Inflation Support through Increase to PEI Sales Tax Credit
On October 28, 2022, the Government of Prince Edward Island announced a temporary increase to the PEI Sales Tax Credit payable in January 2023 to help Islanders facing financial pressures caused by rising inflation and hurricane Fiona.
For the January 2023 payment: a single individual with an income of up to $100,000 will receive an additional $500. Single individuals with incomes between $100,000 and approximately $125,000 will receive a prorated amount.
couples and single parents with a combined income of up to $100,000 will receive a total increase of $1,000 ($500 for each spouse or $500 for a single parent and $500 for the first dependent child). Couples and single parents with incomes between $100,000 and $145,000 will receive a prorated amount. To read more Click Here.
Increasing HST rebate for Charitable organizations is among the list of beneficial tax changes for Islanders
The Government of PEI is making changes to taxation initiatives which will leave more money in the pockets of vulnerable Islanders and charitable organizations.
The changes being announced will further fulfill the government’s commitment to Islanders and will be effective January 1, 2023. These include:
- Increasing the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) rebate for charities and qualifying non-profit organizations to 50 percent, which aligns with neighbouring jurisdictions; and
- Increasing the Basic Personal Amount by $750 to a new threshold of $12,000, with the spouse and equivalent-to-spouse amounts raised proportionately;
Provincial Disaster Financial Assistance Program (additional information sessions)
The Provincial Disaster Financial Assistance Program (PDFAP) is available to help individuals and families with costs to repair or replace uninsurable, essential basic property loss due to disasters. The program is also available to small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and municipal governments. This program is modeled after the federal program (link is external) and other provincial disaster financial assistance programs. To read more Click Here.
Rental Unit Property Tax Subsidy
The Government of PEI is creating three new programs to support landlords during the 2023 rental freeze. The Province is launching a Rental Unit Property Tax Subsidy to provide relief of provincial property taxes payable in 2023 which would decrease landlord property tax costs. This will allow property owners of rental units to redirect funds toward other cost increases. Owners of rental units in agreements longer than six months as of December 31, 2022, may be eligible for financial property tax benefits. There are three categories of eligibility, which include:
- Owners of long-term units where heat is included in the rent and oil are the primary source of heat will receive a subsidy of $0.75 per $100 of tax-assessed value;
- Owners of long-term units where heat is included and a source other than oil is considered the primary heat (ie. electric) will receive $0.375 per $100 of tax-assessed value; and
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Owners of long-term rentals where heat is not included in the rent will receive a subsidy of $0.375 per $100 of tax-assessed value. To read more Click Here.
A reminder of the minimum wage increase
As announced last fall, Prince Edward Island’s minimum wage will increase twice in 2023. The first increase will be by 80 cents on January 1, 2023, to $14.50 per hour. The second increase will be 50 cents on October 1, 2023, to $15.00 per hour.
The Employment Standards Board reviews the minimum wage annually and provides its recommendation to the government after the review is complete.
More public transit routes for Prince County travellers
An extra round trip per day will be added on rural public transit routes between Tignish and Summerside and between Charlottetown and Summerside starting Thursday, December 29.
Going from two round trips per day to three will improve options for Prince County residents using public transit to get to and from work, school, and essential services.
Since launching in October 2021, Transit PEI has provided 57,733 one-way trips across Prince Edward Island. For November 2022, Transit PEI averaged 340 passenger fares per day.
The fare for a one-way trip is $2. Monthly transit passes for all transit routes on Prince Edward Island are available for $20 for adults and $10 for seniors and post-secondary students. Transit is free for anyone 18 years old and under.
For information on routes and booking, visit Transit PEI.
Residents of West Prince to benefit from a new fuel-efficient and accessible vehicle fleet
December 19, 2022, Bobby Morrissey, Member of Parliament for Egmont, the Honourable Ernie Hudson, Minister of Health and Wellness and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Alberton—Bloomfield, and Sherry Tremblay, Manager of Transportation West Inc., announced more than $735,000 in joint funding for an upgraded vehicle fleet for Transportation West Inc., a non-profit community organization offering affordable transportation services for those in need in the West Prince region of PEI.
The funding will support the purchase of five fuel-efficient vehicles: one seven-passenger van, two 10-passenger vans, and two 14-passenger vans. Work will also include equipping the vehicles with wheelchair-accessible ramps. These upgrades align with Transportation West Inc.’s long-term goals of transitioning to a fully electric fleet to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and provide a sustainable transportation option for Islanders in need.
Canada Summer Jobs Application deadline
The annual call for applications for the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program is open. Employment and Social Development Canada will be accepting applications until January 25, 2022. Apply Now for Canada Summer Jobs funding!
Tourism Digitization and Product Readiness (TDR)
has been established to help Tourism SMEs build an approach to accelerate their adoption of digital technology to maximize workforce capacity, improve tourism experience delivery and increase long-term competitiveness and sustainability.
Eligible activities of the TDR Fund may include:
- Modernizing and upgrading operations with the implementation of digital technology;
- Creation and promotion of tourism products with the use of digital solutions;
- website upgrades;
- Digital marketing;
- Creation and use of a CRM or booking platform;
- Streamlining internal data management for real-time reporting;
Eligible costs would be supported at a maximum assistance rate of 50% with maximum stacking of 100% with other government programs. Grants shall range from $1000 to a maximum of $50,000. HST shall not be deemed an eligible expense.
Applications will be accepted starting November 22, 2022. Projects must be completed by February 28, 2023. No extensions are available. Some eligible expenses and approved projects may be retroactive to October 14, 2021.
Please direct any inquiries to Barbara Weeks, Executive Director barb@centralpei.ca.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is looking at ways to improve our immigration system and make it more responsive to changing economic and labour market needs. This includes enhancing Express Entry, the online system that IRCC uses to manage immigration applications from skilled workers.
We’re currently working to implement a new way of selecting candidates through Express Entry by creating categories that rely on key attributes, such as educational credentials, work experience, or official language knowledge. Until January 15, 2023, we’re looking for your feedback as we consider immigration selection goals and priorities that could help address chronic economic and labour force needs. We’ve developed questions that seek your responses to what we’re proposing, while also encouraging you to share your views and suggestions with us.
Your views are important to us, and they will help inform the implementation of category-based selection in the next few years and the future of Express Entry.
If you have any questions or if you are experiencing technical difficulties, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at:
