PEIA private member’s bill aimed at making land investigations open to the public passed in the P.E.I. Legislature on Wednesday. The amendment to the Lands Protection Act will make all documents and reports related to Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission land investigations available to the public, including those that are currently underway. Buddhist group currently under investigation in favour of amendmentJenna Banfield · CBC News · Posted: Nov 12, 2025 6:11 PM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.An amendment to make the findings of IRAC land investigations available to the public passed second reading in the P.E.I. Legislature on Wednesday. It comes after MLAs discovered a long sought-after 2018 report by the commission doesn’t actually exist. (Legislative Assembly of P.E.I.)From this point on, all reports and investigations into P.E.I. land holdings will be made public. That’s after a private member’s bill brought forward by Green Party Leader Matt MacFarlane passed second reading unanimously in the P.E.I. Legislature on Wednesday.The amendment to the province’s Lands Protection Act will make all documents and reports related to Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) land investigations available to the public, including those that are currently underway.MacFarlane said the aim is to rebuild trust in the commission.”It’s time to remove the shroud of secrecy around IRAC… that this government and the ones before it have not only allowed to happen, but have encouraged the processes to devolve to the extent that they have,” MacFarlane said.The amendment comes after MLAs discovered a long sought-after report from IRAC outlining the details of a 2018 investigation into the land holdings of Buddhist groups in eastern P.E.I. doesn’t actually exist.WATCH | Lands Protection Act amendment passes:Lands Protection Act amendment passes, but P.E.I.’s privacy commissioner has concernsLegislative changes that would require land investigations be made public passed unanimously in the P.E.I. Legislature, but the province’s privacy commissioner is raising concerns. CBC’s Wayne Thibodeau has more. MacFarlane said public feedback on the bill has been positive and that the Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society (GEBIS), one of the groups currently under investigation, is also in support of the amendment. In an email sent to MacFarlane that he tabled in the legislature, a spokesperson for GEBIS said the group “supports all efforts that provide clarity through new legislation and the release of any materials related to investigations, as these measures can help strengthen trust among Islanders.” Balancing the need to know with right to privacyP.E.I.’s privacy commissioner is raising some concerns about the amendment. During debate, MacFarlane discussed a letter from Denise Doiron, which said the right to know the details of an investigation needs to be balanced with the right to privacy.The commissioner raised concerns around supporting documents, which could contain information such as bank account numbers, a person’s political or religious beliefs or the identity of a confidential informant.P.E.I. Land Minister Cory Deagle says he is supporting the bill for the time being, but may want to make some changes depending on how it plays out as law. (Legislative Assembly of P.E.I.)Minister of Housing, Land and Communities Cory Deagle said he supports the bill as it is, but understands there could be some concerns later on.”Will we have to revisit this later on after we see how it works and plays out in real life,” Deagle said. “But overall, I think it’s a good thing, and if it can help bring some level of trust back to IRAC, then I think that’s something that we can support.”Boyd Allen with the Coalition for the Protection of P.E.I. Lands was in the legislative assembly to witness the debate. He said IRAC’s current way of undertaking investigations has to change, and he sees the amendment as a good first step.Boyd Allen with the Coalition for the Protection of P.E.I. Lands says he would prefer oversight of the Lands Protection Act to be taken away from IRAC and given to a separate agency. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)”We don’t know what their terms of reference are, we don’t know who’s conducting it, we don’t know what form this investigation is taking, we don’t know the timeline of the investigation,” Allen said of IRAC’s current inquiry into the Buddhist groups’ land holdings. “We are dependent on their good will to present their findings at the end of it, so if that is the current model, it needs to be changed.”Allen said he would ultimately like to see oversight of the Lands Protection Act removed from IRAC and given to another agency, as well as a public inquiry into land purchases on the Island.ABOUT THE AUTHORJenna Banfield is an associate producer for CBC Prince Edward Island. She can be reached at jenna.banfield@cbc.caWith files from Wayne Thibodeau
Green Party bill to make land investigations public passes in P.E.I. Legislature
