How the Ecological Gifts Program is preserving P.E.I.'s landscape

It's been around since the 1990s, but in the last few years the federal Ecological Gifts Program has become an important tool in preserving Prince Edward Island's most sensitive ecosystems.

"It's been a tremendous boon to what we do," said Kathryn Morse, Atlantic director of communications, for the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

"It's provided a great incentive for landowners to donate their land to the Nature Conservancy of Canada and we anticipate it's going to grow in the future."

A landowner who wishes to donate land under the program first needs to find an organization that is willing to accept it, and will confirm its ecological significance. On P.E.I., there are four private organizations certified for this.

• Island Nature Trust
• Nature Conservancy of Canada
• P.E.I. Wildlife Federation
• Ducks Unlimited

The provincial government and municipal governments can also receive ecological gifts. Once a recipient is identified the land is assessed, and a charitable tax receipt is delivered for that amount.

As a side benefit, no capital gains tax is assessed. Donors may also consider it is easier to pass the land on, rather than decide how to divide it up among heirs.

There have been 27 land donations under the program on P.E.I., more than in any other province, most of those in the last five years.

Megan Harris, executive director of Island Nature Trust, said avoiding capital gains tax may be a particular advantage for Island landowners, and could be part of the reason the program is so successful here.

"Island families tend to own their land for very long periods of time, which means that often the difference between what they paid for that property 40 or 50 years ago is very, very different from what that property is worth in today's terms," said Harris.

"The capital gains tax can be very large on those family properties."

Morse believes a lot of Islanders are reaching a time of life where they need to make decisions about these properties.

"We have an aging population, so they're starting to make decisions about their land, whether to hand it down to family members or whether to consider it as a donation for conservation," she said.

Matthew Mahoney, ecological gifts co-ordinator for Atlantic Canada with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said both Morse and Harris are being modest in their assessment.

The Ecological Gifts Program, he said, is community driven. His office doesn't have the resources to look for donations.

"They're the ones who go out. They have the boots on the ground. They're the ones who knock on doors," said Mahoney.

"They know which properties might be coming up, which donors might be interested in the program."

Whatever the reason, all three are hopeful the Ecological Gifts Program will continue to be a valuable tool in preserving some of the province's most beautiful and sensitive land.

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