Dennis King announced on Thursday afternoon that he was resigning as P.E.I.'s premier and stepping away from politics after spending nearly six years in office. Here's a photographic look back at King's time in office.

Darcy’s A.I. Creation of the day:

PEI WEATHER

TEXT YOUR ANSWER TO 902-368-1720

Charlottetown – Brighton MLA Rob Lantz will be the 34th Premier of Prince Edward Island.

After Premier Dennis King informed Caucus and the PEI Progressive Conservative Party on Thursday that he was stepping down as Premier and Party Leader, the PC Caucus met and endorsed Rob Lantz as the Interim Leader.   The PC Executive met Thursday afternoon and endorsed the Caucus recommendation to have Rob Lantz be the Party’s Interim Leader and the Premier of the Province.

Lantz was elected as the MLA for District 13 Charlottetown-Brighton in April 2023.   Most recently he has been serving in Cabinet as Minister of Education and Early Years, and had previously served as the Minister of Housing, Land and Communities.

Some MLAs from the P.E.I. Liberal and Green parties wish Premier Dennis King well as he walks away from political office, but they say the timing of the announcement has them concerned.

Dennis King announced Thursday that he was stepping down as P.E.I's premier and walking away from politics entirely. A few hours after the announcement, he joined CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin to talk about his decision and his plans for the future.

Dennis King announced Thursday he was stepping down as premier and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island. Political reporter Kerry Campbell has more on why King is leaving politics now, what's next for the party and what it means for the Island.

Rob Lantz, a longtime Progressive Conservative and the province's current education minister, will be sworn in as Prince Edward Island's 34th premier, the party says. 

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King is set to make an important announcement on Thursday afternoon.

Premier Dennis King has announced that he is stepping down as Premier and Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of PEI, effective noon Friday.      King says he came to this decision after a lengthy discussion with his family over the Christmas holiday.  An interim Leader and Premier will be chosen by the Caucus and Provincial Executive and an announcement on that is expected in the coming hours.

The Health and Wellness Centre at the University of Prince Edward Island is celebrating a significant milestone for the facility, having achieved full accreditation from Accreditation Canada.

A drug bust in Charlottetown.  At about 11:45 pm last Friday, Charlottetown Police officers out on patrol came across a vehicle on Belvedere Avenue that appeared to have mechanical issues and was blocking one lane of traffic.  As police got closer to the vehicle, two people ran off on foot and two others remained by the vehicle.  An officer was able to catch up with the man and woman that had fled the area.  The Officer recognized the woman and knew that she had an active arrest warrant, and she was arrested.  During the arrest, Police located over 16 grams of Fentanyl.  A 27 year old woman has been charged with Possession of Fentanyl for the Purpose of Trafficking.  She has been remanded in custody until her next court appearance on February 24th.

Malpeque MP Heath MacDonald, along with some other Atlantic Canadian MPs, concluded advocacy meetings in Washington on Wednesday.   The meetings focused on House representatives and key legislative staff from coastal states with key integrated economic drivers, such as Maine and Rhode Island.  MacDonald say the intent of the meetings was to strengthen partnerships and advocate against potential tariffs – to ensure officials understand the consequences and economic loss to trade disruptions.

The Province says it had 41 new physician hires in 2024 for PEI’s health care system, including 13 specializing in family medicine.  It adds that so far in 2025, two new physicians have been hired with early 2025 start dates. 

Government says that, in all, PEI signed agreements with 43 physicians between January 1, 2024 and January 31, 2025.  Of those, 31 have already started practicing, 11 are set to begin in 2025, and one will start in 2026.

The 41 physician hires for 2024 offset 20 physician departures, due to various reasons (13 retirements, 5 resignations, and two deaths).

The Dome at Credit Union Place has been damaged.  The City of Summerside says the Dome is one of the municipal facilities it’s been operating using backup generation due to requests from Maritime Electric to curtail energy consumption during peak load periods while awaiting the repair of the transformer at the Sherbrooke substation.   The City says operating on backup generation resulted in the Dome’s inflation system experiencing a connection disruption which led to damage to the Dome.  The City says it is actively working with specialized technicians from out of province who are headed here to assess and resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

Staff with Summerside Electric say they’re not getting many updates from Maritime Electric after a failure at the utility’s Sherbrooke substation over a week ago caused strain on the city’s electrical grid.

A recent CBC-Pollara survey on newcomers’ experience in Canada highlights the financial difficulty faced by many of them. We hear from some of those struggling on Prince Edward Island.

Darcy’s A.I. Creation of the day:

PEI WEATHER

TODAY: Sun and cloud. High -2°

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy. Low -9°

TOMORROW: Cloudy. NW wind gusting 50. High -5°

TEXT YOUR ANSWER TO 902-368-1720

Alberton's next mayor is a familiar face in the western P.E.I. town. Hector MacLeod was the only person to put their name forward for the position, and was acclaimed earlier this week.

Thommachen Thomas Panackal, 26, was charged after a crash in August left 2 people dead. He has elected for his case to go to P.E.I.'s higher court to be heard by judge alone.

The province's oyster industry has been dealing with lots of uncertainty since the detection last summer of a parasite that's deadly to the mollusks. But now, a small step forward — the P.E.I. Shellfish Association plans to set up a nursery for MSX-resistant oyster seed. The association's president, Bob MacLeod, tells Sheehan Desjardins of CBC News: Compass about the project.

Smelling salts were originally developed to revive people who had lost consciousness, but today they are also being marketed toward athletes as an energy boost. They’re a common sight on the benches of NHL teams. 

Summerside's sports dome is going to be closed for the foreseeable future to let technicians assess its safety after being damaged, the city said Wednesday.

A Prince Edward Island judge has sentenced Andrew Blaisdell to 31 months in custody, minus credit for time already served, for a series of crimes against his estranged partner and their children.

Improving surgical outcomes isn’t just about the procedure itself. New research shows that patients, especially older adults, can significantly improve their recovery by preparing for surgery in advance.

Some schools in Queens and Prince counties are starting one hour later Wednesday due to road conditions following yesterday's storm.

Elections PEI is urging all eligible voters in District 9 to ensure they are registered to vote in the upcoming by-election.  A by-election is needed to elect a new MLA for Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park after the resignation of Natalie Jameson, who will be the Conservative candidate in the federal election.  Under law, the by-election must be called within 6 months.   Those who need to verify or update their registration details, or who are not currently on the voters list, should visit the Elections PEI online registration portal at www.electionspei.ca 

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Order of Prince Edward Island.  The Order of Prince Edward Island is the highest honour the Province can bestow. It was established to recognize Islanders who make remarkable contributions to the social, economic and cultural life of their province. All submissions must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on or before March 19th.  Nomination forms and information about the Order are available online at OrderPEI.ca.

Work is underway to shore up the foundation and fix some insulation at the Souris Show Hall in northeastern Prince Edward Island. CBC journalist Sheehan Desjardins stopped by to check on the progress and hear about how the hall helps bring the community together.

The Public Schools Branch says that to allow for the necessary ongoing cleanup, the Charlottetown, Bluefield, Kinkora, Kensington, Three Oaks, and Westisle families of schools will operate on Wednesday following a one hour delay.  There will be no further announcement.

Darcy’s A.I. Creation of the day:

PEI WEATHER

TODAY: Cloudy. Chance of flurries. Sun and cloud this afternoon. West gusting 40. High -1°

TONIGHT: Cloudy. Low -5°

TOMORROW: Sun and cloud. High -1°

TEXT YOUR ANSWER TO 902-368-1720

Officials in P.E.I.’s second-largest city have lingering questions about the stability of their power supply, which has to go through Maritime Electric's grid.

Higher prices at the pump contributed to Canada’s inflation rate ticking back up to 1.9 per cent last month.  Statistics Canada says gas prices rose 8.6 per cent in January compared with a year ago, offsetting the federal government’s two-month tax break that ended over the weekend.  It says the inflation rate would have jumped to 2.7 per cent without the tax break on restaurant meals and a slew of items.  Restaurant prices dropped 5.1 per cent from a year ago.  As for the provincial inflation rate, it was 1.3 percent in January, up from 0.4 percent in December.

Since early last week, Mayor Dan Kutcher has been speaking out about Summerside's efforts to control its own electricity. He tells CBC's Sheehan Desjardins that Maritime Electric hasn't given the city a choice about getting its own transmission lines for power.

A towing company owner on P.E.I. says he's gotten more calls to help boost vehicles this winter due to the frigid temperatures.

9:00am — We have seen winds in the Strait diminish over the past hour or so.  They are down to about 93kh now and after a full closure to all traffic for about 9 hours overnight and into Tuesday morning, some traffic is being allowed to cross the Confederation Bridge now.  However, high-sided vehicles are not allowed to cross as traffic restrictions are in place.

10:15am – Route 22, the Union Road in eastern PEI, is closed to all traffic from the Georgetown Rd. (Route 3) to the roundabout in Victoria Cross.  PEI RCMP are reporting a multi-vehicle incident on this road. No major injuries are reported at this time. The road is shut down to allow emergency vehicles and tow vehicles to clear the scene.  Please avoid the area if possible, or drive aware and obey all detours and directions in the area.

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7:00am –  PEI RCMP say they are seeing high winds and blowing snow continuing to cause dangerous driving conditions Tuesday morning on many roads across Prince Edward Island. There are still whiteout conditions being reported across the province, including at the Hillsborough Bridge.  Between noon Monday and 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, PEI RCMP responded to 14 vehicle collision incidents. These incidents often involved multiple vehicles. Fortunately, no major injuries were reported in any of them.  There were two collision incidents on the Hillsboro Bridge, one involving 4 vehicles, the other involved two vehicles. Blowing snow and poor visibility appear to be factors in both these collisions.

There is a planned power ouatge Monday morning in Summerside.  The City of Summerside is advising that immediate maintenance is required to a circuit within the downtown Core to complete required repairs as a result of last night’s winter storm. The repair is scheduled to begin at 8:15 AM and be completed around 9:15 AM.

Island NDP Leader Michelle Neill has announced that she will be seeking the Party’s nomination for the District 9 Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park by-election.  Neill says she discussed the
issue with her team, and it was decided she should seek the nomination.  The date and venue for a nomination meeting will be announced later.  

There was a house fire shortly after 8:00am on Monday on the Donaldston Road in Tenmile House. No one was injured in the blaze as the homeowner was able to escape safely after being alerted by a neighbour.  The RCMP says the fire had started in the back corner of the house.   The RCMP did have to close the Donaldston Rd. (Route 219) for several hours while emergency crews dealt with the incident.   The East River Fire Department and Provincial Fire Marshal’s Office also responded to the scene.   The fire is not considered suspicious in nature

All schools in Prince Edward Island are closed Tuesday as strong winds continue to impact the region. The Confederation Bridge is also closed to all traffic.

Due to weather and travel conditions, all classes in the Public Schools Branch and French language School Board are cancelled for Monday.

Holland College says the opening of the Tourism and Culinary Centre and McMillan Centre for Community Engagement is delayed due to inclement weather.  A further announcement will be made at 7:00 AM.

Conditions are terrible Monday morning.  The howling winds are whipping the snow around creating complete whiteouts.  Because of those whiteout conditions, there are no plows out at this time because it’s just simply not safe for them to be out.  The situation will be assessed as daylight arrives.  Along with the whiteout conditions, there are large drifts on the roads, especially in open areas.

There were several collisions early Monday night as the blowing snow caused whiteout conditions across PEI.  That included some collisions on the Hillsborough Bridge – one of them a three-vehicle crash in which the RCMP says there were no injuries and visibility was a factor.  Just after 4:00pm, the RCMP advised that Route 10 (North Carleton Rd. Extension) in Central Bedeque was closed between McKenna Rd. and Route 1A. Crews were working to pull a tractor trailer from a ditch. 

Summerside Police are reporting whiteout conditions in the City, as last night they had closed off Water Street West  and they continue to ask motorits, who have to be out, to avoid that area of the City.

The Confederation Bridge has been closed to all traffic since about 11:30pm Monday night with these blustery conditions.  Winds in the Strait have been gusting as high as 107kh this morning.

TODAY IS TUESDAY!

PEI WEATHER

TODAY:  Wind Warning with Flurries and blowing snow. SW gusting to 90 this morning, gusting to W to 70 this afternoon. High -7  wind chill -17

TONIGHT:  Chance of flurries. Wind W gusting to 40 by morning. Steady at -6

TOMORROW:  Snow ending in the afternoon then a mix of sun and cloud. High -1

TEXT YOUR ANSWER TO 902-368-1720

At 5:30pm Monday, PEI RCMP issued an advisory indicating that RCMP officers across the Island are seeing very poor conditions on most roads. Blowing and drifting snow is causing poor visibility, even white-outs in many areas.

Just after 4:00pm, the RCMP advised that Route 10 (North Carleton Rd. Extension) in Central Bedeque was closed between McKenna Rd. and Route 1A. Crews were working to pull a tractor trailer from a ditch.

Police ask that you drive aware in that area and obey all detours and instructions from emergency crews on site.

The owner of a petting farm in rural Prince Edward Island says she is overwhelmed and deeply grateful for the support from the local community one week after a fire destroyed one of the farm’s barns.

The Town of Souris has welcomed a new family doctor, bringing much-needed health-care access to the eastern P.E.I. community, local officials say.

The Jack Frost Winterfest continues Monday, and the City of Charlottetown is offering free tickets Monday morning to Jack Frost Winterfest to make it easier for residents to enjoy the event.  Ticket distribution will begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning at Frosty Funland at the Delta Prince Edward. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, with proof of Charlottetown residency required. Ticket refunds will not be available for previously purchased tickets.

Statistics Canada will release its consumer price index report for January on Tuesday.  Economists say they don’t expect much movement in the inflation numbers but do say the underlying change in prices will be clouded by the government’s G-S-T break which was in effect the entire month.  Canada’s annual inflation rate ticked down to 1.8 per cent in December largely because of the federal government’s sales tax pause.  PEI’s annual inflation rate in December fell to 0.4 per cent from November’s 1.8 percent.   

All three Counties are under Wind Warnings on Monday as the Island cleans up from the snow, ice pellets and freezing rain we saw Sunday night and overnight. Transportation dispatch officials say the main roads Monday morning are in pretty good shape with some slushy conditions in areas.   Crews are working on secondary roads which are snow covered and slippery with some icy conditions.  We will see the temperature drop down to about -7 in the afternoon, so icy conditions could further develop.

As for the winds, from mid-day Monday through early Tuesday morning we are expecting maximum southwesterly wind gusts of near 90 km/h.  

A fungal disease that affects plant tissues has been detected in Prince Edward Island potato crops.

In honour of Islander Day, CBC P.E.I. hit the streets of Charlottetown to find out what it means to be an Islander. Here's what you had to say.