The Province of BC has approved a Licence of Occupation for an 18.8-hectare industrial shellfish aquaculture site near Preedy Harbour, Thetis Island. The licence was granted despite the fact that shellfish aquaculture is not permitted under local zoning.
The applicant’s past rezoning requests were denied by the Thetis Island Local Trust Committee (LTC) due to inconsistencies with the Official Community Plan and the Islands Trust Policy Statement.
Thetis Island LTC Response
In response to the provincial decision, the Thetis Island LTC has taken the following actions:
- Directed planning staff to notify Abrupt Shellfish Inc. that a rezoning is still required under local land use bylaws.
- Initiated bylaw enforcement action regarding non-permitted uses in the marine area.
- Requested that the Islands Trust Executive Committee raise this issue with the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs.
The aquaculture tenure area does not overlap with any known archaeological sites. While the Province sought public feedback on the licence application in 2018, formal public engagement on subsequent rezoning applications at the local level did not proceed due to the LTC’s decisions to deny the proposals.
The LTC’s approach is grounded in its Official Community Plan, and the Thetis Associated Islands Official Community Plan, as well as the Islands Trust’s unique provincial mandate to preserve and protect the Trust Area and its unique amenities and environment. For more information, please contact:
Ken Hunter
Thetis Island Trustee
E: Trustee Hunter
T: 1-250-210-1498
Peter Luckham
Thetis Island Trustee
Tobi Elliott
Chair
E: LTC Chair
T: 1-250-268-7434
Islands Trust Staff:
Margot Thomaidis
E: northinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca