Gabriola Discussion Guide - Cultural Heritage

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November 2024
GABRIOLA 
OFFICIAL COMMUNITY 
PLAN REVIEW
CULTURAL HERITAGE 
PROTECTION
ISLANDSTRUST.BC.CA/ISLAND-PLANNING/GABRIOLA/PROJECTS/GABRIOLA-OCPREVIEW
November 2024
Discussion Guides

 
Integrating Indigenous perspectives and safeguarding Indigenous cultural 
heritage is a central focus in developing policies for the Official Community 
Plan and Land Use Bylaw updates. Accordingly, the engagement process has 
been thoughtfully designed to weave this lens into every topic area.
What is a Discussion Guide? 
The Gabriola Island Local Trust Committee is updating the Official Community Plan (OCP) — which guides 
development to align with the community’s vision and values on a variety of topics. 
Share your thoughts through focus groups, direct communication with the Local Trust Committee and the 
Gabriola OCP Review Topic-Focused Engagement online survey (December, 2024 - April, 2025).
What is an Official Community Plan (OCP) for Gabriola Island?
The OCP implements the community’s vision.
It provides a long-term strategy for land use management, outlining broad objectives and policies to guide future 
growth and development of the community.
The OCP must align with higher level policies.
These include the Local Government Act, the Islands Trust Act, and the Islands Trust Policy Statement. This 
ensures that local plans are consistent with regional and provincial directives.
What is NOT part of an Official Community 
Plan for Gabriola Island?
The OCP is not a zoning bylaw or detailed regulatory document. Specific regulations and enforcement 
mechanisms are found in the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) and must be consistent with the OCP.
The OCP does not include the provision of infrastructure or services. Infrastructure such as sewer, or roads, and  
community services  within the Islands Trust Area are the responsibility of other levels of government. 
What does the current OCP say about Heritage Protection?
The OCP identifies that Gabriola is part of the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation who have had 
an active presence on Gabriola for over 3,000 years. It also states that Gabriola is home to 100+ archeological 
sites and that there are two reserves on Degnen Bay.
The OCP states that both known and unrecorded archeological sites are protected by the Province through the 
Heritage Conservation Act. This means that landowners must have a provincial heritage permit to alter, or develop 
within, an archeological site. A number of other measures, like subdivision regulations and zoning tools, that can 
protect archeological sites are also encouraged. 
Exploring Cultural Heritage Perspectives 
and Cultural Heritage Protection
While the existing OCP focuses on the protection of archeological sites, work that the Islands Trust has engaged 
in with First Nations throughout the Islands Trust Area has identified cultural heritage interests beyond known 
archeological sites. Staff and trustees have initiated conversation with the Snuneymuxw First 

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