P.E.I. premier asks conflict of interest commission to investigate former minister

P.E.I.'s premier has asked the province’s conflict of interest commissioner to investigate a former cabinet minister’s handling of a permitting issue.

CHARLOTTETOWN — Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz has asked the province’s conflict of interest commissioner to investigate a former cabinet minister’s handling of a permitting issue at a golf club.

Lantz says in a statement a third-party investigation has found that Gilles Arsenault’s granting of an amendment to a wetland alteration permit for the Summerside Golf Club when he was the minister of energy and climate action did not comply with provincial policies.

Lantz’s statement comes a day after he removed Arsenault, who was recently P.E.I’.s economic development minister, from cabinet on Saturday.

The former minister has also been suspended from caucus pending the outcome of the commission’s investigation.

The premier’s allegations have not been verified by The Canadian Press, and Arsenault did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

The premier says the deputy ministers of environment and land, and of justice, contacted his office after the environment department ordered the golf club to stop work on Feb. 27, citing concerns about the way the project was approved.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 29, 2026.