ADAM OLSEN -- We must balance the interest of our right to benefit and enjoy our property, with the rights of our neighbours and the impact our decisions have on the broader community
This week I met with a group of passionate advocates on Salt Spring Island who are deeply concerned about the clear cutting of forests on private land. There is a long history of logging on the Gulf Islands and, despite the Islands’ Trust mandate to “preserve and protect” the islands for the benefit of all British Columbians, there is seemingly little protection for the forests on private lands. Of course, this brings up a whole host of property rights issues. In the past, there have been attempts to regulate tree-cutting through development permit areas but the local trust committees have been met with substantial pushback. The provincial government provided other local governments with the ability to regulate tree cutting through the Community Charter and the Local Government Act, however, regional districts and the Islands’ Trust were excluded, leaving the forests and communities vulnerable. This is a challenge with the “preserve and protect” mand...