Dear Editor:
I have recently written to the Islands Trust Council to express my strong support for the proposed Islands Trust Policy Statement Bylaw No. 183.
I moved to Bowen Island 32 years ago, knowing and celebrating the fact that I was moving to an island within the Islands Trust. I have long recognized that living on such an island is not simply a privilege, it is also a responsibility – a responsibility captured in the act as “to preserve and protect the Trust area and its unique amenities and environment for the benefit of all residents of British Columbia.”
With the very real global-scale and local-island-scale threats of climate change and population growth, not just to human well-being but to the well-being of all forms of life, there is a new level of urgency in ensuring that we collectively and proactively commit to the “preserve and protect” mandate, in a much broader context. The Islands Trust Policy Statement is forward-looking. It challenges us to examine current perceptions about the rights and responsibilities of individuals and the role and responsibilities of our municipality. It guides us in questioning long-held beliefs about what is “good for our community,” and asks us to moderate the desire for economic development with a deeper desire to truly preserve and protect our island.
I am very grateful to live on an island within the Islands Trust, and grateful for all that the Trust does to support us in our commitment to our island - both community and nature.
Rosemary Knight
