P.E.I. premier looks back on 2023 and ahead to 2024

It's been a challenging year for Prince Edward Islanders, from soaring inflation and high grocery bills to health-care woes and an ongoing housing crisis. 

For P.E.I. Premier Dennis King and his government, many of the same issues from 2023 will persist into the new year.

While such pressures might normally mean a dip in popularity for a ruling party, King continues to enjoy strong polling numbers that suggest his popularity remains well ahead of that of any other P.E.I. party leader. 

King sat down with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin on Tuesday for a year-end interview about his year in politics, and what's to come in 2024. 

Although about 20 per cent of the province's population has no family doctor, King said the health-care system has become easier to use. 

He said patient medical homes, which have been formed at five Island primary care locations, will be used more in the coming year to take people off the provincial waiting list, called the Patient Registry. 

"You'll start to see the onboarding of patients from the registry to medical homes, for example, and that's been our target all along," King said. 

"I do think when you access the system … of health-care delivery, it's as good as anywhere here. It's been challenging to access it, but we've changed how people access it, and we've had some innovations that have made it easier."

A hot-button topic as of late thanks to the Spindle Report, King said his government still plans to go "full steam ahead" on a new medical school at the University of Prince Edward Island. 

When asked why his government didn't wait for the consultant's report before beginning construction on a new building, now underway off University Avenue near the Royalty Crossing shopping centre, the premier said the health-care system can't afford to wait. 

"We've said all along we need to change what we're doing, and that is exactly what we're doing. A medical school at UPEI and the ecosystem around it will be a game-changer for Prince Edward Island," King said.  

"We always knew there was going to need to be a change in system delivery. We need to get ready to accommodate the medical school. The simple part of the equation is that if we want more doctors, we're going to have to train them — and why can't we train them here?" 

With the cost of most consumer goods at historic highs, King said his government has made efforts to put money back into the wallets of Islanders. 

"We've done direct payments and we've done lots of assistance programs to help," he said. "One of the biggest tax rollbacks ever in [the] history of our province was holding the property tax rates at 2020 levels, so that's one more thing that keeps money in Islanders' pockets.