Spiking cost of living on P.E.I. takes centre stage in legislature
CBC
The rising cost of living for Prince Edward Islanders topped the agenda during question period in the province's legislature Friday, as MLAs looked for ways to help make sure Islanders "are being fed and cared for."
"We have the highest inflation rate in the country, the lowest wages in the country, we have a worsening housing crisis," Official Opposition leader Peter Bevan-Baker said during an exchange with Premier Dennis King, who had told him just the day before that he needed no lessons in economics from the Green Party.
"We have widening inequality and more Islanders — especially after the rise in gas prices yesterday — are struggling to put food on the table. Do you think that maybe you do need some economic advice?"
King said his government would immediately increase payments through social security programs in light of spiking prices, and double the funds put toward the home heating program offered in partnership with the Salvation Army while making more people eligible for help.
He told the legislature he is looking for ways to help beyond those measures.
"We're open to any idea that we can implement as quickly as we can, to be as nimble as we can, to cushion the blows [that this] will have on Islanders."
The price of gasoline, diesel and home heating fuel all rose by a maximum allowable amount of 12 cents per litre overnight, with Islanders spending nearly 14 cents more per litre once taxes are added.
Analysts blamed the jump on the invasion of Ukraine eight days ago, along with widespread sanctions placed on oil-rich Russia. Pent-up demand for travel and manufactured goods as COVID-19 restrictions ease around the world is also cutting into supply and pushing up prices.
Finance Minister Darlene Compton said provincial officials worked late Thursday to brainstorm on ideas for helping cushion the blow.
She said the government will be "helping seniors in whatever way we can. As far as maybe food vouchers? We're not quite sure. We've already increased some of the social services programs, making sure the food bank has plenty of food."
Compton said those are "just a number of ways of making sure that Islanders are being fed and cared for."
The Liberals had a suggestion.
In a motion that will be voted upon as soon as Tuesday, they're calling on King to suspend the provincial gas tax to offset the rising fuel costs, especially since gas and diesel prices can have a snowball effect on the economy.
"It's going to affect our food prices, which are going up drastically," said interim Liberal Leader Sonny Gallant.
Members of CUPE Local 456, which represents city workers in Melville, Sask., have voted in favour of job action due to wage disputes and high employee turnover.
Some schools in Queens and Prince counties are starting one hour later Wednesday due to road conditions following yesterday's storm.
Edmonton's city auditor has made eight recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the city's paratransit service, saying clients who rely on the service will benefit from the changes.
Electric bus manufacturers hit hard by pandemic-era supply chain chaos could soon find themselves pummelled by a trade war.
A workshop will be held Wednesday evening to help give Windsor residents the necessary tools on how to interact with people experiencing homelessness.
Buy Canadian — that's the message being pushed across the country. But on the other end of the movement, some small business owners in Calgary who feel the pressure to pivot to Canadian products say that isn't as easy as it sounds.
Inside a community centre in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, poster board collages display photos of a young woman with a big smile on her face. She's shown with her arms wrapped around family members, being silly in selfies with friends, standing proud in a high school graduation gown.
As an outreach worker helping people with life-limiting illnesses in Thunder Bay, Ont., Julie Diner says she doesn't spend much time in the office.
A swift response by flight attendants, crews and emergency workers was among the key reasons why no one died in Monday's plane crash at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, an expert and officials say.
Health care, homelessness and the threat of U.S. tariffs were among the top issues addressed by Cambridge candidates as part of a panel discussion on CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition on Tuesday.
U.S. president Donald Trump's tariff threats and digs at Canadian sovereignty are forcing Canadian politicians of all stripes to adapt, and in Quebec, the opposition Parti Québécois is facing a particularly tough challenge.
Rough weather on Tuesday forced salvage specialists to abandon their inspection of a cargo ship that ran aground in a rocky cove along Newfoundland's west coast over the weekend.
Premier Tim Houston's government is using its supermajority in the legislature to give itself the power to fire the auditor general without cause and make reports from the office private.