P.E.I. government orders new investigation into Buddhist land holdings in the province
Result of previous investigation from 2018 has never been released to the public
P.E.I. Minister of Land Steven Myers has ordered the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission to launch a new investigation looking at the land holdings of Buddhist organizations in the province.
In a media release Wednesday, the province pointed to two specific groups — the Great Wisdom Buddhist Institute (GWBI) and the Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society (GEBIS) — both of which have significant land holdings in Eastern P.E.I.
Those land holdings have been the topic of speculation and controversy for years. In recent months, that's led to accusations against members of Three Rivers Council and even safety concerns for council members, who have maintained all along that issues of land ownership fall within provincial jurisdiction.
"Islanders have valid concerns about who owns land and how it is being used, especially since we are a small province with limited land," Myers was quoted as saying in the media release. "But it's important too that these discussions are based on evidence, not assumptions."
Prince Edward Island encompasses 1.4 million acres, and historically had the nickname "The Million-Acre Farm." Critics of land acquisitions from outside the province say they increase the cost of land disproportionately and will leave future Island residents unable to afford to buy land for housing and farming.
Myers said he will release the report IRAC eventually produces to the public.
2018 report not made public
This is not the first time IRAC will have conducted such an investigation.
A previous investigation wrapped up in 2018, but the results have never been released to the public.
When CBC News filed a freedom of information request seeking that report, IRAC replied that it could neither confirm nor deny the report's existence. That request has been appealed and is now before the province's privacy commissioner.
Last week, the P.E.I. legislature's all-party Standing Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability filed a request with IRAC to provide a copy of that report by Thursday, Feb 13.
The committee also agreed to ask Myers to order a new investigation.
Both motions were put forward by Green MLA Matt MacFarlane.
"I'm continuing to be concerned with respect to what we are seeing in the community down east with the lands of the monks and the community organizations affiliated with the monks," MacFarlane said at the time.
Based on a letter from Myers obtained by CBC News, it appears the minister's request for an IRAC investigation was made two days before the committee voted to ask him to request one.
Law limits land ownership
P.E.I.'s Lands Protection Act is a unique law that limits land ownership in the province to 1,000 acres for individuals and 3,000 acres for corporations, with exceptions for additional non-arable land or land that is leased out.
The law makes cabinet responsible for approving applications from corporations to buy land. Non-residents also require cabinet approval to purchase more than five acres of land or property that includes more than 165 feet of shoreline.
On paper, GEBIS (at 578 acres) and GWBI (663 acres) are each well below their land limits.
But the legislation also includes a stipulation that multiple corporations under the direct or indirect control of the same owner be considered as one corporation in determining how much land they can hold.
Myers referenced that section of the act in his letter directing IRAC to conduct a new investigation. It's unclear whether that provision would apply in this case — that's one of the things the minister wants IRAC to determine.
That part of the law was strengthened in 2022 after a controversial land acquisition involving a member of the New Brunswick-based Irving family, where land was acquired without receiving cabinet approval.
An IRAC investigation into that transaction was completed in 2020, but no report in that case has ever been made public either.
Last year, CBC News calculated that 20 corporations tied to the Irvings own more than 12,000 acres of P.E.I. land.
Amendments to Lands Protection Act expected
Some claim the Buddhist groups effectively control between 15,000 and 17,000 acres of land in P.E.I. Those claims have not been substantiated, and both GEBIS and GWBI have publicly refuted the allegations.
"No evidence has been presented to support the assertion that GEBIS controls 17,000 acres of land," that organization said in a statement released last week. "The overly inflated figure has caused fear and division within our community."
A statement from GWBI on Wednesday welcomed Myers' action.
We believe that it would be helpful to everyone to have a new investigation. Much of the controversy related to the Buddhist community has been based on online rumours rather than hard facts.— Great Wisdom Buddhist Institute
"We believe that it would be helpful to everyone to have a new investigation. Much of the controversy related to the Buddhist community has been based on online rumours rather than hard facts. We're supportive of having facts out there as it would leave little space for speculation and facilitate fact-based discussions."
There was no immediate response to a request for comment from GEBIS regarding the new investigation.
On Wednesday, the P.E.I. government also announced that amendments to the Lands Protection Act would be tabled during the spring sitting of the legislature "to enhance oversight of land holdings for non-residents."
The province also released its State of the Island report, which the King government has identified as the first step toward developing a comprehensive land use plan for P.E.I., something that has been talked about for decades.
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