Discovery of potential wetland halts work at eastern P.E.I. wind farm

An resident in Eastern Kings is worried the P.E.I. government will continue with a wind farm expansion in the area, despite finding a possible wetland along an access route to the development. 

Don Humphrey is an Eastern Kings councillor, but emphasized that he is not speaking on behalf of the municipality. He initially presented his concerns at a P.E.I. Forestry Commission meeting in late May.

Humphrey said the potential wetland was discovered this spring during tree clearing to create an access road off of East Point Road. 

"About two-thirds of the way in to the turbines they struck wetlands, and they weren't expecting it," he said. 

Humphrey said he and others had warned provincial officials there was a wetland along the access route that had been missed during surveys done in 2019. He said a pond with bulrushes was found during a hike at the site in 2021.

Humphrey believes the province's wetland policy means development of the land should be not be allowed.

"You're not supposed to be there."

In a statement sent to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action said work on the access road has been halted and the P.E.I. Energy Corporation has hired experts to resurvey an eighth of an acre of land.

Officials said the department is waiting for recommendations from that work before making any decisions.

Officials questioned whether wetland exists

In tender documents issued in June, provincial officials questioned whether this land was, in fact, a wetland. The tender documents say it could be a combination of "heavy rains, multiple freeze thaw cycles, and snow cover in the weeks leading up" to the tree clearing.

The documents also include recommendations from EastTech Engineering Consultants about how work could continue on the access road by putting down a fabric barrier and filling in that portion of the land with gravel. 

That work that would require a special permit if the area is determined to be a wetland. 

Humphrey feels the situation is riddled with conflict, given that P.E.I. Environment Minister Steven Myers is also the energy minister responsible for the wind farm development. 

"Whenever [the energy corporation] gets into a problem with wetland, streams or watercourses, they just go to the minister to get a permit," Humphrey said.

"It just shouldn't be." 

P.E.I. did sign a policy in 2003 that advocates for avoiding development on wetlands. The policy offers other options, including compensating for wetland loss by restoring or enhancing other wetlands in the area, creating new wetlands, or funding wetland research. 

Currently, provincial environmental permits for projects are not available online, but department officials said work is underway to create a new online access system — which they said should be up and running soon.