Mayne Island Residents & Ratepayers Association

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

Island Trust All Candidates Meeting Oct 29th

Sponsored by MIRRA

October 29th, 1 PM, Ag Hall

It’s hiring time at the old sausage factory again. Despite repeated warnings to the squeamish about witnessing the gory processes that sustain the body, physical and politic, candidates are lining up once more. As lovers of good government (and sausages), we must applaud their stalwart commitment to community service. Much depends on the people who are willing to accept difficult, sometimes unpleasant tasks. As connoisseurs of political hope and change, we the electors must determine which candidates will best serve Mayne Island.

Voters are notoriously picky, even down-right cynical sometimes, and manage to find fault with the limited spectrum of choices between the veteran’s experienced aplomb and the fresh idealism of a first-timer. Truly, we are the employers from hell, and those who would serve will definitely earn their pay. And to be fair, those of us who will never offer ourselves for the position of Island Trustee should remember to thank those who do.

As mentioned in last month’s column, there are new tensions in the air this election cycle. Gulf Islanders are beginning to look for more directly democratic governance than the trustee/ward model. Despite putting on the bureaucratic pounds, the Trust is really hitting its stride, and expanding into new areas. Permanent staff naturally network with peers in other jurisdictions within and without Canada, with the result that agendas tend to arrive at, rather than arise within our communities. Do you suppose that most Gulf Islanders are aware of impending policy developments such as “Smart Development” and “Green Shores”? This is starting to look like technocratic government by policy module. Is this what we want? Is it necessary? And when and where was it discussed? The Trust pays lip service to preserving and protecting rural ambience, but this looks more like urban-centered remote-management of rural assets — subtly incremented so as not to panic the livestock. As a mature community, Mayne Island does not need externally imposed mandates; we should be represented by people who understand where the community’s vision comes from, and how best to preserve it from metastasizing bureaucracy. Please. Thank you.

• Nominations open Oct 4th and close the 14th.
• Nov 9th advance polling day
• Nov 19th General Voting Day
• You do not have to live in the jurisdiction in which you are running for office. (Dalai Lama? Lady Gaga?)

MIRRA AGM Resheduled!

Due to late-breaking circumstances, the MIRRA AGM originally planned for October 8th has been rescheduled to SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1 pm at the Community Centre.

Our apologies for any inconvience. We look forward to seeing you then.

If governance and local politics didn’t interest you, you wouldn’t have read this far. Might be time to admit you care deeply about how these things affect the quality of life in our community, and come out to MIRRA’s AGM. Issues of importance considered in an atmosphere of amiable civility, accompanied by refreshments. Memberships are $10, available at the door, and from MIRRA directors. Your support keeps MIRRA supporting good government.

 PS Any cartoonists out there that would like to work with MIRRA on political commentary?

 Respectfully submitted by the MIRRA Executive:

Barry Wilks, Colleen Ming, Dave Lindquist, Bill Borges, Wayne Ming

 www.maynebc.com

mayneratepayers@shaw.ca

Governance and the Gulf Islands

Islands Trust

November 19^th, we vote for Island Trustees, 26 people who will then elect a four-person Executive Committee.  Members of the Executive chair Local Trust Committee meetings, and approve, or refuse approval, for bylaws passed by the LTCs.

For 38 years, the Trust has been shaped by forces ranging from hard-environmentalist activism to passive cynicism and dismissal, with occasional flashes of community involvement around specific proposals. These events have played out mostly in isolation – each community struggling alone with its governance dynamics in what the Trust refers to as “…a unique federation of independent local governments…” The Big Picture, including plans for expanding the Trust’s role in the life of all these communities, is largely concentrated in the Executive and administrative and planning staff located inVictoria.

This election cycle, things are changing. Isolation between communities is being overcome at the grass-roots level. Islanders seeking better alternatives are reaching out to each other across the “federation” and finding common cause outside official Trust information channels. Wider sharing of information and concerns will lead to a more mature relationship with the Trust than the present one of being under the appointed guardianship and administrative program of forces too-often based outside our communities.

Which leads back to the question: What have we learned, and what shall we do about it? What questions should be put to them to help us make up our minds? Some suggestions:

• When Islands Trust Mandates, Policy Statements, various ‘global warming’ and anti-vehicle agendas conflict with needs and desires of your community, where will your loyalty lie?
• What is your position on recent Trust budgets and their impact on taxes? Would you support rolling back any budget items, leave them as they are, or expand any?
• Can you reference an action or policy of theLTCor Trust Council you support or don’t support that would give voters a clue of how you might behave in office?

Readers will no doubt have their own lists. Some may have moved to Mayne to be part of an ongoing experiment in eco-activism, and appreciate strenuous efforts of the Trust to protect us from our baser humanity. Others came here hoping for a less intrusively regulatory, authoritarian environment. Public-spirited candidates will all have their fine qualities, but how will their philosophies, assumptions, tendencies and agendas affect ability to live as we want in this chosen place? Don’t be shy about asking candidates where they stand; you have the power, until you hand it to them.

CRD

Aside from funding support for local Parks and Recreation, a volunteer-run organization that Mayne Islanders are deeply grateful to, theCRDcontrol’s ourMinersBaywharf, and has a growing involvement in our groundwater issues.

MIRRA was frustrated in its efforts to get better vehicle access to the wharf, unable to convince theCRDthat their vehicle barrier policy was not structurally necessary and was a chronic inconvenience to some Mayne Islanders.

RegardingCRDtakeover of water districts, what are impacts on users and other taxpayers likely to be when this infrastructure is controlled by a non-community bureaucracy? Can we get more local perspective incorporated intoCRDdecision making? Are there candidates for whom this might be a priority?

Upcoming Events

Ferry Commissioner

September 17 at the Community Centre: an important meeting with the BC Ferries Commissioner, who is reviewing the impact of BC Ferries on island communities.  All are encouraged to attend and participate in the discussion. Small business owners in particular have a unique opportunity to voice their concerns to the commissioner. The review will look into the current price cap model and assess its impact on the affordability and sustainability of ferry service to communities depending on it.

Roads

Members of MIRRA’s executive met recently with Mark Traverso, Operations Manager, Ministry of Transportation and Highways, V.I. District, Saanich Area Office, and Leon Bohmer, Manager of Mainroad Contracting,South Island. Sympathy was offered for the condition of our roads, but budget constraints only allow for keeping up with worst cases of pavement failure. $2,000,000 in paving commitments by previous managers were in fact undocumented and are not in force. Figures were cited to show Mayne is not being short-changed for its share of available budget.

After being toured around Mayne’s crumbling infrastructure, they came away with an impression that some roads need serious work (HortonBayand Gallagher Bay Roads in the area of MacKay’s farm, andWaugh Road). Concerns with the undermining ofGeorgina Point Roadat Garrick hit home and they assured us this was a priority. They say we are likely to see about the same amount of paving each year, and they will try to focus on the bad sections. They suggested undertaking some polling on island to ensure they were addressing community concerns. We shall see, but at least the lines of communication are open.

MIRRA AGM

October 8^th,1 PM at the Community Centre. Memberships, $10 at the door. The Ratepayers are not a one-trick pony: issues critical to the community abound. MIRRA can always use more help from members and encourages candidates to stand for directorships on the board. Membership fees cover basic expenses, but donations are always welcome to help with costs of special community meetings and projects, etc.

Municipal Incorporation Discussion Meeting

MIRRA is intending to host a meeting discussing pros and cons of the municipal option. We’re hoping for a date in October, before the Islands Trustee All-Candidates Meeting, intending that it will add some depth of consideration to governance issues.

Heads up!

Canada Post plans to implement a new addressing policy for community organizations, namely, free numbers at group boxes will cease, and we’ll have to pay $120 a year at the Post Office, or have mail sent to an individual’s address. Sound like good service? Didn’t think so. Can we get together to register our dissatisfaction and need for a better solution?

Sincerely,

MIRRA Executive

Website: www.maynebc.com

Email: mayneratepayers@shaw.ca

What’s Next?

The directors of MIRRA would like to thank all those who worked on the recent referendum.
Particularly, we would like to thank the folks who contributed their time and support to our campaign: the 16 enthusiastic scrutineers, those who wrote letters and spoke publicly, and those who made donations to ensure the community received the information it needed to make an informed decision.

As most of you are aware, the referendum to borrow up to $3.4 million to construct a new fire hall was soundly defeated. Our interpretation of this vote is that most residents want the fire hall issue solved; they just don’t want to pay $3.4 million, plus 20 years of interest. Mayne Islanders are now asking “What is the next step?” MIRRA would like input from our members and the general public on any future fire hall debate. As opponents of the last proposal, we must be prepared to support or suggest recommendations.

The funding and management of the fire hall is the responsibility of the Mayne Island Improvement District. MIID has an AGM scheduled for Saturday, April 16th, where four Trustee positions will be filled by election of qualified property owners. This new board will have the task of moving forward with a new plan for the fire hall that meets the needs of the community, while respecting financial constraints that voters so emphatically demanded. It is important that voters follow through on their intentions by attending this meeting and supporting candidates who respect their demonstrated will. This project needs to be retrieved as soon as possible by new Trustees who will need to bring refreshed competence and commitment. Candidates will soon become apparent; make sure you take the opportunity at the AGM to review the abilities and vision they offer.

Once again, we thank the community for its ongoing support, and we will continue to keep you updated as the “what’s next” unfolds. MIRRA will strive to continue being a community voice through:
Scrutinizing taxation;
Lobbying government and officials;
Monitoring governing processes;
Communicating with residents and ratepayers.

Sincerely,
MIRRA Executive
Wayne Ming, Bill Borges, Barry Wilks, Colleen Ming, Bob McKinnon, Dave Lindquist