Southern Gulf Islands Coalition
Press Releases / Media
Various media releases & Gulf Island news stories
Please reach out if you have any news stories to share here or would like to tell us about your Islands Trust Draft Policy impact.
Each individual who speaks up can have a ripple effect to help turn the tide. Thanks for your contributions.
Consultants make 15 recommendations for Trust governance improvement
-Mar 22, 2022 By Emelie Peacock
The Islands Trust has fundamental governance issues to grapple with, a $75,000 governance review found, and consultants recommended they should be undertaken before many other priorities are looked at.
No Gary Holman, Salt Spring Islands does not need your idea of a Local Community Commission!
“Salt Spring Islanders are being asked to embrace another layer of government by a Capital Regional District (CRD) director (Gary Holman) after a scathing independent governance review and indictment of the existing Islands Trust and its dysfunctional record.
A 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗟𝗖𝗖) is another concoction in a seemingly inexhaustible list of government glut," writes local islander Bob Moffatt in The Driftwood.
Let's stop Gary Holman’s LCC proposal on Salt Spring and free the people. Let the CRD Director Gary Holman know what you think of even more government...
E: directorssi@crd.bc.ca P: 250.537.4448 (Main Office)
P. 250.538.4307 (Direct Line)
Provincial Government 'Missing in Action' as Islands Trust Founders
By Frants Attorp Editorial & Opinions, Governance & Politics - March 2, 2022
”The bad news is summed up on the first page: “Current Trust Council practices do not meet the requirements set by good governance principles.”
The most serious indictment is that Trust Council, the political body of the Islands Trust, cannot agree on its role: There are “persistent divisions around the meaning of the Preserve and Protect Object, and the measures necessary to uphold it”.
Equally damning is the observation that the Trust has no idea about the sustainability of existing development, let alone what has yet to come: “There is no comprehensive analysis of the Trust Area’s capacity to sustain current population and activity, or its ability to accommodate more growth and development, especially in light of climate change and other considerations. The absence of an overarching vision for the Trust Area as a whole, setting out limits to growth, measures for protection of the environment, and sustainable strategies for development must be addressed.”
The report points to many other failings such as “trustees who don’t understand their collective and individual responsibilities”; “conflict of interest”; “rubber stamping of important decisions”; “disregard of policies on a regular basis”, and poor enforcement practices. Additionally, there is insufficient representation on Trust Council of provincial and First Nations interests.” -Salt Spring Exchange, March 2, 2022
Islands Trust Budget Response Press Release
Coalition volunteers watched the vigorous Islands Trust Council Budget debate of March 10, 2022 and issued the following press release confirming they passed a budget increase in spite of FOUR separate public opinion polls calling for a freeze or spending decrease. While some Trustees clearly heard the pleas for some tax relief, others appear to ignore those requests.
Islands Trustee Paul Brent
Writes an opinion column: “So What’s Up With the Islands Trust These Days? - P.3, April 2022 Saturna Scribbler
Islands Trustee Lee Middleton
Writes an opinion column: “Restructure the Trust for Good”
- P.34, April 2022 Saturna Scribbler
Is the Islands Trust Policy Statement Review Fair or Foggy?
-March 3, 2022 By Mairi Wyman and Salt Spring Solutions
A MUST Read!
Is the Islands Trust policy statement review a fair and meaningful process?
”Last Friday afternoon the Trust published the information on their website including a link to a Public Opinion Survey and an invitation to pre-register for an online Q&A Session, to be held on March 1. In our opinion it borders on gaslighting to ask the public to participate and then make it incredibly difficult for them to do so. Here’s why...
The invitation to pre-register for the Q&A Session was published on a Friday afternoon, for an event to be held the following Tuesday. Extremely short notice. The Public Opinion Survey itself is astonishingly poorly designed and does not follow best practise of being clear, concise, and comprehensible. -Salt Spring Exchange, March 2, 2022
Gulf Islanders expressed a largely negative view of the Islands Trust
“56 of 59 comments specifically mentioning Bowen Island expressed a negative viewpoint of Islands Trust, ranging from it being a financial drain, to claims of mandate and bureaucratic overreach, to calling for an expulsion of the organization altogether.”
-Bowen Island Undercurrent Newspaper $9 million Islands Trust budget given green light
News Release Nov. 2021 by Concerned Islands Residents Association
Phone Poll Results News Release Feb. 2022 by Concerned Island Residents Association. Confirms lack of consultation and opposition to the Islands Trust’s mandate expansion in new Draft Policy Statement with inherent tax increases. Residents want the radical, dictatorial changes postponed until the next civic election this year.
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