Lək̓ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – At its quarterly meeting in September 2024, Islands Trust Council voted to request that the Province of British Columbia undertake a review of the Islands Trust’s mandate, governance model, and structure. The Islands Trust Council made the same request in 2022.

It is Islands Trust Council’s recommendation that the Province conduct a comprehensive review of the Islands Trust Act, similar in scope to the work of the parliamentary committee that led to the creation of Islands Trust 50 years ago. Islands Trust Council believes it is essential that the many Indigenous peoples with interests in the lands and waters of the Trust Area be involved through their governing bodies, not only as participants in the review, but also as partners in the development of its terms of reference.

Islands Trust Council is seeking alignment with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and believes it is of paramount importance that Islands Trust decision-making processes appropriately acknowledge the rights and interests of the Coast Salish Peoples for whom the Trust Area has been home since time immemorial.

“Islands Trust Council believes that the Province of British Columbia needs to confirm its vision for the Trust Area in consultation with Islands Trust, Indigenous Governing Bodies, the communities of the Trust Area and other interested parties,” said Peter Luckham, Chair of Islands Trust Council. “Following that confirmation, the Province should amend the Islands Trust Act to give Islands Trust the structure and authorities necessary to fulfill that vision.”

Islands Trust Council is also requesting that the Province of British Columbia provide a clearer definition of the Islands Trust’s mandate as set out in the Islands Trust Act, to assist its assessments of the relative importance of environmental protection versus the facilitation of thriving human communities within the Trust Area. In addition, the Islands Trust Council is requesting that the Province reassess whether having equal representation from
each area on the Islands Trust Council remains an appropriate structure, given modern-day challenges in the Islands Trust Area.

The Islands Trust Council is also asking the Province to re-consider the Trust’s funding model to acknowledge that the Islands Trust exists to preserve and protect the Island Trust Area for all British Columbians. Details of the specific request made by the Islands Trust Council to the Province of BC can be found in the Chair’s letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs here.