Descanso Bay on Gabriola Island. (Jesse Woodward / CHLY 101.7FM)

Islands Trust, the special purpose government for Gabriola Island and other Gulf Islands, is seeking community feedback on the draft of its next Official Community Plan, also known as an OCP.

“We really have to think through the effects of our policies and not be overly ambitious in any one area, but just really find that balance of what's going to protect our community, what's going to look after all ages, and keep it quirky and diverse and islandy. But also make sure we look after the ecosystems and we protect the wildlife and we ensure there's corridors for nature and ensure there's water for all the species that have lived here since time immemorial,” said Tobi Elliot.

Tobi Elliot, one of two Gabriola Island Trustees, shares that some of the issues the plan is looking to address are environmental sustainability, Indigenous interests and housing.

Some of the ways the community plan draft looks to address these issues are with proposed policies such as the suggestion of banning short-term vacation units, only permitted with temporary use permits, and a bylaw amendment to better protect petroglyphs and fragile archeological sites.

“We wanna protect groundwater. We wanna make sure that, everyone is reasonably housed and there are lots of different options for housing or not. It could go into more of a protectionist, you know, ‘we don't want those diverse housing options’, and ‘we want to specifically regulate how people get their water’. So it really will be up to the community, to give us their feedback and sort of tell us where to land on, … the flexibility and regulation of policy and what that means for visitors, and residents in the future,” said Elliot.

The Islands Trust was established in 1974 with the purpose of protecting and preserving over 450 islands on the Salish Sea. They are currently addressing climate change, affordable housing, at-risk species, freshwater, development and tourism pressures. Gabriola has been in the process of Official Community Plan review since 2023 and is currently in the community feedback stage of the draft.

“What are the values of the Gabriola community? What do we wanna hold as our principles going forward? Obviously safeguarding the environment, making sure that the sensitive ecosystems that are left are not further impacted or fragmented,” said Elliot. “Lots of people are saying, ‘We want policies that encourage revitalization of the natural ecosystems, rehabilitation, wildlife corridors, protecting the shorelines, ensuring that everyone has enough water’. So those kind of values, have really grounded this part of the process, which is phase three. So now, since 2025, we entered into phase three, which is drafting the official community plan policies, and we're now in an early engagement and review process with the Gabriola community.”

If you have any relationship to Gabriola Island and would like to provide feedback on the Islands Trust draft, the deadline is open to July 31st. Email your thoughts to northinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca with the subject line Draft OCP for your feedback to be considered today.

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