• S-230 (45-1) - National Strategy for Soil Health Act

  Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
  Date: 2026-10-29 17:14:02.0
  Tags: [National, Agriculture, Environment, Governance]

  Bill S-230, the National Strategy for Soil Health Act sponsored by Senator Robert Black, has progressed to debate at second reading in the House of Commons during the 45th Parliament, 1st session. The Senate Public Bill proposes the development of a comprehensive national strategy focused on soil health protection, conservation, and enhancement. Following its introduction and first reading in June 2025, the bill passed through the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry with amendments before receiving third reading in the Senate in March 2026. The legislation was subsequently introduced and read a first time in the House of Commons in April 2026, with ongoing second reading debate taking place in October 2026.

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• Amendment to Lands Protection Act could reduce land holding limits for non-profits

  Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-28 22:00:00.0
  Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Agriculture, Governance, Environment]

  The Prince Edward Island government has introduced a proposed amendment to the Lands Protection Act that would reduce the maximum land holding limit for non-profit corporations from 3,000 acres down to 400 acres. The amendment targets organizations pursuing patriotic, religious, philanthropic, charitable, scientific, artistic, social, professional, or sporting objectives, requiring groups exceeding the new limit to divest excess land. Specifically, inter-related Buddhist groups such as the Great Wisdom Buddhist Institute and the Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society, which hold upward of 3,200 acres collectively, and religious organizations like the Catholic Church, which owns more than 1,700 acres, would be directly impacted. The provincial government opened a public feedback window for the proposed amendment running until November 10.

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• P.E.I.'s program to protect farmland from development a 'mirage,' report says

  Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
  Date: 2026-10-16 21:00:00.0
  Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Agriculture, Environment, Governance, Housing]

  A review by commissioner Rory Francis of the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission revealed that Prince Edward Island's Land Identification Program, established in 1995 under the Lands Protection Act, fails to provide permanent farmland protection because non-development agreements automatically expire after 10 years. Between 2016 and July 2026, 61,500 hectares (152,000 acres) were protected and are set to expire by 2036, adding to the 121,400 hectares (300,000 acres) that lost protection under a 2015 retroactive policy change. According to Statistics Canada, Prince Edward Island lost 12 percent of its farmland between 2016 and 2021 at an average rate of 39 acres per day, while the provincial government has repeatedly delayed implementing a comprehensive province-wide land use plan recommended since the 1973 Royal Commission on Land Ownership and Land Use.

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