This is PEI

Charlottetown’s Cliff Stewart swore an oath, and he kept it. Until the laws changed and he could share his story of living in the shadows as a war-era spy. As CBC’s Laura Chapin retires after a long career, this week we’re sharing her documentary, A Man Most Ordinary, that originally aired in 2009.

Five years later, we reflect on a COVID anniversary with two people who worked to keep Islanders safe and healthy: Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s Chief Public Health Officer, and Dr. Michael Gardam, the former CEO of Health P.E.I. 

Two musicals that were created on P.E.I. are heading to Toronto with Mirvish Productions: Inside American Pie and Tell Tale Harbour. Mitch sits down with the creators of both shows to talk about how we got here — and why this is a banner year for P.E.I. theatre.

Music from Tell Tale Harbour is courtesy of the Confederation Centre of the Arts.

There have long been accusations that two Buddhist groups control more land than they’re allowed to on P.E.I. The government is now investigating the land holdings. Reporter Kerry Campbell talks about the rumours and rhetoric.

Last Thursday was a wild day in P.E.I. politics. In less than 24 hours, one premier stepped down and a new one was sworn in. We chat with the former and the current premier about what went down.

For newcomers on P.E.I., the rising cost of living can be particularly hard to deal with. Reporter Steve Bruce finds out how people are making it work — and what more could be done to help. 

One of Charlottetown’s best burgers is back — from the Peter Pan drive-in that stood on University Avenue for more than 40 years. The Blue Goose restaurant is adding the Peter Pan burger basket to the menu, and they’re not the only ones reveling in the nostalgia. Mitch learns why a burger with its own identity is having a minute.

Housing expert Steve Pomeroy looks at the latest P.E.I. housing numbers, and explains some of the ways we got into this situation and how we might get out of it. 

P.E.I. depends on the U.S. market for much of what we grow and fish. Those markets could disappear overnight if the 25 per cent U.S. import tariffs are imposed on Tuesday. Mitch asks Premier Dennis King how P.E.I. can fire back, and some growers how they’re feeling.

One way to take the pulse of housing in a community is to look at how many new units are under construction — also called housing starts. But when we look at that number, what are we not seeing? Mitch sits down with the mayors of Charlottetown and Summerside to talk about a record number of housing starts in 2024, and what else needs to be done. This is part one of a two-part series about housing on P.E.I.