Draft language seems to have satisfied both lawyers and elected officials, and the Islands Trust now has a clear path to a midsummer first reading of its newly revised Policy Statement.
That update has been in process — in some form or another — for years, most recently rekindled as a priority for this Trust Council to complete before the end of its own political term. The guiding Policy Statement itself has not seen meaningful revision in three decades, with the current iteration having been described as an attempt to address issues such as the climate crisis, growing housing needs and a commitment to reconciliation with local First Nations.
After a closed session Wednesday, July 9 to receive legal advice — and following a few last-minute tweaks — the Trust’s Committee of the Whole (COW) approved forwarding the draft document on to the Executive Committee, after which it will be tabled for first reading at a special electronic meeting of Trust Council on Tuesday, July 29.
The move brings to a close months of deliberation over language, reshuffling of sections and attempts to improve readability — a workload shared with the Trust Programs Committee — and opens the next chapter in an ambitious process, according to Salt Spring Island trustee and Trust Council chair Laura Patrick.
“It is a big moment,” said Patrick, who also chaired what may be the final COW meeting on the matter. “This is a moment of celebration; we are moving forward to first reading.”
Hoping to avoid a repeat of 2021’s public backlash over what many felt was a rushed or insufficiently transparent process, trustees and staff have repeatedly emphasized the word “draft” in communications — and said that despite months of fine-tuning, the Policy Statement at this point remains far from finished. Trust Area Services director Clare Frater on Wednesday reiterated that the draft was merely ready for further public and First Nations input.
“We’re looking forward to bringing it to [Trust Council] for first reading,” said Frater, reminding trustees to encourage one another to attend to ensure quorum. “And then to hearing back from all the public and the many other organizations and governments that will be asked to comment.”
That comment period is expected to span at least six months, incorporating referrals to Indigenous governing bodies, regional districts, the Islands Trust Conservancy Board and Local Trust Committees, alongside a Trust-wide survey and town halls expected to be held across the Trust Areas.
After that, a timeline approved by Trust Council in June could see later readings of a revised Policy Statement taking place as soon as next spring, with a possibility to refer a proposed bylaw to provincial regulators in April 2026 — and while the process becomes murkier beyond that, Islands Trust staff have suggested the options remains that a new Policy Statement could be adopted by that fall.
For more information about the Policy Statement’s amendment process, dubbed “Islands 2050,” visit islandstrust.bc.ca/programs/islands-2050.