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Climate Change & the Environment

Land platforms

Here's what the 2023 PEI election parties are promising.

PC

  • Create a 25-year coastal management plan

    "Work with the School of Climate Change and Adaptation to create a 25-year coastal management plan" — With You. For You., 2023-03-24

  • Increase setback requirements in sensitive areas, including shorelines

    "Increase setback requirements in sensitive areas, including shorelines" — With You. For You., 2023-03-24

Green

  • Implement land use planning Island-wide

    "Design planning policies to:

    • Protect the shoreline and coastal ecosystems.
    • Protect and enhance forests, and increase carbon capture.
    • Reduce carbon emissions.
    • Adapt to climate change, erosion, flooding, and storm surges.
    • Protect prime agricultural land and keep it in production.
    • Protect waterways and groundwater.
    • Promote higher density housing and reduce urban sprawl.
    • Increase affordable and accessible housing.
    • Better plan infrastructure to meet the needs of our growing population.
    • Reduce the cost of utilities and improve access to services.
    • Improve public transit and active transportation.
    • Allow Islanders to participate in decisions that affect their community.
    • Integrate Mi’kmaq rights and traditional knowledge into how we manage land."

    peigreens.ca backgrounder, 2023-03-14

    "Currently, land-use planning is only conducted in municipalities that have an official plan (i.e. the larger urban ones). This covers about 10% of the Island land mass. This may increase as the

    Municipal Government Act is fully implemented and all municipalities are required to conduct land-use planning. Even with this, however, close to 70% of the Island (and 30% of the population) is outside of municipalities and will not be covered by municipal planning.

    Land-use planning affects the province’s ability to tackle various challenges, including climate change, infrastructure, agriculture, environmental protection, economic development, housing, and others. The absence of land-use planning in the vast majority of PEI is an underlying cause of many of the challenges facing the province today. Several major reports dating back 50 years, and most recently the 2021 Land Matters report, have all unequivocally said that PEI needs to institute land-use planning Island-wide.

    Staff in the Department of Agriculture and Land said during a Standing Committee hearing last year province-wide this can be done within 2 to 3 years.

    We will also follow the Land Matters recommendation to “immediately implement province-wide interim regulations to further regulate subdivision and development in areas without an official plan until a province-wide land use planning framework is adopted.” — peigreens.ca backgrounder, 2023-03-14

  • Increase the amount of protected natural areas
  • Make land ownership and purchases more transparent

    "In order for Islanders to have confidence that the Lands Protection Act is being properly enforced it is important for land ownership and purchases to be transparent. A Green Government will explore various avenues to increase transparency including:

    ● Releasing the report on the Brendel Farms land purchase.

    ● Giving IRAC the final decision on land purchases, instead of Cabinet, and increasing the transparency of IRAC’s decisions and investigations.

    ● Making the registry of deeds online and searchable.

    ● Introduce a Land Ownership Transparency Act, as was done in British Columbia." — peigreens.ca backgrounder, 2023-03-14

Liberal

  • Establish a permanent, independent land use commission, reporting to the Legislature, with Indigenous and geographic representation

    "1. Establishing a permanent and independent land use commission that reports to the Legislature;

    2. Ensuring the commission would be expert-based with indigenous and geographic representation;

    3. Ensuring the commission has the staffing and resource capabilities to undertake analysis, consultations, and other activities deemed essential to its mandate" — Healthcare First: An Action Plan for Islanders, 2023-03-22

  • Revise the Lands Protection Act to legislate the existence of the new commission

    "Revising the Lands Protection Act and other statutes to define and enshrine the role of the commission" — Healthcare First: An Action Plan for Islanders, 2023-03-22

  • Mandate the commission to make ongoing assessments of current policy to protect land, and recommend new policy approaches

    "Mandate the commission to undertake ongoing assessments of the effectiveness of the current policy and regulatory framework to achieves land protection objectives and, where required, recommend new policy and regulatory approaches." — Healthcare First: An Action Plan for Islanders, 2023-03-22

NDP

  • Ensure meaningful public participation when assessing environmental impacts
  • Amend the Lands Protection Act

    "Work to amend the Lands Protection Act, to protect our natural environment against further questionable commercial encroachment." — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

  • Renew legislating protecting species at risk, and update the current list of species

    "Renew legislation to protect species at risk, ensuring that the current list of species is complete" — NDP Platform 2023, 2023-03-09

Looking for the parties' positions on other topics?

See our full 2023 PEI election platform comparison