P.E.I. to get February holiday

Prince Edward Islanders will get a holiday in February, the new Liberal government announced in its first throne speech Friday in Charlottetown.

Islander Day will be celebrated during the second Monday in February. P.E.I. joins Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in taking a day off in the midst of the Canadian winter.

The holiday announcement came at the end of an ambitious program laid out in the speech, the first by the Robert Ghiz government, which was elected in May.

Government spreading out

The eastern town of Montague and the city of Summerside can look forward to an influx of civil servants in the next couple of years.

On Thursday, the government announced the creation of two new departments: rural development and early childhood development.

In the throne speech, the government announced those departments would be moved out of Charlottetown.

Rural Development, along with the associated portfolio of Fisheries and Aquaculture, will move to Montague. Early Childhood Development, along with the associated portfolio of Education, will move to Summerside.

The speech tied this move in with the overall theme of the address, "One Island Community: One Island Future."

"The administrative engine of government can find more than one home. Technology allows such decentralization," said the speech, which was read by Lt.-Gov. Barbara Hagerman at the legislature.

The relocations are scheduled to be complete by 2010.

Continued focus on wind energy

The throne speech proposes considerable growth in wind energy, to a generating capacity of 500 MW over the next five years.

Currently, with optimum winds, the Island can produce 72.5 MW of power. Construction already planned for 2008 will bring that to 152 MW.

The government's commitment to wind power also extends to education. Holland College will be introducing a new wind energy technician program in the coming academic year.

The government also plans to establish a centre for climate change research in West Prince.

'Prince Edward Island's greatest resource is its people'

The throne speech announces several changes in education, from the kindergarten to the post-secondary level.

The much-discussed idea of bringing kindergartens into the public school system will become a reality before the next election in 2011.

Currently, kindergartens are run by private operators using a provincially set curriculum. Kindergarten itself is relatively new on P.E.I., with the government first setting curriculum and covering costs in 2000.

Parents of school-age children can expect fewer requests for money coming home in school backpacks.

"My government understands that programs offered by our schools should equitably available to every Islander. On the basis of that understanding, my government will begin to eliminate student fee for curriculum-based activities," read the speech.

Post-secondary students will see the fulfillment of a campaign promise to help Island high school graduates who go on to university or college on P.E.I.

The George Coles student bursary will provide $2,000 to every student in their first year of post-secondary education, and further, as yet unspecified, assistance in subsequent years.

In addition to the focus on education, the government has committed to further support for the Island's library system, including higher acquisitions budgets and longer hours of operation.

Focus on nurses

Nursing plays a big part in the government's plans on health care.

"My government … will depend to a much greater degree on the talents and skills of the nursing profession."

UPEI will introduce an accelerated nursing program this year with the goal of graduating an extra 35 nurses in the next two years. The government also intends to expand the use of nurse practitioners on the Island.

People who need emergency treatment off the Island, a common requirement for patients requiring specialized care, are being given a break. User fees for air ambulance and out-of-province ambulance transfers are being eliminated.

There was also news in the throne speech for Islanders with very serious illnesses.

The province will establish a palliative care home drug program to help dying Islanders stay at home as long as possible. Cancer patients will soon benefit from the services of a patient navigator, who will help guide them through the sometimes complex medical system.

The Liberals also reiterated their promise to provide a family doctor for every Islander.

A new politics?

The Liberals also promised to spend more money on the official Opposition, noting that the current political system on P.E.I. often leaves one party with a massive majority.

The Liberals currently hold 24 of 27 seats in the legislature.

"The role of the official Opposition is essential," the speech read. "My government will be proposing that operating-grant funding to the office of the official Opposition be increased in recognition of this parliamentary role."

The last government proposed a system of proportional representation to prevent massive majorities in the house. It went so far as to hold a plebiscite, but the campaign was lacklustre, the turnout poor, and the idea was soundly defeated.

After winning the May election, Ghiz said his government would look at electoral reform, but it wasn't a high priority. Outside of fixing election dates, there is no mention of electoral reform in the throne speech.