Response to LIRA newsletter that was in Wednesday's mail

The LIRA newsletter that came in our mail Wednesday had a few misleading statements that I'd like to correct, so that nobody is working from incorrect information and assumptions.

The Islands Trust is not a particular urban bureaucracy. Two of its offices are on Gulf Islands (Salt Spring and Gabriola), and it is not obviously alienated from the realities of living on a gulf island - all 26 of the decision-making trustees are elected from and by 13 major Trust island communities.

Almost all of our bylaws and regulations, our Official Community Plan, and our Land Use Bylaw and its zoning provisions and dock restrictions, have been agreed to by a clear majority of the Lasqueti community. In many cases - but not all - they have been developed by the community. We, the community, are currently in the process of revising our Official Community Plan, and the Trust is in the process of revising its Policy Statement, which is the basis of how the Trust works to preserve and protect the unique amenities of our Trust Islands.

Under provincial regulation, in our area, a private landowner is allowed to build a dock adjacent to their property by what is known as General Permission. There are conditions. One is that no fill be placed or added on the foreshore. Another is that local bylaws and zoning have to be followed. In the case of the private dock built by John Carey at least the local zoning was not followed, and it seems that some fill was placed on the foreshore.  ,

Aslan (as John is known) knew long ago that local zoning did not permit a dock, and that he could apply for a rezoning. He did not do this until there had been complaint(s) to the Trust's Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement department, and an investigation had begun.

Trust staff did not recommend that the local trust committee re-consider the application in a year's time. They recommended, and the LTC agreed, to not permit another application for this rezoning until one year after the decision to refuse the application. A portion of the rezoning application fee was returned to each of the two applicants. The second had not built a dock.

There has been a proliferation of mooring buoys around Lasqueti in the last few years. It's not clear that this has been caused by anchoring-only restrictions, which have been in place for many years. There are federal regulations about placing moorings. Here's a good place to start learning about them:   https://portal.nrs.gov.bc.ca/documents/10184/0/Mooring+Buoy+FAQ/6223d9a9...

There is indeed a shortage of places to tie up a boat. Introducing private docks does not much help to solve the shortage, and they restrict the public use of the foreshore.

The Trust didn't invite itself to Lasqueti. It was imposed in 1974 by both parties in the BC legislature, as a way to slow and control rampant subdivision and property development of small lots on the Gulf Islands for profit. The Lasqueti community discussed it at length, and finally agreed to go along. I remember only John Collins and Dave Miller telling us that we would regret that decision.

The time has come to address the marine requirements of the island. We could use public docks in a number of locations, and Scottie Bay is a really good one, as it is our most protected harbour, and there is public access via public roadway (though the last bit is steep and not easily accessible).

As a community, we should develop a plan for Scottie Bay, including a public dock and an efficient system to accommodate as ,many boats as possible, both for residents and visitors.  The chances of getting the federal government to build a dock or kick in money are slim to zero. They want to get rid of the False Bay dock, not acquire a new one. A small public dock is well within the reach of the people on Lasqueti, and our Regional District could be encouraged to help out, with our taxes, if needed and the community agrees to support it.  At that time, it would be sensible to see if there is room for private docks in Scottie Bay. Planning Is something the community has shown we can do, with the Trust's help. I'm planning to encourage this sort of planning to take place, involving the people who live and work around Scottie Bay, and the people who use it, and all interested community members. I'm also going to involve the community in looking for other sites around Lasqueti that would be suitable for small public accesses or docks.

If you have any questions or comments, please post them here or contact me.   Thanks,  Peter