Salt Spring trustees discuss housing rules and provincial Bill 44
At a Nov. 15 town hall, trustees and staff discussed Bylaw 530, limits on accessory dwelling units and a request for Salt Spring to be included in Bill 44.
The Salt Spring Firestarter · Governance · 2023-11-15 · updated 2026-10-15 · Salt Spring Island
Staff said a report on the Clean and Safe Harbours Initiative was still being prepared and would be brought to a future meeting; they said there was no active legal review of the proposal, while a legal opinion on the Islands Trust’s authority to regulate dwellings in harbours had been received and would be briefed to Trust Council. [1]
Much of the town hall focused on Bylaw 530, which concerns accessory dwelling units. Staff said the Local Trust Committee had rescinded the bylaw’s second reading, so it would need a new second reading and a request to schedule a public hearing; staff would not recommend waiving the hearing. [1]
Trustee Patrick said the committee had written to request Salt Spring’s inclusion in the Homes for People Action Plan’s Secondary Suite Incentive Program. Chair Peterson said Islands Trust had not asked to be excluded from Bill 44, and that staff would not lobby the province without direction from Trust Council. [1]
Staff said the Official Community Plan raised concerns about additional density, including policies on upland areas, water supply and secondary suites. The minutes say the current plan was adopted in 2008 and that a project to amend it was underway. [1]
Trustee Patrick said she supported setting a limit on accessory dwelling units, while staff said there was no mechanism to track the units and that a lottery system would require a program to review applications and make recommendations to the committee. [1]
The minutes record that the special meeting was held at the Salt Spring Island Golf Club on Nov. 15, 2023, and adjourned at 6:42 p.m. [1]
Sources
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Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee Special Meeting Minutes, Nov. 15, 2023
RPM Hutton reported staff is reviewing the CASHI proposal and there are some outstanding questions that are in process, a staff report will be presented to the LTC at a future meeting and there are no current legal reviews regarding the CASHI proposal.
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