Petitions

In 1974, the BC government recognized the Trust islands as a natural wonder requiring protection and passed the Trust Act stating:

“The object of the Trust is to preserve and protect the trust Area and its unique amenities and environment for the benefit of the residents of the trust Area and of British Columbia in cooperation with municipalities, regional districts, improvement districts, First Nations, other persons and organizations and the government of British Columbia.”

Care of the islands was delegated to 2 elected trustees from each island. The province oversees their work by approving a Trust Policy Statement, setting standards for islands’ Community Plans and bylaws.

Since 1974, weak bylaws and weak enforcement has left the islands vulnerable to over-development, deforestation, freshwater depletion, pollution, foreshore degradation and climate change

Elected trustees are drafting new Trust Policy Statement. Successive drafts have weakened environmental protection and put social, economic and environmental goals on equal footing, just as in any unprotected area.

Please support our vision for the Gulf Islands by signing the petition.

To: Elected Members of the Trust Council of the Islands Trust
To: Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs: Ravi Kahlon

We request that the Trust Policy Statement not be approved until it,

• Affirms that the term “environment” in the legislated Object of the Trust refers to the natural environment and does not include residential development and infrastructure.
• Affirms that the Islands Trust’s top priority is to protect the natural ecosystems of the islands and surrounding waters, and to preserve rural character.
• Contains strong directives that require each island to adopt an official plan and bylaws that bar each island from exceeding development that will overwhelm natural ecosystems.
• Requires each island to limit development to that which can be supplied with drinking water from that island while providing adequate water for natural systems.
• Requires each island to determine the likely population if all existing zoning is built out.
• Requires that decisions to allowing more intensive use of land and water be guided by independent, up-to-date scientific data, local knowledge and traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices.