Freshwater Sustainability Strategy Implementation Status

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Islands Trust Briefing Page 1 
 
 
 
 
BRIEFING 
 
 
To: Regional Planning Committee  For the Meeting of: February 6, 2026 
     
From: William Shulba, P.Geo 
Senior Freshwater Specialist 
 Date Prepared: February 3, 2026 
     
SUBJECT:
  
Freshwater Sustainability Strategy Implementation Status 
 
 
PURPOSE 
The  purpose  of  this  briefing  is  to  provide the  Regional  Planning  Committee a  historical  analysis  and 
implementation  review  of  the  Islands  Trust  Freshwater  Sustainability  Strategy  (FWSS).  This  report 
demonstrates  that  the  FWSS  is  the  result  of  a  decade-long,  evidence-based  progression—from  ad-hoc 
coordination to multi-disciplinary and integrated regulatory framework.  
 
This briefing is intended to clarify that FWSS actions were not selected arbitrarily but were the output of 
a logical work plan for specialized freshwater staff  capacity funded by Trust Council in 2017 to address 
critical data,  knowledge,  and  regulatory  gaps.  This  briefing details  how  this  capacity  enabled  the 
development  of the FWSS and  its  subsequent  research  and  regulatory  outcomes,  and  outlines  the 
strategic  pivot  required  to  align  future  implementation of  the FWSS with  the  provincial  Watershed 
Security Strategy and Fund. 
 
BACKGROUND   
 
The Islands Trust Freshwater Sustainability Strategy (FWSS) is a comprehensive initiative recognizing the 
critical  importance  of  freshwater  to  ecological  health,  community well-being,  and  the  long-term 
sustainability  of  the  Islands  Trust  Area.  The  current  implementation  of  the  FWSS  is  the  result  of  a 
deliberate, multi-term progression to modernize the Islands Trust’s approach to freshwater governance, 
moving from initial coordination and capacity building to evidence-based policy and regulation. 
2014–2018 Term: Building Technical Capacity  
The 2014–2018 Trust Council identified the protection of freshwater quality and quantity as a strategic 
priority.  This  period  began  with the  operationalization  of  the  Salt  Spring  Island  Watershed  Protection 
Alliance  (SSIWPA),  formed  after  Trust  Council  delegated  specific  powers  to  the  Salt  Spring  Island  Local 
Trust  Committee  in  2013  (Bylaw  154).  While  SSIWPA  created  a  necessary  forum  for  inter-agency 
coordination regarding St. Mary Lake and other watersheds, it exposed a critical vulnerability: the Islands 
Trust  relied  heavily  on  external  consultants  and  lacked  the  in-house  expertise  to  translate  technical 
watershed  data  into  enforceable  planning  policy and  lacked  operational  assistance  with  land-use 
applications.  
The introduction of the provincial Water Sustainability Act in 2016 introduced a new era of water policy 
in  the  province  with  the  addition  of  groundwater  protection  regulation  and groundwater  licensing  for 
non-domestic uses including multi-family housing. This advancement in provincial policy highlig

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