Press Releases
Perry Congratulates work of Tignish Health Co-operative in securing new Physician
2012-02-22
Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry is commending the efforts of the Tignish Health Co-op Centre Board and the Community of Tignish for their successful efforts in securing a physician for the residents of his district.
"I am delighted that the Tignish Health Centre has been able to obtain the services of Dr. Syed Naqvi who will be taking over for Dr. Baldev Sethi, who is retiring," said Perry. "I had been hearing from many residents concerned about losing Dr. Sethi and I am sure that they will be relieved to know that physician services will be available to them, in their own community."
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Crane calls Premier and Senior Minister out for not supporting EI processing Center in Montague
2012-02-20
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane is calling the Premier and his senior Minister Al Roach complacent for not attending Saturday's rally in Montague organized by employees of the EI Processing Center and the union that represents them. "I believe very strongly that the jobs with the EI Processing Center should stay here in Montague and that is why I attended the rally. I support the employees and their families and I believe as a provincial politician, it is my duty to advocate as much as I can for these employees," Crane remarked.
In the fall of 2011, federal HRSDC Minister, Hon. Dianne Findlay announced that the Montague processing center would close in 2014. Since that announcement, Crane and her Caucus have been advocating to keep the center open and the twenty eight employees working and contributing to the overall economy.
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Crane continues call for Castastrophic Drug Coverage
2012-02-16
Opposition Leader Olive Crane is commending the MS Society of P.E.I. as well as the PEI Health Charities Network for continuing to lobby the Ghiz government for a catastrophic drug program in P.E.I.
"As Leader of the Opposition and the Progressive Conservative party we have been urging Premier Robert Ghiz to keep his 2009 promise to Islanders and introduce a catastrophic drug program."
Crane said there are actually cost savings in implementing a pharmacare program that would ensure that the 35,000 Islanders who currently do not have any drug coverage, will have the access they deserve. "We believe that no Island family should be paying more than five percent of their household income on prescription drugs but we know that is not the case, for one in seven families in this province."
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Opposition claims partial victory on clean-up of sewage in Charlottetown Harbor
2012-02-16
The Opposition is claiming a partial victory in its push to get work started on the clean-up of the Charlottetown Harbor and the Hillsborough River.
"Our Caucus members first raised this in the legislature over two years ago and we have fought hard since then through press releases, in the Legislature, and with continuous pressure on officials at the federal, provincial and municipal level to get this issue some attention and to make it a priority," said PC Environment Critic Hal Perry. "We held numerous meetings with our oyster fishers and even told Islanders that it would be our top priority if elected as a new government during the 2011 provincial election."
Perry praised the City of Charlottetown for its initiative in ensuring a positive response to the Opposition's concerns not only about the environmental damage that was occurring to the Hillsborough River system but the economic impact on the oyster fishery due to river closures.
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Leader of the Opposition calls on Premier to start working on behalf of Islanders
2012-02-15
Opposition Leader Olive Crane is en route to Prince Edward Island today after having wrapped up a series of meetings in Ottawa with Federal Ministers and senior bureaucrats on job creation initiatives for Prince Edward Island.
"As a province, we must find solutions to secure long-term, meaningful employment for Islanders and it is imperative that we work with the Federal government to do this," said Crane. The need for the Employment Insurance Processing Centre in Montague to remain operational and for PEI businesses to be stakeholders in the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy were key issues raised during the discussions.
Crane stressed the importance of strengthening relations between the Federal Conservative Government and the Province of Prince Edward Island and expressed surprise to have discovered that the Premier has done little in terms of advocacy work in the area of job creation with federal departments.
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Aylward urges Minister to keep vascular surgery in province
2012-02-10
PC Health Critic James Aylward is encouraged that Health Minister Doug Currie has finally gotten around to talking about maintaining vascular surgery in this province, but is concerned that the Minister is hedging on a commitment.
"The fact that Dr. Peter Midgely has been requesting help for more than two years and nothing was done; the fact that Dr. Midgely finally in frustration ended up tendering his resignation January 4; and the fact that it has taken the Health Minister over a month to finally arrange a meeting, is disturbing," said Aylward. "It makes me wonder how serious this province is about ensuring Islanders have access to vascular surgery."
Aylward made reference to the Hay Report, that recommends P.E.I. utilize off-Island services for vascular surgery and discontinue vascular surgery here. "The Hay Report is this province's master plan for health care, and unfortunately it is all about dollars," said Aylward. "The province finds millions of dollars for liquor stores and gambling casinos but when it comes to health care, they start griping about money."
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Aylward questions disbandonment of Tourism Charlottetown
2012-02-10
PC Tourism Critic James Aylward is demanding the Ghiz government carry out a financial and operational audit on Tourism Charlottetown.
"I understand that as of April 1, Tourism Charlottetown will no longer exist," said Aylward. "Tourism Charlottetown has over the years received a large amount of taxpayer's dollars and I believe the taxpayers' of this province deserve an accounting of how those dollars were spent."
Aylward says he understands the province provided loans and operating lines of credit to Tourism Charlottetown, as well as having provided upfront dollars for various events.
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What are they hiding asks Perry
2012-02-09
Innovation and Advanced Learning critic, Hal Perry is raising serious concern about the Department's decision to block the Opposition Office from meeting with the Population Secretariat.
Opposition members recently requested that the Population Secretariat meet with Caucus and after multiple attempts to make contact with the Minister and department personnel, the request was refused by the Deputy Minister.
Perry stressed that the Opposition was simply doing their job to learn more about government departments. He noted that when the PC caucus asked for the Population Secretariat to present in the past, the former minister had no issue in doing so. He questioned why now, the sudden change.
"It is a question of democracy and whether or not this Liberal government truly believes in transparency. It makes you wonder what they are hiding."
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Government forcing families to make difficult decision, says Crane
2012-02-08
Opposition Leader Olive Crane is troubled with recent news that children are being forced out of the Early Learning Centre in her community as a result of government cutbacks.
As a part of the ordered 3-5% cuts, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is forcing Early Learning Centres to tighten their budgets, leaving the Morell & Area Early Learning Centre no choice but to give parents of part-time infants an ultimatum: pay the additional cost to have their child attend the centre full-time or find a new childcare centre and do so, in just 20 days.
Crane believes this situation is unfair to both the Morell & Area Early Learning Centre and to the families which are being affected by the change.
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Treatment of Vascular Surgeon shameful says Opposition
2012-02-02
Opposition Leader Olive Crane and PC Health Critic James Aylward
believe the Premier and Health Minister Doug Currie are jeopardizing the health and safety of Islanders.
"As of January 31, we have not had a physician to do vascular surgery," said Crane. "We are alarmed that the Premier and Doug Currie have not taken any action to ensure the safety of Islanders as a result of the resignation of Dr. Peter Midgley, our only vascular surgeon."
Aylward expressed shock that the Premier nor his Health Minister have responded to Dr. Midgley's resignation which they have had since January 4. "To my knowledge they have not even contacted Dr. Midgley."
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Opposition says unemployment figures are alarming
2012-02-02
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane says the latest Labour Force Survey statistics point to an alarming reality which the Opposition has been warning government about. The survey showed that PEI's unemployment number rose to 12.2 percent, up 1 full percent from last month, making PEI's unemployment rate among the highest in the country.
The survey also highlighted that the number of jobs in PEI has decreased by 1000 since last month.
Crane said she is weary of what strategies the government has in place to combat these figures and pointed to the most recent job fair for displaced Ocean Choice workers in Souris as the Liberal government's ‘comprehensive plan' for job creation.
Read More >Immediate replacement needed for retiring Tignish physician, says Perry
2012-02-02
Tignish - Palmer Road MLA, Hal Perry stressed the urgency of recruiting a doctor to the Tignish Co-Operative Health Centre, as the current physician is set to retire in two short months.
Perry pointed out that the Dr. Sethi serves the needs of over 7000 patients in the West Prince area. He says without an immediate replacement, it would be devastating to not just West Prince health care but the Island health care system as a whole.
Read More >LaVie says buffer zones important, but problems with enforcement
2012-01-27
PC Agriculture Critic, Colin LaVie is worried that the Agriculture Minister is not supporting farmers when it comes to the enforcement of buffer zone regulations. LaVie agrees that enforcement is important to protect our environment and waterways, but he feels that government administers too many heavy fines without being proactive to ensure farmers properly understand rules and regulations.
LaVie referred to recent fines upwards of $10,000 which have been levied recently against farmers under the buffer zone regulations. "I'm not sure if Minister Webster supports his colleague Minister Sherry or if he is willing to work with farmers in this province. I'm not sure where his allegiance lies.
LaVie pointed to the government's inaction of communicating with farmers and working towards a common goal.
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Liberal Government lacks vision says Crane
2012-01-27
Opposition Leader Olive Crane says the Liberal government under Premier Robert Ghiz lacks vision and a plan for long term employment stability in this province.
"Today we have it confirmed that we have the toughest job market in the country with more than nine people looking for work for every job vacancy, the highest ratio in the country. Today we hear as well that our immigrants who come to our province are not staying. We have the second lowest retention rate in the country next to Newfoundland."
Crane described the employment prospects for Prince Edward Island as bleak and questioned where the long term plan is to ensure that Islanders and new immigrants can find work in this province.
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Crane calls on Liberal Government to show leadership on bill C-10
2012-01-26
Opposition Leader Olive Crane says instead of blaming the federal government for getting tough on crime, Justice Minister Janice Sherry should be focusing on the
issues that are causing crime in this province.
"We need to be talking about poverty reduction, community policing, an addictions strategy, engaging youth through enhanced opportunities in education and finding ways of getting drugs out of our schools," said Crane. "When is this Liberal administration going to be prepared to tackle the issues as opposed to simply playing the blame game?"
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Loss of Vascular Surgeon alarming says Aylward
2012-01-26
Opposition Health Critic James Aylward says the P.E.I. government is driving physicians out of this province through negligence and their refusal to listen to physician concerns.
"I was shocked to hear this morning that Dr. Peter Midgley has tendered his resignation. His departure will leave a critical gap in health care services to Islanders. The Premier and Health Minister Doug Currie need to be held accountable."
Aylward noted that Dr. Midgley had requested assistance to deal with the high patient load over two years ago, and while government indicated they would try and work out a solution, nothing has been done.
Read More >Minister not seeing big picture when recruiting new doctors, says Aylward
2012-01-26
PC Health, James Aylward says Minister Currie must look at the larger picture of the working environment which his Government is creating for health care professionals in the province when attempting to recruit and retain new doctors.
Aylward said this Liberal government has a poor track record of creating a supportive environment for physicians and cited a number of examples in the past year acknowledging this:
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Job fair not solution to employment crisis in Kings County
2012-01-26
Souris-Elmira MLA Colin LaVie is questioning if a ‘job fair' announced Thursday by Innovation Minister Allen Roach is the Liberal government's ‘big plan' for employment for the 400 displaced fish plant workers in Kings County.
"Is this their only solution?" asked LaVie, who says that a job fair advertising existing fish-processing positions does little for long term sustainable employment in Kings County and even less to support the business community which is struggling with the loss of a $5-million annual payroll.
"This fall, the Premier and Minister Roach gave residents of Kings County their word that the Ocean Choice plant would re-open. This week they told residents, it will not be opening. They have broken their promise and failed to come up with a long term plan for job creation in this area and the province as a whole."
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Opposition says Government must put public back into Public Education
2012-01-25
Opposition Leader and Education and Early Childhood Development Critic, Olive Crane is calling for the government to be honest about their plans for our Island school boards.
In February of 2011, the Minister of the day fired the Eastern School Board Trustees and replaced them with a private consultant with no further efforts from him or the current Minister to restore democracy. She says if this delay is the government's way of moving to one school board, then they must be honest with Islanders about their plan.
"Despite the token education governance review process, it is clear that this government already has a plan for our Island education system which students and parents deserve to know."
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Crane calls for Government to appoint mediator to deal with Ocean Choice
2012-01-20
Opposition Leader Olive Crane is calling on Premier Robert Ghiz to appoint a mediator to deal with the future of the Ocean Choice International plant in Prince Edward Island.
"This government has involved the taxpayers of this province in what will be a very lengthy and costly court battle with OCI. The province has an opportunity to resolve this dispute."
Crane said she would rather see government take the dollars they will be spending in the courts and put it towards mediation. "We need a positive business climate for the area, so that the message goes out that Prince Edward Island is a good place to do business."
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LaVie calling for less talk, more action for residents of Souris
2012-01-19
"It is time for this Government to stop talking about how they are going to help the residents of Souris and get to work," said Colin LaVie, MLA for Souris-Elmira. LaVie alluded to the many promises which came from Government for the Town of Souris that have yet to transpire.
In the fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly, the Minister of Innovations and Advanced Learning, Al Roach told Islanders that ‘they will work with the people of Souris' in hopes that the Ocean Choice International fish processing plant re-opens. LaVie says the Minister must now live up to his word.
"The unemployment insurance benefits of former OCI workers are set to run out in a few short weeks," said LaVie. "As community leaders, we must put politics aside and find solutions that will see these individuals back to work and the town thriving once again."
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Premier must fix Health Care problems at home, says Crane
2012-01-18
Leader of the Opposition, Olive Crane congratulated the Premier on being appointed to the national health care working committee but stressed the need for him to take care of the health care needs of Islanders before he begins to address health care at a national level.
"It is very noble for the Premier to co-chair this working committee; but truthfully, we feel his energy would be better spent tackling the issues here at home. Take for example, the need for timely access to ambulance services, catastrophic drug coverage and improved addiction treatment services."
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Minister demonstrates lack of respect for the laws of our land
2012-01-17
PC Agriculture Critic, Colin LaVie says Agriculture Minister George Webster's
disregard for the P.E.I. Lands Protection Act is sending a negative message to the people of this province.
"This is the second time in the past year that the Minister and his family have been in violation of this legislation and fined," said LaVie. "It's not the amount of the fine, it's the message and the message that I'm hearing is that "if the Minister doesn't care about this legislation, then why should others?"
The PC MLA for Souris-Elmira says the elected members of a government should lead by example.
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Crane says EI backlog was preventable
2012-01-13
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane is pleased that the Federal Government is now taking action to address the employment insurance backlog, but feels it is unfortunate that it had to get to this point.
Crane says this Provincial Government has not done enough to reduce the number of Islanders who need employment insurance; referencing their poor record on job creation and inability to reduce unemployment numbers, which continue to be among the highest in the country.
"As a province we need to look at the big picture and the larger issue of job creation," says Crane. "This Government's track record of job creation in the province has been bleak. If there were more employment opportunities in PEI, fewer Islanders would be facing this difficult situation of waiting for employment insurance."
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Two down one to go for Liberal patronage jobs
2012-01-13
Opposition Finance Critic Steven Myers says the hiring of defeated Liberal candidate Cynthia Dunsford, as a first director of Forever Anne is another example of
blatant political patronage and the use of taxpayers dollars to reward defeated Liberal candidates.
"The Premier told Islanders his former Innovation Minister, who was defeated in the last election, would have a position with his government even before the votes were counted. Now, we see that government has cooked up a new job for Cynthia Dunsford (King) the former Liberal MLA for Stratford-Kinlock. That's two down and one to go," said Myers, referring to the third remaining defeated candidate from Tignish-Palmer Road, former Rural Development Minister
Neil LeClair.
Myers said, he finds it interesting that Cynthia was the only person who applied for the job. "I find it even more interesting that the committee hadn't even started to look for applications when Cynthia's application was brought forward."
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Opposition urges Premier to ensure East Isle Shipyard not left out of $25-billion contract
2012-01-12
Opposition Leader Olive Crane and Georgetown-St. Peters MLA Steven Myers are calling on Premier Robert Ghiz and his Innovation Minister Allen Roach, to ensure
that East Isle Shipyard does not miss out on the $25-billion federal contract to build 21 combat ships out of Halifax.
"We were excited at today's announcement that the Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. have reached an agreement in principle on the funding arrangements for this project. We are also happy to hear that the Prime Minister wants to move quickly to put the contracts in place to get construction on those ships underway. We want our Georgetown facility to be included in that construction," said Crane. "We want out province and our Premier at the
negotiating table."
Myers joined Crane in acknowledging the importance of the Halifax project but noted that the East Isle Shipyard, has been closed since 2010.
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Crane calling on Roach to show leadership for Montague Intermediate
2012-01-11
Opposition Leader and Education critic, Olive Crane is calling on Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning, Al Roach to stand up for the students in his district by advocating that his government provide the expansion to Montague Intermediate which they had originally promised.
Crane says that Roach has stood silent, while students and parents in his community have rallied together calling on his Government to take action.
"As a community leader and a local representative it is important that Mr. Roach is vocal when there is an issue important to his community, in this case it is the promised expansion to Montague Intermediate. This clearly has not been the case, as he has stayed silent while residents call for support."
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Time for Premier to support Island business says Perry
2012-01-10
PC MLA Hal Perry is calling on Premier Robert Ghiz, to stand up for Prince
Edward Island businesses owed money by Homburg Invest.
"There is no way that the Opposition is going to stand idly by and watch our Island businesses who are owed $3-million go out of business because of this Premier's friendship with multi-millionaire Richard Homburg," said Perry.
The PC Innovation and Advanced Learning Critic is calling on the Premier to immediately convene a meeting of all the Island creditors involved in the financially troubled company and tell them what he intends to do to make sure they get paid.
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Hon. Olive Crane calls for action on the Rural Action Plan
2012-01-09
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane is calling on the Minister responsible for Rural Development to take immediate action to re-vamp the Government's Rural Action Plan. This comes, following the controversial decision for the Government to allocate $1 million for a new concert site development on the Charlottetown Harbour from the ‘Island Community Fund'; a fund which is designed to act as a compliment to the Rural Action Plan.
"This Liberal administration developed a Rural Action Plan and Islanders have seen very little progress or impact on our Island communities based on this plan. It is time for Government to recognize they are weak in this area and present a plan that will work for Rural PEI."
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PC Caucus calling on Liberal Government to take responsibility for pending cuts
2011-12-22
Hon. Olive Crane and the Opposition Caucus are calling on Robert Ghiz to show leadership when it comes to getting the provinces financial books in order. This comes after the Premier quietly announced 3% cut to Government Departments, with the exception of Health and Wellness. "It is truly unfortunate, but indeed the reality, that this Government's poor fiscal management and overspending has put our province in a desperate situation."
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Myers calling on Sheridan to take action to reduce deficit
2011-12-19
Finance Critic, Steven Myers is calling on Finance Minster, Wes Sheridan to look to his provincial counterparts for solutions to reduce the growing provincial deficit and debt.
Prince Edward Island is the only province in Canada that has not established a clear deficit and debt reduction plan.
After the latest deficit numbers jumping to $73.4 Million from the original $42 million projection, Myers says it is time for Sheridan find solutions to get the Province's books in order.
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LaVie worried about ambulance response times in Eastern Kings
2011-12-16
Souris-Elmira MLA Colin LaVie says he is hearing more and more from residents in
his area concerned about the length of time it is taking ambulances to respond to their calls.
"I keep receiving calls from people who are upset that the ambulance has taken so long to arrive for their emergency call. One individual said it took 45 minutes for the ambulance to arrive, and that doesn't count the trip then to the QEH. Another person told me they waited 75 minutes," said LaVie. "A 45-minute response time could mean the difference between life and death and is just not acceptable."
LaVie noted that the goal in the Charlottetown area is for a nine-minute response time."I'm not saying that we can realistically anticipate a nine-minute response time in our area, but I can tell you that 45 minutes is far too long and not acceptable to me, or to the people I represent."
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Perry calls on Government to provide promised operating grant for Tignish Co-operative Health Centre
2011-12-16
Palmer Road MLA, Hal Perry says it is unacceptable that the Premier has taken no action on his promise to immediately provide half of the $50,000 operating grant for the Tignish Co-operative Health Centre.
During the recent election campaign the Premier and promised to provide the much needed operating Grant for the Tignish Health Centre, yet has done nothing to fulfill the commitment since then.
Perry is calling on the Liberal Government to stop playing politics and provide the funding immediately.
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Kings County residents need Emergency Room opening in Montague
2011-12-15
PC Health Critic James Aylward says residents in Kings County deserve to have
access to 24-hour emergency room service in Montague.
"The residents of Kings County have been waiting since April of 2009, for the Liberal government to reopen their emergency department at Kings County Memorial Hospital. It's almost 2012 and enough is enough," said Aylward. "It's time for government to stop playing the blame game and come through with their commitment to reopen this emergency room service."
Aylward made the comments as the PC Caucus continued their Caucus on the Road to the Kings County area Thursday.
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Opposition demands Sheridan take responsibility for $73 - Million deficit
2011-12-15
Opposition Finance Critic Steven Myers is seriously concerned that the
Liberal Government is not providing Islanders with the entire story after the government's own admission that this year's deficit is projected to be over $73-million and growing.
"Wes Sheridan and his Liberal colleagues have spent our province into this serious deficit position. If he can't do the job, perhaps it's time for the Premier to find someone who can," said Myers.
Myers said the Treasurer needs to stop the blame game and look at his own record of deficit spending over the past four-and-a-half years.
Read More >PC Caucus sees small business in action in Rural PEI
2011-12-15
Concerns about "government red tape" and the need for greater support
for local business merged as two of the key issues as members of the PC Caucus toured Kings County, Thursday.
"The Liberal government in 2008 promised small business in this province that they would launch a red tape review to determine how they could reduce the cost and time that small businesses in this province are forced to put in to satisfy government rules and regulations. That review has never happened and it's creating real hardship for many businesses," said Crane.
Another consistent theme during the tour related to the need for more support for local business and entrepreneurship.
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Wait Times for Surgery in PEI not acceptable says Aylward
2011-12-14
PC Health Critic James Aylward is questioning why Prince Edward Island residents have the longest wait-times for surgery in Canada.
"Specialists in this province have reported to the Fraser Institute that wait times for surgery average 43.9 weeks on P.E.I., 25 weeks longer than the national average of 19 weeks. The Ghiz government owes Islanders an explanation as to why this is the case."
Aylward said many Islanders are forced to endure painful situations, as well as loss of work and income as they wait at home for surgery. "The reality is that many individuals are facing wait-times of months and years, not just weeks," said Aylward.
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Tories Charge that Islanders deserve promised Fiscal Update
2011-12-13
Finance Critic, Steven Myers and the PC caucus are voicing their concerns that Premier Ghiz and his Liberal government have broken their promise on a much needed fiscal update for Islanders.
"Our PC Caucus demanded on behalf of all Islanders for a fall fiscal update. The Premier promised in the House on November 2nd that Islanders would receive a fiscal update from this Government, by the beginning of December," stated Myers. "We are now half-way through the month and Islanders are still left to guess the state of the province's finances."
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Opposition Caucus discovering new ways to support Islanders with addictions
2011-12-08
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane and Health Critic, James Aylward were in Sussex, New Brunswick Tuesday to tour the Atlantic Portage Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Centre.
Last week the PC Caucus met with PEI Addictions Services and will be touring Mount Herbert later this month as part of their on-going process to find answers for families with addiction related issues in PEI.
"Our Opposition is committed to supporting the Provincial Government in whatever way we can to ensure Islanders with substance dependencies get the help they so greatly need and deserve."
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PC Caucus Shines a light on Education during Stratford Tour
2011-12-07
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane and members of the PC Caucus took the
opportunity to hear from various educators representing a variety of learning levels during their Caucus on the Road tour in Stratford.
"Most Islanders are aware of a number of very serious issues in our educational system, which include the below national level performance of our students in math and English, as well as the need for more teaching resources for children with Learning Disabilities, and Autism," said
Crane.
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Souris in Crisis, says Crane
2011-12-05
The community of Souris is in an economic crisis and is in urgent need of support, says Opposition Leader Olive Crane.
"Almost every group and individual we met with during our trip to Souris voiced to us the seriousness of the current unemployment situation in this area," said Crane.
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Crane says low test results point to major problems with Education system
2011-11-30
Opposition Leader Olive Crane says Government has much work to do in order to improve upon the recent Pan-Canadian Assessment results which indicated that Island Grade Eight students showed the lowest math results in the country and were among the bottom in reading.
"Parents and the general public are supportive of teachers and other professionals but are seeking immediate action to address this issue." Crane challenged the Government to deal with this issue and pointed to the growing problems surrounding social promotion as something which should be addressed.
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Crane calling on Government to support Islanders living in poverty
2011-11-25
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane is calling on the Minister of Community Services, Seniors and Labour to take immediate action to support Islanders living in poverty by implementing a Poverty Reduction Plan in the province.
"This government has commissioned a report on how to reduce poverty, but little action has been taken to address the real issue."
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Aylward urges Currie to discuss critical shortage of doctors at National Health Ministers Meetings
2011-11-24
Opposition Health and Wellness critic, James Aylward is urging the Health Minister to have discussions regarding the critical shortage of doctors in the province at meetings being held in Halifax between the Canadian Health Ministers.
Aylward cited the loss of two doctors at the Four Neighborhoods Health Clinic; the pending departure of another physician in Souris; and the constant closures of the O'Leary Walk-In Clinic due to doctor shortages as a sample of the most recent physician retention problems needing immediate attention.
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Crane says Health PEI talk does not solve issue of Ministerial accountability
2011-11-16
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane says that public discussions on Health PEI are important for transparency of the board, but does not solve the problem of lack of Ministerial accountability in our Island health care system.
"The fact remains that there is still an unelected, unaccountable board making the tough decisions regarding health care in the province," stated Crane. "It is the Minister's responsibility to take ownership of the decisions made in health care." She added that this is something that Islanders have not seen from this Liberal Government in the past.
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Crane shares Insurance concerns with Industry Representatives
2011-11-15
Opposition Leader Olive Crane met with representatives of the Insurance Community Action Network to discuss current and future issues impacting individual and corporate policy holders in this province.
"Prince Edward Island is already seeing the impact of more frequent and severe storms due to climate change. Boats have been destroyed, coastal erosion is causing damage to our fishing ports, and flooding, due to heavy rain situations, is occurring more often in Island homes and businesses. Storm surges once rare in this province are now common events."
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Perry Demands Premier keep his promise
2011-11-10
Tignish-Palmer Road MLA Hal Perry is calling on Premier Robert Ghiz to follow through on his commitment for a $50,000 annual operating grant for the Tignish Co-operative Health Centre.
"The Premier, during the election campaign, promised the Co-operative that his government, if re-elected, would provide half of the $50,000 immediately and the other half in the spring of 2012. Yesterday in the Legislature, he indicated that no dollars would be forthcoming now and that he would take a look at it in the spring budget."
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Crane critical of "Not my Job" attitude by Liberal Government
2011-11-10
The Ghiz administration's lack of concern over the shut-down of work on the $17-million Convention Centre project, is nothing short of irresponsible says Opposition Leader Olive Crane.
"The response from our province's Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister, Rob Vessey in the legislature this week was shocking," said Crane.
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Hon. Olive Crane calls on Liberal Government to establish a Castastrphic Drug Program
2011-11-09
Hon. Olive Crane is calling on Government to take action to establish a catastrophic drug program in PEI.
"An Island man once said that he thought the hardest thing in life was to learn he had cancer, but quickly found out that the hardest thing was to tell his family that he couldn't afford his cancer medication," said Crane. "That is why we need a catastrophic drug program in this province."
Crane raised the fact that New Brunswick, which is the only other province without catastrophic drug plan, is now taking a number of steps to ensure that one is created in their province.
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PC Caucus says Health Care Professional Shortage in PEI is Critical
2011-11-09
The PC Caucus cited problems from tip to tip of the province related to the growing shortage of front line health care workers in today's sitting of the Legislature.
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane recognizes that the shortage of health care professionals in PEI is a top concern of Islander. She and her caucus will continue to be a voice for all Islanders to ensure that they receive the quality health care services they so greatly deserve.
Health critic, James Aylward said this Government's inability to retain front line health care professionals is causing significant strain on the front line services right across the province.
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Taking Action to Combat Youth Addiction
2011-11-08
Hon. Olive Crane is calling on the Provincial Government to take action and release their plan to combat youth addiction and crime in PEI.
Crane recognized that youth addiction is a growing issue in PEI and the rise is substance abuse has a direct correlation to PEI’s increased crime rate. She feels that Government must take an active role to support the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of substance abuse in Island youth.
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Focusing on Issues Important to Primary Industries
2011-11-08
The Opposition Caucus brought forth a number of concerns related to PEI’s primary sectors of Agriculture, Tourism and Fisheries in the recent sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
Critic for Agriculture, Colin LaVie was a voice for the farming community by calling on Government to provide details on the proposed Land Development Crown Corporation.
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Perry calls on Provincial Government to Stop Playing Politics with Charlottetown Sewage Treatment Facility
2011-11-07
Environment, Energy and Forestry critic, Hal Perry is calling on the Provincial Government to stop playing politics with the Charlottetown sewage treatment facility and immediately find the dollars for needed repairs.
He cited that the Provincial Government continues to blame the Federal Government for the delay on repairs, despite already receiving the federal funding needed to upgrade the facility.
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Demanding Chief of Staff step aside until Investigation on Privacy Completed
2011-11-04
Opposition Leader, Hon. Olive Crane has called upon the former Innovation Minister and current Chief of Staff to the Premier, to step aside until the Privacy Commissioner’s investigation is completed.
Crane was referencing the appalling leak of personal e-mails and confidential government records released by the Liberal Government during the recent Provincial Election Campaign.
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Questioning Government Vacancy Management Plans
2011-11-04
PC MLA James Aylward has raised concerns on behalf of Public Service employees about the Liberal Government’s use of vacancy management to curb the provincial deficit. Aylward believes this government needs to focus more on job creation as a way to stimulate the economy rather than simply not filling positions.
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PC Caucus Raise Alarm on Homburg Hotel Dealing
2011-11-03
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane and the PC caucus grilled the Ghiz Government on the financial transactions around the Richard Homburg, Holman Hotel. They were alarmed to discover serious concerns raised by the court appointed monitor looking into Homburg Invest.
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Calling on Government to focus on Job Creation
2011-11-02
Hon. Olive Crane and her Progressive Conservative Caucus opened day one of question period by raising the issue of job creation in the province.
Crane highlighted that lack of stable employment opportunities is an issue that many Islanders are facing and Government must find a solution to this problem.
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The PEI PC Party Shadow Cabinet & Opposition Caucus
2011-10-25
Hon. Olive Crane, Leader of the Official Opposition recently unveiled her shadow cabinet and critic areas for her PC Opposition Caucus.
Crane highlighted the importance of the Opposition’s role in ensuring that Government makes decisions in the best interest of all Islanders. “As an Opposition, we are committed to holding the Liberal Government accountable to the people they serve.”
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Myers Calls on Provincial Government to Support Georgetown Shipyard Employees Immediately
2011-10-21
Georgetown – St. Peters MLA, Steven Myers is calling on the Government to immediately outline their plan to get East Isle Shipyard employees back to work as soon as possible.
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The PEI PC Party Caucus
2011-09-14
Opposition Leader, Olive Crane recently announced three prominent positions in her Caucus team.
Former educator, Kent Avery will serve as the new Chief of Staff for the Opposition Office.
"Mr. Avery brings exceptional leadership skills, great intelligence and a superior work ethic to our caucus and will be an asset in building a cohesive and strong Opposition team," said Crane.
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Sheridan's numbers do not add up; Olive Crane calls for immediate release of Volume Two of Audited Statements
2011-08-30
Hon. Olive Crane is questioning why Volume Two of the Audited Statements was not released by the Liberal administration. "Our caucus has reviewed what was released 57 days late by the Ghiz administration. Clearly missing is Volume Two of the statements, which contains significantly more detailed information. Once again, Islanders are left to guess the true state of the province’s finances. What is the Liberal administration so eager to hide?
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Committing to an Open and Accountable PC Government
2011-08-29
Today, Hon. Olive Crane highlighted the Ghiz administration’s lack of fiscal accountability and abuse of public trust and committed that her new PC Government will be open and accountable with Islander’s tax dollars.
During the 2007 election campaign, Robert Ghiz made a major commitment that never again would Islanders go to the polls without knowing the true state of province’s finances. In this promise, he said his administration would produce the audited statements three months before the fixed election date. With only a few weeks until Election Day the Ghiz administration has broken their promise to Islanders and only produced the audited financial statements today.
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Federal Government needs to appoint an Islander as next Supreme Court Justice
2011-08-11
Hon. Olive Crane is calling for the next vacancy for the Supreme Court Justice to be filled by an Islander. There will be two vacancies come the end of August as Mr. Justice Ian Binnie and the Madam Justice Louise Charron have recently announced their retirement.
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Doctor Departure in Souris Causing Ripple Effect for Patients
2011-08-09
Hon. Olive Crane recently highlighted findings that the decision for Dr. Morgan to leave Souris Hospital has not only left 1100 people without a family physician, but has also resulted in a decrease of the hospital’s walk-in clinic days of operation from seven to four.
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Committing to a Rheumatologist in PEI
2011-08-08
Hon. Olive Crane says Carolyn Bertram has neglected her responsibility to the 21,000 Islanders with arthritis by not providing a rheumatologist in the province. Arthritis is one of the most common chronic conditions in PEI, yet the province does not have the proper services to effectively care for and treat individuals with the condition.
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Ghiz and Sheridan Must Take Responsibility for Poor Fiscal Record
2011-07-29
Hon. Olive Crane responded to recent reports from Wes Sheridan stating that Prince Edward Island’s poor economic standing may continue due to weak US bond ratings. Olive disagreed with this notion and believes that Ghiz and his administration only have themselves to blame for the poor financial state of the province. She said if Ghiz had demonstrated responsible spending within his four year mandate, PEI would not have been faced with such a difficult economic situation.
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Standing Up To Save S.A.V.E.
2011-07-28
Hon. Olive Crane is taking a stand against the Ghiz administration and their recent decision to not fund the Students Against Violence Everywhere (S.A.V.E) program offered in Kings County high schools.
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Committed to Banning Fracking in PEI
2011-07-28
Hon. Olive Crane wlll commit to Islanders that when elected, her Progressive Conservative Government will ban fracking in order to protect PEI’s groundwater, the only source of drinking water in the province.
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Small Island Businesses need Government support to regain confidence
2011-07-08
Hon. Olive Crane responded to the most recent report released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses that measures confidence among small business owners in the country.
The results show that once again, small business owners in PEI have the least confidence that their business will experience growth in the coming year compared to any other province in Canada. Confidence levels in PEI showed the greatest decline compared to all other provinces, decreasing over six points in just one month.
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Latest results show Ghiz Administration has overspent and under-delivered in health services to Islanders
2011-07-07
Hon. Olive Crane is questioning the Ghiz administration’s failure to satisfy the health needs of Islanders. Today she responded to recent reports from the National Physician Survey that showed Islanders are the least satisfied with their health care system over any other province in Canada. Olive is seeking answers as to where the money for administering health care service in PEI is going. The Ghiz administration boasts about the hundreds of millions of dollars they spend on provincial health care, only to fall short on the delivery of health services to Islanders.
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Hon. Olive Crane welcomes home Team Canada East Special Olympics Softball Athletes and Coaches
2011-07-06
Hon. Olive Crane is extending her congratulations to the Team Canada East Softball Special Olympics team who arrived home from the World Special Olympics Summer Games in Athens late last night.
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Hon. Olive Crane questions the Ghiz Administration’s continuous deflection of responsibility
2011-06-24
Hon. Olive Crane responded to recent reports from Dr. Atanu Chaudhuri and his desire, yet inability to practice medicine in Prince Edward Island. Four years after moving to the province, Dr. Chaudhuri is still not able to practice radiology due to delays in the physician certification process.
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All Islanders encouraged to celebrate National Aboriginal Day
2011-06-21
Hon. Olive Crane has issued a reminder that National Aboriginal Day celebrations are taking place across Prince Edward Island today.
Olive noted, “June 21st marks the annual day for Islanders and fellow Canadians to honor all that Aboriginal Peoples have done to contribute to the richness of our nation’s heritage and culture.”
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PEI PC Party appalled shellfishery must close once again because of Brown’s neglect
2011-06-17
Jim Bagnall, the Opposition critic for Environment, Energy and Forestry, is appalled but not surprised that the shellfishery in the Hillsborough River was forced to temporarily close due to sewage contamination. This will be the nineteenth time in two years that the industry was shut down due to pollution of this nature. Mr. Bagnall raised issue numerous times in the Spring Legislature about shellfish industry closures due to sewage contamination with Richard Brown only to see the issue repeat itself once again.
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Hon. Olive Crane Congratulates Hometown Hero Adam McQuaid on Stanley Cup Victory
2011-06-16
Today, the Hon. Olive Crane extended congratulations to Cornwall native and Stanley Cup Champion Adam McQuaid. As a rookie defenseman for the Bruins, Adam worked diligently this past season to win the Stanley Cup and make fellow Islanders proud. Today, the entire province is celebrating with Adam, his father Mark, mother Dianne, brother Chad and sister Michelle on the success his first full season with the Boston Bruins that ended in picture perfect style.
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The closure of Phoenix Medical Centre is another broken promise by Ghiz Administration
2011-06-02
Yesterday, the Hon. Olive Crane met with the management team of the Phoenix Medical Centre to receive first hand information about the current state of Centre. She first visited the Phoenix Centre in March of 2011 to learn more about the innovative techniques of the practice. Olive identifies the Centre’s closure as another clear example of the Ghiz Administration not delivering on their promise of a doctor for every Islander.
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Hon. Olive Crane condemns the slashing of 10 more nursing positions and says Robert Ghiz continues to deceive Islanders
2011-06-01
The Hon. Olive Crane today responded to the announcement put forth by the PEI Nurses Union that ten additional Registered Nursing positions have been cut at the West Prince Community Hospital; bringing the number of eliminated RN positions in the province to 51 in the past twelve months. This is despite Robert Ghiz’s promise in the Legislature that no nursing positions have been or will be cut in PEI.
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Crane calls for Government to appoint mediator to deal with Ocean Choice
0000-00-00
Opposition Leader Olive Crane is calling on Premier Robert Ghiz to appoint a mediator to deal with the future of the Ocean Choice International plant in Prince
Edward Island.
"This government has involved the taxpayers of this province in what will be a very lengthy and costly court battle with OCI. The province has an opportunity to resolve this dispute."
Crane said she would rather see government take the dollars they will be spending in the courts and put it towards mediation. "We need a positive business climate for the area, so that the message goes out that Prince Edward Island is a good place to do business."
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