---------- Original message ---------- From: Jody.Wilson-Raybould@parl.gc.ca Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2019 22:27:02 +0000 Subject: Automatic reply: YO Wayne Easter you LIEbranos must admit that farmers and unions were dumb to pick a fight with me this year N;esy Pas? To: motomaniac333@gmail.com
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Merci d'?crire ? l'honorable Jody Wilson-Raybould, d?put?e de Vancouver Granville.
Le pr?sent message vise ? vous informer que nous avons re?u votre courriel. En raison d'une augmentation importante du volume de correspondance, il pourrait y avoir un retard dans le traitement de votre courriel. Sachez que votre message sera examin? attentivement.
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David Raymond Amos@DavidRayAmos Replying to @DavidRayAmos@Kathryn98967631 and 49 othersM Methinks Wayne Easter and his buddies Wade MacLauchlan and David Lametti should well understand why I have heard enough of the crybaby union people who talk big and do nothing N'esy Pas?
P.E.I. government silent amid growing concern over corporate land ownership
NFU complains of ‘loopholes’ allowing corporations to exceed land limits, but government info under wraps
Kerry Campbell· CBC News·
The National Farmers Union on P.E.I. is alleging 'loopholes' in the Lands Protection Act are being used by corporations, allowing them to exceed limits on land ownership. The union is asking the provincial government to step in. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)
The National Farmers Union on P.E.I. continues to raise concerns about corporate land ownership in the province, alleging "loopholes" in the province's Lands Protection Act are allowing corporations to exceed limits on the amount of land they can own.
But it's a topic the provincial government isn't prepared to discuss, referring calls and questions to the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission.
And while IRAC receives annual reports from landowners whose holdings exceed 75 per cent of land limits, the commission says those reports are confidential.
Limits have grown
When P.E.I.'s Lands Protection Act was introduced in the 1980s it set limits on land ownership of 1,000 acres for individuals, and 3,000 acres for corporations.
Those limits have nearly doubled in recent years with allowances for leased land and non-arable land to 1,900 acres for individuals and 5,700 acres for corporations.
But for years the National Farmers Union has been raising concerns about government enforcement of the limits. On Saturday the group held a public forum with the title "Land Grabbing on P.E.I."
Doug Campbell of the National Farmers Union says his group is looking to make land ownership on P.E.I. an issue in the coming provincial election. (Nicole Williams/CBC)
"When we talk about the lands protection and the loopholes that are being violated or circumvented, what we mean is the spirit and the intent of the act is being violated," Doug Campbell, P.E.I. district director for the National Farmers Union told CBC.
"The letter of the law, we're not suggesting that's not being followed. But certainly the spirit and the intent of the whole act and what it was meant to achieve is definitely being violated."
The NFU and others have raised concerns about one particular series of applications currently before IRAC.
Application to purchase
According to filings on the IRAC website, three corporations have submitted 32 applications to purchase parcels of land totalling 2,221 acres in the Summerside area currently owned by Brendel Farms Ltd.
The three corporations which have made the applications include Galloway Farms Ltd., Long River Farms Ltd. and Indian River Farms Ltd. The newest of the three corporations, Galloway Farms, was registered as a corporation in the province on Feb. 5.
The three farm corporations each list one or more of the same members of the Irving family as shareholders and directors — including Mary Jean Irving and her two daughters, Rebecca and Elizabeth Irving.
Mary Jean Irving says she's been involved in farming on P.E.I. for 29 years, and her daughters are now getting involved in the industry. ((CBC))
Mary Jean Irving, president of Indian River Farms, spoke to CBC News.
"As you know there are applications before IRAC," she said. "All I can say to you at this point … is I've been on the Island and growing potatoes for 29 years. I'm blessed to have two daughters that are interested in farming and have been working. So their application is in that they have for their farms."
Irving said she did not want to discuss the operation of the three farm corporations publicly or provide any public comment as to whether the three corporations are connected.
CBC also contacted Mary Keith, vice-president of communication for J.D. Irving Ltd. In an email response she wrote that neither J.D. Irving nor its subsidiary Cavendish Farms are involved with the proposed land purchases.
Measures in place
P.E.I.'s Lands Protection Act does include measures to prevent corporations "directly or indirectly controlled by the same person, group or organization" from stacking up land limits in order to control more land. But neither the government nor IRAC agreed to an interview to talk about how the legislation is interpreted and enforced.
The legislation also sets out that corporations in which the same people own more than five per cent of the shares count together in terms of the land limits. The legislation requires corporations owning more than 2,250 acres to submit annual land holding declarations which include the names of shareholders who own more than five per cent of the shares.
A spokesperson for IRAC told CBC the commission reviews each corporation filing a declaration each year, but said the results of those reviews are confidential. The commission also said the size of the land holdings of corporations who submit declarations are also confidential.
PC MLA Brad Trivers said he's been raising concerns about ownership as a member of the standing committee on communities, land and environment for the past two years.
PC MLA Brad Trivers says he's disappointed with what he considers a lack of progress on the issue of land ownership limits in the province since a provincial standing committee began looking into the issue two years ago. (Province of P.E.I.)
While the committee has heard from a number of witnesses — including representatives of Cavendish Farms last November — the committee has not delivered any recommendations on the issue.
"The most frustrating part of it is, it's such an important issue … and we've made very little progress," Trivers said.
Trivers said government needs to be more transparent with existing records on land ownership to let Islanders know how much land is controlled by corporations and non-residents.
"We need real data so we can look at this in an intelligent and informed way."
Trivers said some Islanders are trying to figure out who owns what by scouring through cabinet approvals for land purchases, trying to link those to names in the provincial corporate registry and property IDs in the provincial land database.
"That's not the way we should be doing this. We need the government to come forward, and verify using their official records how much land is actually owned by corporations, how much land is owned by non-residents, and what are the connections between corporations.
"So it comes down to opening up."
One review complete, one pending
In April 2018 Minister of Communities, Land and Environment Richard Brown said he'd asked IRAC to conduct a major review of land ownership on P.E.I. to see whether anyone was breaking the rules.
At the time he said he hoped the review would be ready to present to committee by the fall of 2018.
Government says a report on corporate and non-resident land ownership has now been delivered and "will be released following a review by the department." However government says a separate review of the Lands Protection Act is yet to be completed.
The National Farmers Union says time is of the essence, and says it's trying to make land ownership an issue in the coming provincial election.
"We are in a crisis mode here with our land," said Campbell. "It has to be dealt with."
About the Author
Kerry Campbell
Provincial Affairs Reporter
Kerry Campbell is the provincial affairs reporter for CBC P.E.I., covering politics and the provincial legislature. kerry.campbell@cbc.ca
Laverne MacInnis speaks during the public information session Monday at Montague Regional High Monday on P.E.I.’s upcoming electoral reform referendum. MacInnis questioned how parties would select list candidates under a mixed-member proportional system and also wondered if hard feelings from the 2016 plebiscite have left some voters disillusioned with the process. - Mitch MacDonald THREE RIVERS, P.E.I. - Skepticism of how parties would select its nine list candidates under a mixed-member proportional representation system (MMP) was a recurring theme during a recent public information session.
Both sides of the electoral reform debate were represented at Montague Regional High Monday during the second information session hosted by referendum commissioner Gerard Mitchell.
Some Islanders shared hope proportional representation will bring more diversity and co-operation to P.E.I.’s legislature, while others felt it would ultimately take power away from voters and give it to political parties.
Former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Pat Mella, who was not representing the party, was one of the first to raise questions on the proposed MMP system.
Mella said while MMP is not an uncommon form of government around the world, she questioned how well it would work in P.E.I.’s relatively small legislature.
She noted New Zealand is often cited as the prime example of MMP.
“But New Zealand has 120 seats in their legislature,” said Mella, adding she felt reducing the number of district seats from 27 to 18 would also take power away from the electorate.
Islanders will vote during the next general election on whether P.E.I. should stick to its first-past-the-post system or switch to MMP.
The proposed MMP system would see Islanders elects MLAs in 18 districts, while each party would also submit a list of nine candidates for a second ballot. The second ballot would then determine the number of seats each party has in the legislature.
Mitchell said list seats would not go to parties who won enough district seats to already reflect their share of the popular vote.
"With all due respect, I think a lot of people, I’m not sure if they prefer to give powers to the parties. I think they like to give the power to the people.” -Pat Mella
Because parties would decide their list candidates based on their own constitutions, Mella shared concern that parties would opt to run candidates from urban areas where there are more voters.
“The nine (list candidates) are up to the parties. With all due respect, I think a lot of people, I’m not sure if they prefer to give powers to the parties. I think they like to give the power to the people.”
Leo Cheverie, a supporter of proportional representation, speaks during the public information session at Montague Regional High Monday on P.E.I.’s upcoming electoral reform referendum. Cheverie said studies show proportional representation systems often result in a more diverse and cooperative legislatures. - Mitch MacDonald However, MMP supporters said the system would give more power to voters and parties would be held accountable by their membership to run a diverse set of candidates.
“If any party was just putting Charlottetown candidates on their list, they certainly would know they’d get punished at the polls,” said Leo Cheverie. “Right now, where we have 27 districts, the parties now (nominate) the candidates in every single district.
“(Proportional representation) is about power sharing and working together and it will actually reflect a more diverse legislature at the end of the day, including for rural P.E.I., which I think is hopeful.”
Laverne MacInnis, of Murray Harbour, also questioned how list candidates would be selected and whether it would be based on political favours.
“I think MMP is a good idea, but I also get a knot in my gut about really supporting it. Is it going to add to a political climate where everybody owes everybody something?” she asked.
With a little more than 20 in attendance, MacInnis also questioned whether the turnout was due to “leftover hard feelings” from the 2016 plebiscite.
“How many people might be staying home because of that experience? I understand people voted ‘yay’ for it and then government just said, ‘oh no, we’re not going to do that’,” said MacInnis, which saw some in the crowd dispute the statement.
Carol MacLeod, of Valleyfield, suggested parties would run their “best” candidates in districts and their “second best” on the second ballots.
“That is something to consider,” said MacLeod.
Mitchell said he had also heard the opposite argument, where parties would be more likely to run well-known candidates on the provincial list.
“But I don’t know, that’s party strategy so I’m not going there,” said Mitchell.
