Federation of agriculture urges province to act on P.E.I. land-use plan
‘We remain waiting… and have not seen any progress on the actual land-use plan’
The P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture continues to push the provincial government to move forward with a long-overdue land-use framework to protect farmland. More than three years have passed since a 2021 report called for such a plan.
Lori Robinson, co-chair of the advisory committee behind the report, voiced her concerns during a legislative standing committee meeting on Thursday.
With the loss of farmland on P.E.I. accelerating, she said there's been a lack of action from the province.
"In spite of government providing consistent assurance that it would complete a provincial land-use plan. We remain waiting… and have not seen any progress on the actual land-use plan," said Robinson, who is the federation of agriculture's first vice-president.
According to the federation's numbers, P.E.I. lost around 142,000 acres of farmland in 20 years, shrinking from 646,000 acres in 2001 to 504,000 acres in 2021. During the same period, agriculture's contribution to the province's GDP fell from 10-12 per cent to 8-10 per cent.
Robinson said the loss of farmland brings significant risks — the rising cost of agricultural land that makes it harder for young farmers to enter the industry, potential loss of processing facilities for key products like potatoes and dairy, and reduced tax revenue for rural municipalities due to unchecked housing development along rural roads.
Interim measures also delayed
The report released in July 2021 recommended the province immediately bring in interim regulations to regulate subdivision and development in areas without an official plan.
The goal is to stop or curb the subdivision of agricultural land and the development of rural residential lots in areas without a land-use plan in place. These would be in place until a provincewide land-use planning model is adopted.
But no interim measures have been introduced in the three years since the report was released, said Robinson, while the Island continues to lose farmland.
"Putting in place interim measures is a policy change that government could do tomorrow, could have done in July 2021," said Green MLA Peter Bevan-Baker.
Robinson said the federation felt the province understood the urgency of the issue when working with former land minister Bloyce Thompson.
In a cabinet shuffle in October, Steven Myers became the minister of land, "who we, as a federation, have had difficulty having discussions [with] to this point," she said.
"If you're asking about interim measures and when we would expect to see them, we've not had any discussions with the current minister of land to be able to ask that question," Robinson told Bevan-Baker.
"That sense of urgency was lost."
'Absolute zero protection'
Progressive Conservative MLA Hilton MacLennan raised concerns he's heard from some farmers who fear that future land-use planning may affect them.
"The only concern, maybe, is the farmers' ability to use their land for debt relief — it could be short term — or retirement. So I'm just wondering, is it a concern if that's left up to a board to make a decision on it?" MacLennan asked.
Donald Killorn, the federation's executive director, said there are many examples that would require landowners to apply for land-use changes. He compared it to zoning, which exists to ensure that property is developed in a way that balances individual needs with the best interests of the community.
Farmland could be protected through a process that requires landowners to submit an application if they want to change the land's use, Killorn said.
"Making an application to make changes to the use of the land is not an unreasonable expectation, and it's necessary to ensure the continued economic impact of agriculture now and into the future," he said.
Currently, however, there is no such policy in place, Killorn said.
"We are costing future generations wealth because of our absolute zero protection of agricultural land."
In a statement to CBC News, the Department of Housing, Land and Communities said the first step in developing a land-use plan is the State of the Island report, which will analyze "data and trends on the current economic, social and environmental status of the province." The province expects that report to be released in the coming weeks.
It also said an inter-departmental committee has been formed to discuss the land-use plan.
"This committee will work together to ensure the land use plan considers their respective departments goals and objectives," the statement reads.
"This is a first step and further collaboration with stakeholders and the public will be required prior to finalizing a province-wide land use plan. As previously communicated, we would anticipate that work to be completed by the end [of] 2026."