Fall sitting of legislature wraps
Fall sitting began on Nov. 13
The fall sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature has ended.
The sitting began three and a half weeks ago on Nov. 13.
During the sitting, the government introduced its capital budget, which includes $38 million for a high school in Stratford as well as 20 new school buses at a cost of $2.1 million, new classrooms in West Royalty at a cost of $4.7 million, and $3.6 million for sports facilities at École-sur-Mer.
The capital budget also includes new investments in mental health — for both the mental-health campus that will eventually replace Hillsborough Hospital — and supports in communities around the Island.
New legislation introduced
A number of new pieces of legislation were introduced during the sitting.
Sonny Gallant, minister of workforce and advanced learning, introduced a bill to ensure Island post-secondary institutions have appropriate policies in place to address acts of sexual violence.
A bill from PC MLA Jamie Fox that would mandate all newly-appointed provincial court judges receive education on how to deal with cases involving sexual assault passed third reading on Wednesday.
The Green Party of P.E.I. passed its very first bill in the house. A bill to amend the Innovation PEI Act to add the sector of "creative and cultural industries" to the act and expand the definition of renewable energy to include "clean technology" passed third reading.
This sitting also saw the government announce it will be opening adoption records — and that details will emerge in the coming months, with legislation expected over the next year.
Government also announced new financial incentives for Islanders to offset the provincial gas tax including reducing transit fees, making driver's licences and electric vehicle registration free and reduced hybrid vehicle registration costs. This brought about heated debate in the House.