On November 22, 2022 I asked questions about climate change adaptation and shoreline protection.
I started off asking for a follow up on post-Fiona shoreline clean-up, which was stalling. I was assured by the Minister of Communities & Fisheries that shoreline clean-up was happening.
I asked about funding to protect public beaches as we adapt to climate change. Also I asked for expert direction as to what actions that can be taken to protect both public beaches and private land.
I wanted to know how the use of shoreline armouring would be regulated, for example in the case where one property has armouring, but the adjacent properties do not (like Point Deroche).
Finally, I received a commitment from the Minister to hold a public information session and workshop as soon as possible to discuss climate change adaptation with residents of the north shore.
Read the full transcript in the PDF file: Hansard-22 November 2022 page 19 of 65. Also see text of the debate below:
Mr. Trivers: Three weeks ago, I stood in this House and talked about the significant shoreline debris on the North Shore as a result of Hurricane Fiona, and the need to clean it up as soon as possible. The minister responsible said that surveying was underway, a crew was in place, areas were being identified, and the program details were being finalized. However, I’m getting reports from my constituents that places like New London Bay and Rustico Bay, other than the amazing efforts of our fishers, cleanup has not even started.
Post-Fiona cleanup on North Shore
Question to the Minister of Fisheries and Communities: What is the status of shoreline cleanup efforts across the province, especially on the North Shore?
Speaker: The hon. Minister of Fisheries and Communities.
Mr. Fox: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Cleanup has started. We have crews out there on the ground. We have contractors that are on call –
Mr. Trivers: Just not on the North Shore.
An Hon. Member: (Indistinct)
Mr. Fox: The contractors are identifying the areas –
An Hon. Member: (Indistinct)
Mr. Fox: – they have identified the areas, and they’re working along to get each area taken care of as they’re prioritized. There was supposed to be, actually, an airplane go up yesterday and do a further in-depth survey; however, it was grounded due to the winds. The work is ongoing, hon. member.
An Hon. Member: (Indistinct) clean up the water (Indistinct)
Speaker: The hon. Member from Rustico-Emerald.
Mr. Trivers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s great. I’m glad he’s doing more surveys, getting planes in the air, but we need action on the ground, on the North Shore, and we’re not seeing it.
Some Hon. Members: (Indistinct)
An Hon. Member: (Indistinct) over here.
Mr. Trivers: The PEI Coastal Property Guide released in 2016 and the new PEI Climate Adaptation Plan both offer advice to property owners regarding shoreline protection. With regards to helping repair damage to uninsured property, the former tells property owners: You shouldn’t count on it. However, it also acknowledges that most Island beaches are public property, and the new Climate Adaptation Plan states: it does not recommend, as a first alternative, the use of shoreline stabilization along PEI’s perimeter coastline. So, it’s my understanding that there is funding set aside for shoreline property damage.
Funding to protect public beaches
A question to the minister of environment, energy, and climate change: How much funding is available to restore and protect our public beaches, and what can it be used for?
Speaker: The hon. Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action.
Mr. Myers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think with our Climate Adaptation Plan, what we’re trying to do is look for and say what are the things that we can do as we move forward, and what should be allowed along the shoreline. The Member from Morell-Donagh and I had this debate in Question Period here last week, where I said maybe in some cases, you won’t be allowed to build as close as you did before. As far as what money is available, at this point, there’s no money available from my department to do shoreline restoration. What we’re looking at is whether or not there should be, and if it does, should it be natural, how it should be done in the future, and where it should be done in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: The hon. Member from Rustico-Emerald, your second supplementary.
Mr. Trivers: Mr. Speaker, what I’m hearing is a lot of talk about climate adaptation, but we actually need action to happen on the shorelines to protect our shorelines. We’ve got private owners that are adjacent to public beaches. Their land has been devasted in Fiona. They’re worrying about storm surges this winter.
Actions to protect beaches, private land
Another question to the minister of environment, energy and climate change: What are you going to do to help protect our public beaches and the private lands that are adjacent to them?
Speaker: The hon. Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action.
Mr. Myers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it’s common knowledge in the climate change file that beaches will be lost or forever changed. We saw that on the North Shore under Fiona, that some of the beaches were devastated and they may never come back, or they may never, at least, come back in our lifetime. Who really knows? As far as the people who have built along the shoreline, as I said to the Leader of the Opposition here last week, the recommendation has always been, in some of those areas, not to build there. Obviously, there’s people who ignored us. I think it’s one of the single biggest risks we have in climate change in the world, is that people have built in places that they shouldn’t have, either in floodplains and major cities have turned into huge developments that will become floodplains again, and here in Prince Edward Island, along our coastal shoreline where it has been long recognized that the shoreline will change, the floodplains will grow, and maybe you shouldn’t necessarily build in that spot. Long answer short, our plans are going to be to put definitive action on paper to say here’s what you can do, here’s what you can’t do, because people aren’t listening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: The hon. Member from Rustico-Emerald.
Mr. Trivers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is no time to give up, minister. You’re the minister of action. We expect things to happen.
Some Hon. Members: (Indistinct)
Mr. Trivers: Action No. 22 of the new Climate Adaptation Plan includes, I quote, “Develop a program to support nature-based solutions to erosion and flooding for lower-income individuals”.
Use of shoreline armouring
Question to the minister of environment, energy and climate change: Is it your position that shoreline armouring should no longer be allowed?
An Hon. Member: Oh, good question.
Speaker: The hon. Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action.
Mr. Myers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not sure if that’s my position. I think what my position is, is that we need to get the expert advice, whether it’s from both our own department, the climate adaptation school at UPEI, and whatever other experts we have around shoreline protection on Prince Edward Island, come up with a policy that’s a suitable policy. What I said last week was that we protect our own assets with armour stone, so it would be a little bit rich for us to say, hey, we’re going to protect the Hillsborough Bridge like this, but you can’t protect. So, I think we have the plan that’s right, but I think anybody in my position would say, where possible, protecting with a natural barrier is much better. I think the Stratford watershed group had a living shoreline that they’ve worked on that was quite successful over there. I think we have a lot of lessons to draw from what they’ve done and what might work in other parts of Prince Edward Island. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: The hon. Member from Rustico-Emerald.
Mr. Trivers: Mr. Speaker, your action plan says you’re doing living shorelines. You’re saying you are supporting shoreline armouring. I’m a little confused, but let me ask you another question. In the wake of Hurricane Fiona, many property owners are acting now, they’re acting right now to protect their shoreline with the goal of protection from further erosion of weakened shores from winter storm surges. Another issue that I have been hearing of, and it’s been alluded to in this House before, is some landowners may become even more vulnerable because their neighbours have the financial resources to use shoreline armouring for their property, which may cause even more damage to their neighbours in a future weather event.
Negative impacts from shoreline armour
A question to the minister of environment, energy and climate change: What legislation and regulations exist to prevent shoreline armouring in one spot that negatively impacts neighbouring properties?
Speaker: The hon. Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action.
Mr. Myers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s nothing that would protect the adjacent shoreline. I think it’s part of the crux of the Point Deroche argument, is if you look at the pictures post-Fiona, it’s really accelerated the erosion next to it. That’s what armouring will do in places that have it that the neighbours don’t. It’s a policy that we have to get right. This is the policy that I talked about last week that we have to determine what happens if only one person wants to do it and the others can’t afford to do it. Should we allow it all? Should we force people to pull back? What are we going to do to best protect Prince Edward Island from climate change? I don’t know the answer –
Mr. McNeilly: (Indistinct)
Mr. Myers: – because I’m not the expert in it. But I, unlike the Liberal government when you were here, I’m going to rely on experts. Thank you.
Speaker: The hon. Member from Rustico-Emerald, your second supplementary.
Mr. Trivers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My constituents are looking for solutions. They want to do the right thing, whether they’re seasonal residents, cottage owners, or live right there year-round. Last week, the Trout River Environment Committee, TREC, it’s a watershed group, in conjunction with the Stanley Bridge Sterling Women’s Institute, they held a really great meeting on coastal erosion and Fiona. The Climate Lab was there; did a great presentation. Over 50 people attended to hear excellent, excellent information, but most seemed to leave with more questions than answers, answers I think the Province can provide regarding climate change adaption, especially with respect to shoreline restoration and protection.
Commitment to hold workshop
Question to the minister of environment, energy and climate change: I want to work together with you. I want to educate the people in my district. I want to make progress. Will you commit to holding an information session and workshop on the North Shore as soon as possible led by the climate change experts from your department?
Speaker: The hon. Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action.
Mr. McNeilly: (Indistinct)
Mr. Myers: Yeah, Mr. Speaker, I think that’s a great idea. Yeah, I will commit to that. I will commit to sending our experts out to meet with the people that are concerned in your community. I think it’s great that so many people would show up to a meeting that were so concerned and wanted to do something to make PEI better; more, as a matter of fact, than showed up at the Liberal leadership this weekend. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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