Latest news with #GillesArsenault
CTV News
13 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
P.E.I. wildland firefighters to help in Saskatchewan, Manitoba
Firefighters and forestry staff from Prince Edward Island have made their way out west to help with the wildfire situation. (Source: P.E.I. government) Firefighters and forestry staff from Prince Edward Island have made their way out west to help with the wildfire situation. P.E.I. has mutual aid agreements with all Canadian provinces and territories, administered through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, and has sent 10 forest firefighters to Saskatchewan and two forestry staff to Manitoba. The province says it continues to be in a 'good position' to respond to forest fires inside or outside P.E.I., with more than 55 staff trained in wildland firefighting. 'Our wildland firefighters have been working hard to prepare for this type of deployment, and we are very proud of their progress. On behalf of Islanders, I thank these individuals for their efforts,' said Environment, Energy and Climate Action Minister Gilles Arsenault in a news release from the province. The province is reminding Islanders to keep forest fire prevention top of mind, saying over 90 per cent of wildland fires have been caused by humans. 'It is crucial for all residents and visitors to be cautious with outdoor fires,' reads the release. Before burning brush outdoors, residents are required to check for burning restrictions with their local authority and on the province's Burning Restrictions webpage or by calling 1-800-237-5053. 'Campfires do not require burn permits, but people should check for fire restrictions before starting a campfire,' reads the release. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
University of P.E.I. and Holland College receive $100,000 towards cleantech scholarships
Pictured is the sign at University of Prince Edward Island. (Jack Morse/CTV Atlantic) Students attending the new cleantech programs at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) and Holland College will be eligible to receive a portion of $100,000 in scholarships from the provincial government. The funding will support students entering the Sustainable Business Leadership Post-Graduate certificate at Holland College and the Master of Cleantech Leadership and Transformation at UPEI, a news release said. The new programs were developed in partnership with the PEI Energy Corporation and the Cleantech Academy in Georgetown, P.E.I. 'These programs are about more than education. They're about transformation,' said Gilles Arsenault, minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action. 'We're investing in people who will help P.E.I. reach and maintain its net-zero goals, drive sustainable growth and position our province as a leader in cleantech innovation.' Both programs are designed to help students prepare for working in the cleantech sector. 'We are incredibly grateful for the continued support from our provincial partners as we work to build a more sustainable future for Prince Edward Island,' said Sandy MacDonald, Holland College president and CEO. 'This funding will empower students to pursue education that not only meets their personal goals but also supports critical Island industries to transition to a net-zero economy.' Students interested in the programs and information on the scholarships can visit: For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
16-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
City of Summerside's months-long power struggle is far from over, says mayor
Summerside mayor talks planning for the future, and keeping the city's lights on 16 hours ago Duration 7:13 Summerside's mayor says the city's electricity challenges are far from resolved. P.E.I.'s second-largest city, which operates its own utility, faced a series of power disruptions this winter. Summerside Electric generates about 60 per cent of its electricity through renewable sources like solar and wind, but it still relies on Maritime Electric's transmission grid for power that the smaller utility buys from New Brunswick. A failure at Maritime Electric's Sherbrooke substation, located just north of the city, led to significant power challenges in February. As a result, residents were asked to conserve electricity and a mobile transformer had to be brought in from Newfoundland to stabilize the system. "The Band-Aid has been put on, and the temporary transformer on wheels is there, and things are in place," Mayor Dan Kutcher told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin. "But the fundamentals still need fixing." Kutcher said he has not yet had meeting he was promised with P.E.I. Energy Minister Gilles Arsenault and Maritime Electric officials. But he said the city has had discussions with Arsenault and was told that a meeting would take place after the spring sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature. As of Friday morning, the MLAs were still on the job at the Legislative Assembly in Charlottetown. The city has also met at the executive level with Maritime Electric, he added. Come wintertime, we're gonna be vulnerable again... We can't be going through that time and again. Energy security is paramount to everything. — Dan Kutcher "We do know that come wintertime, we're gonna be vulnerable again. And I would also say that we have some concerns as well with Maritime Electric. There are joint concerns... some are on-Island and some are off-Island. "So it's really important that we get to the table and figure out a clear path because we can't be going through that time and again. Energy security is paramount to everything." The power struggle in Summerside was also raised in the provincial legislature last month, with MLAs from all three parties expressing concern. Arsenault has said in the past that a review aimed at improving the reliability and affordability of Prince Edward Island's energy grid would be released this month. The minister also confirmed the province's energy system blueprint will be released later this year, setting out a "comprehensive strategy" for the next 10 years.
CBC
05-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
P.E.I.'s Fiona-hit electrical grid remains at risk due to 'legislative restrictions': consultant
More than two and a half years after post-tropical storm Fiona wreaked havoc on Prince Edward Island's electric grid, limitations on how trees can be trimmed along power lines continue to put the system at risk during extremely high winds, a consultant's report warns. The reason the issue continues to be flagged as a potential risk is the apparent inaction by the province in expanding access for Maritime Electric to trim trees beyond the current right-of-way, a concern initially raised as far back as October 2022, the month after Fiona struck. The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission hired U.K.-based consulting firm EA Technology to assess Maritime Electric's Fiona response, as the commission assessed the company's application to raise electricity rates to recoup the costs associated with that response. The consultant concluded a lack of vegetation management by Maritime Electric during the lead-up to Fiona led to "increased rates of system damage caused by preventable tree contacts," which in turn led to outages on such a wide scale it "significantly extended customer's restoration times," which in some cases were longer than three weeks. EA said an increase in vegetation management efforts by Maritime Electric since Fiona is "expected to improve overall electrical system performance on blue-sky days. "However, due to current legislative restrictions and limitations, these programs are unlikely to prevent future windfall tree contacts during high-wind weather events." 'A few items that we need to change' When Liberal MLA Robert Henderson questioned him on the topic in the provincial legislature on Friday, P.E.I.'s Minister of Environment and Energy Gilles Arsenault had this to say: "We are moving forward with Maritime Electric. We are looking at the vegetation management plan. We do have a few items that we need to change in our regulations." "Regulatory changes can happen on any given Tuesday," Henderson responded, referring to the practice of regulatory changes being implemented at weekly government cabinet meetings. "As I look at the docket here for our legislation, if it's a legislative change, there's nothing on the docket on that either. So, I'm just wondering what the delay is on this?" A spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action noted in an email to CBC News that P.E.I.'s Electric Power Act" currently has provisions related to entering land without permission for the purposes of surveying and planning vegetation management work, but currently the [act] does not grant the authority to perform vegetation management work without permission of the property owner." The spokesperson said a number of potential legislative changes are being reviewed as the province develops a new energy strategy. Maritime Electric told CBC News that amending the act to include something called "power of entry" for utilities "would grant the utility authority to enter property and perform maintenance on its infrastructure, including vegetation management, when necessary for safety or reliability purposes. "This legislation is not uncommon across the country and in fact exists in several provinces," the utility noted. In any case, the company said it would also ask permission first before doing work on private land. When asked about this same issue in late 2023, former energy minister Steven Myers raised concerns about the rights of private property owners, and said whatever changes were to be made would take time. Interest costs building up Maritime Electric, which is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Fortis Inc., applied to IRAC in November 2023 to raise electricity rates on P.E.I. to recoup the roughly $37 million the utility spent to restore power after Fiona. IRAC still has not ruled on whether the rate increase can go ahead. In the meantime, interest costs continue to accrue on those expenses. In its initial application, Maritime Electric calculated those costs at $2.37 million up until February 2024, averaging about $170,000 per month. Many Atlantic Canadians still without power 5 days after Fiona 3 years ago Duration 2:33 Tens of thousands of people in Atlantic Canada are still in the dark five days after post-tropical storm Fiona struck, as repair crews face significant obstacles. In its report, EA Technology said it believed Maritime Electric's costs had been "prudently accrued" — a requirement under the Electric Power Act for costs to be passed onto customers through a rate increase. But the report also raised questions about what Maritime Electric has been prepared to do pre- and post-Fiona in order to build a more resilient electrical grid — for example, by burying some lines or building others to a higher construction standard. "The organization should develop a cohesive long-term, forward-looking asset-management strategy designed to build system resilience," the authors concluded. The report also questions whether Maritime Electric's emergency-response planning reflects the increasing "magnitude, severity and frequency of adverse weather events" or considers the possibility that in future, calls for mutual aid from other utilities may go unanswered, if those utilities themselves are also dealing with the effects of adverse weather. "It may now be the time for Maritime Electric to consider how they will be able to deliver a timely and effective emergency response into the future, and the possibility that existing mutual aid … may be unable to provide what Maritime Electric need."
CBC
10-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Don't expect shoreline development ban to end soon, P.E.I. environment minister says
It will be years before a provincial government moratorium on Prince Edward Island coastal development is lifted, according to an update provided Wednesday in the legislature. The temporary prohibition was announced in December 2022 after concerns were raised about stone armouring put in place around a vacation home being built in Point Desroche on the Island's North Shore. The province is now in the process of developing shoreline protection plans for 17 areas covering every part of the Island's coast. Environment Minister Gilles Arsenault said the first of those plans won't be ready until the end of 2027. In the meantime, the restrictions will stay in place. "We want to make sure we get it right and we're not going to rush into any final decision," Arsenault said. "I think it's a reasonable timeline, and people seem to be connecting with my department if anything needs to occur if they are shoreline owners." Scenes from the legislature: Exchanges on coastal development restrictions and long-term care beds 3 hours ago Duration 2:00 Provincial officials say it will be years before restrictions on coastal development on P.E.I. will be lifted. And the province's health minister says P.E.I. is moving forward with a plan to expand long-term care beds on the Island. These were among the topics that came up in the P.E.I. Legislative Assembly this week. Back in 2022, then-environment minister Steven Myers implemented a moratorium on shoreline development until the department comes up with a new policy delineating what landowners can and can't do to protect their properties from coastal erosion. Since that order, permits related to new development in the coastal buffer zone have been frozen, with some exceptions. Report acting as roadmap In late 2023, the UPEI-affiliated Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation released a report outlining 16 policy recommendations to inform the government's future decisions about coastal development. The province commissioned the report as a roadmap to show politicians and civil servants how to mitigate damage from future weather events along the lines of the devastating post-tropical storm Fiona back in 2022. The government was also dealing with heated questions about buffer zones and shoreline access tied to the controversial Point Deroche project. The site sparked public outrage because the massive stone armouring installed to protect the property from erosion blocks access to the public beach. Arsenault said Friday that the first protection plans will be aimed at Lennox Island and the area stretching from Charlottetown around the southeast corner of P.E.I. up to the Boughton River. Islanders need to be able to protect their properties... and this government has only been an impediment to doing that. — Liberal MLA Robert Henderson Some politicians, including some within the governing Progressive Conservative ranks, have been critical about the length of time the restrictions have been in place. In the legislature Friday, Liberal MLA Robert Henderson said the two and a half years that lie ahead until the first of the pilot projects is announced in 2027 constitutes an "extreme amount of time." He added: "I thought for sure the minister would be making an announcement [today] that the moratorium would be lifted and allow Islanders to start to be able to protect our land. "Islanders need to be able to protect their properties, protect their investment, and this government has only been an impediment to doing that." But others, like Green MLA Peter Bevan-Baker, called the plan "absolutely critical" for protecting P.E.I.'s coastlines, no matter what the timeline looks like. In the meantime, the province will allow development permits in some exceptional cases, including repairs to existing critical infrastructure. Arsenault urged any Islanders with shoreline properties to contact his department if they need to request an exemption in a case like that.
