The year in review: A look back at what made news on P.E.I. in 2017
CBC News | Posted: December 31, 2017 12:00 PM | Last Updated: December 31, 2017
From the Green Party win to PNP controversy, a look back at the year in news in Canada's smallest province
As the year winds to a close, here's a look back at the year in news in Canada's smallest province.
Green Party upset
The Green Party's Hannah Bell made headlines in November when she won the District 11: Charlottetown-Parkdale byelection by 157 votes, prompting some to predict a dramatic shift in P.E.I.'s political landscape.
Green Party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker declared the moment "shook P.E.I. politics to its core."
The upset placed Bell as the second Green in P.E.I.'s 27-seat legislature and just the sixth sitting Green MLA in Canada.
The Greens say the win signals that the party can get more candidates elected — recruiting is already underway for the next provincial election, expected in 2019.
- Green's Hannah Bell wins District 11 byelection by 157 votes
- 'Appetite for change' key to byelection win, says Hannah Bell
- ANALYSIS | For its next breakthrough, the Green Party might want to go east
PNP scrutiny
P.E.I.'s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), a long-standing political football, came under fire again this year after CBC News reported that the province brought in $18 million in revenue in 2016 by withholding deposits paid by immigrant investors.
The story led to further coverage by The Canadian Press, outlining criticism that the program is essentially a side-door route for immigrants to obtain Canadian residency before moving on to larger Canadian cities.
Opposition leaders called for a "top-to-bottom" review of the program during the fall sitting of the legislature, asking the Liberals whether the program is simply a "cash grab" for the government.
The Liberals responded that a review of the program had already been conducted, and changes were made to both the intake and application review processes.
- P.E.I. withholds $18M in PNP deposits from immigrant investors
- P.E.I.'s PNP program leading to double standard for Canadian immigration, says lawyer
- Chinese association leaders call for more support for PNP businesses
Mental health
CBC News devoted extensive coverage to the woes facing the province's mental health system in 2017.
In the spring, speaking on CBC News: Compass, P.E.I.'s chief of mental health and addictions, Dr. Heather Keizer raised concerns about the system saying, "I do believe that there are many people in crises ... At the moment we are at a difficult place."
That difficult place was also highlighted as mental health advocates launched the #HowManyWade Facebook page, aimed at highlighting gaps in the health-care system and pushing government to take action.
CBC News shared the heartbreaking story of a single mother who took her own life after a struggle with bipolar disorder and depression. Anna Howard's sister Emily Howard sat down with journalist Karen Mair to reflect on her sister's legacy as a passionate elementary school teacher and a dedicated volunteer with Meals on Wheels, and also on the mental illness her sister grappled with for over a decade.
CBC News also launched a season-long project on mental health in December with a week-long series outlining the mental health services available to youth on the Island, including the story of one family still looking for help two months after their 11-year-old said he wanted to kill himself.
- 'Nobody's going to help me': Family looks for help after boy threatens suicide
- 'It creeps in slowly, then … envelops you': Anna Howard's sister reflects on depression
- P.E.I. mental health awareness campaign moves to next phase
Right whale deaths
There was an unprecedented number of right whale deaths in the Atlantic region this year, with three of the animals being towed onto the shores of western P.E.I.
Necropsies done on the carcasses showed two of the whales died of blunt trauma and the other due to "chronic entanglement."
With only 525 whales left in the species, the "unprecedented die-off" represents almost three per cent of the population.
The deaths led Transport Canada to introduce a mandatory 10-knot speed limit for large vessels in the Gulf to try and cut down on the number of deaths.
"This makes this pretty much the deadliest year we've seen since the days of whaling," said Tonya Wimmer director of the Marine Animal Response Society.
- 'The smell is not easy to get rid of': 1st right whale necropsy complete
- What's killing right whales? P.E.I. wildlife pathologists spend summer searching for answers
- PODCAST | Deep Trouble: the North Atlantic right whale in peril
Abortion access
Abortion access has long been a controversial issue on P.E.I. And in 2017, surgical abortions became available on the Island for the first time since 1982.
Prior to 2017, P.E.I. was the only province that didn't offer surgical abortions, though it would pay for the service off-Island.
The procedures are performed at the Prince County Hospital in Summerside through the Women's Wellness Program. Health PEI also announced in 2017 it would be offering the abortion drug Mifegymiso for free through the program.
- Abortion services announced for P.E.I.: 1 year later
- 116 surgical abortions performed on P.E.I. so far this year, province says
- Abortion Access Now PEI happy about plans for Women's Wellness Centre
School closures
Premier Wade MacLauchlan made a surprise announcement in April that his government would not support a recommendation to close two elementary schools.
This decision immediately followed a lengthy review process, at the end of which the Public Schools Branch had advised the closure of St Jean's in Charlottetown and Georgetown Elementary in Kings County.
The issue was fraught with controversy as home and school associations vowed to fight the province to keep the schools open.
Despite reversing the decision, the province maintained that the review process was worthwhile.