Housing on the Trust Area Islands

Friends of the Gulf Islands is supportive of affordable housing that is funded by the government and nonprofit societies, located where the natural environment will not be harmed and of a size and location determined through an analysis of unbiased data and the island’s carrying capacity.

Our Housing Challenge

The availability and cost of housing on the islands (both rental and ownership) is an issue for many people in many locations and there is no single cause. Initial entry into home ownership by younger families has become almost impossible due to rising values of island properties and costs of new home construction. The supply of rental properties has decreased and rent costs have soared making rentals unaffordable for families at lower income levels. Causes include property owners moving into their formerly rented “cottage” whether to retire or to continue working remotely, rising property values and increased costs of construction and/or renovations. Population growth has increased demand and individuals/real estate investment trusts purchasing rental properties as an investment are also driving up costs.
It’s a mistake to expect that simply increasing the supply of dwellings by way of adding residential densities to a lot will provide housing that is affordable for lower income families. It sounds reasonable that increasing supply will lower prices, but this is not necessarily true unless the demand is limited, or the rents are kept low through covenants or some other mechanism. When demand is high, as it is on the islands, the supply of housing will never exceed demand and market rents will continue to rise.
Individual homeowners may be reluctant to develop rental accommodation for many reasons. The cost of construction may be prohibitive, the length of time to recoup their investment lengthy and/or concerns about potential problems with renters can all become factors. Those homeowners who intend to use their dwelling on a seasonal basis may leave it vacant during the rest of the year or rent it as a short-term rental to avoid residential tenancy issues. Homeowners who rent their dwellings for only part of the year provide some rental stock but at the cost of creating a seasonal tenant migration in a tight rental market. It is therefore unfair and unrealistic to expect private property owners to solve the housing crisis.
Regional Districts are responsible for services in the Trust Area which would include developing social housing, but they have limited financial assistance through the provincial or federal governments. The Islands Trust is even more limited. Local Trust Committees can only facilitate affordable housing development proposals by way of zoning bylaws. Housing projects for lower income families require financial assistance from senior governments and should be operated by local nonprofit societies or government, on suitable land.

Below are the factors that need to be applied when considering housing developments so that any impacts of such housing is not contrary to the purpose of the Islands Trust Act to preserve and protect the natural environment.

Planning for Housing
Each island has different circumstances with respect to water resources, island geology, available services, future development potential and existing ecosystem health. Planning needs to consider:
Water Resources
For example, Salt Spring Island, the largest trust area island, has three lakes supplying potable water and some areas with sewage treatment plants which together have enabled the development of a few densely populated areas. Other trust area islands are more limited as they are almost entirely reliant on groundwater extraction and septic systems.
Health of the Ecosystem
The Island Trust’s State of the Islands report (June 2019), found that the amount of land converted to human use is already past the point needed for ecosystem health on Mayne Island, is close to that point on Gabriola Island, and is approaching that point on several other islands. If a healthy natural environment is being threatened by development on any island, serious consideration of different approaches is needed.
Carrying Capacity
Each island requires a clear understanding of how much of, and where, the natural environment must be protected and what size of human population can be supported without adversely impacting healthy ecosystems. A study for each island should determine the carrying capacity (the ability for the natural environment to sustainably support a given population) and should include the following:
  • the amount of fresh water that is available for human use without compromising water needed for the natural environment. Groundwater not only supplies wells for human use, it nourishes our forest and other vegetation, provides water for terrestrial and marine wildlife, and maintains creeks through the dry season.
  • the amount of septic waste that can be absorbed by the soils without polluting ecosystems and domestic wells.
  • the population size that can be supported by island resources, current infrastructure, and services such as the ferry, health care, roads, etc.

  • the maximum population possible if all potential residential densities under current regulatory bylaws are developed. This can be determined by creating a build-out map for each island (the one created for Gabriola Island is a good example). The current degree of land alteration due to development and the existing health of the ecosystem.

Available Services

Decisions on zoning must take into account how many and what types of services each island will need without eroding the rural character or damaging the health of the ecosystem. Maintaining those services for residents/tourists also requires a workforce and housing. The challenge is in determining what services and resources can be provided while protecting the natural environment and rural characteristics of the island.

Increases in public services on an island generate further population growth, especially migration from nearby urban areas. Ferry service to Vancouver Island or other nearby urban centers also factor in population growth. However, it can also become a limiting factor when population growth exceeds existing ferry service capacity.

Unbiased Data
Increased density through multi-unit affordable housing projects and other up-zoning initiatives must be located where water and sewage absorption will not harm the water supply or the natural environment. Currently this determination is made by professionals hired by project proponents who act in the interest of those clients. That motivation creates the potential for the scope of their reports to be limited to those factors favouring the client. To ensure unbiased reports, those studies should be undertaken by independent professionals selected and contracted by the Islands Trust, and paid for by the applicants.
Environmental Impacts
Environmental impact assessments of housing developments need to also consider potential impacts on nearby properties, and on the island as a whole, not just the specific lot(s) for which the development is proposed.
Conclusion
Our aim is to protect and preserve the natural environment of the Trust islands for future generations. To accomplish this, development must be of the appropriate type, density and magnitude that won’t damage the ecosystem or detract from the island’s rural character. Long-term planning must focus on long-term protection rather than short term benefits. We must consider the physical limitations of these islands, the effects of climate change and accept that unrestrained development on islands with a finite carrying capacity will destroy the very values that the Trust was intended to protect.
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