Dear SILT members and supporters,
I hope everyone is enjoying November and the storm season. The sunshine expected this week is very welcome!
Many of you are aware that the Savary Island Official Community Plan Review process is underway. SILT would like to encourage everyone to participate in the community engagement sessions that will be available throughout the process. The next session is December 5, 2024 on Zoom. Register here.
The existing Savary OCP was adopted in 2007. OCP reviews are generally conducted by local government every 5-10 years, so the Savary OCP review is overdue. The qathet Regional District began the Savary OCP Review Engagement process in August 2024 on the island.
To learn more about the process, register to receive updates or to attend online sessions and read the first Engagement Report click: Savary Island Community Plan - qathet Regional District I applied for, and was appointed to the OCP Review Advisory Committee last month, along with 12 other volunteers. The committee list, Terms of Reference and a Code of Conduct are on the OCP website above. The committee had an introductory meeting on November 12. The OCP consultants have prepared a mailout to all property owners and are planning to follow that up with Zoom sessions. Unfortunately, the mail strike has delayed the mailout and this part of the process.
Many Islanders are engaging in the Savary Official Community Plan Review and some of you have asked, how did we get an OCP in the first place?
The Savary Official Community Plan process began in 1996-97 in response to community opposition to a zoning bylaw proposed by the Regional District in 1995 to subdivided DL 1375, (the Heart of Savary) into a gated Community with a private airstrip, new roads, and 90 dwellings on top of rare sand ecosystems and endangered plants and plant communities. Public opposition to the bylaw was almost unanimous at the public hearing attended by 200 people under the fir trees at Duck Bay on August 22, 1995. In the end, the RD rejected the gated community bylaw and chose to pursue an OCP for Savary instead. It took 10 years of summertime community meetings and a Public Hearing, with Savary Islanders packing the Firehall each time before the OCP was adopted by the Regional District in 2007. Savary-Island-Official-Community-Plan-Bylaw -No. 403 -2006 Consolidated Hundreds of Savary Islanders and their families participated in this almost annual decade-long process of education and engagement.
The principal aim of the existing OCP is:
To maintain Savary Island's unique character and rustic island lifestyle while protecting the island's groundwater resources, its sensitive ecosystems and its unique biophysical characteristics.
For more information on the OCP and links to the associated background reports please see the SILT 2023 Newsletter page 3. Savary Island OCP review What are the limits to growth on this little sandbar?
In 1997 SILT was established with the goal to protect DL 1375. In 2002, through the efforts of SILT, the Nature Trust of BC and many others, 50% of DL 1375 was acquired by the Nature Trust of BC. Ten years later, in 2012, the OCP was amended to include a Development Permit on DL1375, to protect the ecological and heritage values and resources on the land. SILT worked with the community and the Regional District to get this protection. The RD received solid email support for the change and the Public Hearing at the Firehall was packed again. Of the approximately 75-100 in attendance, 1 person spoke out against the Development Permit for the Heart of Savary and ultimately the amendment to the OCP was passed making the Heart of Savary a Heritage Conservation Area in the OCP
In 2018, Savary Islanders made history when the Friends of Savary and SILT raised the 4 million dollars needed for the Nature Trust of BC, to acquire the remaining interest in DL1375 and adjacent properties (the Heart of Savary) for conservation in perpetuity.
In November 2021, the qathet Regional District conducted Let's Talk Land Use sessions in the District. In the Initial engagement plan, Savary Islanders were invited to participate in an in person session held in Lund one evening in November. When Savary people complained that Islanders could not participate this way, a separate Zoom meeting for Savary was set up. The Savary meeting had more participants than all of the other Let's Talk Land use sessions combined. The full report is available here. Lets-Talk-Land-Use-Engagement-Final-Report-January-2022.pdf
The Executive Summary of the Let's Talk Land Use Report states that:
"Despite a wide range of concerns, most survey respondents indicated they did not support additional land use regulation. The predominant response in all three electoral areas was the ‘Existing level of regulation is limited but no change is needed’ compared to the alternatives of either more or less regulation. This response was clearly expressed in three electoral areas, with the notable exception of Savary Island. Savary Island residents expressed a much higher level of concern about land use and environmental issues. A clear majority indicated concern for the protection of drinking water supply and coastal areas at risk. Over 40% also expressed concern about land use issues and demands on potable water supply. The different position of Savary Island residents compared to the mainland electoral areas is likely due to the fragile environment of the island and the large number of small lots that were created over a century ago. Only 10% of Savary Island responses indicated they had no land use concerns. Close to two thirds indicated ‘Existing regulation is inadequate to manage land use and avoid conflict’. "
In the fall of 2023, ASIC conducted a survey of Savary Islanders. The priority issues overwhelmingly identified by Islanders in the survey were fire protection, groundwater protection and natural resources. A record number, 472 property owners completed the survey. The full survey is available here ASIC Savary Island Survey 2023.
The qathet Regional District contracted a Slope Study for Savary in 2023. The report prepared by Tetra Tech is an important document for everyone to know about Savary-Island-Slope-Hazard-Study.pdf. If they were ever implemented, the extreme setbacks recommended by the report would be devastating for countless Savary property owners. Many islanders are concerned about how the RD will manage the Slope Study and the many other studies in the OCP process. The OCP website has a list of current reports. Savary Island OCP.
In October 2024, a Facebook message was posted on the Savary Island B.C. Public Message Board and then included in the Association of the Savary Island Committee (ASIC) newsletter. The post suggested that SILT was somehow responsible for the Slope Study. That is false; the SILT board responded quickly to correct that misinformation by posting a response on Facebook. Please see the SILT Board's full response to the anonymous misinformation. SILT did not request a geotechnical assessment, and SILT has not and will not advocate for bank setbacks on Savary.
The qathet Regional District has posted a Savary OCP Frequently Asked Questions on the OCP site to clarify questions from the community. Savary OCP
Advisory Committee Members have made suggestions to the RD about the need for more general information, more context and clarification on what the impact of the related OCP studies could be.
In a recent ASIC newsletter, the group has proposed 2 alternate principle aims for the OCP.
Savary OCP Re-Vision 1
To support off-grid living in perpetuity, which will self-limit infrastructure.
Savary OCP Re-Vision 2
To protect Savary Island landowners from land use and zoning regulations unless implemented with input, engagement, and two-thirds approval through a mailed referendum.
I encourage everyone to "study up" and learn more about the place you love, Savary Island. Engage in the processes available to have your voice heard. In addition to the OCP website, SILT newsletters and archived studies are available on the SILT website Savary Island Land Trust. Please share your concerns with the qathet Regional District planning@qathet.ca, and with the local organizations on Savary, SIPOA, ASIC asicsavaryisland@gmail.com, and SILT.
Please do contact me with your feedback or if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Liz Webster M.A.
Executive Director, Savary Island Land Trust Society
