Tag: pei water act

Agroecology as a Basis for Irrigation Strategy

On By peifsnIn Government Policy, Irrigation, UncategorizedLeave a comment

By Trudy White, Iris

One would expect that any irrigation or soil improvement strategy being developed for our Island would be grounded in the most current scientific knowledge on soil health and would address the very serious issues of declining soil biodiversity and pesticides in soil, water, and sediment.  Yet this irrigation strategy discussion document does not even mention the words biodiversity or pesticides.

Science clearly tells us that protecting and restoring soil biodiversity is critical for soil regeneration and resilience and also for sustaining our water cycle.  But the document fails to mention “increasing biodiversity” even in its sections about Improved Environmental Benefits or Soil Health.

Continue reading “Agroecology as a Basis for Irrigation Strategy” →

Guiding Principles for an Irrigation Strategy

On By peifsnIn Government Policy, Irrigation, UncategorizedLeave a comment

By Don Mazer, on behalf of the Coalition for the Protection of PEI Water

The Irrigation Strategy (IS) document is the culmination of what began as the exemplary process of public consultation that resulted the Water Act. This process reflected widespread public opposition to ending the moratorium on high capacity (HC) wells. It is ironic that the outcome of this extended process was a plan to enable the return of HC wells.  It is unfortunate that this decision seemed to be based almost entirely on the will of the minister,  who seemed to require little evidence, and had little interest in meaningful consultation with citizens or even his own standing committee.

The result is an ‘irrigation strategy` that offers limited opportunities for meaningful input from Islanders. This document should have been the result of a public process that engaged citizens. Rather, it was developed quietly and internally by the department and its bureaucrats and whomever they chose to consult with. This did not include our group, the Coalition for the Protection of PEI Water. Our coalition includes a broad range of environmental, watershed and socially concerned groups and individuals. From the first days, we have been deeply involved in the process of developing the Water Act, and acknowledged by a previous Minister in the legislature for its important contribution to the Act.  We are concerned why a group like ours with such a longstanding commitment to PEI water would not be included in such consultations.

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Ending the moratorium: Credible science and comprehensive data or empty rhetoric and baseless reassurances?

On By peifsnIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Don Mazer and Boyd Allen

Part l.

The Water Act Process: From exemplary public consultation to industry led policy

It took 7 years, but now Prince Edward Island finally proclaimed a Water Act. There are certainly reasons to celebrate this. The Act contains guiding values that recognize water as a common good and a public trust. There is acknowledgment of the precautionary principle and the need to preserve water for future generations.   Yet, how much the Act will help to remedy the poor track record of the Government and its departments in protecting PEI’s waters remains to be seen.

The impetus for the development of the Water Act began at Legislative Standing Committee meetings in 2014. The potato processing industry was pressuring government to lift the moratorium on high capacity wells for agriculture, and many citizens and groups opposed this.

Continue reading “Ending the moratorium: Credible science and comprehensive data or empty rhetoric and baseless reassurances?” →

PEI’s Water Act, What’s Missing?

On By peifsnIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The fact that the Water Act will finally come into effect this week should be a source of celebration in Prince Edward Island. The Act contains many positive features, and in many ways reflects the values expressed by the Islanders who have over the past seven years, taken time to participate in public consultations and comment on the Act and its accompanying regulations.

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Water Act Debated in Legislature

On By peifsnIn Government Policy, PEI Water Act, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Water Act was tabled for second reading in the P.E.I. Legislature on November 29. As debate continues, and in the absence of further public consultation, it is important for MLAs to hear from us. The Coalition has identified several ways in which the act could be improved:

  1. Enshrine that water is a right.
  2. Make the fracking ban a real ban
  3. Use the right names for the terms: precautionary principle, intergenerational equity
  4. Do not allow municipalities to to exceed limits on water withdrawals
  5. Put the moratorium on high capacity wells in the Act
  6. Recognize Indigenous title and jurisdiction to watersheds in the Water Act. 

Continue reading “Water Act Debated in Legislature” →

Winter River/Tracadie Bay Watershed Group on the Draft Water Act

On By peifsnIn PEI Water Act, UncategorizedLeave a comment

UntitledSarah Wheatley and Cathy Corrigan of the Winter River/Tracadie Bay Watershed Group made some excellent points in their presentation, including the need to address the issue of moving water from one watershed to another:

“Banning water exports from PEI is a good step, but it doesn’t address an existing problem.

•Water is being exported from the Winter River watershed in the process of supplying Charlottetown with water.

•Other provinces have banned the movement of water between watersheds (ex. BC, ON).

•Small scale exports, across small distances might not cause much issue, but the levels exported from Winter River clearly do have a negative impact.”

See their powerpoint presentation here

Draft Water Act Released

On By peifsnIn PEI Water Act, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The long-awaited first draft of a Water Act for PEI has been released! And now the second round of consultations begins. To help us prepare for the consultations, the Coalition for Protection of PEI Water will hold a MEETING on Monday, March 20 at 7 pm at the Farm Centre in Charlottetown. Everyone is welcome to come and share their first thoughts about the proposed legislation.

DSCF2668Schedule of public meetings

  • Thursday, March 30, 7:00 to 9:00 pm – Kaylee Hall, Pooles Corner
  • Monday, April 3, 7:00 to 9:00 pm – Westisle Composite High School, Elmsdale
  • Wednesday, April 5, 7:00 to 9:00 pm – Credit Union Place, Summerside
  • Monday, April 10, 7:00 to 9:00 pm – Murphy’s Community Centre, Charlottetown

If you would like to make a presentation at one of these meetings, please pre-register with the Department of Communities, Land and Environment, by e-mail sjmoore@gov.pe.ca(link sends e-mail) or by phone (902) 368-5028.

Please note that each presentation will be limited to ten minutes.

Water Act White Paper

On By peiislanderIn Government PolicyLeave a comment
Environment Minister Robert Mitchell tabled the much awaited white paper on the proposed water act.
It is time to get informed and get involved.  A group from the Coaltion for the Protection of PEI Water is working on a letter for the papers to assist Islanders in learning about the process and encourage government to work with Islanders to develop a comprehensive, sustainable act.

Here is a brief description of the timeline:
  • Fall 2015: public consultations on the white paper and what should be in the Water Act carried out in several communities.  A panel made up of some members of the Environmental Advisory Council will be at every meeting, and the meetings will be moderated by the highly respected Jean-Paul Arsenault, who used to work for government and helped with a lot of those previous Reports and Roundtables (which are linked in the white paper).
  • Winter/Spring:  Department of Communities, Land and Environment works on draft Legislation
  • Spring 2016: second series of public consultations on draft water act
  • Fall 2016 (November): Water Act legislation tabled in the P.E.I. Legislature.

This is a very short timeline, and may be too ambitious. BC spent 6 years on their act and are still working on the legislation.
Public engagement and input need to be truly incorporated into the document.

The Department of Communities, Land and Environment website on a water act:
http://www.gov.pe.ca/wateract/

The link to the actual white paper:
http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/wateract.pdf