Policy not enough to protect shoreline, legislation needed, say Greens

P.E.I.'s Official Opposition leader said creating a new policy around rock walls is not going to help protect the Island from climate change. 

Peter Bevan-Baker, MLA for New Haven-Rocky Point and leader of the Green Party, said what's needed is legislation. 

"A policy doesn't really have any strength in terms of legislative weight or heft behind it," said Bevan-Baker in an interview Wednesday.

"And so we really need something in regulation or in one of the pieces of legislation surrounding this, probably the Environmental Protection Act." 

The P.E.I. government is looking to introduce policy around the use of rock walls on the province's shoreline.

This has been discussed at length in the legislature in recent days, reflecting on how damaging Fiona has been to the province's coastal areas and what role rock walls (or shoreline armouring) play in accelerating erosion at adjacent properties.

PC MLA Sidney MacEwen brought it up Thursday with Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action Steven Myers, going back and forth over the issue.

"We will have a better policy for 2023," Myers told MacEwen during question period. "That's something that the staff is currently working on and looking at what the best practices should be."

Greens working on new bill 

Bevan-Baker said he's working on a bill to introduce legislation around rock walls, but also said it's possible the existing legislation is strong enough.

"Creating a new bill, particularly a new bill such as the Coastal Protection Act that they have in Nova Scotia, is a big piece of work. But that's what we need to do," he said.

"I think we need a review of the existing legislation that we have, because the law that we have actually is sufficient if it were properly applied by government."

Bevan-Baker said despite current laws around buffer zones, the government continues to issue permits. 

"So we have a government that seems to be willing to issue permits to break the laws of this province."

Tuesday, PC MLA Brad Trivers followed up in the legislature about the issue, asking Myers what regulations or legislation currently exists around shoreline armouring — which contributes to erosion on surrounding properties.

 "There's nothing that would protect the adjacent shoreline … it's a policy we have to get right," Myers said.

"We have to determine what happens if only one person wants to do it and the others can't afford to do it. Should we allow it all? Should we force people to pull back? What are we going to do to best protect Prince Edward Island from climate change?"

Answers to those questions is what the province is aiming to do as it reforms its Climate Adaptation Plan, which was released on Oct. 27, and looks to introduce policy around the use of rock walls on P.E.I.

Minister commits to meeting with experts, residents on North Shore

Trivers said people in his district want more uniform government policy around how to protect shorelines going forward. Trivers said right now some people are doing anything they can to protect their shoreline, and that's led to not just more coastal erosion in some areas — but a patchwork of different approaches. 

He said he wants neighbours "following the same rules" on shoreline protection. "These homeowners' associations, as Islanders do, are co-operating for the most part, but some of them are worried in the aftermath of Fiona. They don't have deep pockets but their neighbours do," he told CBC News.

"It's a fight against nature to protect land and people are going to do what they have to do. It's an issue that needs to be addressed … and that was really the root of my questions today."

The Trout River Environment Committee and the Sterling Women's Institute in Stanley Bridge held a joint meeting with the director of UPEI's climate lab about flooding, coastal erosion and shoreline protection last week.

Trivers said the meeting was well attended, and asked the minister to commit to meeting with residents and experts about next steps for the North Shore. Myers agreed.

"There probably will be gaps, but let's address those gaps because people really want to find solutions to protect our Island," he said.

Policy around rock walls isn't expected until at least the spring.