P.E.I. budget includes $32.5M increase in health spending

The Prince Edward Island government is projecting a $1.5-million surplus for the 2018-19 fiscal year. The highlight of the $1.7-billion fiscal plan is a 4.8% increase in spending for healthcare. The extra $32.5 million for will be used to pay for 100 new long-term care beds over the next two years and a variety of new mental-health initiatives. A $62-million increase in federal transfers helped the province record a surplus and increase operating expenditures by 4.5%. Federal funds account for 39% of P.E.I.'s budget.