Rob Lantz is premier of Prince Edward Island. Office of the Premier, P.E.I.Article contentIn 1991, Prince Edward Island merged the Public Utilities Commission, the Land Use Commission and the Office of the Rentalsman under one roof and called it the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission. The idea was efficiency: one place, one set of experts, one address for Islanders who needed a fair hearing.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThirty-five years later, that same small commission sets electricity rates, decides who can buy farmland, rules on landlord-tenant disputes, and hears municipal planning appeals — sometimes all in the same week, with the same handful of commissioners. IRAC’s structure hasn’t changed since 1991. Almost everything else about the Island has.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentArticle contentIndependent reviewArticle contentThat’s the finding of the first fully independent review of IRAC. Commissioner Rory Francis and his team held hearings in five communities, more than 40 meetings, and received 63 written submissions. Their conclusion is blunt: trust between IRAC and Island residents has eroded. That isn’t because of any one decision, person or government. It’s because a structure built in 1991 couldn’t keep up with Prince Edward Island in 2026.Article contentMost Islanders have already felt it. A municipality that told the review a single planning appeal cost it upward of $25,000 and took over a year, freezing development the whole time. Tenants and landlords couldn’t tell whether their case belonged to IRAC or the Residential Tenancy Office. Families wait months on rental decisions, farmers on land transactions, and small business owners on a straight answer.Article contentArticle contentTimes have changedArticle contentSome of what’s changed around IRAC is easy to miss unless you go looking for it. Rental vacancy on this Island swung from over seven per cent in the mid-1990s to a record low of 0.3 per cent in 2018. The market is finally easing, but it remains tight by any historical standard. That helps explains why tenancy disputes have become more complex, more frequent and higher stakes, while IRAC’s structure stayed frozen.Article contentArticle contentSo, we’re changing the structure. We’re not tinkering with it, we’re dismantling IRAC and replacing it.Article contentArticle contentWe will move to implement Commissioner Francis’ recommended structure, a new single regulating body that will include two focused functions — a P.E.I. Energy and Utilities Board with the specialized expertise electricity regulation now demands, and a P.E.I. Land and Appeals Board built around planning, land and tenancy appeals. The Residential Tenancy Office is being removed from IRAC entirely, with its own office, budget and line of accountability, so Islanders never again have to guess who’s responsible for their case.Article contentCommissioners will be chosen through a merit-based process, with real terms and real performance reviews. And we’re legislating an independent review every six years, permanently.Article contentArticle contentConsultation still openArticle contentThis is an interim report. Commissioner Francis’s final report is due Nov. 1 and consultation is still open, so I encourage Islanders to keep telling the review what they think. But we won’t sit idle waiting for it. Where the review has identified recommendations, government can act on, we’re acting now. Legislation to create the two new boards will be introduced this fall, and a transition team will make sure no Islander’s file gets lost along the way.
ROB LANTZ: Why we’re not waiting: IRAC was built for 1991. It’s time to build a regulator for what’s next
