CHARLOTTETOWN — Prince Edward Island is imposing a moratorium on new shoreline protection projects after a controversy over a large, rock breakwater built around a beachfront home.
Environment Minister Steven Myers said Wednesday the moratorium defines which projects are frozen until a new coastal zoning policy is created in collaboration with researchers at the University of Prince Edward Island.
The minister said the goal is to create a wide-ranging approach to coastal protection that addresses "the unique coastal geology of Prince Edward Island, which changes from tip to tip."
The department has been refusing permits since Dec. 1 — with 75 proposals put on hold to date — but Wednesday's announcement formalizes the moratorium and defines to whom it applies.
Certain projects approved by provincial environmental reviews may still proceed, and repairs are allowed to "critical infrastructure" and erosion-control structures that were damaged in late September by post-tropical storm Fiona.
Myers acknowledged the moratorium comes "partly" because of intense scrutiny over an imposing stone breakwater put up in front of a new house in the community of Point Deroche, about 30 kilometres northeast of Charlottetown.
However, he also said the coastal zone policies are driven by the need to demonstrate that the Island is ready to apply for its share of the $1.6-billion federal climate adaptation fund announced last fall.
"We're trying to get our ducks in a row so we can go to Ottawa and say, 'Look at us, we're ready,'" Myers said in an interview.
Asked if he expects to bring in new legislation to prevent a scattershot approach to coastal protection, Myers said it will depend on what the university consultants suggest.
"If they come back with something that requires us to make legislative changes, then we will," he said. He added the moratorium could extend into the fall if his government decides to proceed with legislative changes.
Green Party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker said last fall that the Point Deroche breakwater impedes people from walking along a pristine beach, calling the structure a "lightning rod that has channelled decades of growing discontent" over a lack of coastal management.
In an interview on Wednesday, the opposition leader said he feels the Progressive Conservative government should move to stop all construction at the Point Deroche property. Myers has said the home's seawall doesn't break the law because it was built over existing rock barriers.
Bevan-Baker also said he doubts the government will bring in legislation with penalties for builders who breach development rules in coastal zones.
"We have policies in place now, but people are going around them and breaking them and there aren't repercussions, because policies don't have the same weight as legislation," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2023.
— By Michael Tutton in Halifax.
The Canadian Press
