What’s your occupation? (Current and/or past)
Consultant
How long have you lived on Bowen?
29 years.
Who inspires you? (Real or fictional)
Naturalist authors from Gerald Durrell to Rachel Carson fill many bookshelves in our home. The remarkable diaries of Tony Benn inspired me to run for council the first time; the radical politician who championed democracy in the UK House of Commons for decades. Douglas Adams inspires me to keep a sense of perspective - he travels with me to Hornby, Denman, Gambier and Victoria in a paperback copy of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Please list any current and/or past committees or organizations you've been a part of in your career.
Ooh a long list; currently vice-chair of Islands Trust Conservancy with 113 nature reserves and conservation covenants including 5 on Bowen, and executive and financial planning committees of Trust Council, alongside my Bowen Council duties. Committee-wise, the closest to my heart is Parks, Trails and Greenways which I have usually been part of since the mid-1990s. Also am part of the BC Municipal Climate Leadership Council and others. Chaired the most recent steering committee for our Official Community Plan (OCP), worked in nature centres, parks, and television, and am a partner in ecoleaders.ca consulting.
What are your (non-housing) related priorities for the next four years?
Protecting coastlines, wildlife, and healthy forests and wetlands, especially for drinking water supply, to drawdown carbon and to slow down deluges from atmospheric rivers so they don’t wash out too many culverts. More climate action faster including the multi-use pathway, transit and other ways to reduce expensive car-dependency; more hiking trails and access to beaches; and generally a child-friendly island rich in experiences beyond car seats.
How would you tackle the issue of affordable/rental housing on Bowen? And, Bowen will be doing a full review of short-term rental policies next year, do you have any early thoughts on this specifically (ie. Should short-term rentals continue to be allowed in secondary suites)
Advocate for more housing grants to be available for smaller communities, and continue to work with others on Bowen, including charities. Advocate for a provincial regulatory framework for short-term rentals too, similar to that in place for ride-hailing, for example. Let’s explore removing parking spaces required for lots near transit routes and multi-use pathway, to leave more space for homes. I look forward to the review of our short-term rental policies. It’s clear that the ever-expanding online bookings industry has reduced long-term rentals and also drives housing prices higher.
Property taxes are set for a double digit increase next year. What will your fiscal approach be re: what municipal financial obligations are passed on to property owners?
I will work to strengthen the flow of grant revenue coming in to Bowen, as I have over the past two terms. Same for provincial funding to Islands Trust, which has decreased over the years leaving residents to make up the difference. It’s also time to ask businesses to shoulder more of the costs, in my view. Currently businesses are taxed at the same rate as residential. Is the strain on island services the same? Is this fair? What do other municipalities do? I look forward to hearing options.
Assuming the land sale goes through, how will you advocate Bowen gets the best result from the proposed Cape Roger Curtis park?
Robust public consultation will clarify issues that will need to be tackled through park planning. This is an opportunity I have worked towards for many years. Already we have heard about extending buses and the multi-use pathway. Could electric foot passenger ferries be an option? How about a luggage shuttle like the ferry between Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo, or walking and cycling trips in Europe? Crippen park trails are busy with appreciative locals and I expect the new park will be too, with careful design. I’m looking forward to a Bowen that’s an even better place to live.
What will your approach to tourism on Bowen be, and how would you strike a balance between the tourism economy and issues that arise from it (ferry capacity, increased strain on island services such as emergency, etc.)
Acknowledge limits and invite the visitors we want to come. Bowen is a finite island with limited resources and space. Businesses can shoulder more of the costs of increased strain on island services. Why bring a vehicle when alternative means of getting around are more enticing? I love the island-wide network of trails vision, that visitors can disappear into. Bed and breakfast hosts used to pick their guests up from the ferry. Do they still? Let’s design visitor experiences that invite visitors that enjoy and best fit with what Bowen can offer without overwhelming our capacity and community wellbeing.
Bowen’s population rose by 600 in the past 5 years, and could pass 5,000 by the next census in four years. What is your opinion on continued population growth on the island, and the best ways to manage it?
Manage growth sustainably through our excellent Official Community Plan that so many islanders have contributed to over the years. This is what it is for. Let’s use more of the tools in the Islands Trust basket to fend off unbridled development. They are waiting to be picked up, and some are being renewed through the Trust Policy Statement/Islands 2050 project. I want to stay involved in this for Bowen’s benefit. Metro Vancouver’s regional growth strategy places Bowen outside the urban containment boundary. The OCP brings all these threads together. I see it as Bowen’s constitution.
Water, sewage and roads will need major amounts of work in the upcoming years. What will your approach to our infrastructure be to avoid surprise or rising costs?
Protect natural ecosystems to help nature so nature can help us. Green infrastructure; such as forests soaking up and slowing down winter deluges so roads are not washed out. Wetlands, collecting rain to replenish aquifers and wells. I acknowledge that climate change is intensifying weather events and more rainwater is likely getting into the pipes of the sewer treatment plant, into roads causing sinkholes and potholes. Let’s cut emissions through our climate action strategy and also apply for climate-related grant funding which is increasing.
What is your position on the Bowen election Islands Trust referendum, and how do you want to see Bowen’s relationship with Islands Trust change (or not) during the next term, keeping in mind the group has applied to the provincial government for a full review of its operations.
Firstly: Trust Council did not ask for a review of its operations; it asked for review of mandate, governance and structure. E.g. is it right that 2 Saturna trustees representing fewer than 400 residents have the same number of votes as 2 Bowen trustees representing over 4000? Secondly, the province has politely declined for now.
Third, Bowen landholders contribute to both the federation council arm and the biodiversity arm; i.e. the Islands Trust Conservancy, staffed by biologists and funded mainly via philanthropy. This arm was specifically excluded from the review report. Yet the words “full review of its operations” are used about the opinion poll. Misleading?
Do Bowen citizens have the information they need to be able to answer? We contribute to both arms at similar rates. This year my household paid $79.84 for both. See my A-Z list of direct benefits with some myths busted at sueellenfast.ca. To me it’s good value.
My position is to be careful what we ask for. In 2021 Bowen paid a lower rate than the other islands; 28% lower. Why renegotiate? I will work to strengthen the relationship between Bowen Islanders and the two key arms of the Trust.
And for fun, if you could pick a new animal to add to Bowen’s mascot roster, which would it be and why?
How about an owl? I love looking up at the stars and hearing the beautiful voice of the dark speaking to me. A symbol of wisdom too, unafraid, I think an owl reflects Bowen Island’s spirit and freedom.
Contact:
sueellenfast.ca
facebook.com/sue.e.fast
twitter.com/sueellenonbowen
sefast3@icloud.com
