Rob Botterell

As the MLA representing 5 islands within the Islands Trust area, I will always closely monitor conversations about the Islands Trust, including deliberations around the Trust Policy Statement. I neither wrote, nor commissioned, the letter(below) from Lidstone & Company regarding the draft Trust Policy Statement, but I was copied on this letter and shared it in the interest of openness and transparency. The views expressed in the letter are those of Don Lidstone, a lawyer with more than four decades of experience in local government law. I invite any residents of Saanich North and the Islands who wish to discuss the Islands Trust to make an appointment with my office, by emailing Rob.Botterell.MLA@leg.bc.ca. Dear Chair Laura Patrick and Trust Council: Re: Draft Trust Policy Statement We are writing to comment on the Trust Council’s draft Trust Policy Statement (the “Draft TPS”). The Islands Trust Act1 (“ITA”) grants power to the Trust Council to adopt a Trust…

At an Islands Trust information meeting on January 13th, I joined over 100 Salt Spring islanders to hear presentations on the draft Islands Trust Policy Statement (TPS). It was a good night for democracy. The wisdom, insights, expertise, and experience of those who spoke out was inspiring. Speakers identified numerous changes needed to bring the draft TPS into compliance with the Trust’s "preserve and protect" mandate, while at the same time addressing affordable housing needs on the islands. Many asked that terms like "preserving and protecting", "unique amenities of the Trust Area" - and the word "environment" itself - be clearly defined. They objected to loose language in the proposed TPS like "consider", “suitable” locations for housing, enforcement “where possible”, and that the new term “attainable” housing be replaced with the legally binding term "affordable", with guarantees it stays affordable. Public engagement on the draft TPS is expected to wrap up shortly…

My first year as your MLA for Saanich North and the Islands has flown by in these tumultuous times. The affordability, housing, and health care crises in BC and the external catastrophes impacting us – tariffs, wars, climate disasters – hardly give time for relief. Nevertheless, there are many things that give me hope. One of them is the ground-breaking work undertaken by the District of North Saanich. Their new official community plan (OCP) incorporates doughnut economics into their future development. You can read the OCP here. Doughnut economics is the pioneer work of Oxford economist, Kate Rawowrth. It acknowledges that we live in a world of finite resources and that our addiction to endless economic growth puts our environment and well-being at risk. It is a new way of thinking about our communities where we ensure we have a strong social foundation of really affordable housing, wrap around access to health care and other key determinants of happiness while not exceedin…