Minister Wilkinson Congrats Response Letter to TC

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Minister of Environment
and Climate Change

Ministre de l’Environnement et
du Changement climatique

Ottawa, Canada K1A 0H3

MAR 2 4 2020

Mr. Peter Luckham

Chair

Islands Trust Council
pluckham@islandstrust.bc.ca

Dear Mr. Luckham:

Thank you for your correspondence of December 23, 2019, inviting me to visit
the Gulf Islands and the Islands Trust Area in British Columbia. | appreciate your
kind words of congratulations on my re-election as a member of Parliament

and appointment as federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and

| regret the delay in responding.

| truly appreciate your invitation. The Government of Canada strongly supports
the mandates of the Islands Trust and the Islands Trust Conservancy, and
places great value on their work to protect, manage and celebrate the natural
environment and amenities of the Gulf Islands in the Salish Sea. Indeed, the
islands Trust Area is a priority for the federal government given its situation

at the intersection of the Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture, the Southwest
British Columbia Priority Place, and efforts under the Oceans Protection Plan.

| understand the Islands Trust Conservancy has been a partner making use of
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program, Habitat
Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, and other funding to further our mutual
mandates and interests. | also understand the Islands Trust plays a prominent
role in the Coastal Douglas-fir Conservation Program to help identify and
prioritize lands for securement. The Department is proud of this partnership, and
hopes to continue working with the Islands Trust Conservancy to further its work
in these and other areas, including protecting the Garry oak ecosystems and the
species at risk that depend upon those nationally rare and at-risk places.

For any matters involving Parks Canada and the Gulf Islands National Park
Reserve, please follow up with the Field Unit Superintendent for Coastal
British Columbia, Ms. Helen Davies, at helen.davies@pc.gc.ca or 250-654-4048.

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For any matters relating to funding and tax relief programs to support private and
Crown land securement, restoration, and species at risk recovery outside the
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, please follow up with Dr. Darcy Henderson,
Head of Stewardship with Environment and Climate Change Canada’s
Canadian Wildlife Service, Pacific Region, at darcy.henderson@canada.ca or
250-491-1507.

| appreciate the Islands Trust Council’s ongoing work in the Gulf Islands area.
Please accept my best wishes.

Sincerely,

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, P.C., M.P.

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