Provincial Budget: Operating Budget
The operating budget is the estimates of revenue and expenditure that detail spending plans by the Government of Prince Edward Island to operate each department for the next fiscal year.
The 2024-2025 provincial budget and related information is available in the following documents:
- Budget Address
- Estimates of Revenue and Expenditures 2024-2025
- Budget Paper on the Economy 2024
- Budget Highlights
- Pre-budget Consultations
Improving Your Healthcare
- Delivering Mental Health Services - $3M
- To support the opening of the mental health and addictions emergency department at the QEH, as well as staffing for addiction treatment and transition programs.
- Adding More Patient Medical Homes - $10.5M
- To continue the roll out of patient medical homes across the province for a total investment this year of $25.8 million, with the goal to have up to 30 operational medical homes by next spring.
- More Supports for Seniors - $4.9M
- To introduce home-based restorative care and continue supporting provincial homecare services to seniors including the COACH program, Care at Home and provision of supplies to homecare nursing clients.
- This also includes low-interest financing and capital grants for the creation of new long-term care beds.
- Enhancing Access to Care for Islanders - $3.7M
- To begin implementing a mobile x-ray service for seniors in residential care, expand access to insulin pumps, cancer care and cancer screening, continue supporting the diabetes foot care program and mid-wifery services, and embrace technology to provide new ways of accessing care on PEI.
- Moving Towards Wage Parity - $4.5M
- In response to the Long-Term Care Review, to support a move towards wage parity for private nursing homes and community care facilities relative to government-owned facilities.
- Integrating Associate Physicians and Physician Assistants - $2.4M
- To integrate the first cohort of associate physicians and physician assistants throughout the healthcare system.
- Training and Upskilling More RCWs, LPNs, Paramedics and RNs - $2.2M
- To continue to create upskilling opportunities for LPNs to become RNs, provide bridging programs for internationally educated nurses, support advance care paramedics working to full scope with critically ill patients, as well as continue to train more RCWs, LPNs, Paramedics and RNs on PEI.
- Supporting the Implementation of a Medical School - $9.9M
- To support building the necessary infrastructure for a Medical School and a Patient Medical Home for up to 10,000 Islanders at UPEI and help Health PEI prepare our healthcare
system for Island medical learners, for a total investment of $36.2 million over the next year.
- To support building the necessary infrastructure for a Medical School and a Patient Medical Home for up to 10,000 Islanders at UPEI and help Health PEI prepare our healthcare
- Improving our Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals - $6.2M
- To implement new financial recruitment incentives, support relocation programs, streamline hiring practices and hire more recruitment staff.
- Adding More Doctors and More Residency Seats - $7.1M
- To add two additional family residency seats on PEI, as well as add new physicians and the necessary supports required to help them provide care to Islanders.
Building Together 
- Expanding Shelter Spaces and Improving Supports for Vulnerable Islanders - $6.9M
- To continue providing emergency shelter supports, outreach services and residential services.
- Growing our Inventory of Affordable Units - $10M
- To launch the Community Housing Expansion program to create new affordable housing units and keep existing affordable units in the housing market by collaborating with non-profits and co-operatives.
- Tax Rebates for Builders - $6.7M
- To provide tax rebates for newly constructed multi-unit residential buildings, including rebates of HST and property tax rebates through the Residential Unit Development Incentive program that provides financial support to encourage the development of new rental units.
- Supports for Social Housing- $1.6M
- To provide funding for the PEI Housing Corporation to operate newly constructed or acquired housing units.
- Develop a Land Use Plan - $200K
- To support the creation of PEI’s Land Use Plan.
Helping with Everyday Costs
- Tax System Changes - $14.6M
- In January 2025, continue implementing tax system changes that will leave more money in the pockets of Island residents, including increasing the basic personal amount to reach $14,250, raising the thresholds for each of the tax brackets and lowering the tax rates for the first 4 tax brackets.
- Improving Supports for Social Assistance and AccessAbility Support Clients - $3.1M
- Supporting the annualization of the increase to Social Assistance and Accessibility Support clients.
- Funding is also provided for a review of the AccessAbility Support program.
- Introducing a PEI Children’s Benefit - $1.1M
- To introduce a new monthly benefit starting in January 2025, for an annual investment of $4.4 million to help families with costs associated with their children.
- Incentivizing Installation of Heat Pumps, Hot Water Heaters and Insulation - $7.3M
- To continue investments in free heat pumps, electric hot water heaters and insulation programs to help Island residents save on costs and make homes more environmentally friendly.
- Adding Public Transit Routes and Keeping Fares Affordable - $1M
- A further investment in the Island-wide transit system to add more routes and continue to keep fares low for Island residents.
- Expanding Seniors Independence Initiative - $380K
- To increase annual support to a maximum of $1,800 for practical services like grass cutting, snow removal and housekeeping, allowing seniors to remain in their own homes and communities.
Learning and Growing 
- Adding More Front-line Staff to our Education System - $7M
- To add more front-line staff to our education system, such as teachers, school counselors, educational assistants, youth workers and bus drivers.
- Implementing a Vision Care Program for Children - $708K
- To create an elementary school aged vision care program to ensure children have access to eye exams and eyeglasses needed to support their learning.
- Enhancing the George Coles Bursary - $940K
- To increase the annual bursary to $3,200 and expand the program to targeted off-island health care training programs.
- Support for the School Food Programs - $1M
- To provide additional funding to the school breakfast program and continue supporting the pay-what-you-can school provincial lunch program for all students in public schools across PEI.
- Growing Childcare Supports and Spaces - $4.3M
- To improve access to childcare for families, continue the implementation of $10/day childcare and provide supports for operators to create more childcare spaces, with a commitment of 30 percent of new spaces for infants.
- This brings the total investment in reducing fees to $12.3 million.
Safer Communities and Strengthening Industries 
- Implementing the Gender-based Violence Action Plan - $2.4M
- With help from the Federal Government, create enhanced services, resources and support for people experiencing gender-based violence or de-escalation support to those at risk of perpetuating gender-based violence.
- Improving Impaired Driving Enforcement - $773K
- To further build law enforcement capacity to detect and enforce impaired driving and promote awareness of impaired driving harms and countermeasures.
- Supporting Municipal Police Services - $150K
- To address workforce challenges by securing additional police cadet training seats at the Atlantic Police Academy for a return-in-service program with municipal police forces.
- Growing the Bioscience Sector - $2M
- To continue investing in the bioscience sector through the development of the second incubator space.
- Expanding our EV Charging Network - $1M
- To fund the operating costs of new and existing EV chargers in the province’s EV network.
- Developing Coastal Management Plans - $500K
- To begin the development of shoreline management plans for PEI’s regional coastal areas.
- Tourism Season Expansion - $500K
- For continued programming to assist tourism operators with product development for the shoulder seasons and to continue efforts to make PEI a year-round destination.
- Strengthening Agriculture - $1M
- To support the PEI Agriculture Energy Systems Pilot program and create a land purchase support program for new farmers.
- This includes educating our youth and supporting veterinary education opportunities.
- Supporting Diversity and Inclusion - $205K
- To support government departments and non-government organizations in their work on diversity and inclusion, including additional grant funding.
Where can I find older budget documents?
Search Budget Archives for documents from 1998 to present.
Contact:
Sara Watson
Telephone: (902) 368-4201
Toll-free: 1-800-236-5196
Email: sdwatson@gov.pe.ca
Published date:
February 29, 2024