Bowen and the Islands Trust

When Bowen incorporated, it became the first island within the Trust federation to do so. Much of the discussion leading up to the incorporation vote in 1999 (which went 60:40 in favour, BTW), revolved around speculation as to the role of the Trust in Bowen's future.

Many were concerned the Trust would lose its pre-eminence in local politics, and with it, the 'Preserve and Protect' object. Others were concerned about the domino effect- that other islands would soon follow suit. Yet others just wanted to see the last of what they considered to be an obstructionist, brittle organization.

None of the yea nor naysayers have been entirely bourne out. The Trust has receded from the front lines of public view, but it is still there in the background. Bowen's land use bylaws still get vetted by staff for adherence to the Policy Statement Directives, and OCP amendments actually require Trust Executive approval. We still benefit from Trust programs- such as free Crown Grants, Trust Fund ecological covenants and outright land ownership, as well as remaining part of the federation, and its protocols, intergovernment agreements (eg First nations/treaty group relationships), cross border memoranda (eg with San Juan County). There are annual Stewardship Awards, for which Bowen Islanders have been nominated and been awarded. A tax emption program for natural area protection, NAPTEP, is in the process of getting approvals for use on Bowen.

Two Bowen Trustees attend Trust Council quarterly, plus belong to sub-committees. I have been on the Governance Task Force as well as the Programs committee for the past term.

I remain both an ardent supporter and critic of the Trust. Supporter, because the Trust philosophy is close to my own, and because as an organization, it has generally protected the islands in the same way the ALR has protected farmland. A critic, because the Trust has failed to become nimble nor innovative in its delivery of core services, and because it often retreats to hardline positions that imperil its wider effectiveness. Case in point is a long battle on Galiano that has cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars, has torn the community apart, and has failed to uphold ecological or community values. A similar intransigence has infected Denman to a lesser but still worrying degree.

I am also a critic of the cost of keeping the organization afloat, and Bowen's bloated contribution, close to $200,000 in 2008. Yet the Trust is very dear to my heart, and a unique attempt at marrying land trust principles with actual governance- an ideal that is worth fighting for. 

I've brought a bit of an outsider's view and jaded eye to the Council table, but know I make a sincere contribution that has generally been recognized by staff and other Trustees alike.

So why am I not running for Trust again?

There are two answers. First, with the Governance review complete, it is time for the Trust to concentrate on its core function of providing good planning services to the 12 Local Trust Committees. This does not directly concern Bowen, and as I was more interested in policy work, I felt there was not a lot I could do at the committee level. The major Bowen Trust initiatives- Fairy Fen, Crown Land profiles, NAPTEP are either done or well underway. And after three terms, I am pleased to see new councillors be exposed to the Islands Trust culture.

The other reason is that, with current GVRD Director Dave Hocking not running for re-election, the  GVRD Director position will be open (an apppointment of Council). I began my island civic work as an alternate to Ross Carter at the formative period of the Livable Region Plan, attending workshops and literally getting Bowen on the map. This led to our primary designation as a Green Zone.

Now I would like to have the opportunity to be the next Regional Director, and  Council tradition has been to spread the work around.  So- GVRD instead of Islands Trust.