June 18, 2021 - July 7-8, 2021, Special Trust Council Meeting to Consider First Reading of the Draft of the New Policy Statement

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June 18, 2021 – for immediate release 2021-12-IT 
 
July 7-8, 2021, Special Trust Council Meeting to Consider First Reading of the Draft of the New Policy Statement 
 
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 ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – Islands Trust Council invites the public to participate in a special meeting being held 
electronically July 7-8, 2021, to consider first reading of the draft of the new Islands Trust Policy Statement. The public 
can view the electronic meeting live stream in real-time on a computer or smartphone via the Islands Trust website, listen 
and participate by telephone, or join the meeting by Zoom. 
 
The special meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 7, with a town hall session until 9:00 p.m. that evening. 
Without giving any advance notice, members of the public can speak to trustees for up to two minutes. The meeting Chair 
will make every effort to hear all members of the public, but reserves the right to limit the number of speakers and 
speaking time. On the second day of the meeting, July 8, Trust Council will consider first reading of the draft of the new 
Policy Statement.  
 
The Islands Trust Policy Statement expresses how Islands Trust Council plans to carry out its unique preserve and protect 
mandate and shapes land and marine use planning in the Islands Trust Area. The last version of the Policy Statement was 
written in 1994. This revision is a historic amendment that addresses the guiding principles of reconciliation and aligns the 
new Islands Trust Policy Statement with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. The Islands Trust Council 
is also updating the Policy Statement to address Trust Council’s response to the climate emergency and affordable 
housing challenges. The Policy Statement helps shape the 20 official community plans—documents providing direction for 
the community—and associated bylaws, policies, and regulations. 
 
“We are thankful for all the engagement and input from members of the public over the last 18 months and for the 
meaningful and collaborative relationships with First Nations as we worked towards developing a new draft of the Policy 
Statement. First reading will signal that Trust Council wants to advance the draft of the new Policy Statement for public 
and agency comment, and further First Nations engagement,” said Peter Luckham, Chair, Islands Trust Council. “This is 
typically the stage where people get more deeply interested and comment on specific proposed policies. We invite 
everyone to read the document cover to cover to get a complete understanding about what is being proposed, the 
rationale, and the commitment to reconciliation. There will be at least three months available to provide feedback by 
email or letter, and there will also be a survey open for several weeks. Information about the draft bylaw will be provided 
on the Islands Trust website and at online open houses.  All feedback will be considered as we work towards a revised 
version for second rea

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