Ask Candidates About Land Use: Protecting P.E.I.’s Shores and Public Spaces

Thanks to Katie McInnis for this reminder to ask these questions when candidates come to your door!

Ask candidates about land use

Lands protection regulations in P.E.I. are flimsy and not enforced

The Guardian (Charlottetown)1 Mar 2023KATIE MCINNIS

COMMENTARY Katie Mcinnis, of Charlottetown, P.E.I., is a retired UPEI employee with an interest in environmental issues.

Since the current regulations are so flimsy that virtually anyone with money can bypass them, it is way beyond the time for these rules to be strengthened and enforced.

P.E.I. has a finite amount of land that is growing ever smaller with every storm that washes away great swaths of land.

Knowing this, it is imperative that there be a land use plan in place that is clear, enforceable and free from loopholes. The Island must be protected from organizations or individuals buying large tracts and, equally as important, prevent development of any kind close to the shore. Buffer zones need to be clearly defined and no one allowed to build within them.

Currently there are several land use issues that merit a closer look.

BEACH DEGRADATION

First, the monstrous degradation of the beach at Point Deroche by putting armour stone on the beach and bank to prevent erosion. What is actually prevented is people walking along the beach.

The land on the water side of a beach to the high-water mark is public. This is blocking public access. Destroying the beach and adjoining wetland area is jeopardizing the ecosystem. Piping plovers and bank swallows, to name but two, depend on coastal habitat for survival. In addition, there are plants native to coastal environments which will not survive when this sort of development is allowed to happen.

According to a report issued in 2016 by the Department of Communities, Land and Environment, a building on the coast must be set back 75 feet or 60 times the erosion rate, whichever is greater. The aerial views of ongoing construction on this property clearly show that it is in violation of the government’s own regulations. It is ugly, it is offensive and it is just wrong! Wealthy privilege at its finest.

CORPORATE OWNERS

The second is the amount of land in Eastern Kings that is being purchased by big corporations from China. Before everyone jumps on the racist card, this is not a racist issue. It is no different than the concern over the amount of land owned by the Irving family or by Vanco Farms. All of these corporations own far more land than they are legally allowed to own and have gotten it because of loopholes in the current land use regulations. An example would be the Brendel Farms sale to the Irvings. Please look it up if you are not familiar.

Since the current regulations are so flimsy that virtually anyone with money can bypass them, it is way beyond the time for these rules to be strengthened and enforced. There will be an election within the next few weeks and we must all ask the question about the political parties’ policies on land use. When a candidate comes to your door, ask about land regulations and how they will be enforced. Then we must vote judiciously for the party with the best platform and who will do the most to ensure that our land is protected before it is too late. That party is not blue, red or green. It is orange.

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