Latest news with #PrinceEdwardIsland
CTV News
4 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Significant increase in gas, diesel prices for all three Maritime provinces
A man is pictured holding a gas pump in Halifax on May 16, 2025. (CTV Atlantic) The price of gas and diesel increased significantly in all three Maritime provinces since last Friday. Nova Scotia The price of regular self-serve gasoline in the Halifax-area increased by 6.4 cents. The new minimum price is 145.7 cents per litre. The price of diesel increased by 15.8 cents. The minimum price is now 156.4 cents per litre. In Cape Breton, the price of regular self-serve gasoline is 147.6 cents per litre and the price of diesel is 158.3 cents per litre. Prince Edward Island The price of regular self-serve gasoline on P.E.I. increased by 7.6 cents. The new minimum price is 154.8 cents per litre. The price of diesel increased by 17.3 cents on the island. The minimum price is now 167.1 cents per litre. New Brunswick In New Brunswick, the price of regular self-serve gasoline increased by 4.7 cents. The new maximum price is 146.8 cents per litre. The price of diesel increased by 14.5 cents. The new maximum price in the province is 157.4 cents per litre.
CBC
15 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
Health P.E.I. not imposing a minimum number of patients on family doctors, says CEO
'We're not asking the physicians to take on a larger panel than they've ever had' A gap is developing between what Health P.E.I. says and what the Medical Society of P.E.I. insists is the case when it comes to the patient roster benchmarks the province is asking family doctors to meet. Earlier this month, the society announced it planned to sue the health agency for breach of contract over proposed targets saying a full-time family physician should have 1,600 people on the roster and see 24 patients a day. The medical society said at the time that the proposed "minimum" workloads for doctors would lead to burnout and drive physicians from the province. But on Thursday, Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser told CBC News those targets are "maximums," and said they would be scaled back if doctors perform other duties — like emergency room work and other hospital shifts. There would also be different expectations for doctors who practice on their own versus those who work in a team-based patient medical home, Fraser said. "We're not asking the physicians to take on a larger panel than they've ever had — 1,600 was the maximum benchmark, it remains the maximum benchmark," she said in an interview. "At the same time, we do need to have some measure to understand how many patients [we can] affiliate to a particular physician." Last August, the government, Health P.E.I. and the medical society together announced a new physician services agreement. It saw the Island become the first province in Canada to recognize family medicine as a specialty and promised a 35 per cent boost to doctors' pay over the next five years. New agreement for P.E.I. doctors expected to boost recruitment and retention But then last month, Health P.E.I. introduced a draft version of its new operational guide, which included a requirement that each family doctor see two dozen patients a day, based on an average appointment being 15 minutes long. The guide also said each full-time family doctor's practice should have a panel of 1,600 patients, with penalties imposed if that target isn't met. We do value our doctors, we do want to retain all the physicians that we have…. I'm confident that we can get through these concerns. — Melanie Fraser, Health P.E.I. CEO The draft guide clearly states that the targets were minimum standards. "Physicians will be expected to maintain a minimum panel size as described within the Family Physician Panel Policy," says a section on page 24 of the guide. "The resulting FTE [full-time equivalent] is then used to calculate a physician's assigned panel benchmark, based on a reference point of 1,600 patients per 1.0 FTE." 'That is not possible to do' Fraser's language on Thursday told a different story. She said a 1,600-patient panel has been the maximum since 2016; it hasn't changed since then; and Health P.E.I. is not intending to change it. Family doctors who spoke to CBC News over the past week seemed to be of the understanding that they would have to meet the benchmarks as minimums, however. "This is not possible to do, what they're asking," Summerside family physician Dr. David Antle said in a June 15 interview. "People, including me, are already teetering on burnout and this will send us over the edge." Antle said he has 900 patients on his roster and sees about 20 of them each day when working at the Summerside Medical Centre. That's in addition to emergency room shifts, and the time it takes to review patient test results and consult with other doctors about care. "If this goes through — and it's going to be forced upon us with threats of potential punishment if you don't meet it — I can't provide the care that's needed for the patients I have. Full-stop," he said. "There's no way I can do it and there's no way my colleagues can do it." Fraser acknowledged Thursday that the talks between Health P.E.I. and doctors have broken down, but said she's confident negotiations on operating guide will be resolved. WATCH | Why some family doctors believe new Health P.E.I. targets will drive physicians away: Media Video | Why some family doctors believe new Health P.E.I. targets will drive physicians away Caption: Family doctors on P.E.I. are worried about physician burnout and the quality of care they can provide. Health P.E.I. is proposing doctors should have at least 1,600 patients, and see 24 of them every day. Two family doctors, including Dr. Jeannette Verleun, weigh in about their fears and how they think the changes might impact Islanders. CBC's Connor Lamont reports. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. The consultation process is scheduled to continue into July. "We're really hoping to have the input and feedback brought back to the process so that we can consider it and move forward," Fraser said. "We do value our doctors, we do want to retain all the physicians that we have, all the staff that we have…. I'm confident that we can get through these concerns, through the process that we have." The CEO also noted that three more family doctors have been hired for P.E.I. in the last three weeks, but wouldn't say where in the province they are expected to work.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Health PEI, CUPE workers reach tentative three-year agreement
Health PEI and members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have reached a tentative three-year collective agreement that includes wage increases and service retention premiums. The agreement is retroactive to April 1, 2023 and will run until March 31, 2026, according to a news release from Health PEI. Members from CUPE Locals 805, 1051, 1778 and 1779 will vote on the agreement next Tuesday. Combined, the four CUPE Locals represent more than 1,300 health-care workers in P.E.I. They work in laundry, maintenance, dietary, housekeeping and more. 'It has been a very difficult five years for our members. We went through COVID-19, rising living costs, staff shortages, and more than two years without a contract,' said Robyn Sharpe, president of CUPE Local 1051, in the release. 'This investment recognizes the critical role our members play in the health system and gives them the respect and support they deserve.' The agreement includes: general wage increases of 10.5 per cent across three years a $5.50/hour wage grid reset to improve competitiveness and address wage compression service retention premiums of two per cent after 10 years of service and an additional two per cent after 15 years increased shift premiums a $500 retiree return incentive a full-time commitment pay of $1.07/hour worked 'This was one of the most difficult rounds of negotiations we've faced, but it resulted in a historic agreement that our members have earned,' said John MacKenzie, chief shop steward for Local 805. 'I am not the only one who feels that this deal will be life-changing for workers. It's an exceptionally good deal, and I'm happy to see that Health PEI and the Province are investing in their front-line staff.' For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
Travel Weekly
2 days ago
- Business
- Travel Weekly
With new menus and excursions, Seabourn is doing a culinary revamp
Seabourn is introducing new dinner menus, culinary shore excursions and more seafood offerings shipwide as part of a culinary revamp focused on fresh and local cuisine. The new dinner menu at The Restaurant has 24 new appetizers and main courses. New dishes that the cruise line is highlighting are marinated diver scallops with smoked trout carpaccio and Ossetra caviar, and a grilled beef sirloin and lobster spring roll with pomme puree. The menu, like all other dining venues onboard, will incorporate freshly caught seafood more prominently. The line will also be sourcing more local ingredients and incorporating more regional cuisine specific to the sailing's destinations. Focus on culinary travel: Navigating celebrity chef partnerships In those destinations, Seabourn will offer new food-related shore excursions, such as a cooking demonstration with a local chef in Alaska, oyster shucking on Prince Edward Island and lobster tastings in Bar Harbor, Maine. The existing "shopping with a chef" program, which enables guests to accompany the executive chefs at local markets, will be expanded to new destinations, including Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Penang in Malaysia, Nagasaki in Japan and Quebec City in Canada. "After traveling across the fleet and listening closely to our guests, onboard teams and travel partners, we're exploring even more ways to spotlight regional flavors and locally sourced ingredients, with freshness and flavor at the heart of every dish," said Seabourn president Mark Tamis.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Russell Crowe reunites with Alan Doyle at ‘Tell Tale Harbour' showing in Charlottetown
Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe was recently spotted at a smaller stage than usual – the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown. While there, Crowe reunited with Newfoundland artist Alan Doyle, who currently stars in the 'Tell Tale Harbour' musical at the Sobey Family Theatre. The two are longtime friends and musical collaborators and both appeared in the 2010 film 'Robin Hood.' In a post on Instagram Doyle wrote: 'Allan A'Dayle and Robin Hood together again. Thanks @russellcrowe for making the trip to @telltaleharbour . Super grateful to you and all the gang. What a time we are having @confedcentre this summer. Join us!' On his own social media, Crowe posted photos of Charlotteown and said Prince Edward Island is now the seventh Canadian province he has visited. '3 more and a territory or two to go. One day. First visited Canada in 1992. It's an amazing country. You should come and have look for yourself,' he said. 'Tell Tale Harbour' returned to The Charlottetown Festival on Saturday after it first premiered in 2022. It will end its run on P.E.I. on Aug. 29 before moving to Toronto in September. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
