Prepping for The Trust Policy Statement Review

Update on Trust Policy Statement Review

On behalf of our 100+ members, we have submitted a delegation presentation to the Trust Council at their December meeting urging them to approve a Trust Policy Statement that protects the natural environment and rural character of the Trust islands. So far, Trust Council edits to the draft TPS are going in the opposite direction and only about half the trustees are attending the zoom meetings where the document is being edited.  

Please consider sending an email to your trustees asking them if they have been attending these important meetings, to urge them to do so and to speak up for protection of the natural environment.  

We will be making a delegation presentation on Tuesday, Dec. 3 (the delegations session begins at 3:35pm) to the December Trust Council meeting on our concerns with the draft TPS and some Trustees’ statements.

You can write to the Trust Council at islands2050@islandstrust.bc.ca emphasizing one or more of the points below as explained in our delegation.

• The definition of “environment” in the Trust Policy Statement should be the “natural environment” not “all organic and inorganic matter”. This negates the meaning of this term as used throughout the document.

• Trustees should resist the calls of others that the Trust Policy Statement should have no priorities. The natural environment must be a priority as the Trust Act mandate intends.

• Insist that the Trust Policy Statement have strong requirements (called Directives) for local bylaws and Official Community Plans. The Trust Act requires a Trust Policy Statement to hold Local Trust Committees to a minimum standard.