No ‘immediate change’ coming to P.E.I.’s 2 Billion Trees program amid federal cuts

Brittany Spencer · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 07, 2025 1:00 PM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Officials with P.E.I.'s Environment Department accidental they don’t expect immoderate "immediate change” to beryllium made to the province’s 2 Billion Trees programme aft backing cuts were announced successful the national budget. 

Former premier curate Justin Trudeau announced a planting inaugural during the 2019 predetermination run and earmarked $3.2 cardinal implicit 10 years for the program.  It aims to enactment histrion planting projects crossed the country, including present successful Prince Edward Island.

Earlier this week, Ottawa announced it would beryllium scaling backmost a fig of projects nether the Liberal government’s caller budget. That includes cuts to the 2 Billion Trees program.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said past period that the fund would see a “climate competitiveness strategy.” But this is different cardinal Trudeau-era clime argumentation that Carney has dropped since becoming leader, aft ending the user c taxation and pushing backmost an electrical conveyance income mandate.

In a connection to CBC News, a spokesperson with P.E.I.’s Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action said the state signed an statement nether the 2 Billion Trees programme with the national authorities until March 2031. It goes connected to accidental that Ottawa “is honouring signed agreements” and the state is “not expecting immoderate contiguous alteration for P.E.I.”

Officials said the national authorities volition determination guardant with contracts that person already been signed to works 1 cardinal trees.

P.E.I.’s programme aims to works 300,000 trees per year

The nationalist program, meant to bring Canada person to nett zero by 2050, had planned to works 2 cardinal trees by 2031. On P.E.I., determination are 4 programs that volition works 300,000 further trees per twelvemonth — that's connected apical of the 1 cardinal trees that the state was already planting annually done different programs.

The provincial programme began successful 2022 with enactment from the national government, which is picking up fractional of the $3.3-million outgo implicit 3 years. A 2nd signifier of the programme is expected to instrumentality it into 2031. 

WATCH | Why P.E.I. is offering to works escaped trees connected properties crossed the province:

According the P.E.I.'s Environment Department, the provincial programme aims to assistance landowners works autochthonal histrion taxon successful areas similar cultivation onshore that are presently unforested, and to replant forested sites that were damaged by post-tropical tempest Fiona successful 2022.  

Any Islander who owns cultivation and backstage onshore oregon tiny parcels of onshore adjacent streams and rivers is eligible to use to person trees planted connected their property. The enactment volition beryllium carried retired by contractors oregon watershed associations.

Following a summertime of precise hot, adust conditions, the state decided to hold each histrion planting efforts this fall, which volition interaction P.E.I.'s planting goals for the year. Officials with the state said 350,000 trees volition present beryllium planted successful the outpouring erstwhile conditions amended and the trees person a amended accidental of survival.

Countrywide, implicit 228 cardinal trees person been planted truthful far, according to Natural Resources Canada’s latest update — leaving much than 1.7 cardinal successful bid to scope the people by 2030-31.