May 5, 2020 - Local Trust Committees Having Electronic Meetings and Public Hearings

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Bowen, Denman, Gabriola, Galiano, Gambier, Hornby, Lasqueti, Mayne, N. Pender, Salt Spring, Saturna, S. Pender, Thetis 
 
 
News Release 
200 - 1627 Fort Street Victoria BC  V8R 1H8 
Telephone  250.405.5151 FAX:  250.405.5155 
Toll Free via Enquiry BC in Vancouver 604.660.2421.  Elsewhere in BC 1.800.663.7867 
information@islandstrust.bc.ca     www.islandstrust.bc.ca 
 
May 5, 2020 2020-12-IT 
 
Local Trust Committees Having Electronic Meetings and Public Hearings 
 
Lekwungen, METULIYE/Victoria, BC—Trust Area residents and property owners may be able to attend their next local trust committee 
meeting or public hearing from their homes. All they need is a phone or a computer with access to the internet. 
 
Under the Emergency Program Act, the Province has repealed and replaced Ministerial Order MO83 with M139. The new order gives 
Islands Trust the ability to hold meetings electronically, without in-person public participation, and allows for bylaws to be read and 
public hearings to be held electronically.  
 
Local governments and Islands Trust are required to hold public hearings for some development applications before making a 
decision.  
 
“This new development will help us serve the public better,” shared Peter Luckham, Chair of the Islands Trust Council. “Public input is 
an essential part of land use decision-making, even when a public hearing is not required. When we have an electronic meeting or 
public hearing, we’ll encourage public participation. We want the public to understand what we are doing and why decisions are 
made. We’ll encourage written submissions in advance of meetings and hearings and invite the public to participate using their 
computers or phones.” 
 
Local trust committees, Trust Council, Executive Committee, Council committees, and the Islands Trust Conservancy Board will be 
conducting meetings using Zoom, an electronic video and audio conferencing system, which can be accessed by anyone through the 
internet, or phone. 
 
Ways the public can participate in meetings will be shared on the Islands Trust and Islands Trust Conservancy websites, through 
Islands Trust subscriber notices and newspaper advertising (when newspaper deadlines allow). Procedural changes will be 
communicated using the same methods. 
 
For future meeting notifications, including electronic meeting login information and phone numbers, members of the public are 
encouraged to subscribe to updates by going to the Islands Trust website. 
 
Until further notice, to protect the health and safety of trustees, Islands Trust employees, and the public during the COVID-19 
pandemic, all local trust committee meetings will be held electronically and broadcast using Zoom.  
 
The Islands Trust appreciates the public’s understanding and assistance during this time. 
 
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The Islands Trust works to preserve and protect over 450 islands in the Salish Sea through land use planning, the Islands Trust 
Conservancy, and Trust Council programs an

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