report on Lasqueti Trust Committee meeting
This is a brief report from the meeting, and a comment and plea from me. There will be a fuller report in the Isle & Times, and the minutes will be posted on the Trust web site in a few weeks.
Thursday's Lasqueti Trust Committee was attended by probably more people than have been at the last dozen meetings in total. It's great to have so much public involvement. I particularly thank those who gave up part or all of a day's work and/or pay to attend.
We decided to not proceed with the Bylaw Enforcement Notification bylaw.
We decided to change the timing of the next meeting from day-time to evening. Subject to Chair David Graham's schedule, it will be on Thursday, August 30, starting at 6pm. A considerable number of people expressed a desire to attend Lasqueti Trust Committee meetings, and this change will make it easier for them to do so.
We also put the guest cabin issue on our Top Priorities list, which makes it possible for us to begin discussions in the community about it. I'm not sure what this will look like, and because your trustees can only discuss issues at public meetings, it might take a while for the process to come clear.
Comment and plea:
I learned after the meeting that the word was out that the BEN bylaw was "Peter's baby", and that people believed (and might still) that either I thought it up, or that I supported it, or both. THIS IS NOT TRUE. It was thought up and drafted, Trust-wide, before I was elected as one of your trustees. I learned about it at the Trust Council meeting on Gabriola Island, and at our next Lasqueti Trust Committee meeting we decided to bring it before the public by holding a special, evening meeting on the BEN bylaw proposal, which was held June 21. I never thought it was a good bylaw for Lasqueti.
The fact that some people believed that I supported it explains why there was a level of "chippiness" obvious at the beginning of the BEN bylaw meeting, and at the beginning of the Lasqueti Trust Committee meeting Thursday. I believe strongly in public consultation. I also believe that when we do consult with the community we have a strong obligation to not only listen to but to act according to what the community wants.
Please, if you hear that I believe something, or support (or don't support) something, check with me before you tell others about it. What you are told might not be true. If it is, I'll tell you, and then you can pass on truth, rather than false, statements or rumours.
I'm looking forward to a community discussion on the many issues around guest cottages. There are many points of view, and many interests to consider. If we share these with each other in a polite way, listening to each other and responding considerately, we can arrive at an agreement that will meet or accommodate most people's interests and concerns.
One final correction, to set the record straight: one of the people present at Thursday's meeting reported that a care-giver was about to be barred by the Trust from living in the guest cottage of people who need him, because there had been a complaint made. Fortunately, the Bylaw Enforcement Manager was present at the meeting, and he said that this was not true. No complaint had been filed. There has been one complaint filed in recent times about a guest cottage related issue. It will not be proceeded with while we are discussing the issue, and probably changing this part of our Land Use Bylaw.
Thank you for reading this. Questions or concerns? Talk to me. Peter 8785 pjohnston [at] islandstrust [dot] bc [dot] ca
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