Skip to content

Proposed amendments to Official Community Plan (OCP) move forward following reviews by Advisory Plan

After reviewing the Economic Development Committee’s (EDC) suggested changes to the twenty-three sections of Bowen Island’s Official Community Plan, the municipal Advisory Planning Committee has approved a majority of the planned amendments.

After reviewing the Economic Development Committee’s (EDC) suggested changes to the twenty-three sections of Bowen Island’s Official Community Plan, the municipal Advisory Planning Committee has approved a majority of the planned amendments. Similarly, the Islands Trust Executive Committee has advised the Bowen Island Municipality that the proposed amendments are not contrary to the Islands Trust policy statement. While members of the APC did not come to a unanimous agreement about all of the proposed changes, and the Islands Trust Executive Committee has asked for some clarifications, neither of these issues is likely to hold up the amendments process.
APC chair Drew Rose says that many of the proposed changes to the OCP are about clearing up terminology, eliminating redundancy, and “housekeeping.”
“For the most part it is about a change in tone, throwing the Island into a more positive light in terms of economic development,” says Rose.
One of the changes the APC recommended to the draft OCP amendments relates to the development of Snug Cove, and is found within policy 175. The Economic Development Committee suggested that the statement, which previously relegated all development in the Lower Cove to the south side of Bowen Trunk Road (meaning the Orchard area) replacing the word “South” with “North.”  Members of the APC agreed that new commercial development should be allowed on both the south and north sides of Bowen Island Trunk Road.
“We thought it would be good to keep the possibilities wide open, and the specifics of any proposed project can be decided in the future through the planning process,” says Rose.
Members of the APC could not come to a unanimous decision on the issue of camping, as stated in Policy 189. This policy effectively places a ban on camping and RV trailer parks on Bowen, and the Economic Development Committee recommended that this statement be deleted.
“I think it is important for Islanders to understand that taking away this prohibition would not mean that campgrounds and trailer parks would all of a sudden be popping up all over Bowen,” says Rose. “If someone were to propose the creation of such a facility, not only would the land have to be rezoned in order to accommodate this, but also the municipality would have to draft an entire bylaw to address the regulations of this zoning and this would be quite an undertaking. By changing the OCP by deleting Policy 189, the door would simply be opened slightly to the possibility of camping on Bowen. Either way, members of our committee could not come to a consensus on this issue.”
The APC comments on the suggested changes to the OCP are simply suggestions, and as council proceeds with the amendment process, they are under no obligation to follow them.
The municipality was obligated to send the proposed OCP amendments to the Islands Trust Executive Committee following first reading but prior to the public hearing to ensure that all changes remained in compliance with the Islands Trust Policy Statement.
In response, the Executive Committee asked council for clarification on the OCP amendments in relation to how statement 5.2.4 of the policy is being address. That statement requires that Official Community Plans address potential growth with strategies that ensure land use is compatible with environmental protection, natural amenities, resources and community character.
However, that question does not need to be answered until prior to the bylaw’s fourth reading.
Sheila Malcolmson, the chair of the Islands Trust Executive Committee, says a number of Bowen residents have written to complain the that amendments process is being rushed.
“It might be a disappointment to some people, but policing that is not within the Islands Trust’s statutory power,” says Malcolmson. “If people feel the decision-makers are not following the proper procedure, they should file a grievance with the Ombudsman or communicate their feelings to municipal leaders at election time.”
Malcolmson adds that the Islands Trust’s approval of the OCP amendments does not amount to a “thumbs-up” to the plan on either an environmental or an economic level. It is simply a confirmation that the amendments fit with Islands Trust policy.
“Our policy statement gives each locality a great deal of autonomy,” says Malcolmson. “On rural island communities, we tend to want to be able to make our own way, but sometimes we also want some external authority to step in. A future Executive Committee could change that policy to be more interventionist but this is the approach we’ve taken.”
The municipality will be hosting an open house on the OCP amendments at Cates Hill Chapel on July 21. Public comments on the subject will be taken into consideration by council prior to passing the amendments to second reading.