Prince Edward Island.

• Date: 22 March 2021
• Author: Reddin, Ryan

1st Session, Sixty-sixth General Assembly

The First Session of the Sixty-sixth General Assembly resumed on November 12, 2020, and adjourned to the call of the Speaker on December 4, for a fall sitting totalling 14 days. The First Session began in June 2019, and now totals 71 sitting days.

New Member of the Legislative Assembly

Progressive Conservative Party candidate Zack Bell was elected to represent District 10, Charlottetown-Winsloe, in a by-election on November 2, 2020. The by-election was held as a result of the resignation of former member Robert Mitchell in September 2020. Mr. Bell was sworn in and took his seat in the House on November 18, 2020. Prior to politics, Mr. Bell worked in journalism and sales, and he is a minor hockey volunteer and Sunday School teacher. The House now consists of 14 Progressive Conservative Party members, eight Green Party members, and five Liberal Party members.

Capital Budget

A $196 million Capital Budget was tabled in the Assembly on November 20, 2020. The department with the highest capital spending planned for 2021-2022 is Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy, at just over $74 million. The majority of this spending is devoted to improvements to highways and bridges. Health PEI and the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning, at over $28 million each, have the next highest capital budgets for the year. The 2021-2022 capital budget forms the highest single year of spending in the 2021-2026 five-year capital plan, which totals $748 million.

Bills Reviewed

Thirty-six bills were passed during the fall sitting. Of these, 29 originated from Government, mostly to amend existing legislation. However, there were notable substantive bills. Bill 46, the Forest Fire Protection Act, overhauls the provincial burning permit system, increases fines for individuals and corporations at fault for causing forest fires, and aligns PEI's legislation in this area with the other Atlantic Provinces. Bill 73, Health Dental Services Cost Assistance Act, provides a new legislative framework to facilitate new health and dental services programs in which Government is the payer of last resort, which is intended to expand access to persons with low incomes. Bill 75, Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act, enables Government to recover the cost of health care and social services related to the opioid crisis by establishing a statutory tort upon which Government may sue opioid-related companies. Bill 57...