PEIThree Rivers council says the province has left amendments to the town’s development bylaw in limbo for nearly a year because the minister of housing, land, and communities won’t sign off on them — but Cory Deagle says that’s because there is “significant concern” in the community. Housing minister says he’s hearing ‘significant concern’ from residentsMarilee Devries · CBC News · Posted: Nov 28, 2025 1:00 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.’It’s leaving us in limbo right now because we haven’t been given… a reason for them not to. If they have a problem and they want to reject it, then they should go ahead and reject it,’ says Anne Van Donkersgoed, chair of the Three Rivers planning board. (Jane Robertson/CBC)Three Rivers council says the province has left amendments to the town’s development bylaw in limbo for nearly a year because the minister of housing, land, and communities won’t sign off on them — but Cory Deagle says that’s because there is “significant concern” in the community.“We’re kind of at a standoff,” said Anne Van Donkersgoed, chair of the eastern P.E.I. town’s planning board. “We haven’t been given a denial and we haven’t been given a yes. So there are things that we can’t do in Three Rivers because we haven’t had the bylaws signed.”Van Donkersgoed said the bylaw changes are mostly minor, related to allowing more housing density and letting staff process small permits without council approval. But the delay is linked to properties owned by Buddhist monks and nuns in the area, which have been the topic of land use concerns and speculation for years. Under the amended bylaw, those properties would be the only areas in the town to be zoned as institutional, while everywhere else in Three Rivers would fall under community zoning. That’s what Deagle said he’s questioning. “The question I asked is, is the Catholic Church considered an institutional zone, as it would be similar to the Buddhist groups? But they are only considered a community zone,” Deagle told CBC News this week. “So my suggestion to the council would be to go back, consider changing this, because right now in the community there’s a huge divide. There’s a lot of concern, there’s a lot of angst.” ‘Right now in the community, there’s a huge divide. There’s a lot of concern, there’s a lot of angst,’ P.E.I. Housing, Land and Communities Minister Cory Deagle says of Three Rivers. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)Van Donkersgoed said the properties owned by the Buddhist groups were already zoned as institutional when the amalgamated Town of Three Rivers formed in 2018. She said changing them to a community zone would actually upset many residents.“If you switch over… then what’s now currently the institutional zones, they would be permitted to have all the things that are in the community zones,” Van Donkersgoed said, adding that includes things like hospitals, police and fire stations, and multi-unit dwellings.“I don’t think it’s what the residents of Three Rivers would like.”Buddhist land holdings in eastern P.E.I. have been the topic of speculation for years. (Submitted by GEBIS)Van Donkersgoed said the bylaw amendments currently in front of the minister would actually require more oversight from council if these properties want to expand. “Right now our bylaws allow for a large number of different kinds of buildings that can go up at desk level, and the public has no input,” she said. “If the bylaws were passed, there certainly would be more transparency in what’s happening in those zones.”’Optics don’t look the best’Deagle said he wants to find a middle ground and “make it similar for everyone” when it comes to community and institutional zoning.“I’m not saying that there’s anything untoward happening, that… there [are] people that were trying to get around something or to give any group special attention or special powers, because at the end of the day, council has to sign off on any new development in that zone,” he said.“But the reality is, the optics don’t look the best.”The Town of Three Rivers has been waiting for almost a year for the province to approve amendments to its development bylaw. (Jane Robertson/CBC)The town submitted the amendments to the housing, land and communities department about 10 months ago, Van Donkersgoed said. Deagle has only held that portfolio since October. His predecessor, Steven Myers, didn’t sign off on the amendments either. “It doesn’t feel right now like we’re supported by the provincial government,” Van Donkersgoed said. “It feels very disrespectful.” Deagle said he won’t sign off until the town looks into the zoning areas further. “Before I sign off on any amendments to the official plan, I want to make sure that the divide and the concern and the community is addressed.”ABOUT THE AUTHORMarilee Devries is a journalist with CBC P.E.I. She has a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. She can be reached at marilee.devries@cbc.caWith files from Laura Meader
Town of Three Rivers in ‘standoff’ with province over delay in bylaw amendments
