With the Islands Trust election approaching on October 17th, voters face an important choice about the future direction of one of British Columbia’s most remarkable public institutions. The Trustee selected will influence whether the Trust returns to a clear focus on its legislated mandate to preserve and protect the environment and unique amenities of the Trust Area, or continues to drift beyond its core purpose.
Learn about the issues. Ask the questions. Listen to the candidates. Look at their records and plans. Then make your choice and vote on October 17!
Questions for Trustee Candidates in the Upcoming Islands Trust Election
We have sent questions to all candidates for Islands Trust Trustees and will post candidate responses as we receive them. Below are our questions so you can ask them of the candidates on your island.
- If elected, what will you do to sustain the health of our islands’ ecosystems – as per the Trust Object and as made explicit in the Trust Policy Statement?
- How do you define the term “unique amenities” used in the Trust Object?
- Will you commit to producing a development build-out report for your island if one is not available? This report would be a calculation of the maximum number of dwellings that could be built on the island under current zoning. From that an estimated island population can be calculated.
- Carrying capacity can be defined as the number of people each island can support without causing loss of functioning natural ecosystems on that island. Carrying capacity should also consider how many people can be supported by existing water supplies, ferry systems and other essential infrastructure. Would you support an analysis of the carrying capacity of your island and set a limit on the number of residences according to your OCP?
- What weight would you give to water quality and quantity problems when considering rezoning properties on your island to a higher density?
- Do you think environmental reports paid for by development applicants are sufficient when determining impacts on the natural environment?
- Which Governance Review Report recommendations do you believe would best support improving Trust Council’s effectiveness?
- Would you support an amendment to the Trust Policy Statement to make protecting the natural environment paramount in land use decisions?
- In your opinion, what is the role of Reconciliation in the context of the Islands Trust mandate of preservation and protection? Please provide a concrete example of how you envision this working at the Local Trust Committee level.
- What would you strive to accomplish during your four-year term?
You can see declared candidates for all islands in the Trust Area and their nomination information on the Islands Trust website. Click on each island in the list. Two trustees are elected in each of the 12 local Trust areas plus two municipal trustees are elected to the Bowen Island Municipal Council. Bowen Island is the only island that is a municipality. Of the 53 candidates running in the Trust area, 16 are incumbents. Of the non-incumbents running, 5 are former trustees. With only two candidates running on each of these islands: Gabriola, Mayne and Saturna, the candidates will be acclaimed.
We have compiled a lot of information about the upcoming Islands Trust election for your reference. Information such as who can vote (residents and home owners), how and where to vote in person or by mail, or how to vote if you are off-island on October 17, can be found via the CRD website. If your island is in another Regional District, check their website for this information.
A Former Trustee’s Perspective
This article, The Islands Trust Elections: A Pivotal Moment about the importance of the October 17th election was written by Steve Wright, a former 5 term Islands Trustee and former Friends of the Gulf Island Society (FOTGIS) board member, with Jennifer Margison, President of FOTGIS. It was submitted to various island publications.
Webinar Success
On August 17th, we held a webinar to orient candidates running to be Islands Trust Trustees and to inform voters. We had good attendance and lots of interesting questions and answers. If you missed it, you can view the webinar video recording.
Trust Strategic Priorities Survey Results
Your help has made a difference! In July, we asked you to fill out the Islands Trust survey on Trust strategic priorities that they say will inform the 2027-2028 budget. A recent staff report stated the following:
A majority of respondents (74%) indicated their top priority is for Islands Trust to protect the natural environment:
60% want to see growth on the islands managed in a sustainable way
33% want Islands Trust to ensure affordability and responsible spending
31% view supporting housing options as a top priority
27% are calling on improved enforcement of bylaws and regulations
20% would like Islands Trust to focus on strengthening relationships with First Nations
20% would like Islands Trust to focus on strengthening relationships with First Nations, and
20% want improved communication and engagement with island communities.
Staff commented that “… while valid and worthy of consideration, survey respondents were self-selected and were not from a random sample, so the results may not be representative of the Islands Trust Area population.”
This is true of any survey with self-selected respondents. We say, if they do not intend to take the response seriously, they should not be spending staff time and money on conducting such surveys and could instead conduct surveys where respondents are selected at random.
The staff report further states: “Overall, the dominant themes raised through the survey echo those of other recent surveys conducted by Islands Trust. Members of the public are calling on a reinvigorated focus on environmental protection to protect the islands from excessive growth and development, a careful approach to housing solutions which ensures the islands have sufficient water and infrastructure capacity, and for Islands Trust to operate as a fiscally responsible, modern, focused, effective, and accessible organization.”
Native Species Information Needed
We previously reported to you that we asked the Trust Council to heed a biologist report that identified a serious lack of information about native species on the Trust islands. We sent a letter to the Trust Council on this issue. A draft Species at Risk – State of the Islands Report was included in the agenda for the September Trust Council meeting. The Trust Council did end up supporting most of the staff recommendations as we had requested.
Memberships
Thank you for being a member or subscriber. Your membership dues fund our website, posters, brochures and other forms of outreach to our island communities. As a subscriber, please consider a membership in Friends of the Gulf Islands through our online form. Memberships are only $15 (individual), $25 (family), $40 (3 year individual) and $65 (3 year family). Members are invited to attend our monthly meeting via Zoom to share concerns or ask questions. If you can offer any other support to FOTGIS through volunteer time and skills, do contact us. Please share this newsletter.