• Changes to temporary foreign worker rules leave some P.E.I. farms short-staffed this harvest

  Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-27 09:00:00.0
  Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Labour, Agriculture, Immigration]

  Changes to federal temporary foreign worker requirements enacted at the end of 2025 removed agricultural exemptions for local job advertising, resulting in severe processing delays and staff shortages for P.E.I. farms during the harvest season. Agricultural operations such as Bunny Burrow Vegetable Co. faced delayed arrivals—with seasonal workers arriving in July instead of April—after multiple LMIA application rejections and multi-week resubmission cycles. Stakeholders including Andrea McKenna and Donald Killorn of the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture have called on Ottawa to streamline the application process, provide regional agency support for smaller farms, introduce more flexible work permit transfers between farms, and expand the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program to additional countries.

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• UPEI sees 20% drop in international student enrolment from last year

  Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-20 23:48:48.0
  Tags: [National, Prince Edward Island, Education, Immigration]

  International student enrolment at the University of Prince Edward Island has dropped by approximately 20 per cent compared to the previous year, with total international student numbers falling to roughly 1,300 from about 2,000 prior to federal policy changes. According to the Association of Atlantic Universities, the Atlantic region has experienced a 48 per cent overall decrease in international enrolments since Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada introduced study permit caps in 2024, surpassing the federal target of a 35 per cent reduction. Concurrently, regional universities recorded a 3.4 per cent increase in first-year enrolments as of October 2026, driven primarily by domestic students from Atlantic Canada and the rest of Canada.

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• Eastern Canada business leaders call for ‘single economy’ between Atlantic provinces

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-25 14:16:00.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Economy, Trade, Labour, Infrastructure, Energy, Immigration]

  The Atlantic Economic Panel, appointed by federal minister Sean Fraser and chaired by Crane Cove Holdings Ltd. president Don Mills, released a report calling for the creation of a 'One Atlantic Canada' single economy by 2035 across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. To combat low productivity, labour shortages, and regulatory barriers, the report outlines seven major recommendations, including a $1-billion Atlantic Prosperity Fund, a $25-billion integrated electricity system managed by a region-wide independent system operator, the removal of all trade and labour mobility barriers, and regional infrastructure partnerships. Additional targets include growing the region's population past 3 million with a 1.8 percent annual growth rate, doubling exports to Europe to over $30 billion, mobilizing $100 billion in new natural resource investments, and enhancing the aerospace, defence, shipbuilding, and artificial intelligence sectors.

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