Shoreline Protection Project meetings

Most of us on Lasqueti found an invitation from LIRA in our mailboxes today to attend a meeting about Shoreline Protection on Sunday afternoon at the hall.

I found some of the statements in it to be a bit extreme and/or misleading.

The LTC has referred the Shoreline Protection Project to the Lasqueti APC, asking "that the Advisory Planning Commission consider next steps on Shoreline Protection including making recommendations on further public consultation."

From listening to the Trustees at the last LTC meeting, and reading what they have written, I believe that they are asking the APC to work with the whole community to clarify what marine shoreline things/values we think need protection, and to come up with ways that we think they could and should be protected, specifically through voluntary stewardship and improvements that should be made to existing policy or regulations.

The APC members and the trustees, as far as I can determine, are willing to support whatever community process is wanted. We can meet as the APC, or the community can organize and run any process that we desire.

If the APC runs it, the Trust will (within reason) pay for our meeting room, provide a recorder, we will have to follow Trust bylaws and procedures about how APC meetings are held and conducted, and our planner would be available to answer questions, etc. If the community runs it, there can be no Trust financial support, but trustees and APC members can participate as citizens.

The next scheduled LTC meeting is mid-February of next year, so there's ample  time to begin to work on this. Presumably the community's recommendations would go to the LTC through the APC, but that isn't necessarily set in stone.

An APC meeting is being scheduled, and will probably be held either Tuesday, November 28 (2 days after the LIRA meeting), or Tuesday, December 5. The public is encouraged to attend and participate.

There is lots of information, and correspondence too, on the Lasqueti Shoreline Protection Project web page:

http://islandstrust.bc.ca/islands/local-trust-areas/lasqueti/projects-in...

The APC referral package will be posted there soon, hopefully Tuesday. It's 29 Powerpoint slides, each with additional written comments and elaborations.  If you'd like me to forward my emailed copy to you, or have comments or questions, please let me know.

I hope to see you at LIRA'a Sunday meeting, and then again at our APC meeting, especially if you'd like to get involved in the community process. If you aren't on Lasqueti, we'll work to keep you informed and involved without you having to come and attend the meetings.

acronyms:   LTC = Lasqueti Trust Committee
                      APC = Advisory Planning Commission
                       LIRA = Lasqueti Island Ratepayers Association