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The Islands Trust Story
Islands Trust

Peter Lamb, 2011

The Saltspring Island Historical Society meeting on September 14 will present a program on the History of the Islands Trust. Peter Lamb a former Trustee will be the presenter.

In 1974, in recognition of the special nature of the islands in the Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound, the Government of British Columbia enacted the Islands Trust Act to protect this unique part of the world.

The reasons the province created the Islands Trust as a land use and planning agency 38 years ago are still valid today - 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 the province generally. This mandate underlies the work of the Islands Trust, including the development of official community plans; zoning and other land use bylaws in each of the local trust areas or island municipalities.

Former trustee Peter Lamb's recent publication “The Islands Trust Story” provides an overview of the Islands Trust‘s history.

Islands Trust Story full text (pdf)

Accession Number Presenter Peter Lamb
Date September 14, 2011 Location SSI Historical Society Address Central Hall
Media digital mp3 Audio CD mp3 √
ID duration 54 min

247_Lamb_Islands-Trust.mp3

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18.04.2023

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Speaker 1 0:00
Thank you, and thank you for coming. I feel kind of awkward via talking about the history that's only 37 years old. I'm sure most of you were on the island long before the trust was formed. But I, for those that don't know me, I was a trustee one of the oldest trust local trustees from 2002. That's when Nate does not want to run again on my colleague, George during Ramadan, again, this machine is currently not trust Council is having his last meeting of this three go to help the community gospel Chapel today. Well, yesterday, today and tomorrow. So it's a good experience to see how counsel works. And I'm talking about another leader. The same was said that I wrote this when I finished my term was trustee. And, but I was wondering a little bit more about the history. I'd read a bit about it. There was a book written back in 1986, by a man called Arthur sweet, we're all about the animals and Trump's book is out of print, you can get it published. And talked about the history of the trust opportunity and six significant thing that happened after that. And I threw up here that I was on the island, and moved here in 1889. And some things happened that hadn't been recorded. So I thought it was time to do that. I didn't have the resilience, I think, to do a full study that often swept down. But I thought it was helpful just for documents and things that have happened. I'll go through a number of slides to just to show you Stokes kind of summary of the book that I put together. That began as a series of articles for the drift back in 2009. And they were celebrating their 50th anniversary in December of one sponsor. So my book came out in time for that capsule meeting last night. And I was motivated to do that, because the articles were pretty dry, and I was given a lot of space. The articles in solid, waste any space for pictures, or we divide it into problems, which have some illustrations and information about the class, not the best thing in this lifetime. Snop system watching the booklet is available, there are a few copies left. But I'm also possibly books and maybe the other bookstores do have copies available too if if you want to go I want to start with two or three things. One is, what I'm gonna do today is talk for about 3035 minutes properly, it gets some feedback from you on your experience or understanding what is going on in your trust. But there are three things I'm going to cover. One is to explain why and how the trust was formed. Very important to understand why it's there today. There's so many newcomers on the island. It's definitely not why do we have this traditional town council. So it's important to understand the origins of the trust. Secondly, I wanted to show that there's been many, many, many attempts to study, analyze, change the trust and review it from time to time, both by university, people and by other consultants. So if you hear someone saying because I heard a few months ago, that the Trust Act has never been changed. It'll be in review and trusted user review after 37 years. Now it has been in the family what I hope to show you is that the trust is as relevant today as it wasn't 74 When it was formed, perhaps even bother Scott, because of the increasing pressures we're getting from the urban centers around Vancouver, Victoria. People from the northwest states that are so relatively close to large urban centers that are under pressure on on watermakers Tantra people wanting to move here because when another wasn't. So here we go. First, the the object of the trust is actually has changed over time. But the objective of the trust is written in the Trust Act. And this is more copy has been adjusted preserve and protect mathematically, people talking about because it talks about preserving and protecting the trust area for the benefit not just for the residents of the islands. But for the residents. All of these things are provincially mandated organization. And it doesn't that work not only with this purchase with land use plans on its own, but it does need cooperation with other agencies other parts of the government structure so advantages a federation of islands but it does to work in conjunction with a collaboration with many other organizations. Again, for those not familiar, the trust areas fairly dispersed on the green islands, on the major islands, 13 major islands and the islands trust. Now we're about foreign 50 smaller islands islands, most of which have nothing. But this is the trust area. And it's interesting for people that are not aware of it, that it actually does run down into this area down into Vegas called down to record. So fairly simple, it basically goes into the US border. But then kind of unusual, what is the Bolivian Gambia which are distinct from what we call the Gulf Islands. But they were included at the time. Just by way of introduction, it was formed in 1974. This is a quote from the Stephens time to be responsible for and cannot fit it on the designated compromises it actually went south of Campbell River, that's really one of the study was, at the time, remember the 70 fall on what might be happening then. They call it a whole vision experiment and ecologically based plan, this was not a typical urban planning, structure. And governance were particularly sensitive. Even at that time. The awareness of the islands were vulnerable to a development that was given the mandate to protect the islands. I think it continues to be an applic Confederation local governments you won't be able to read that objective. Now David was asked the question, imagine what might happen on the islands particular what might have happened in Saltzman that without the islands trust if it continued to be managed by another district. That structured mainly metropolis and the talk the articles was in the form of six AP classes. And, actually, in the middle of it, a break to give him a break from the, the kind of the evolution of the class millstone around the arms plus on the arms plus funders, the conservancy arm with the arms trust, not a very briefly touch on history, and it is very much an access to the outset. There's not a comprehensive history of the admins trust organization. It's more of a political history and what's happened, how it was formed, what the political discussions were over time. And what happened to the legislation set it up. Though it's going to act along with So in our previous federal record in the late 60s, those of you around land use planning was done by the Regional districts that have just been established by the province in 1966. Magic Lake estates, the North Padre Island was suddenly a department where lots spotlight large island, which is just off the south coast, we all have wood blocks. And there are other large subdivisions when the plan including many on solspec Mikasa provisions, developments Well, I think precipitated the government to act as a University of British Columbia study that looked at what was happening on the islands and predicted rapid intensive private development. That was the kind of thing that triggered that action. The first action was done was 1969 was to impose a tenant tenant for minimum tenant philanthropies. In other words, you could subdivide your land and the islands within the last act less than 10 acres, which, which quickly, because they were the development potential, in 1971, run a category, the district is still responsible for planning, producer balance options, and it's quite a comprehensive.

Unknown Speaker 9:11
Many, many pages. I've shown you a couple of them in the talk, but as we're looking at different things.

Speaker 1 9:20
The government in this case has written the Regional District was looking at options for protecting the islands. And I'm gonna share a couple of slides about that. In terms of debit and the standard was still the credit to the proposed National Trust for the islands, much the same way has been National Trust in England in many parts of the area. Now the International Joint Commission has proposed a designated cover on sand on island strip club Roberts as it is National Park, which will have his national protection that brought it down along with cost. The government was not worried about it. Many islanders want to be part of a international commission. Sort of the the, the Gulf Islands study was concerned, this is some of the this is in the report, it was some, I guess clippings from some of the press at the time. Really, really concerned because at the time there was, was generally an understanding that people were really concerned about what might happen to the items, not just people who lived here, but at others. And so you've got this kind of rails. But I don't know it never went anywhere. In the ocean started, they have nothing for options. Option A was the Technium thing with a bridge. And that's just to notice it's been reactivated besides being raised again. And I think that quickly dismissed. So I was coming home from from the gallery on or connecting with Savannah and then leaping over my market to Salt Springs and then wanting to go out with the Portland Island. Trip Swartz Bay, that was the proposal was option A, option B. Option C, what's this not very good, not even me. And the paper was to designate some areas as being Italian not to some areas that would have been set aside for the park. Last option, I think was was detached, you know, a combination of many of those things. And this was the one that meant rather a lot of public meetings about it. The result was typical government fix for this kind of discussion going on about this point. Hopefully somebody needs to be done something people have ideas of what might be done is that they tell the committee to look at the old famous 6 million Municipal Affairs in 1973 was set up to look at this is their mandate to inquire into future development, including the development of community plans in the Gulf Islands, and such other islands and discarded weapons, the scope of the trust areas should be.

Speaker 1 12:27
73 tablesaw report. So on six months, I've been around on the islands and those of you who are humans can be fully participated in those discussions. But they went around and got a cup the response to mania residence time. They're solid life subdivisions in order to focus down this continuing theme. But they also say that clearly aware of the fact the town, copier national significance, I think it's even down there we're looking at not just protecting it for the island who can see that it was of national significance. Now this is a quote from the recording the odds are too important to the people of Canada to collect government exploitation by real estate developers and speculators that have already gone into high recommending recreational hounds trusted responsible for the future of the islands. What happened is they introduced a bill in May of 1974. An NDP government in power available to preserve and protect the environment, the nature the ancestry of southern Campbell River was the origins of the included the way it was structured was three general trustees will be appointed by the province. And they will deal with the amount of structural concern to all Americans on each island. There will be two elected trustees, as we have now makes it the 13 Islands. So you will have a potential trust committee would be 3d provincially appointed trustees and then to locally elected first to election trustees. Everybody remembers that Bob Johnson, who was a former at the time, and Mike l'amour, who was working for a water district might still around as you know. And they were asked by the trustees for that first period. Managers planning state with a Regional District even with legislation. Let's propose the original just to continue the planning but what it did it gave me honest trust organization, the visual power to turn down proposals of the district to go through it. In June, on June 14 separately, Bill passes on the trust an hour legislated. There are three provincial appointees and I mentioned Hillary Brown. From home the island Mark Collins. Mark on A customer not that long ago. But I was actually talking to TJ Holmes, a little while ago, Wanda, and she gave it some of the clippings that she had. Interesting. Some of the things that were being said that clip the article by my glamorously local trusting, talking about the problems with water supply. Back in 1974. It's the latter, that Bruce Allen was an accidental leader, I think, from North Vancouver. But he had placed on Long Island. Authorities yesterday on the trust, so these are the three general trustees in this data for a while. Back to what happened back to that frustrated population is about that time, it had been increasing by 8% here, and I'll keep coming back to this graphic, because you'll see how it does decline. So actually difficult growth. With the NDP changes the act to establish the trust that had an offer of land from some individual, and the individual, I think was concerned about just handing it over to government. And they wanted to appeal to some organization that have definitely it conservation mandate. And so they they changed the actual Afghans trust fund. It was put in there in 75 Never proclaimed monetarily you know, during the intermission 1975 elections now bring those sorts of things back into power. And it's time to make changes and even know how to hone in on at the time that the bill was passed. And during the deliberation afterwards, all parties were in favor of the trust or the idea of having a trust, but there definitely was the wedge. And a lot of arguments about provincial control versus local influence a lot of the time. In 77, I made more changes, given the authority to direct authority on the 94, the took the responsibility away from regional districts headed directly to the trust once the veto power and responsibility to remind us that who was on record, it was a mixed reaction fundraising circle between districts. The other thing we did then was to allow property tax levied by the trust, protector that it has now, up until that point, the arms trust was funded entirely by the province, because it was their provincial matter that organization and they're funded x. Now they were allowing them to levy today. What's what's evolved over that is that there's a provincial government plays in many cases, has continued to pass down responsibility for mailing and also passing down financial responsibility. Right now provincial grant, which they just gets, it's about 3% of the total budget, make it more than by 9% comes from the tax and then some other from other for years, essentially, the provincial government has pulled away from funding the trust. And I mentioned this, it's really interesting, the concept of an interesting thing was, it was an organization that was established by the province. And the time that this was in the late 70s. The minister repeats others, like us percussion standard, why don't we just get the authority on to the trustees? And the position of the ministry, then stimulus now, I think, because the principal, the province has a whole lot of interest, not just the president and the Cabinet by approval of the OCPs community violence plan or budget. And can you please provision shore protection of land? Once I hit in seven sound, was that it go with the idea of just probably move towards recording the provincial authority is they they eliminate the three gentlemen of trust, we have three months, three individuals who will be appointed by Monsanto. Now, essentially, if the majority on local trust committees, they eliminated the out of the three general trustees now and that was three general trustees would continue, but there will be elected from among the transects of early inhabitants. So you've got that, at least a little backing away from global provincial control and the opposition in the opposition with a lot of these changes, but in this case, they are not required to the local committee. Evolution. They talked about difficult challenges from event like 719 80. Now so register the power build. method again, the premier within the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Then he launched into a, what could be a very contentious process of reviewing the whole article regional governments and local government. And it started underneath the mantra of like two or three years. So we initiated a review of the regional governance structure. The cluster carried on it was given some assurance by Deputy Minister came to our trust trustees meeting and said, This is going to affect the trust, this kind of money comes to about zoning bylaws. And a lot of pressure coming in particularly under this, this time with the government. The political pressure to approve developments on number of islands code is hotspring, that the trust was resisting because of the advantage of those that tried to intervene and override the trust. And they mentioned in the answer that mentioned that the proposed might eventually get rid Island, which pretty much destroyed on the lower end of the day commercial airfield on main island. So these things are still this this full pilot. So we have tax free survival of the trucks now in November 1980. So sounds rather sounds to have a minister in the trust is John Rich, who was a trustee on Long Island was assured by the Minister, that the trust will continue with the fall as a separate organization. In November of 91, a year later, the minister introduces a bill to really do a restructuring of the whole regional district managers. One of the provisions they had was at the development of taking responsibility for approval of community plans, away from the minister ministers into an enact an unelected body of civil servants. The trustees in many local governments have reacted with some alarm, the trustee has to pass a resolution to recall that rather dismayed at the prospect of trust and the process of achieving our objectives will be severely diminished, particularly adding on to your body.

Speaker 1 22:14
But that's not the end of it. On July 27, veganism introduces another year caused by this bill, and tucked away back with a bill long as the legislation was section one, it simply said, the arms crossed that is repealed, in other words, were abolished in the trust just not hiding advantage. Well, we're just abolish John register, the chair of the trust trustees is an unknown victim. The story from one of the articles I read, goes on a summer trip to a fishing lodge. And he has like a funny name that was flying back because the minister was in knots in the temple pushing this through the opposition. Express as an expect expect, we're not very happy with it now. And the hours in between, like many other pieces, read the 70s, if basic would have done because it would have moved the participation on the management area to regional districts to host that, from pigs at the time, which I found really appealing. The first one abolishing the trust of the government and the beefy developing country into an invitation to plunder one of the country's Catholic way of putting it tax colonists not flexographic. But certainly very, very direct. To a man in the arms trust would be reckless and foolish. So won't getting any support from the media. And that carried on the opposition national referendum from the island just to see if they wanted to be abolished. But it wasn't even a question of continuing assimilation on long debates and the amount of trust obviously supported by the Regional districts refusing the union of BC municipalities all municipalities in BC, which discussed as part of that they are posted the press office headquarters in Oregon getting a lot of pockets in public. So what vandalism does it just let it die. So at the end of the day, at the end of Act Three, and I say my block, the curtain falls out Applause So the Trust has survived an onslaught. After all, that activity, tank a little bit of a figure there's something available to manage, and I need to be honest Trust Fund before there was currently in 75 to develop and look after gardens to acquire land for Park Conservancy on the islands trust them at the Canadian Medical division downstroke spent some time on epidemic clear mandate, at that time promised to pay staff support, that didn't happen. First meeting of the trust fund board was 1990. Now, the way they structured it, and this is done in place now is that there are three, three members of the class one board, six to six board members, three of them are appointed by the province. And three are on the election officials extra trustee through three of the 26. And when I was on the trust, that was one of the elected Trustees for the trust, now very valuable understanding of us some of the things that were being done on the ground. In a very successful program, I mentioned them, just three major initiatives. The first one was responsible for the first one was the tax exemption program. Program that took 10 years to get approval began in 1993. Kind of Benson, as many of you know, I was the chair of the trust fund, I was the trustee and Chairman of the customer. She was a trustee from Gambia rather than she she thought it was unfair to the taxes in nature, much the same way that we don't tax agricultural down, there are other approaches that reduce or eliminate taxes. This idea was that we shouldn't be on taxing nature, people want to preserve land just to preserve it. So the program finally got approval and tested in 2003. That really says if you have a piece of land and you want to protect some or all of it, you can simplify percent reduction in the property tax need more on that part of the land. So for those with a large parcels of land, where they're paying fairly significant architects, it's quite a significant benefit. They also began a program with a conservation plan five year program, the second one, I think, and that target was to protect 50% of the all the trust in the whole area. And they've actually achieved that in total. Somehow it's been a total grant program as a way of getting what would become and converted after Park and the trust fund was one of those eligible organizations to do that? How successful it's been. And when I finished the book 2009 protected lanes in Nature Reserve forget conservation covenants, and protecting about 2500 acres of land. The total interest payments trust fund expenditures for their operations. Up until that point, while March 2008 was under $5 million. And the value of London protected was over three 1 million. That's actually not obviously gone up in the last two years. Selected story and that was what ended up to be a major restructuring of the constructs trust becoming some housekeeping ATS. Again, they set up another standing committee to look at the Trust Act and how it was working. It was chaired by Dave Mercier, and he reported to the trust. And now the seminary report their recommendations, basically their trust become a Regional District. Coming back to that. But more. More interesting was another study done by university in the Simon Fraser University to study a much more comprehensive study resident surveys questionnaires, they recommended to be retained and strengthen the commitment by the province to local management notice from that point of view that was valuable should be retained and actually strengthened. So we now go into a 30 year process where many legislation has been introduced, making making an iron justice changes to the act with the intention to improve the operational and cost enhance its autonomy and flexibility. Again, the ministry is confirming the trust mandate to preserve and strengthen question how far they've gone without but was done at the intent meeting to do that. And that wasn't just in past, essentially how these elements need to act with many different and potentially this is how the trust operates today. There's been a little bit of structural change. What they wanted was a trust policy statement that will apply to every local trust many of them have the same common understanding of what the trust was all about. Not trust policy statement has to be approved by the province establish the trust fund. I mentioned that to Napa made made operational it allowed on an island municipalities with some concerns about what the Navy is established, they're called the new trust Council and when they will trustees meet, and that will then begin to meet on a regular basis not going three months or six months. And that was called trust Council. And that's what we have now held a meeting. We're just not there. The idea of general trustees, those who have now become an executive committee or trustees, of the times are the three that will be elected by the 26th, the first meeting, and it was actually increased to four later on. So we have an executive committee now wouldn't be simply the two local trustees. Plus, and one member of the executive committee member, the executive committee really represents the provincial interest. That's all there, but now, not in the majority position. And I say that's essentially where we are today in terms of structure. The NDP, again, will be ready to be based upon the trust now and what the experts treatments are oneness, the allowance for the highlands to cooperate, now, there can be some other cracking down small disciplines that then wouldn't be able to sustain that kind of comprehensive common now protect money. They also were so critical, again, Georgia provincial approval, consistent with their time, so I was the thrust in that. And that Act changed to just autonomy and respect support with the trust fund, but there really wasn't any commitment to giving it sufficient money all around. But you can see the trust fund

Unknown Speaker 31:41
that has been able to accomplish quite a bit. inaugural meeting was on the April 1, the same idea that was chaired by Nick Nova, trust me, Ireland, next stood around.

Speaker 1 31:59
He lived through all the amenities and all the ramifications of that and the population. And he chaired the trust account of the correct terms. If that was the end of the euro, when he said much frustration, and help you understand there's been a lot of frustration, and the attempts to change the LMS to recognize the trust, sensitive ecosystem, and committed to giving the customers the power to carry out mandate, clearly that we still have today weapons has enough control, to do what it was set up to do. Interact five, getting close to the end, population is now 80s. Now this whole trust area. And all that 10 years have been increasing by three points, I can't pay for that. So growth certainly being restrained. mandate for approval, trust policy statement, which people drive what happened, many vitals that are trust, not just many counselors, has to go to the executive committee and have a screening on the basis of that trust policy statement, but doesn't think that that's the provincial direction, then they can reject the vial. They also know authorized to enter into corners from me, as I mentioned in the act, where they were doing all this, their mandate was to work in cooperation with many other managers and SMEs nap first nation to wherever they want. And as I mentioned, the, because of the workload, the executive committee was increased from three or four members. So we have a chair and three vice chairs and 99 cases when I'm on the island, that's why I'm fighting that name. McMullen Borderlands on Galiana which we're sending away for quite a while now. Or contentious of industrial organ taking place. Under civil status was considered by Bowen Island, North Pender and Saltzman at the time but never pursued the ministry I think we're still very concerned that it didn't in any way impact on the trust mandate. So they never got anywhere and mostly the restore the regional planning functions which have been dismantled, which gave the trust a chance to work out arrangements with them without an appropriate regional districts. In 1989 Vaughn island for the second time, I think it goes to an incorporation study down referendum. Doesn't fact incorporate making making. So we have one now that is a musicality, the other trouble while still operate directly on another important review that was done in March 2000 was one called strategic perspective and they And the way that the trust should be revealed, never went into any kind of detail, but sort of support, we're trying to look at how the trust might be made. And there's a kind of a interesting side sideline, about the same time and make what 2000, there was a protest from the legislature to contain a lot of industrial cataloging, happening all around the islands. And it went to these steps, and you might recognize some of the faces. But I'm chairing the trustable with a slogan and so you can say there was no trust was fighting to get some control. That was one of the areas that they really felt that they were not subject to provincial jurisdiction, and that was definitely difficult for the trust to to implement a real Preserve. Come to the end of 2006, when I can trust the accomplishment triple up to about 25,000. It hasn't increased very much since then. But your cooperation, recommendable work is held on Saltspring lending in 2002. Defeated by 70%. Gabriel two years later, XM percent of the province wide public opinion survey done in 2005. For a conference, the trust was falling, which confirmed widespread support or 85% of the people have their survey, and that wasn't just picking people up all over the province. People like the senator in favor of protecting the government. Another survey done quite recently, I think just this year, which confirms the same similar degree of support much better than sex, drugs trucks down from the shed and the government is trying to look at these trusts to strengthen its ability to serve a mandate. Task Force that I was on, as well as my colleague, George redid a lot even women run all the islands talking about a number of options discussed with the ministry. And the proposal that we made to the ministry was to increase the number of Saltzman clusters from two to four the workload situation and the diversity of opinion making that are the more doable. Respect more diversity of view was something that was passed at the time that the trust don't do that, but that that would have done that. But again, themselves being trustees, to my trustees, ministry agreements, they will do that they will change that to do that suddenly referendum that was held in November 2008. And that was just

Speaker 1 37:55
briefly, what happened, it must have been happening next time in terms of governments, the trust structure, but certainly, in 2009, legislation was introduced and other problems to address climate change. There was a climate action team set up Climate Action Charter, which the trust and many other local governments signed on to require a lot of government specific greenhouse gas reduction targets, but certainly not been done. So it's been a lot of trust me to set those targets, established any kind of action group now, we've actually converted that into a Climate Action Council with basically a community based looking at actually my action plan which was available to anybody now and also some of the actions that need to be done. So that's very much going on right now. Never touched on this before. But towards the end of my story, I thought what is why is it worth protecting money with Rotary hear that we should preserve and protect it. And there was a study done not long ago, by an organization which is a joint government organization called SDPC. And just confirmed how fragile and how vulnerable they are nowadays, to development. It contains the rarest of all climatic zones in BC. It contains the highest density of spaces of global conditions. It was the highest of all the zones of ecological concern, and more more of those. The Trust Fund staff had identified 36 and David ecosystems and 280. Atmos plants we can solve from an ecological point of view. Here's a sensitive area considered worth protecting. My final reflection I think the need for the OnStar system All right, today in 1974, it's still surrounded by expanding and expanding quite fast as we know, so wonderful for that kind of disturbance. And I'll tell you the honest cost represents a promise pilot version government to Ireland as and to the people you see on the island should be protected from all time, normal development and inappropriate, not no development, inappropriate. I think initially, it was astonishing for its courage, imagination, foresight at the time. And I still think it's an example of what needs to be done. There are no on the local or regional bodies made in Canada, and North America, some people say even though we are a unique structure, and it was accomplished many of its goals would have its flaws, remains alone and Canada as a government charged with the stewardship of phallic fragile environment, and preservation of a special. I think that's really why I think it's really important, I mean, passionate about why the arms crossed, needs to be retained, strengthen, if we can, but certainly, initially, there's not that it's not diminished in any way. And I think nowadays, the.

Speaker 2 41:20
Peter, we'll take questions. One start, what do you see are the three or four pressures that are going to build on the trust, say, over the next five to seven years,

Speaker 1 41:33
pressures from development were? Well, I'm not sure that they could be made for me, the overriding one is climate change, can come back to that we don't know what's happening. But we do know, things are changing. And I think it could have a dramatic change. Both was affected by rising temperature, rising water temperature, and what that testament was, like, how it affects the ecosystems now that might have to migrate to different areas. How do we how do we deal with that, and that's why this Climate Action Council we have so important that we need to do. I think the continuing problem is over development, inappropriate development. We know in advance on proposals that we had to turn down if something was not consistent with the trust policy wasn't just about protecting the islands. It's a balance between what should be allowed what is permitted to happen on the island. And whether we can continue to have this as an overriding lens through which we look at what we're development in appropriate development. We've had a couple of examples on the island that the trustees declined after weighing all of the evidence looking at and getting lots of information about it have come down on the side of Milan, we didn't think this is appropriate that we don't it's probably an application, or we just don't think it's appropriate. And usually, it's location issue. Those are the two. Those are pretty broad. pressures. Now, population pressure, I think, has diminished. Population hasn't grown that much in the last last number of years last census showed to that six census showed that we'd have an increase of about less than 40 people, permanent residents, but an increase of over 800 new houses. So that's what was happening. That's a concern. I think. It's kind of related to this, that we're getting a lot of second homes on the island. It's not as bad as some of the other islands which are typical sent by by non business. And I think badly of somebody's buying property, but only coming here, maybe for a week off. In the summer was a holiday with the don't don't enter into the community participate a lot of the volunteer work that goes on your society, just coming into this application. So the more we have a blowout, the less we have as a as a healthy community. For that, and I'm not sure I haven't got a new census figures next year, I guess. I suspect that the population hasn't grown that much now. Obviously, constructionist videos because of the economic downturn. Got some mentioning but on top of spring, we still have a potential we're only built out for look at the number of loss that we have available now for celebration of building. What about less than two thirds means 60% and build out so we still have a potential to increase the number of people living on so it is important that we have in place kind of the management tools to make sure that that developer

Speaker 2 44:59
friend of mine All the stress to the player who had a pro development at the end of college and was told that affected have nothing to do with your stress. It was the Department of Highways development. So I was wondering what's what's the relation between the trust with the Department of Motor

Unknown Speaker 45:24
just wondering which one it was actually there was another property so we're on

Speaker 1 45:33
that land, I think the pathogenicity I don't think there was an increase in intensity, ultimate trust resembling. But I know that what they were doing was they were offering someone to be protecting the environment particularly warfare, other than their upgrading in the rubble and standard of each. And I think the road the road that goes in the surface that development I suspect was a struggle but if it's a public roads

Speaker 2 46:15
so it's that Department of Highways declined to put in that road with that road where there's no development and then say well here, development here.

Speaker 1 46:27
No, I think I think the West doesn't take it down then it becomes a struggle. Now they are responsible for maintaining

Speaker 1 46:42
the they've got the approvals. To wetland with Lambie, particularly much more quick that runs down to

Speaker 2 46:52
Genette. You're not really answering the question, can the Department of Highways override the traffic or just a trust override the highway

Unknown Speaker 46:59
time will

Speaker 2 47:05
last very meeting seem to me that the MOT has overriding power, for instance, with the ferry that they're going to make that extra lane they can when they have to create some kind of extra road space they seem to be able to do it.

Speaker 1 47:25
With about half happens nothing has to be tweaked to broaden the highway and obviously tremendous responsibility in the case of that subdivision, the approval of the subdivision and the whatever, whatever in terms of setbacks. That is my mind right now and Roger struggle enough. This the highways pocket country's responsibility ministry. The other thing is what you mean the subdivision approval is done by an officer who is mentally employed. So the ministry of highways specially approved subdivision is referred to the trust and referred to Amanda Raven, she's in terms of the configuration of the locks and setbacks and most things that's interesting. And we're happy to see them evolve and one of our former customers has joined us to contend with if you think I'm on the wrong

Speaker 3 48:41
the protection of riparian areas which is a contentious issue. How can trust protect wetlands drive streets, ponds, swamps.

Speaker 1 49:05
If that's not enough, it's just a temporary setback from lakes and streams. John's never mathematize these live streams. So they have a 10 week worth of repair and error regulation says some industry so provincial requirement regulation rolls up to 13 and not as the 30 meters that does not involve them but within that 30 meter setback from from what would the official parents tweets, protection, protection and quality forbid setback within which if you want to do any development. You have to get a professional environmental expert to look at it and say yeah, if you're gonna do that, in that location Then you're wrong, you're not going to impact on difficult law, then they will not have the protection right now. We know many people, many organizations have been pressing in very any customer that we need to put in place because protection. And we're suffering now. Severely now in Crystal Lake, from the the algae blooms are getting longer than usual. And protecting the quality of that water needs that we have to protect development around the central fields. Clearing of land, we're seven months off. So I think your current regulation has to be put in place quickly by the province isn't demanding it by just doing it for the leftist and again, it's one of these examples where they've left it to local government to implement it. Now. It's been implemented in almost every other community. That is that is subject to it's not the fourth BC but hopefully, Mainland and Mecca. Right. Those areas have a provincial legislation. It should have been implemented and the ministry should be demanding to be done. But the only one I think one of the one of two jurisdictions on Saltzman that that hasn't actually passed yet. What happened when most people focus on this content is but the fact of the matter is, it's a provincial requirement. It's not a some of them say, you know, we're already complained. Like, so the thermal problems says, it's up to the local government to decide how they're gonna do it. It's really just up to the trust of the jurisdiction of the typical regulation. Hopefully, that will happen the next

Speaker 2 52:13
questions the executive committee

Speaker 1 52:22
chair, trustees, meeting in December

Unknown Speaker 52:32
one of the things that was elected chairman, vice chairman, so in the interest of us from Stanford,

Speaker 1 52:42
for demonically. elected by the trustees themselves, then on each of our customers, one of those committees is designated to chair or speak additional, that is traditionally, the chair of the saucepan customer is the chair of the council. So we got to the station I think probably won't continue.

Speaker 2 53:22
As we know, the islands trust has been with us and will be by according to Peter with us for many years to go. So we'll watch and see with interest the history of it over the next few years. It's under certain pressures, as we know Peter from local communities, but Corporation being one of them and so on, but we will we welcome your talk today. And thanks very much for coming. next week or next month, our topic we hope will be on Terry spire South Street as he's known as a person who lived on Salt Spring for many years and worked his way through the community here. We weren't cremation coming in on that and that will be on the second Wednesday of October here. So keep your eye open and the drift was for the actual program and the time but that will be our next program as far as we know. We're working on