On June 18th, Friends of the Gulf Islands and two Salt Spring groups, sponsored a pro-Islands Trust demonstration outside the Harbour House Hotel, where the Trust Council was holding their 50th anniversary meeting. Our group, along with two Salt Spring groups, Keep Salt Spring Sustainable and Positively Forward urged the Trust to uphold the Mandate of the Islands Trust: to protect the natural environment and unique amenities of the islands from over-development. We are alarmed by a Trust Council “determination” that “unique amenities” include housing, tourism and infrastructure – none of which is unique.
In addition to Salt Springers, the demonstration was attended by islanders from Pender, Galiano and Gabriola. Friends of the Gulf Islands and Keep Salt Spring Sustainable both spoke at the Council meeting. See our delegation on our website HERE. We are currently analyzing the new draft Trust Policy Statement under consideration by the Trustees. This document controls what bylaws and Official Community Plan policies can be passed by Local Trust Committees. We are urging strong text to protect the environment We will inform you about our conclusions, when and how you can participate in the public comment period.
The demonstration was covered in the Gulf Islands Driftwood HERE and press releases were sent to over 20 publications on Vancouver Island. Let us know if you see any coverage.
Shockingly, a 50th Anniversary congratulatory letter HERE from Minister Kang (the person who is supposed to make sure the Islands Trust adheres to its mandate) failed to even mention the mandate – to protect and preserve the natural environment of the Trust area.
Other Recent Friends Activities
Several of our board members attended portions of the Trust Council meeting, observing Trustee Harris say he wants Salt Spring out of the Islands Trust. There was no response from the Trust Council to our demonstration and delegation.
Since the Trust Council’s new interpretation of “unique amentias” was made a secret “in camera” meeting, we have sent several letters and made delegations asking specific questions about this decision. We have only received responses that are general and do not answer these questions.
We helped to coordinate a letter from 34 former Trustees questioning this interpretation of “unique amenities” and the process by which it was arrived at. See letter on our website HERE.
In March, we met with the Gulf Islands Alliance, a group with goals similar to ours. We discussed common concerns and how to work together.
A letter from our Chair Jennifer Margison was published in the June edition of Denman’s Flagstone responding to an article in the May edition about the Mandate interpretation.
Upcoming Events
The Draft Trust Policy Statement will be reviewed the Trust Council at several Meetings of the Committee as a Whole (COW) over the summer. These will be meetings that the public can attend by Zoom. When dates for these meetings are scheduled, you can find them under Meetings and Events on the Trust website. We will be observing to see how best to respond during the public input period that we expect in the fall.