New warning signs being placed along P.E.I. coasts where erosion and flooding are risks
Province says 40 signs to be installed in 15 high-risk locations across the Island
The government of P.E.I. is adding dozens of colourful signs to the coastline warning residents and visitors about areas that are prone to erosion or vulnerable to flooding.
A total of 40 signs will be placed in 15 locations across the Island this summer, concentrating on areas where there is a lot of activity, such as beaches, walking trails, cliff sides and roadways.
Pointing out that post-tropical storm Fiona caused a year's worth of erosion in a single night back in September 2022, P.E.I. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Ernie Hudson said that just because a favourite walking spot used to be safe doesn't mean it is now.
"Areas that, you know, five, 10, 15 years ago would have been considered safe to walk… [that] may not [be] and is not necessarily the case anymore," Hudson told CBC News.
He said the new signs, developed in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action, are a direct response to recommendations from the P.E.I. Interim Coastal Policy Report.
Unlike the province's standard green and yellow signage, these new signs feature large, bold text reading "Caution: Stay Back." Hudson said the design is intended to grab attention quickly and help prevent accidents.
The erosion warning signs are going up at:
- North Cape
- Cabot Park
- The Victoria causeway
- Northumberland Park
- Red Point Park
- Thunder Cove
- East Point
- Wood Islands Park
Flood warning signs will be placed at the following locations:
- North Rustico Bay
- The North Rustico wharf
- Grand River
- Tryon
- Brackley
- Panmure Island
- The Souris causeway
Each sign will give details on how much shoreline was lost in that area over a specific period.
Hudson said department experts came up with the locations after identifying areas of high risk, particularly where the public could unknowingly get too close to unstable cliffs.
More sites may be added in the future depending on how coastal conditions change.
While erosion is a province-wide issue, the minister said the government has taken steps to help protect the coastline.
Hudson pointed to recent shoreline reinforcement work along the Souris causeway, as well as a major project completed last year at Cedar Dunes Provincial Park in West Point — home to P.E.I.'s tallest lighthouse. That $3.4-million initiative involved building giant rock reefs to stop the red sand beach from washing away.
"Look at West Point," he said. "Certainly that is the best example, I think, that anybody could see of the benefits of some of the protective measurements that we have taken."
With files from Jackie Sharkey