Letter Prime Minister Trudeau

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Bowen  Denman  Hornby  Gabriola Galiano  Gambier  Lasqueti  Mayne  North Pender  Salt Spring  Saturna  South Pender  Thetis 
 
200 - 1627 Fort St., Victoria, BC  V8R 1H8 
Telephone  (250) 405-5151    Fax  (250) 405-5155 
Toll Free via Enquiry BC in Vancouver 660-2421.  Elsewhere in BC 
1.800.663.7867 
Email  information@islandstrust.bc.ca 
Web  www.islandstrust.bc.ca 
 
January 17, 2020             File Number: 0400-20 
 
Via email: pm@pm.gc.ca  
 
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P. 
Prime Minister of Canada 
Office of the Prime Minister of Canada 
80 Wellington Street 
Ottawa ON K1A 0A2 
 
Dear Prime Minister:  
 
Re: Working Together in the Islands Trust Area 
 
On behalf of Islands Trust Council, I would like to extend our congratulations on your re-election. 
 
As Chair of Islands Trust Council, I can tell you that Islands Trust was created through the Province of 
British Columbia’s Islands Trust Act, and is a federation of special-purpose local government bodies elected by 
26,000 people living within the Islands Trust Area and approximately 10,000 non-resident property owners. The 
Islands Trust Area is located within Coast Salish territory and is the homeland to over 28,000 Coast Salish Peoples 
who have called this place home since time immemorial.  The Islands Trust area covers the islands and waters of 
the Salish Sea between the British Columbia mainland and southern Vancouver Island. The area includes 13 major 
and more than 450 smaller islands covering 5,200 square kilometers – reflecting the beauty and vitality of the Salish 
Sea. 
 
The Islands Trust mandate is to preserve and protect the unique environment and amenities of the Islands Trust 
Area through planning and regulating land use, development management, and education. We fulfil this role in 
cooperation with First Nations and other agencies and, through advocacy with organizations and community.  
 
The region is more than a scenic archipelago; it provides habitats for an exceptional variety of species: more 
than 200 types of migratory and resident birds; more than 90 species at risk (according to the Federal Species at 
Risk Act); numerous species of fish; the iconic Southern Resident killer whale; migrating gray whales; diverse 
intertidal life; terrestrial wildlife and vegetation.  The significance and sensitivity of the region, and the need for 
protective measures, were internationally recognized in 1973. At that time, an International Joint Commission 
proposed that the islands and waters adjacent to the British Columbia-Washington State border be protected as 
an international park in order to maintain water quality, curb development, preserve and protect marine and 
land-based wildlife habitats and preserve and protect the cultural heritage of archaeological and cultural sites. 
 
We cherish this place and govern it in trust for all Canadians. It is for this reason, that Islands Trust supports the 
Oceans Protection Plan and your commitment to the ec

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