Islands Trust Act
The Islands Trust is governed by the Islands Trust Act which
- Establishes the corporate bodies of the Islands Trust
- Identifies the Islands Trust Area and the “object” (mandate) of the Islands Trust
- Confers responsibilities and powers on the corporate bodies of the Islands Trust
- Transfers land use planning powers from Regional Districts to Local Trust Committees
- Prohibits a Regional District from adopting bylaws, issuing permits or undertaking work contrary to a Local Trust Committee bylaw
- Establishes the relationship with Island Municipalities
- Guides some governance procedures
- Provides for budget and requisition of taxes
The Islands Trust ‘Object’
The object provides the ‘purpose’ for all Islands Trust corporate bodies.
The object of the Trust is 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 British Columbia generally, in cooperation with municipalities, regional districts, improvement districts, other persons and organizations and the government of British Columbia.
Trustee Candidates:
All Candidates must take a statutory declaration that the information they have presented is true and correct. The information includes eligibility criteria. This declaration is taken in front of a Commissioner for taking oaths or a statutory officer under the Local Government Act.
MIRRA would like to thank all who attended the recent all-candidates meeting. There was standing room only, and audience participation was enthusiastic and interesting, generating many excellent questions for the candidates. The purpose of the meeting was to stimulate community discussion of the many issues which face our Island now and in the future; to introduce the candidates to the public at large; and to gain a clearer understanding of the qualification or experience factors presented by each candidate and how those factors may affect the future of our community.
It became clear as the meeting progressed that there was some confusion as to the duties, responsibilities and authority of a Trustee. There was discussion of issues that clearly went beyond the scope of a Trustee’s mandate. To clarify that mandate, we have provided above, the scope and objective of the Islands Trust act, directly from the Islands Trust website.
Trustees may certainly advocate for other issues but they have no direct power or control over such things as roads, drainage, fallow deer control, etc. As an advocate, a Trustee may for example, approach the wildlife branch of our Government to protest the extreme habitat destruction being caused by an escaped foreign species. They may encourage the Government to permit or assist in ultimate solutions to resolve this issue. They cannot impose or direct solutions. Trustees have, over the years, advocated for improved roads, better drainage and many other issues which concern their constituents. Advocacy is a very important and effective tool that when combined with an in-depth working knowledge of the Trust Act, provides valuable service and stability to an Island community.
MIRRA Directors and members feel that a clear understanding of these issues by our elected officials is important to the future security and enjoyment of our Island home. Be sure to vote for the candidates of your choice, and when making your decision please consider all of the areas of duties and responsibility that your candidates will be charged with. Voters can ponder the effects of voting for a single issue as opposed to making choices that may best represent the community as a whole.
Mayne Island is facing multiple challenges during the next term of the new Trustees and voters should consider amongst other things, those candidates with the most beneficial life experience, a working knowledge of the Islands Trust Act and/or the broadest based Island experience.
Mayne Islanders roots are anchored deep in the community’s past. It is a special and honoured history and legacy to be preserved and protected equally side by side with the preserve and protect objects of the Trust Act which we inherit and covet generation to generation.
With a tradition of productive and civil discourse our community can take pride in the level of active and open participation in its governance affairs. This is not always the situation elsewhere, as we see in recent news reports of civic upheaval, but Mayne Island has always been a better alternative. The recent all-candidates meeting presented a model of civility where ideas, questions and criticisms were freely exchanged so that we might rediscover where the balance lay in our community. We trust that this attitude will carry forward into all of our future endeavours and we thank the community for the outstanding attendance at this important event.
Sincerely,
MIRRA Board of Directors
Bill Borges, Carl Bunnin, Ian Dow, David Lindquist, Colleen Ming, Wayne Ming, Barry Wilks