Issues, ideas and news related to the Islands Trust.
Mayne meeting—local democracy in action
July 22, 2010
Islands Trust meeting looks at the pros and cons of a change of commercial zoning to create a farm store for local foods. The application moves forward.
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Editorial: Gulf Islands—species at risk
July 22, 2010
Rather that reviewing the Islands Trust Act, Gulf Islanders should simply get on with taking full advantage of this unique trust to create an innovative future.
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Shipping safety concerns Islands Trust
July 8, 2010
Excellent presentations giving an in-depth view of shipping in the southern Strait of Georgia were a feature of June Islands Trust Council. Port of Vancouver limitations are also examined.
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Hot Coffee
July 8, 2010
Sam Lightman's interview with CEO Mickey McLeod sheds some light on Islands Trust's long process and difficult decision in turning down Salt Spring Coffee Company's rezoning.
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LTC turns down TUP PDQ
June 24, 2010
The rejection of a Temporary Use Permit to turn an automotive repair shop into a local foods store has many Mayne Islanders angry.
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Pender GHG Bylaw
May 13, 2010
Bylaw changes proposed for Pender Island reflect the growing pains of island communities.
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Islands' growth pattern could change in complying with Bill 27
April 15, 2010
The Islands Trust has taken on the role of a municipality (instead of a regional jurisdiction) in complying with a clause in provincial Bill 27. Unfortunately for many reasons urban-style land-use planning is an ill fit in the Trust Area. In seeking to comply is the Trust inadvertently opening the door to increased development and not solving the GHG problem anyway?
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Editorial: One size does not fit all
April 15, 2010
Transportation, not densification is key to GHG reduction on Islands. The Islands Trust is not the best agency to help carry this out; regional districts may be.
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Government stonewalls Galiano PMFL exemption
September 24, 2009
The BC government is not willing to help Galiano's community resolve thorny issue.
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OCP Review Galiano-style
September 10, 2009
Galiano's Official Community Plan review shapes the island's future with an overflowing crowd and a positive production atmosphere.
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Galiano LTC votes to rescind a forest land policy
August 27, 2009
Current court challenges to the community forest policy will only fetter the Official Community plan review getting underway. The review will proceed with more autonomy if the policy is removed, say trustees.
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Gabriola says no to bridge
July 16, 2009
Survey says that two-thirds of Gabriola residents are against a fixed link but in favour of other transportation options.
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Court challenge to pecking order order of local zoning versus PMFL
July 2, 2009
A Galiano building permit action against the CRD and the Islands Trust will serve to explore and clarify the contentious relationship between local government bylaws and the Private Managed Forest Act.
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Galiano PMFL solution delayed
April 23, 2009
An Order-in-Council to resolve the conflict between the Galiano OCP and PMFL Act has not been forthcoming before the May 12 provincial election. Islanders wait anxiously.
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Trust Council supports examining PMFL exemption for Galiano Island
March 26, 2009
Protection of Islands Trust bylaws moves a step closer at the March 11 meeting of the Islands Trust when Trust Council passed a motion instructing the Executive Committee to explore a solution to the conflict that exists over the management of the large tracts of private forest land on Galiano Island.
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B&B Ganges Marina loses appeal, must removed barge
January 15, 2009
The Islands Trust has come out ahead in a long-running court case which targeted the removal of converted barge in Ganges Harbour.
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15% of Trust Area Protected
November 27, 2008
A combination of non-government organizations and individual property owners have worked to protect 15% of the Islands Trust Area. The Coastal Douglas Fir bio-climatic zone is a rare zone and a stronghold for many species facing extinction.
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Editorial: A Lot At Stake
November 13, 2008
All voters in the Trust Area are its stewards. Informed voting is essential.
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Election tactics? Release of in-camera minutes
November 13, 2008
Why was just a part of the Galiano Bylaw infractions record release during the election campaign?
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What a new trustee needs to know
October 30, 2008
The Islands Trust Act's obligation to preserve and protect overrides Local Government Act directives, says Jim Campbell. Trustes and staff are failing in their duties to the Trust Object.
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The bylaws that won't lie down - trick or treat?
October 30, 2008
A very costly set of bylaws has engulfed the entire three-year term of the current Galiano Island Local Trust Committee (LTC). As Hallowe’en, elections and a new Islands Trust term approach, the story gets weirder and weirder. The situation has now drawn the whole of Trust Council under its spell.
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Galiano trustees concoct new scheme
October 2, 2008
Rejecting the advice of their planning staff and ignoring a call from the Islands Trust Executive for broader changes and more public consultation, Galiano Island’s Local Trust Committee (GILTC) gave third reading September 19 to a new bylaw scheme to provide automatic residential rights on forest-zoned land without rezoning.
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Face to face democracy breaks out on Galiano
October 2, 2008
Denied a town hall session at each of two September meetings of their Local Trust Committee, Galiano residents took democracy into their own hands at a impromptu September 19 meeting at the Island’s south hall.
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Editorial: IslandsTrust Stepping Up
September 4, 2008
With Trust Council's deliberations on the Galiano bylaws, the federation was compelled to take a broader perspective. This bodes well for the Salish Sea Islands.
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Trust Council refuses Galiano amendment bylaws
Aug 21, 2008
On August 14, the 26-member Islands Trust Council decided not to approve an Official Community Plan amendment bylaw and an associated Land Use Bylaw amendment that had been referred by the Galiano Island Local Trust Committee (LTC).
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Latest Galiano lawsuit claims OCP and LUB Amendments in 2000 are 'illegal'.
Aug 21, 2008
A writ filed by Forest Lot owners Lloyd Baines, Fred King, Olaf Knezevic, Gundy McNab, and James Trueit on August 5 against the Galiano Island Local Trust Committee, seeks a declaration that the Amendments to the 1995 Galiano Official Community Plan and the associated Land Use Bylaw, both adopted on March 1, 2000, are illegal and must be set aside. The amendments to which this refers set out requirements for rezoning of Forest Lands to permit residential occupancy.
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Islands Trust Executive refuses Galiano Forest bylaws
July 10, 2008
At its meeting on June 24, the Islands Trust Executive refused two controversial new Bylaws put forward by the Galiano Island Trust Committee to change the Island’s Official Community Plan and the Land Use Bylaw to permit residences to be built in the Forest 1 zone. The Local Trust now has several options, one of which is appealing the decision to Trust Council, a decision about this will be made at press time on July 7 at Galiano Local Trust Committee Meeting.
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Referendum for two more trustees for Salt Spring, Islands Trust's biggest island
June 26, 2008
Trust Council has approve a November local elections referendum to decide whether Salt Spring Islanders want to double their trustees to four.
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Gambier Gets Protected Area
June 12, 2008
The new Mount Artaban Nature Reserve, when combined with neighbouring local, regional and provincial parks, creates a continuous protected area of 525 hectares—25% larger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park.
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New community plan uses precautionary principle
March 20, 2008
North Pender Island’s new Official Community Plan includes a commitment to make land-use decisions based on the precautionary principle. The precautionary principle states that when an activity raises threats of harm to the natural environment or human health, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.
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The James Island Issue: A Solution For An Ill-Treated Island?
October 4, 2007 | Ken Hancock & Gary Steeves
The ‘James Island issue’ is the usual struggle between the forces of the Islands Trust preserve and protect mandate and those of human land-use and development. How best to conserve the sensitive natural areas of the island and the endangered species that live there is the main issue.
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Islands Trust seeks TILMA exemption
July 26, 2007
‘TILMA could have unintended and unexpected consequences that would diminish the ability of the Islands Trust to carry out its legislated object.’
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Southern Islands growth phenomenal
July 26, 2007
A first look at newly-released 2006 census figures indicates that population growth on the Southern Gulf Islands may be the highest in the province.
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Structural changes considered for Islands Trust
May 17, 2007
Since March 2006, the Islands Trust has been considering how changes to its governance structure might accommodate increasing differences between the Islands.
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Islands Trust seeks public input on governance options
May 3, 2007
The Islands Trust has released a report by Neilson-Welch Consulting that identifies options for changing political representation in the Islands Trust Area.
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Islands Trust meets B&B Ganges Marina in court
May 3, 2007
The Islands Trust and B&B Ganges Marina met in court in late April over a petition brought by the Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee to enforce its bylaw in regards to the marina’s float camp.
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Bylaw enforcement investigations rising
April 19, 2007
A report on the number of bylaw enforcement investigations underway within the Islands Trust Area indicates that activity is up by nearly 25% since this time last year.
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Talking to the Trust
April 5, 2007 | Christa Grace-Warrick
A group of 29 Galianoites chartered Mistaya from Salt Spring’s Gulf Islands Water Taxi to the 2-day Islands Trust Council quarterly meeting on Gabriola.
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Islands Trust population grows ten percent in five years
March 22, 2007
The population of the Islands Trust while the number of private dwellings grew by 6.5% between 2001 and 2006, released March 13 by Statistics Canada.
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Cash-in-lieu for James Island development
March 8, 2007
At the February meeting of the North Pender Island Local Trust Committee, trustees voted in favour of accepting cash-in-lieu from the developer of James Island rather than receiving dedicated parkland for the Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area.
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Guest Editorial: Updating the Islands Trust
March 8, 2007 | Kim Benson, Chair, Islands Trust Council
Sustainability, development, housing costs, tourism, governance, public consultation—these terms convey quite different meanings in 2007 than they did in 1974 when the Islands Trust was established, especially when we think about the issues that now face the Islands Trust Area.
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Gulf Islanders preserve their properties and receive tax savings
March 8, 2007
The natural features of most of Little D’Arcy Island and two forest properties, one on Galiano Island and the other on Bowen Island, are now protected from development, in part because Gulf Island landowners are taking advantage of tax incentives that help them protect natural areas.
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The Voice of the People and the Right to Know
February 22, 2007 | Commentary by Margaret Griffiths
The Islands Trust is charged by statute with the protection of one of the most beautiful archipelagos in the world. But the Trust Islands is facing difficult times and the voice of the people and their right to know is becoming increasingly important. The Trust is facing the fact that over 450 islands and islets, nearly all dependent on a diminishing groundwater resource, must have their watersheds protected.
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Save property taxes and protect the environment
February 22, 2007
This year property assessments in the Southern Gulf Islands rose by an average 15.5% according to Brian Hawkins, Capital Area Assessor with BC Assessment.
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Islands Trust hires new planning director
February 8, 2007
The Islands Trust has hired a new director of local planning services, a senior position in the organization and one that supervises professional planning staff in three offices.
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Fresh voices on Galiano and Island Trust-wide
December 14, 2006
A new publication on Galiano and trust-wide inter-island alliance form to support the Islands Trust mandate.
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Denman Conservancy Settles Marathon Legal Case
November 30, 2006
On November 6, after six years, the Denman Conservancy Association (DCA) settled its landmark legal case against 4064 Investments Ltd.
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Islands Trust Reorganizes Planning Teams
November 30, 2006
The Islands Trust has announced interim staff assignments in its local planning unit, following the departure of Wayne Quinn, former director of local planning services, earlier this month.
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Parsing the Judgements–A Compressed History of Galiano’s Bylaws and Lawsuits
October 19, 2006
...the following includes, so far as I can determine, all the Bylaws and court judgments relevant to the long-standing dispute about residential development on Galiano’s forest lands.
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Islands Trust takes stand on Kyoto and climate change
October 5, 2006
At the September Islands Trust Council meeting, trustees voted in favour of a resolution regarding the Kyoto Protocol and climate change. Only one trustee voted against the resolution.
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Lasqueti’s highest summit donated to Islands Trust Fund
October 5, 2006
A family with strong ties to Lasqueti Island has donated 58 hectares of land, which includes the summit of Mount Trematon, to the Islands Trust Fund for permanent protection.
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Respecting the Rules
September 7, 2006
Time was when the Islands, like most of rural BC, did not have much in the way of rules. (The Islands still don’t, compared to more heavily populated places.)
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Documents Galore in Galiano’s Report
August 24, 2006
Three documents have now emerged from the Phase I meetings of Galiano’s OCP Forest Policies Review.
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The People's Report
August 24, 2006
'The People's Report', formally submitted to LTC members for their consideration prior to a meeting on August 16.
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Crown plays partner in Galiano development
August 10, 2006
At its August 2 meeting, the Galiano Island Local Trust Committee heard Richard Dewinetz (Winmark Capital) propose a ten-lot rural residential development, with the Province of BC as his development partner, for his holdings in the Bodega Ridge area.
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Editorial: No Shortcuts
July 27, 2006
Over half of Galiano Island, formerly a MacMillan Bloedel tree farm, was sold as large forestry lots to individuals and groups in the early ’90s.
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Development permitting discussed on North Pender
July 27, 2006
Aspecial North Pender LTC meeting was held at St Peter’s Parish Hall on Thursday, July 20 to discuss Section 5, Development Permit Areas (DPA) in Draft 5 of the Official Community Plan revision.
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Development Permitting Explained
July 27, 2006 | Gary Steeves
Much community debate has been generated in the North Pender Island review of its Official Community Plan (OCP).
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An OCP in Progress — North Pender cogitates on DPA
July 13, 2006 | Coffee Counter Dialogue ~ Peter Easthope
'I’ve heard that the new OCP has some problems.'
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Galiano forest review underway
June 15, 2006 | Helena Chambers
Questions are still being raised about the role of Galiano Island’s trustees in the ongoing review of the Forest Land Use Bylaw.
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Galiano Goings-on
May 4, 2006 | Helena Chambers
On April 4, Chair of the Islands Trust Executive Committee Kim Benson responded to those who had claimed bias on the part of Trustee Smith in connection with the upcoming review of the Galiano Land Use Bylaw.
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The Density Debate
April 20, 2006 | Derek Masselink
As North Pender Island’s Official Community Plan (OCP) review nears completion we find ourselves struggling over the tense and often mind-numbingly tedious issue of transfer of development potential—aka ‘density transfer.’
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Editorial: Biting Bullets
March 23, 2006
For many years, the Islands Trust has been extremely reluctant to increase the taxes it charges to Gulf Island property owners for their local government and planning services.
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Pender OCP meeting—STVR again!
February 23, 2006
An Official Community Plan public information meeting held by the North Pender Island Local Trust Committee on Saturday, February 10, was intended to focus on Development Permit Areas (DPA). But some of the people who came—up to a hundred at one point—wanted to talk about Short Term Vacation Rentals (STVR) again, following a recent decision by the LTC to continue the ban on STVR in the draft OCP.
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Galiano Forest Bylaw Enforcement Not Suspended, Says Trustee
February 23, 2006
A packed meeting of the Galiano Local Trust Committee on Wednesday, March 15 heard preliminary plans for a review of Forest Land Use Bylaws, but also learned that new prosecutions would continue to be initiated under the existing bylaws.
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Road plan recalled, new trustees name revision of Galiano’s forest bylaws a priority
February 9, 2006 | Helena Chambers
In a packed meeting of the Galiano Local Trust Committee on January 18, newly elected trustees, Michael Sharp and Roy Smith, passed a motion to section off Galiano’s Forest Bylaws from the OCP Review, due to take place early this year.
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Editorial: Commons Sense on the Islands
December 1, 2005
It’s now nearly forty years since Garrett Hardin wrote an essay entitled The Tragedy of the Commons. The commons, he explained, are those attributes of a community that are shared by all who live there...
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Editorial: Living Up to Paradise
November 3, 2005
Going back to the heart of the matter seemed important to us, as it obviously is to many people...
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A Precautionary Prescription
November 3, 2005 | Patrick Brown
That wise old Greek doctor Hippocrates had some advice which might well be useful for prospective Islands trustees: ‘Declare the past, diagnose the present, foretell the future; practice these acts. As to diseases, make a habit of two things—to help, or at least to do no harm.’
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STVR Presentations Made on North Pender Island
November 3, 2005 | Christa Grace-Warrick
Short-term vacation rentals (STVR) were on the agenda...Two delegations made presentations: one for and one against the legalization of short-term renting of residential dwellings where the owner does not live on the property.
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Editorial: Our Islands: The Spirit and the Letter
October 20, 2005
With the local government elections less than a month away, this is a good time to review why Islands Trustees need to be dedicated and courageous people.
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ROOTS Forum Final Report
October 6, 2005
On September 24 and 25, islanders from each of the islands in the Trust got together to brainstorm how they could support the Islands Trust mandate-this is the final report that came out of these discussions.
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ROOTS Forum Final Evaluation Report
October 6, 2005
On September 24 and 25, islanders from each of the islands in the Trust got together to brainstorm how they could support the Islands Trust mandate-this is the evaluation report for that weekend.
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ROOTS Forum Discussion Paper
October 6, 2005
On September 24 and 25, islanders from each of the islands in the Trust got together to brainstorm how they could support the Islands Trust mandate-this is the paper that came out of these discussions.
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Diverse Panel Opens ROOTS Forum
October 6, 2005 | Mike Logan
September’s inter-island ROOTS forum (Renewing the Origins Of the Trust Study) kicked-off with a panel discussion. A crowd of about 200 people gathered to listen.
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All Islands Gather on Salt Spring to Strengthen Islands Trust
October 6, 2005 | Mike Logan
People from all thirteen Trust Islands came together for a meeting known as the ROOTS forum, September 23–25.
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