P.E.I. Premier Dennis King on Fiona, health care, and his thoughts — if any — on an election in 2023

It was a challenging year on P.E.I., and some of those challenges — most notably health care and the high cost of living — will continue into the new year.

But when Premier Dennis King looks back on some achievements his government is most proud of, two issues stand out.

"Being able to reopen the border to potatoes early in the year was a huge one for us, and I think overall just having a tourist year where we didn't have to have any health-care restrictions was something that was really exciting for me and for Islanders in general."

Here are some of the other topics discussed in his interview with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.

Post-tropical storm Fiona

Fiona hit Prince Edward Island on Sept. 24, causing widespread damage to property, coastal erosion and power outages to almost all of the Island.

The province began rolling out financial assistance to businesses and delivering up to $250 directly to individuals in association with the Red Cross. However, many people were frustrated at the process, having to wait hours in line to prove their eligibility.

"Overall, we delivered a fairly significant amount of relief in a short amount of time," King said.

"None of these programs are without their challenges…. I've said it before and people find it hard to believe but it is harder to give away money than you think in terms of getting it out the door quickly particularly when we're connected with CRA."

Health care

More than 26,000 Islanders are still without a family doctor, and long waits have become common at emergency rooms. 

King said he expects the provincial health-care budget to increase 12 or 13 per cent in the next budget, and he and other premiers have been asking the federal government for more money for health care. But he says money alone won't solve the problem. The issues are not political or financial, they are systemic, he said.

"When we talk about money from Ottawa, at least from our perspective, is as we continue to need to innovate and to change and to bring, you know, new creative ways of delivering health care, that will cost money. We're going to have to increase and expand the scopes of practice for many of the professionals within our service. And for them to do that, they're going to need to be paid more."

King noted the Pharmacy Plus program announced in 2022 is helping almost almost 2,000 Islanders a week for services normally performed by a doctor.

"I think that's what you're going to need to see going forward is to make those investments. We're going to need to better utilize nurse practitioners, maybe we can have walk-in clinics in the new year where nurse practitioners are the deliverers of that service and those are the innovations that we need to continue to find."

Housing

The lack of housing, especially affordable housing, continues to be an issue on P.E.I. King noted the Residential Tenancy Act, which caps annual rent increases, will address some of those issues. As well, the province announced the largest capital investment in housing in Island history at $150.9 million in the last capital budget.

The government also purchased mobile units with 50 beds as a temporary solution to address homelessness. Yet people are still living in a makeshift encampment on the Charlottetown Event Grounds. He said there are no immediate plans to dismantle the encampment.

"We would like everybody to have a nice warm place to lay their head. I don't think a tent on the waterfront in Charlottetown in the middle of winter is someplace that anyone would feel as a comfortable place to lay their head. We're continuing to work with all of those there to find the best solution forward."

Election

There will be an election sometime in 2023, but King would not commit to a date.

"I can say quite honestly that I haven't really thought a great deal about it. Who knows what factors could change that? I mean, if anything I've learned in the last three-and-a-half years is don't get too dug in on a position because tomorrow something difficult or challenging could arise."