PEI Community News

As advocates warn the world is turning away from the suffering in Gaza, a Canadian charity is opening a relief hub to give traumatized children in the enclave access to basic mental health supports and education. “The need is so urgent,” said Usama Khan, an adviser to the head of Human Concern International, a Muslim charity based in Ottawa.

Welcome to a new year with a new set of Grants Black-led/ B3 Non profits and Charities. Whether you’re launching a new initiative, scaling your impact, or need support for infrastructure and capacity-building, here some current grants to help fund your Black non profit in Canada to check out this month:

January is Braille Literacy Month in Canada, a time to recognize braille as a cornerstone of literacy, learning, and independence for people who are blind, Deafblind, or have low vision. That’s where your hands can help. Funds raised through Braille Nails will help support CNIB’s braille literacy programs, ensuring they have access to instruction, materials, and tools that allow them to learn to read and write independently. Just as we would never question the importance of print literacy for sighted children, children who are blind deserve the same foundation for success.

Every holiday season, a Nova Scotia man has completed a dozen dares in honour of his late cousin. “We just finished up our 10th year of the 12 Dares of Christmas. Another successful year, lots of great donations, and lots of support from people sharing and liking videos, so, yeah, pretty happy with how this year went.,” said Eric Anstey of Lower Sackville. As part of the challenge, Anstey has gone paddle boarding in First Lake in the winter, rode around Mic Mac Mall dressed as the Grinch and even gotten a tattoo. One year, he was even dared to dress up as CTV News Atlantic’s Katie Kelly.

Other Order of Nova Scotia recipients for 2025 include Cape Breton business and community leader Rankin MacSween, philanthropist and entrepreneur John George (Jack) Flemming and human rights advocate Carolyn G. Thomas, who won the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in 2008. An investiture ceremony will be held at Government House in Halifax this spring. The Order of Nova Scotia, which was established in June 2001, has invested 132 members.

A P.E.I. non-profit is launching a low-cost spay and neuter program in response to what it calls a "crisis" of unhoused animals, as well as "extremely high vet bills" that put those surgeries out of reach for many pet owners. The P.E.I. Companion Animal Rescue Education Society (CARES) said it will offer the program once a month starting in January.