BRITISH COLUMBIA'S ISLANDS TRUST ON THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONTINUUM: ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY OR LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT? David Keith Jones R.A.,Simon Fraser University, 1990 LL.B., University of Victoria, 1993 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Political Science (&) David Keith Jones, 1994 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY September, 1994 A1 1 ri ght s reserved. Tliis work may not be reproduced I 11 wliol c 01' i 11 part , by phot oc-opy or other means, wl t hout pt31-missionof the authol . APPROVAL Name : David Keith Jones Degree : Master of Arts Title of Thesis: The Islands Trust on the Local Government Continuum: Administrative Agency or Local Self-Government? Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Stephen McBrid~ /7 1,. (- -, J' ~r.~Patrick J. Smith Associate Professor Department of political Science Simon Fraser University Senior Supervisor Dr."' H. Peter Oberlander \ Adjunct Professor Department of Political Science Simon Fraser University Supervisor - . --.-L,-- _Y- -1--- Dl-.Michael TMI- Associate Professor School of Resource and Environmental Management Simon Fraser University Ex t er-nd1 Examiner PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hcrcby qrant to Sinion rrasc~rUniversity the right to lend my thc\is, project or cxtrlndcd essay (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Sirnon FI-a5t.r- Univcrsity Library, and to make partial or \inqle copies only for such u\et-5 or in rcsporse to a rcqucst from the l ihrary of any othcr university, or othcr cducat ionaf institution, on its own behalf or for one of its u5ct-s. I further aqree that pernii3sion for multiple copylriq of this work for <chol;lrly purpc>scs nmy bc granted by rlie or the. Dean ot Graduatc Sl~1dic.s. I t i\ undCl-stood that copying or publication of this work tor financial qain sh,~ll not he allowcd without my written pcrn~ission. 13ri1ish Columbia's Islands 'I'rusi on the 1,ocal Govci-nmcn~Continuum: AJrn~~i~\tra~~\~c -- -- - - Agency or Local Sell'-Govcl-nmcnt David Jones ' ABSTRACT . The Islands Trust is a local institution established by the British Columbia government under the Islands Trust Act in 1974 with the unique mandate to "preserve and protect" the lslands of Georgia Strait and Howe Sound. The Islands Trust was initially composed of locally elected trustees and I I I 1 dppoi~ltees,now directly elected local trustee:; dild ind~rectly elected regional trustees only. The Islands 'Trust was formed to attempt to address the problems of rapld (level opn~ent and the lack of adequate governance on these Gulf Islands. This thesis examines the Islands Trust to assess whct her t he I slands Trust can be considered a form of local government.. The method of assessment was first to develop I a I y i 1 f ramework of formal characterist ics of hdsi:; for t he analysis and was applied to the Islands TI ust : i t was i~iit ial ly const it uted and till-ough ~tssubsequent clidnges over the past twenty years. The conclusions of this study are that when the Islands 11i:t was cstdblished it demonstrated vel-y few formal c'lld~ dct er i st i c::; of qovernment . The Trust was establ lshed to t I I I 11l 1 t i i t : i I t I I I-. Amendment s to t lit. :70111nq powers from the reglorial districts to the Isl311ds Trust strenqt hened the Trust In terms of formal characteristics of government. In 1983 these powers were rurt dl1 ed. A comprehensive revlslori of the Isla~~dsTlust Act 111 1989 also affected Trust governance in terms of these characteristics. Leqlslative alterations to the Islands Trust varled hct ween "mi ~luses"arid "pluses" on the "local government ront ~nuum", but this tliesls co~~cludesthat overall, the ('11d11qc\:; II~IVP moved thc Trust closer to the local self c]ov(.rllmr.~lt I tlecil t lidn the admlnlst rat lve agency at the opposite end of the contllluum. Part of this was a product of 1 iti t 1 i a chanqe, but as others have argued and t 111 s c'dsc study dcrnollstrates, lt was also a product of dn act lvist citizenry, and an environmental mandate that treat ed an organizational ideology. And, whlle formal ('hdl dct cr I st ics st111 sugqest something less than a t LUP i I 1 CJOVCI riment , the Is1ands Trust has demonst rat ed a 1 I 11~c-dp.3r 1 t y f 01 I-P~Ional qovenlance 111 an envl rollment 2 1 1 ), :;t'll:: I t 1 vc' r PCJ i 011 . ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I tharlli my parents tor their inspiration and my famlly and friends for their support and assistance. I appreciate the guidance I received from Professors Patrick Smith, Peter Oberlander, and Michael M'Gonigle. Finally, I acknowledge the assistance of former and present Islands Trust trustees, and the staff of the Islands Trust and Ministry of Munlclpal Affairs, Recreation and Hous ing, w 110 helped me in the research for this thesis. TABLE OF CONTENTS Title page , . Approval 11 . Abs t-ract lil Acknowledgements v 'I'db 1 c of Contents yv' 1 I it of Tables 1 i: 1,ist. of Figures 1 :-: I,i st of Maps I :x: I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. The Gulf Islands and the Islands Trust 1 n. Background 1 . Prc 1 slands Trust governance 2. Format ion of the Islands Trust 3. A1 t ernat ives to the Islands Trust ('. Tlic Hat lolialcl for a Study of the Islands Trust 1. Ilit loduction 2. Spcci dl ecological object 3. Hcqloilal ~nltiatlves:the Brltlsll Colun-tbla Roulld 'I'able on the Erlvll-onment and Economy, and thc Commission on Resources and Environment 4 . Gl obal initiatives : the Brunt land Report and the IJnited Natlons Conference on Envlrc:iinient dlid Development The Rlo Sumnil t , 1992 5. 1,ocdl government 1 lterature 6. Islands Trust literature a. Generally b. Islands Trust theses c. Reqlonal governance In Brlt ish Columbia (3. To preserve and protect : an lnst 1t ut 1 anal andlysis of the Rrltlsh Colun-tbla lslands TI-ust rl. Sust alnablllty and local govcl nmelit : 'The case of the Rl 1t I s11 Columbia I sl ands Trust '1. r011r1Ll:;li>ll 11. LITERATURE SURVEY AND THEORETICAL QUESTIONS A. Introduction B. Characteristics of Government 1. Representation a. Introduction b. Territorial dimension c. Election or appointment d. Accessibility and accountability 2. Revenue-raising 3. Authority 4. Autonomy 5. Capacity to coordinate C. Conclusion 111. METHODOLOGY A. Hcsr-.d 1 ch 1. Hibllographlc research 2 . 1 lit el-vlews IV. ANALYSIS A. 1974 - 19-76: Islands Trust established R. Altcrnativcs to the Islands Trust 1. Interllatiollal park 2. Ot her- jurisdictiorls d. The Georgian Bay Archipelago b. The Niagara Escarpment (- . Nantucket Sound 3. I3rit is11 Columbia legislative alternatives ,I. Improvement district b . Local cornmunit y commission c. Muliicipali ty d. Regional district C . 1 9 .I '1 18: Islands 'Trust Gains I~ndIJse Regulation Powels 1 . The Isldi~dsT1-us t Ar~~riid~~ei~t Act , 1 977 2. Judicial support for the Islands Trust : Bennett Bay, Mayne Island; Seaview Land Estates, Denman Island 3. Ri 11 Validel- Zalm appointed Minister of Mullicipal Affairs vii D. 1982 - 1985: External and Internal Tensions, the Challenge to Regional and Community Planning 132 1. Regional planning 132 2. Gambier Island mining: resource issues and commurlity planning 134 3. Ganges sewer: infrastructure, taxes and devel oprnent 14 0 4. Comrnu~iity plannlrig and subdlvlslorls 14' 5. Islalids Trust staff transferred to the Millistry of Municipal Affalrs 1 r, 0 E:. 1986 1989 : Trust Fund Proclaimed, Restructure Studies 156 1. Generally 1 5 h 2. 'Trust fund 15 C- 3. Standing Committee Review and Report lo( 4 . S~iugCove marina, Rowen Island 1 -1 .' 5. Bowen Island local government restructure studles 1811 F. 1989 1990: Reform of the Islands Trust 185 1. Tlit reduction 185 2. St 1-uct~irt-.of the Islands Trust :81 a. Gclleral ly 181 I. Trst counci 1 18k c . Exccut ive commit tee lr' I d . 1,oc;ll Trust commit tees 1 0 c. Municipal courlcils 1 '1 1 f . TI ust furid board lcj. 3 . Tlic revi sed Is1ands 'Trust- - - local self -goverrlmerlt -.' 1 C4 , G. 1991 Prcse~it: The Pol icy Reality 1 . Generally ?. The Is1 ands Trust pol icy statement 3. Sdlt Spr-ing Island rest~ucturestudy 4. Galiano Island forestry 5. The Greater Vancouver Regional District and Rowen Island 6. The Saturna Island park controversy: local slit onomy and commullity planning 7. 1994 ,3mendrnent s to the Islil~lds TIc~st Act V. CONCLUSION ': i Appp~idi cc:; 1 . Clil 01101 oyy of Event s ?. Isl,i~~t-lsTr ust Act, S.13.C. 1974, c. 43 3. Isldr~ds T~.ustAct, S.B.C. 1989, c. 68 4. Isla~ldsTrust Execut lve Committee Menbe] s ~t~idLocal 'I'lustees, 1997 199b LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Population of the Designated Islands of the Islands Trust Area LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Islands Trust Legislative Structure Figure 2. Islands Trust Staff Organization Chart LIST OF MAPS Map 1. The Southern Georgia Strait and Howe Sound Area in British Columbia L2 Map 2. Bouiidaries of the Islands Trust Area and Boundaries of the Local Trust Committ-ee Areas ,, Map 3. Regional District Boundaries in the Isldnds r st Area Map 4. 'l'he Georgia Basin/Puget Sound Region .'I 1 1 BRITISH COLUMBIA'S ISLANDS TRUST ON THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONTINUUM: ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY OR LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT? I.