The Honourable Premier Robert Ghiz is pleased to announced that Judge Ralph C. Thompson, appointed Commissioner on Land and Local Governance, has submitted his report to Government.
Government will be reviewing the report, with the public release and initial government response to take place in the coming weeks.
BACKGROUNDER
Both local governance and land use in Prince Edward Island have experienced a gradual transformation over the years, with villages and community improvement committees shape-shifting into new municipal structures, provincial land-use service centres giving way to an amalgam of municipal and provincial planning jurisdictions, and changes at the national level affecting the roles and legal responsibilities of municipal bodies. Unfortunately, legislation, planning structures, funding structures, boundaries, and local capacity have not necessarily kept pace with changing realities on the ground, with the noted exception of large steps towards realignment in the mid-1990s with the amalgamations in the Charlottetown and Summerside areas.
A review of municipal legislation completed in 2005 identified, through more than 129 recommendations, a range of weaknesses in the existing framework. The modernization of the legislation is now intended to go hand in hand with the implementation of findings and recommendations from the Commissioner’s process.
Government has signaled a desire to move towards a system of local governance and land use practice that is effective, adequately funded, and appropriately organized. Such a new system would take into account efficiencies of scale, resources and capacity at the local level, and any legislative, financial and human resource tools required to implement any new models. It is also Government’s intent to move towards a system that is built on public consensus, education, shared goals, and regional cooperation.
The Province took the first step in moving towards comprehensive improvements when Premier Robert Ghiz announced the appointment of a Commissioner of Land and Local Governance in his 2008 Throne Speech. A White Paper was created which represents the second step – identifying the situation and setting the stage for the Commissioner’s work. The Commissioner was appointed in November 2008; since then he has been culminating his report and suggested action plans for implementing changes.
The main objects of the Report were twofold:
• The Commissioner shall identify concerns and recommend changes in the areas of the provincial approach to land use planning, municipal structures, and municipal governance, in order to better protect our land and water resources, promote strong and vibrant local governments, and enable the province to respond to issues such as climate change, viewscape protection, and urban-rural conflicts.
• The Commissioner shall develop potential action plans and options which would lead, if adopted by Government, to a new model of land use planning for the province within the next 5 to 7 years and recommendations on possible future municipal structures and governance, with emphasis on public information dissemination and public engagement.
Now that the Report has been submitted, Government will conduct an internal review of the recommendations, planning for change, amendment of legislation, possible restructuring, and a strengthening of the Island as a mosaic of communities.
Municipal and land use reform appears to follow cycles, with greater or lesser degrees of change at any given point. It is time once again to take a comprehensive look at the structures that govern the day-to-day life of Island residents, guide our local municipal officials, and direct our use of the land.