The Islands 2050 Policy Statement Amendment Project is designed to help Trust Council plan for the challenges and opportunities that the Islands Trust Area will face over the next 30 years.
This work involves updating the Islands Trust Policy Statement, which contains the policies that Trust Council uses to carry out its special provincial mandate to preserve and protect the unique amenities and environment of the Trust Area. The Policy Statement shapes land and marine use planning across the Trust Area, but the current version has not been substantively updated since 1994, and a lot has changed since then.
We are updating the Policy Statement to be current, to adapt to future challenges, and to take advantage of new and developing opportunities. In particular, we are seeking to update the document to better address Trust Council’s priority themes of reconciliation, climate change, and affordable housing.
Latest News
- We have now wrapped up Phase 3 of Islands 2050 Public Engagement. Thank you to everyone who participated in the 24 in-person community events, 3 virtual community events, focus groups, and online/paper survey. We had some great conversations, heard a diverse range of views, and received many thoughtful ideas from islanders all across the Trust Area.
- The June 2022 Trust Council agenda package contained three engagement summary reports (pages 154-261) summarizing feedback from:
- -Phase 3 of public engagement (ISL’s engagement summary report)
- -Phase 2 of early and meaningful engagement with First Nations
- -Phase 1 of agency referrals
- Trust Council and its committees are now contemplating the feedback received from these three streams of engagement and developing recommendations for next steps, to be discussed at the September 2022 Trust Council meeting.

Public Engagement Phase 3
Engagement consultants from ISL Engineering were brought in to implement Phase 3 of Islands 2050 public engagement on the Draft New Policy Statement. From February – April 2022, the project team hosted 24 in-person community events, a virtual information and Q&A session, a two-part interactive virtual community workshop, a number of small focus groups, and an online/paper survey.
*View the Information and Q&A Session
- Tuesday, March 1, 6:00-8:30pm
- View the recording of the presentation and Q&A session
- View the presentation slides
- View the written summary of Q&A responses, including questions we did not have time to address in the live session
*Read the Islands 2050 Fact Sheets:
- Islands 2050 Project Fact Sheet
- Islands 2050 Engagement Process Fact Sheet
- Islands 2050 Reconciliation Fact Sheet
- Islands 2050 Climate Change Fact Sheet
- Islands 2050 Affordable Housing Fact Sheet
- Islands 2050 Forest Stewardship Fact Sheet
- Islands 2050 Docks, Seawalls, Desalination Fact Sheet
- Islands 2050 Agriculture Fact Sheet
*Next Steps:
- Islands 2050 Phase 3 public engagement activities closed on April 17, 2022
- ISL presented its Engagement Summary Report to the June 21-23, 2022, Trust Council meeting
- Trust Council and its committees are now developing recommendations for next steps for the project
- It is anticipated that Trust Council will review and discuss recommendations for further amendments to the draft new Policy Statement at its September 2022 Trust Council meeting
Public Engagement Process
Updating the Policy Statement with respect to reconciliation, climate change, and affordable housing involves considering and balancing many inputs, including feedback from the community.
Phase 1 Public Engagement (2019) and Phase 2 Public Engagement (2021) provided public input that informed the development of draft Policy Statement amendments.
In Phase 3 Public Engagement (late February to April 2022), we informed and consulted the public on the draft Policy Statement amendments through a series of public engagement activities. Feedback from this phase of engagement will inform Trust Council’s consideration of amendment recommendations prior to First Reading.
First Nations Engagement
We are undertaking early and meaningful engagement and capacity funding support with First Nations governments in the Trust Area, to guide all stages of the Islands 2050 Policy Statement Amendment Project. Beyond government-to-government relationship building and engagement, we are also beginning to engage with Indigenous people living on the islands to learn and build relationships.
Learn More:
- Trust Council Reconciliation Declaration and Action Plan (2019)
- Reconciliation Report 2019 – 2021
- “Truth Precedes Reconciliation” Section 1.1 of Discussion Paper
- July 2021 – First Nations Engagement Update Report
- Nov 2021 – First Nations Engagement Update Report
- June 2022 – First Nations Engagement Phase 2 Summary Report
Project Timeline
The Islands 2050 Policy Statement Amendment Project began in 2019 and will go through several iterative stages, meaning that each stage of the project will build on, and be informed by, the stages that came before it.
Read the Draft New Policy Statement
View the DRAFT new Policy Statement Bylaw No. 183:
- Draft New Policy Statement Bylaw No. 183 – Colour Coded (updated July 15, 2021)
– shows amendment areas, colour-coded by theme - Draft New Policy Statement Bylaw No. 183 – Clean Version (updated July 15, 2021)
– same content without colour-coding - Current Policy Statement Bylaw No. 17 (last updated Mar 2003)
– this is the Policy Statement that we currently use
Get Updates
Learn about upcoming Islands 2050 engagement opportunities and new developments by subscribing to Islands 2050 email updates on our Subscribe page. You may want to also subscribe to your local trust committee updates.
Project Library:
- About the Project
- Agency Referrals Phase 1
- Communications
- Delegation Presentations
- Discussion Paper
- Draft New Policy Statement
- Fact Sheets
- First Nations Engagement
- First Nations Engagement Phase 2
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Presentations
- Public Correspondence
- Public Engagement Phase 1
- Public Engagement Phase 2
- Public Engagement Phase 3
- Public Legal Opinion
- Trustee Input