCMP, it doubles its capacity to collect and analyze digital evidence.  The Mounties say that bolstering the Digital Forensics Unit is in response to the growing importance of electronic data in solving crimes — whether they be investigations into drug offences, child pornography, homicide, assault or online crimes.

The Province’s Gender, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Community Enhancement Program has provided a total of $650,000 in funding for 2025.  With that funding, 32 community organizations across PEI are receiving support for projects that promote diversity and inclusion.  

Since the program started in 2022, there has been a total of $1.8-million in funding distributed to over 56 organizations and 81 total projects. The funding streams for this year span across open proposals, gender-based violence prevention, to community events and celebrations.

With the Liberal leadership race underway, the participants will have to start thinking about policy and what might make them stand out amongst the crowd.  Karina Gould is branding herself as a youthful candidate who can rejuvenate the party.  Mark Carney is betting on his economic chops to help weather the inflation storm.  While Chrystia Freeland is pointing to recent history and her role in negotiating the Canada-US-Mexico agreement to highlight that she is ready — now — to take on a resurgent Donald Trump in the White House.

On Tuesday at about 12:30am, the Charlottetown Police Street Crime Unit arrested two people as the result of an investigation into the illicit drug trade in Charlottetown.  Police executed a search warrant at a property on the Brackley Point Road.  Officers seized a quantity of cocaine, over 100 prescription pills, cell phones, drug paraphernalia, and over $1200 cash.   A 48 year old man and a 47 year old woman, both from Charlottetown, have both been charged with Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.  Both have been released from custody with conditions and will appear soon in Province Court.

Islanders are encouraged to take advantage of winter days and explore Island trails, but planning ahead and dressing properly are key to staying comfortable and safe in the cold weather.

To help with an increased workload, a second digital forensic specialist has been hired by the RCMP on Prince Edward Island. These analysts are able to support investigations by retrieving information from electronic devices and the internet.

The path will be cleared this weekend for the much-anticipated arrival of a new permanent vessel for the ferry run between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. 

The extended shutdown of New Brunswick's Point Lepreau nuclear generating station will leave Prince Edward Island power customers on the hook for $14.5 million.

Oh boy – time to take your Monday and OWN it. Darcy is also back this morning!

Darcy’s A.I. Creation of the day:

“make me a picture the happiest cat on planet earth”

PEI WEATHER

TEXT YOUR ANSWER TO 902-368-1720

Queens District RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance as it investigates a break and enter and theft.  Sometime between Sunday at 8:30 p.m. and Monday at 5:30 a.m. a number of items were taken from a property on Alexander Drive in Clyde River, including power tools, saws, and construction material.  You can contact the RCMP or Crime Stoppers if you have any information.

An Island photographer is being remembered as a storyteller who captured beautiful images of people and landscapes around the world, with a particular focus on his home province of Prince Edward Island. 

The Black Cultural Society of Prince Edward Island will be celebrating 10 years of Black History Month this February. Tamara Steele, the executive director of the society, spoke with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin about how Islanders will be commemorating this year's theme: "Redefining Success: Empowering Black Artists, Students, and Entrepreneurs."

Borden-Kinkora MLA Matt MacFarlane has announced he’s running for the Leadership of the Green Party of PEI.  The Green Party announced this week that it will be holding a leadership convention on June 7th.  MacFarlane was elected to the provincial legislature in a byelection held in February 2024 in District 19 Borden-Kinkora.   MacFarlane serves as the Third Party Critic for Health and Wellness; Justice and Public Safety;  Agriculture;  Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population; and Fisheries, Tourism, Sport and Culture.

The case against an Island man accused of using the social media app TikTok to lure underage girls and commit sexual offences against them will have his case heard in front of a judge alone.

The P.E.I. Greens’ newest member of the legislative assembly is now the first person to throw his hat in the ring to lead the party. 

As of Monday, Health PEI will be requiring all visitors and staff within its facilities to wear a mask.  Health PEI says the masking policy is in response to the ongoing overcapacity issues facing the health care system.  Health PEI CEO Melanie Fraser says emergency departments and acute care units have been straining from overcapacity for weeks, and they must take all precautions necessary to prevent more people from getting sick.

Visitors and staff at all Health P.E.I. facilities where care is provided are now required to wear a medical mask starting Jan. 27, the agency said. 

P.E.I.'s fire marshal is investigating the cause of a Wednesday morning fire in Foxley River.

Islanders can have a say on new draft guidelines for screen time in schools, which the P.E.I. government released this week to encourage healthy screen-use habits in classrooms.

Summerside Electric Utility reports that its diverse energy system allowed it to maintain reliable service without interruptions or requests for conservation during this week’s cold snap.  Summerside’s Director of Municipal Works, Greg Gaudet, says their diverse energy mix, including solar, wind, and battery storage, has proven its value in reducing reliance on traditional diesel backup generation and providing stability to the system   Summerside Electric says that during this cold snap, Summerside’s local renewables and battery storage significantly alleviated pressure on the broader electrical grid. That reduced demand on Maritime Electric and NB Power lines by approximately 19%. 

When 15-year-old figure skater Brooklyn Spates started this season, qualifying to nationals wasn’t part of the plan. Now she will be the first skater in years to represent P.E.I. at the national level.

The provincial government is introducing new “screentime guidelines” aimed at helping foster healthy screen use and behaviours in schools.  The draft guidelines follow restrictions on cellphone use in schools.  The guidelines are supposed to help give schools an additional framework for how technology should be used.  The Province says the guidelines promote the best use of screen time during school hours, enhancing students’ health, engagement, and academic success.

No one was injured in a fire Wednesday at a dairy farm in West Prince, but a large number of cattle was lost as a result of the fire.  Firefighters from Tyne Valley and Lennox Island responded to the barn fire in Foxley River Wednesday morning and were able to contain the fire to one barn.  The Provincial Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the blaze, which is not believed to be suspicious.

The Legislative Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability heard Thursday from officials with the PEI Federation of Agriculture regarding the loss of agricultural land to development.  The Federation says that in the 20 years between 2001 and 2021, PEI lost about 142-thousand acres of farmland.  The Federation says an advisory committee report issued in 2021 called for a provincial land-use plan, but it’s concerned by the lack of action from the Province since then, with no sign of progress on a land-use plan as farmland continues to be lost.

The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission has decided on the status quo this week for the price of regular gasoline on PEI, with no change overnight – however the price of premium gasoline did increase by 1.0 cent per litre.  The price of furnace oil increased by 4.9 cents per litre, while there’s no change in the price of diesel.  Propane prices went up by between 7.0 and 8.0 cents per litre.  With the changes, pump prices for premium self-serve gasoline now  range from 184.1 to 185.3 cents per litre.  The maximum price for furnace oil is 147.7 cents per litre.  Propane prices range from 93.5 to 96.4 cents per litre.

Corey’s A.I. Creation of the day:

A very large family tree!

PEI WEATHER

Sunshine, Wind chill -17 this afternoon
Tonight A few clouds. Wind chill -23 overnight
Saturday Mainly sunny. High minus 8. Wind chill minus 23 in the morning and minus 14 in the afternoon
Sunday A mix of sun and cloud. High -4

• Family trees
• Parenting World Record
• Water bottles everywhere?!
• Weekly prize draws for bridge passes and gift card from Robins

Researchers from Memorial University in Newfoundland received an invite from Health P.E.I. to discuss how AI can improve patient flow at Prince County Hospital in Summerside. Dr. Christopher Patey says the technology can help with triage in the emergency room and allow doctors to spend more time with patients.

A reduction in the number of permanent residency nominations are already having a major impact, say some Island business owners and workers.

Demand for P.E.I.'s school food program is strong, but the number of people paying for food is dropping. CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin speaks to executive director, Katelyn MacLean, about an internal review that looked at the program's sustainability.

Le Jardin des Étoiles daycare in Summerside is full, and 100 people are on the waiting list in case a spot opens up, says the centre’s director.

Owen Daniel MacDonald appeared in provincial court in Georgetown by video link Thursday afternoon from the Provincial Correctional Centre, where he has been since his arrest December.

The P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture continues to push the provincial government to move forward with a long-overdue land-use framework to protect farmland. More than three years have passed since a report called for such a plan.

Summerside Police are investigating a hit and run that happened on Tuesday afternoon.

During the noon hour, a vehicle travelling west on Water St. East and making a left-hand turn, was struck by another westbound vehicle.  Police say the suspect vehicle crossed over into on-coming traffic and struck the first vehicle as it was turning and the driver kept going.

The suspect vehicle is described as a black quarter ton style truck with a cap and appeared to have damage to the vehicle.  Shortly after, police received further calls about a similar vehicle being driven erratically in the area of Granville Street North.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Summerside Police or Crime Stoppers.

The dean of U-P-E-I’s new medical faculty has told a legislative committee the pieces are falling into place for the school to receive its first students in September.

Dr. Preston Smith did not share details about the number of applicants or staff for the medical school but says the institution will be a centre of learning while providing primary care to at least 10-thousand patients.

The school plans to enrol 20 students in its first class.

Smith says that from town hall meetings to coffee shops, he has been talking to doctors about the new school and the future of medical education on Prince Edward Island. 

The Charlottetown business community honoured its best on Wednesday night with the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual President’s Excellence Awards.  Highlights included:

Excellence in Customer Service Award

– JustJoes Automotive

Excellence in Small Business Award

-Centum Mortgage Partners Inc.

Excellence in Business Award

– Anne of Green Gables Chocolates

Emerging Business Excellence Award

– DJC Construction.

Workplace Excellence Award

– PEI Mutual Insurance Company

Not-for-Profit Excellence Award

-Confederation Centre of the Arts

Innovation Excellence Award

-Leading Edge Group

People’s Choice Award for Community Impact

-Alzheimer Society of PEI

Lifetime Achievement Award

– Dow’s Fashions

Charlottetown Airport had another record-breaking year in 2024, according to recently released numbers.

The medical home set to open at UPEI's new medical school will take about 10,000 patients off the registry, says Health P.E.I.

Five Grade 12 students at Colonel Gray High School in Charlottetown organized Unity in Diversity: Anti Racism Art Exhibition. Students contributed posters with the theme of anti-racism. CBC's Jane Robertson was there for the opening gala.