Nurses are one of the most in-demand professionals on Prince Edward Island, with the province experiencing a chronic shortage over the last several years. This episode will discuss being a nurse on PEI from a policy perspective, going over issues around recruitment and retention, shortages, Mobile Mental Health Crisis Response Teams, as well as the future of the nursing profession within the evolving healthcare system. Our guest is Barbara Brookins, President of the PEI Nurses' Union.

(tw: sexual violence, rape). Sexual assault refers to any sexual contact made by a person towards another where consent is not first obtained. It is characterized by a broad range of sexual acts, carried out in circumstances in which the person has not freely consented to or is incapable of consenting to sexual activity. PEI is no stranger to sexual violence or the traumatic impacts it makes on individuals, families, and communities. To talk to us today about sexual violence, the shortcomings of existing systems, and avenues for more trauma-informed practices, with us today is Dr. Rachael Crowder, Executive Director of the PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre.

The Election Age Act is a Bill that has been presented to the PEI Legislative Assembly in Fall 2020 then Spring 2021. It deals with the lowering of the voting age from 18 to 16 in Municipal and Provincial elections on PEI. As this Bill undergoes debate, this week we look at the history of voting enfranchisement in Canada, as well as discuss the reasoning behind extending this franchise to youth, and try and clarify the various misconceptions around 16 and 17 year olds being able to vote. Our guests for today are MLA Karla Bernard, who introduced this Bill to the floor, and Nate Hood, who did significant research on the matter. 

The Government of PEI presented its budget on March 12, 2021. Some anticipated items on the budget have been: mental health, clean technology, universal pre-k, as well as economic recovery. As the House begins debating the budget on March 23, today we are chatting about what this budget means for PEI, as well as whether Government has met expectations of Islanders. Our guest is the political reporter for The Guardian, Stu Neatby.

A short-term rental is all or part of a dwelling unit rented out for less than 28 consecutive days in exchange for payment. In 2020, the City of Charlottetown tasked Dr. David Wachsmuth, Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance, to determine the impact of STRs on the housing market in Charlottetown, as well as put forward recommendations to regulate these. The first draft of regulations was presented at City Council on March 13, 2020, but further consultations were halted by the pandemic. With us today is our first Dialogue panel, comprised of strong STR regulation advocates: Jonathan Greenan, Robin Graham and Nathan Hood.

This is the third and final part of our "Lead Up to the Legislature" series, where we chat with Government, Opposition and Third Party MLAs on PEI on their priorities for the Spring 2021 sitting. Our policy themes for the day are Affordable Housing, Green Economic Recovery, Social Justice and Equity and Poverty Reduction. Our guest is MLA for Charlottetown-Belvedere, Hannah Bell.

We're back with a Saturday Special and this time, we're not talking politics or policy, but music! Shane Pendergast is a folk singer and musician, and the artist behind our intro and outro music. Shane joins us this episode to chat about all things Second Wind: his creative process, his favourite song, how it feels to be an artist during COVID19, and amateur cider-making.

n this 3-part "Lead Up to the Legislature" series, we chat with Government, Opposition and Third Party MLAs on PEI on their priorities for the Spring 2021 sitting. This second episode tackles Mental Health, Safer Consumption Sites, the Economy, COVID19 Recovery and the provincial budget. Our guest for the day is Third Party MLA Heath MacDonald.

In this 3-part "Lead Up to the Legislature" series, we chat with Government, Opposition and Third Party MLAs on PEI on their priorities for the Spring 2021 sitting. This first episode tackles Basic Income Guarantee, the Residential Tenancy Act, Climate Action and Mental Health. Our guest for the day, who submitted these priorities, is the Premier of Prince Edward Island, the Hon. Dennis King.

Black History Month was first celebrated in February 1996 in Canada, after Dr. Jean Augustine, the first Black female MP and Federal member of Cabinet introduced a motion in the House of Commons in December 1995 to recognise the contribution of Black Canadians to the development and growth of Canada. Since then, the month has only gained in significance, with more events and education being done over the month regarding the elimination of barriers to success of Black folks, but also the celebration of achievements thus far. Daniel Ohaegbu, Board member with the Black Cultural Society of PEI, chats with us today about the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter movement on PEI, as well as the work being done by the organization, both in February and the rest of the year.