'It's a threat': P.E.I. Potato Board raises concerns about land sales

The P.E.I. Potato Board is raising concerns about the sale of agricultural land, in particular to non-residents.

The board made a presentation Thursday in Charlottetown to members of the Standing Committee on Communities, Land and Environment on the topic of land speculation and the rising cost of land on P.E.I.

"The concerns were primarily around some of the rules and regulations with the Land Protections Act and ensuring that the spirit and intent of the act are followed by the province," said Greg Donald, general manager of the potato board.

"We have seen examples where agricultural land has been purchased and is no longer available for potato farmers."

Enforcement needed

In its presentation, the board said the Lands Protection Act is a strong piece of legislation but needs to be enforced.

"Some of the things that we're hearing from producers are issues around the sale of land to non-residents," Donald said. 

"Not that they're against that but there may be situations where land that farmers rented from a non-farmer or someone who used to farm, and they learn that that land has been sold."

Potato farmers are open to other people buying that land but they just want to have fair access to it.— Greg Donald, P.E.I. Potato Board

The board would like the rules changed so that all sales of land to non-residents must be advertised. Right now, that's just a guideline.

"One of the guidelines with the Lands Protection Act is that when land is sold to a non-resident is that it needs to be advertised for a period of time," Donald said. 

"Land in some cases hasn't been advertised before it's been sold and somebody, let's say a potato farmer who may want that land, hasn't had the opportunity to acquire that land."

More transparency

The Potato Board also gave the example of a land sale this year that was turned down by the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) but then approved by executive council.

"In that particular case IRAC made a recommendation to executive council not to proceed with that land sale and it was approved by executive council," Donald said.   

"So we're just suggesting that perhaps there should be more transparency around that process."

The board is also concerned about the number of hectares of land that are being taken out of agriculture.

"Potato farmers are open to other people buying that land but they just want to have fair access to it," Donald said.

"We also feel it's important that there's a stronger land use policy so land that's in agricultural use can remain in agricultural use, that's important as well."

'A threat'

Donald said the board is eager to be part of a working group on land use that the government is proposing.

"If the land available is shrinking, we have what we have, P.E.I. isn't getting any bigger," Donald said. 

"If the land is no longer available for agricultural use, that's obviously a threat."

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