By STEVE WRIGHT
After five decades of operating under the banner of “preserve and protect” and millions of dollars spent to keep the organization alive, it is obvious to anyone who has lived in the Trust Area for any length of time that the Islands Trust has not fulfilled its mandate. Not by a long shot.
Granted, there have been some successes in setting land aside, but that is a credit to the Trust Conservancy, provincial and federal parks. What began as an unprecedented and visionary piece of legislation, to “preserve and protect” the rural and natural character of the islands, and the fragile and unique ecology of the terrestrial and marine environments within the Trust Area, has devolved into a mediocre attempt by those who did not have the skill set, or those not suitably trained or qualified, to do the job.
In spite of pronouncements from the provincial government about the importance of this area for all residents of B.C. and, in particular, future generations, there was no thought to change the way these islands were to be developed any differently than anywhere else in the country.
Regulations regarding the scale and style of development to “preserve” the rural character were not implemented. No consideration was given to new subdivisions where lot configuration continued to be based on minimum parcel size rather than on the topography of the land to limit disturbance to ecosystems and groundwater. No examination was undertaken on private properties, prior to subdivision applications or construction, to determine whether endangered or at-risk species needed protection. Planning staff and trustees failed to recognize the changing trends in real estate and tourism which might have slowed growth to manageable levels instead of being overwhelmed by it.
More importantly, there was an absence of information by the Islands Trust and the province to inform the public about the ideals and purpose of the Trust Act. That alone would have provided an understanding of the difference between the conservationist approach of the Islands Trust and that of local governments geared for “urban” development.
Over the years, Trust Council has shown it is unable or unwilling to challenge the status quo and it is afraid to stand up to criticism, which continues to compromise the mandate in favour of development. Without the imagination to create a model for sustainable development which “preserved” the rural character and “protected” native ecosystems and resources, successive councils followed a well-trodden path towards urbanization, with no clue or care where it would end up. Several warning voices were ignored, leading us to this place of chaos and confusion about what the Trust is and what it stands for.
Provincial governments, responsible for its legislation, cast the Trust aside as though giving birth was the totality of provincial responsibility. Council often complained it did not have the “tools” or the “authority” or the “funding,” but it had enough to do far more than it did. What it lacked was a commitment to the principles of the mandate and the guts to carry them out. Council has managed to find any number of reasons why it couldn’t act, but never finds the single reason of why it should.
The question now is whether it is too late. Public attitudes are changing. The environment seems not as important a value as the notion of property rights, even in the face of climate change. Current political views are leaning towards more conservative, libertarian and populist thinking. There is a greater desire for wealth and an expectation that we deserve whatever we want. And that is more: more space, more comfort, more services, more stuff and more younger people to do the work we prefer not to do ourselves.
The Trust has had countless opportunities to alter this course. Its job was relatively simple; to ensure these islands maintained their rural character, where the charm, resilience and independence of small communities and their way of life evolved from their natural environment. Where a simple life was not only feasible, but desirable. For the Islands Trust, irrelevancy and failure is not a legacy it can be proud of. Nor should we be.
The writer is a long-time resident of South Pender and served several terms as trustee beginning in the early 1980s.