Green Party seeks audit of Lands Protection Act enforcement

P.E.I.'s Green Party wants the province's auditor general to have a look at how the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission is enforcing the Lands Protection Act.

A key piece of the act sets limits on how much land individuals and corporations can own on P.E.I.

Green Party finance critic Michele Beaton stood in the legislature Wednesday to ask Premier Dennis King to direct the auditor general to conduct a performance audit on IRAC's enforcement of the act.

"If the legislation isn't being enforced as it currently stands, then that's a concern all Islanders should be raising, and they are," said Beaton.

The MLA says it is important that "not just the letter of the law but the spirit and the intent of the legislation was being enforced as well."

Beaton has raised concerns around the fact thatIRAC said it does not share the results of investigations with the groups it is investigating.

She has also questioned why the minister of land had to direct IRAC to investigate a controversial land transaction in 2019, when IRAC could have launched the investigation on its own.

The premier said he would take Beaton's request under advisement and report back next week.

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