Island Land Use Policy at an Impasse?
The past and present state of Island land use policy will be the subject of an upcoming public symposium held at UPEI. The event begins at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, December 2 in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, room 242 of Don and Marion McDougall Hall.
Islanders who are concerned about issues surrounding the use and abuse of Island land are urged to attend. The symposium will begin with presentations by two veteran observers of Island public life over the past 30 years: Jean-Paul Arsenault and Ian Petrie. The event is co-sponsored by UPEI's Institute of Island Studies and UPEI Research Services.
Petrie spent three decades with the CBC, in three provinces, covering resource issues, mainly agriculture. He's lived for 34 years in Iona, eastern Queen's County. Arsenault served as Executive Secretary to the Round Table on Resource Land Use and Stewardship and the Commission on Land and Local Governance and was a member of the team providing support to the Commission on the Lands Protection Act.
Mr. Arsenault's talk will be entitled 'Factors Affecting Land Use Decisions: What Were They Thinking?' He will present three examples of recent property developments in rural Prince County-in the communities of New Annan, Northam, and Saint Nicholas-and the impact each has had, favourable or otherwise. Would stricter controls on land use be good for Prince Edward Island, or is the status quo the better option?
Mr. Petrie will address the topic 'Why Farmers Fight Regulations.' He has covered agricultural stories on the Island since the late 1970s, during which time he has seen the bond of understanding between producers and consumers continue to break down. During this period, consumers enjoyed cheap and abundant food, while profit margins on farms continued to shrink. This may help explain the negative response by farmers to proposed new land regulations. Is there a way out of this impasse? Mr. Petrie will propose one.
Members of the public are cordially invited to attend. Admission is free. Following the presentations, there will be ample time for discussion and questions from the floor. For more information, see upei.ca/iis.
For information:
Dave Atkinson, Research Communications Officer, UPEI
(902) 620-5117, datkinson@upei.ca
