Denman Island
Northern Gulf Islands · Islands Trust Local Trust Area
Denman has its own site
Visit denmantown.org → — the petition to make Denman Island a town, plus the full case for local self-government.
A rural island in Baynes Sound between Vancouver Island and Hornby, governed by the Denman Island Local Trust Committee. The most heavily documented island in our archive.
2026 trustee election
Official winners declared. Sam Borthwick: 453 votes (declared elected); Noah Ross: 384 votes (declared elected); Steve Hawkins: 313 votes; Perri Gorrara: 57 votes. The Comox Valley Regional District labels these results official and marks the two winners elected. The Trust summary still labels its table preliminary. Results checked on 1 November 2026 against the Trust’s October 22 confirmation release. The twelve local trust areas have confirmed elected or acclaimed trustees. Bowen’s municipal appointments remain pending until November 9. Candidate vote totals and confirmation of the winners are separate records. Trustees are scheduled to be sworn in on November 12.
Comox Valley Regional District, official election and referendum results
Public-record check · 1 November 2026
Housing bylaws: no approval item on October 28 agenda
The October 28 Executive Committee agenda lists no bylaws for approval. The adopted October 14 minutes record approval of Saturna 146/147 and Salt Spring 553, with no Denman 260/264 decision. We have not verified a later Executive decision, ministerial approval or local adoption for Denman’s housing bylaws. An agenda’s silence does not establish whether the Secretary received a referral or started a statutory approval period. The September 15 local decision minutes were not found in the recent document listings checked.
Executive Committee agenda, October 28, page 1
Adopted October 14 Executive Committee minutes
September 15 housing-bylaw hearing notice
The incoming Trust Council
The Trust’s October 22 release confirms the elected or acclaimed trustees for the twelve local trust areas. Bowen’s municipal appointments remain pending until November 9. Trustees are scheduled to be sworn in on November 12, with inaugural Council meetings on November 13 and 14. The current term and the incoming term are distinct.
Trustee confirmation release, October 22Ferry funding: the federal response
In an October 27 letter to the Trust, the federal Transport Minister describes the existing coastal ferry subsidy agreement. The letter puts the 2026–27 grant to British Columbia at approximately $38.6 million and says the Province determines which ferry services receive assistance. It directs questions about fares and service costs to the Province. This is a response about existing arrangements, rather than an announcement of a new local ferry service or fare reduction.
Federal Transport Minister’s response, October 27, pages 1–2Other local votes · checked 21 October
The CVRD reports Daniel Arbour acclaimed as Electoral Area A director and Chelsea McCannel-Keene acclaimed as School District 71 Trustee Electoral Area 4 (Area A) trustee. Its official animal-control referendum count is 853 yes and 348 no. The question sought assent to Bylaw 915, which would add animal-control services to the Denman and Hornby bylaw-enforcement service. Voter assent is a separate step from the board adopting the bylaw.
Comox Valley Regional District, official election and referendum results
This is a dated status check, not a full re-audit of every bylaw.
Current trustees
- David Maude — Chair
- David Graham — Trustee
- Sam Borthwick — Trustee
Past trustee elections
2022: Denman Islands Trust councillor election
2 seats available
| Candidate | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|
| David Graham | 387 | Elected |
| Sam Borthwick | 359 | Elected |
Source: Comox Valley Regional District — Past Election Results (official)
CivicInfo elected-official report verifies elected trustees and vote totals. Non-elected/opponent rows are pending a separate official results source before publication.
2018: Denman Islands Trust councillor election
2 seats available
| Candidate | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Laura Busheikin (incumbent) | — | Acclaimed |
| David Critchley (incumbent) | — | Acclaimed |
Source: Comox Valley Regional District — Past Election Results (official)
CivicInfo lists only the two elected Denman incumbents and no vote totals or non-elected Denman rows in this report; treat as uncontested/acclaimed unless a local-election officer source shows otherwise.
2014: Denman Islands Trust councillor election
2 seats available
| Candidate | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|
| David Critchley | 365 | Elected |
| Laura Busheikin (incumbent) | 351 | Elected |
| Perri Gorrara | 86 | Not elected |
Source: Comox Valley Regional District — Past Election Results (official)
CivicInfo lists three Denman candidates for two Islands Trust councillor seats.
The archive
348 Islands Trust meeting documents on record. Each links to its exact source.
- Denman LTC Regular Meeting Minutes (2026-08-24)
- Denman LTC Special Meeting Minutes (2026-07-11)
- Denman Island LTC agenda package — DE-LTC_2026-01-20_RM_AGD.pdf (2026-06-24)
- Denman Island LTC agenda package — DE-LTC_2026-03-17_RM_AGD.pdf (2026-06-24)
- Denman Island LTC agenda package — DE-LTC_2026-04-17_SM_AGD_REVISED.pdf (2026-06-24)
- Denman Island LTC agenda package — DE-LTC_2026-05-12_RM_AGD.pdf (2026-06-24)
- Denman Island LTC agenda package — DE-LTC_2026-06-23_RM_AGD.pdf (2026-06-24)
- Denman Island LTC agenda package — DE-LTC_2026-02-17_SM_AGD.pdf (2026-06-24)
- Denman LTC Regular Meeting Agenda (2026-06-23)
- Denman LTC Regular Meeting Minutes (2026-06-23)
- Denman Island LTC agenda package — DE-LTC_2025-07-15_RM_AGD.pdf (2026-06-21)
- Denman Island LTC agenda package — DE-LTC_2025-10-21_RM_AGD_Draft.pdf (2026-06-21)
Documented examples
- Enforcement in the Dark: No Deadlines, No Transparency — The Trust enforces on a complaint-driven basis, behind closed doors, with no statutory timeline — by its own admission.
- Enforcement Outcomes Need a Clearer Public Record — This project has not located a consolidated public ledger of enforcement penalties. That is a limited search finding, not proof that court proceedings or every individual outcome are secret.
- Denman case study: Sixteen Months to Recognize a Pre-1974 Use — Uses that lawfully existed before the Islands Trust was created can hold "legal non-conforming" status — but owners bear the burden of proving it, with no published evidentiary standard and no deadline. One Denman file shows what that costs.
- Denman case study: Five Water Zones, One Controlling Map in Victoria — Denman Bylaw 186 publishes detailed marine-zone rules and a generalized diagram, while saying the controlling Zoning Map is kept at the Islands Trust Victoria office. This is a Denman case study, not a claim about every island bylaw.