Implementing the Preserve and Protect Mandate
Islands Trust works to preserve and protect the Islands Trust Area in cooperation with municipalities, regional districts, improvement districts, First Nations, other persons, organizations, and the government of British Columbia.
The annual Islands Trust budget provides the resources needed to carry out this mandate through land use planning, region-wide programs, and land protection.
NOTE: All figures on this page are preliminary. Trust Council continues to refine the draft 2026/27 budget and will meet to review the final budget on February 18, 2026 as Committee of the Whole and will consider it again at the regular Trust Council March 10-12, 2026 meeting.
The Islands Trust Council supports the preserve and protect mandate through region-wide programs, including public education sessions, stewardship education resources, updating of the Islands Trust Policy Statement, advocacy related to decisions and initiatives that affect the islands, ecosystem mapping, grant programs, and developing of agreements and hosting of meetings to promote cooperation with other governments, including Indigenous Governing Bodies.
Land use planning contributes to preserving and protecting the environment, cultural heritage, and communities through the maintenance of 20 unique official community plans, hosting community information meetings to help islanders understand land use planning, rezoning, and application processing. Islands Trust also develops and delivers longer-term land-use planning projects to support strategic goals.
The Islands Trust Conservancy is governed by a board made up of provincial appointees and Islands Trust trustees. Its mission is to protect special places in the Islands Trust Area by encouraging and assisting voluntary conservation initiatives. To date, 1,385+ hectares of land across 115 conservation properties have been protected, including 81 conservation covenants and 34 nature reserves.
Overview of the 2026/27 Draft Budget
Each year, Islands Trust Council must approve an annual budget. Before approval, Council develops and reviews a draft budget.
For 2026/27, a draft budget is being developed in alignment with the 2025–2028 Strategic Plan and informed by the CAO Operational Review Report. The review identified opportunities prioritize the most viable and impactful initial options to respond to operational challenges. Throughout the budget development process, Islands Trust Council has considered public feedback, through a pre-budget public engagement process, legislative requirements and operational needs.
At its most recent quarterly meeting, Islands Trust Council reviewed an initial draft of the 2026/27 budget.
In the 2026/27 draft budget, Islands Trust Council is considering a budget that supports the Islands Trust mandate. The draft budget includes a total planned spending of $11.9M, with $11.1M directed to operations, $641,501 directed to special projects, and $193,000 directed to capital purchases.
The proposed 13.9% general local trust area tax increase in the draft budget is comprised of approximately:
- 7.1% to replace lost revenue streams
- 3.7% for elections and base staff wage increases
- 3.1% for discretionary spending/inflation
Key themes reflected in the Draft 2026/27 Budget include:
- Funding local elections in October 2026 and new trustee orientation and equipment
- Better resourcing reconciliation with First Nations and communications work
- Continuation of Trust Council’s Strategic Plan projects, and the development of a new Islands Trust Conservancy’s Five-Year Plan
- Support for land use planning projects and maintaining current service levels
Trustees are reviewing how proposed resource allocations align with strategic priorities, legislative obligations, and expected service levels. The draft budget also responds to expected reductions in revenue from grants and investment income due to broader economic conditions, as well as reduced internal revenue from surplus funds.
Full budget figures and line-by-line details are available in the briefing material, beginning on page 17 of the January 21, 2026 Financial Planning Committee meeting agenda package here.
The current budget is only a draft and will likely see changes before final Trust Council approval in March. Staff have already been asked to bring forward options for reductions to be considered at the February 18 Committee of the Whole meeting. Subject to further change, the current draft of the 2026/27 budget would support Islands Trust work on various projects and programs, including:
Trust Council’s Region-Wide Projects
These funding requests reflect initiatives approved by Trust Council through its Strategic Plan and total $208,000 in the draft budget:
- Reconciliation Action Plan ($150,000)
- Policy Statement Amendment ($37,000)
Learn more about this project here. - Freshwater Sustainability Strategy ($15,000)
Learn more about this project here. - Trust Council Policy Review ($6,000)
Land Use Planning Projects
Local trust committee projects total $274,500 in the draft budget. In addition to $36,500 for minor local trust committee projects:
- Denman Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review
Learn more about the project here. - Gabriola Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review
Learn more about the project here. - Galiano Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan Review
Learn more about the project here. - Lasqueti Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review
Learn more about the project here. - Salt Spring Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review
Learn more about the project here.
Land Protection Projects
Major projects overseen by the Islands Trust Conservancy Board total $140,000 in the draft budget.
- Islands Trust Conservancy 5-year Plan ($110,000)
- Data Management Software for Protected Areas Management ($30,000)
During development of the 2026/27 draft budget, Islands Trust Council removed $550,000 in proposed funding, including but not limited to:
- Sponsorship of land use planning and Natural Area Protection Tax Exemption Program (NAPTEP) applications
- Grants-in-aid
- Development of a climate action education plan
- Administrative support for coordination groups
- Implementation planning for the Freshwater Sustainability Strategy
- Development of a strategy to guide data/mapping layer acquisition and analysis and indicator development, monitoring and reporting to support assessment of ecosystem health and community resiliency and support implementation of the Islands Trust Policy Statement
- Galiano Island Official Community Plan review
- Salt Spring Island Groundwater Sustainability Strategy implementation, and Salt Spring Island Watershed Protection Alliance Plan coordination
- Biologist, and Geographic Information Systems Analyst permanent staff positions
How could the Islands Trust Budget Affect you?
The exact impact on your tax bill depends on your property’s assessed value. This levy applies only to properties within the Islands Trust Area.
In 2026, this would result in a $55-60 increase* in property tax to Islands Trust.
*Actual tax changes by individual LTA may vary based on distribution of property values within the Trust Area
In 2026, this would result in a $50-55 increase** in property tax to Islands Trust.
**Includes tax revenue from new development
Reflecting its standing as the only municipality within Islands Trust, Bowen Island does not contribute to all Islands Trust budget areas. Bowen Island contributes to those costs that support the entire Islands Trust Area, but does not contribute to the Planning Services function because the municipality has its own planning function.
The Bowen Island contribution, like that of all the local trust areas, is based on its percentage of the property value across the Islands Trust Area. For fiscal 2026/27, Bowen Island holds the second-highest share of property value (16.46%). As a result, Bowen Island residents will contribute 16.46% of the cost of Islands Trust Council and Islands Trust Conservancy budgets, and a smaller share toward general administration.
While they have the second-highest share of property value, because Bowen Island does not pay for Planning Services, their total funding contribution to the Islands Trust would be the seventh-highest with six other local trust areas contributing more.
The reason the draft budget shows a significantly higher percentage increase in the Bowen Island tax levy compared to the overall increase, however, is because the majority of the budget pressures are in the parts of the budget to which the municipality contributes.
Unlike other local governments, Islands Trust does not collect property tax directly. The Provincial Surveyor of Taxes sets the rates and collects the tax from Islands Trust Area tax payers based on the revenue that Trust Council requests after completing its annual budget process.
The amount of tax charged on an Islands Trust Area property depends on three factors: the assessed value, the tax rate and the type of property.
- Assessed Value
Each January, the BC Assessment notifies property owners of the property’s assessed value, classification and applicable exemptions. - The Tax Rate
Trust Council’s requested revenue is divided by the total assessed value of properties within the Islands Trust Area to determine the tax rate. The tax rate represents the amount of tax payable per $100 of assessed value and is applied consistently across the Islands Trust Area. - Property Type
Property classification also affects the tax rate. In the Islands Trust Area, properties classified as residential, farm, recreation and supportive housing pay the same rate. Properties classified as business, managed forest, utilities and light and major industry pay more, based on multiples set by the Province.
A taxpayer in the Island Trust Area may pay more or less tax in 2026/27, depending on changes in assessed value, property classification, and shifts in property values. Even if you changed nothing on your property, your share of the revenue that supports Islands Trust may be affected by changes to other properties on your island or throughout the Islands Trust Area.
Next Steps in the Budget Process
Islands Trust Council will continue work on the 2026/27 draft budget, including further deliberations, and refinement of proposals. Islands Trust Council will work toward finalizing the budget in the early part of 2026, with the budget being on the agenda of the Committee of the Whole, and Islands Trust Council meetings. See the agendas, participate in or watch these meetings online here.
To provide comment to Islands Trust Council on the 2026/27 draft budget, email budget@islandstrust.bc.ca.
The Approved 2025/26 Budget
At the March 2025 Trust Council meeting, Trust Council approved a budget. The approved budget for 2025/26 ($11.2 million) assumes that Islands Trust will maintain existing service levels, support a new Accessibility Committee, and undertake select projects. View a breakdown of the budget numbers.
Budget Highlights
- Total planned spending of $11.2M, with $10.2M directed to operations, $704,000 directed to special projects, and $261,000 directed to capital spending
- A 5.8% increase to the existing local trust area tax base plus an additional 2.5% tax revenue expected from new construction and development in local trust areas
- A 17.6% ($68,740) increase to the Bowen Island Municipal tax levy, of which 1.2% is expected to come from new construction and development in the Municipality, with the remaining 16.4% representing a true increase to the existing tax base
- A 2.0% ($219,500) increase in total planned spending for operations, projects, and capital purchases
- A 5.3% ($596,000) of overall budget funded by approved external grants
- $198,100 in application fee revenue
- $211,000 in investment income
- $471,500 in planned transfers from Island Trust surplus and reserve funds
The approved budget for 2025/26 assumes that Islands Trust will maintain existing land use planning service levels, and support various ongoing major projects and initiatives in the Islands Trust Area:
- Denman Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review (housing options focus)
- Gabriola Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review
- Gambier Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review and Implementation (heritage preservation/protection, and shoreline and forest ecosystem protection focus)
- Lasqueti Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review
- Mayne Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review (housing options focus)
- North Pender Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review (housing options focus)
- Salt Spring Island Local Trust Area Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw Review (housing options and equity focus)
- Continued coordination of implementation of the Salt Spring Island Watershed Protection Plan (2022-2032)
- Hornby Island Local Trust Committee relationship building with K’ómoks First Nation
- Islands Trust Policy Statement Review and Amendment (Islands 2050)
- Stewardship education program
- History and heritage conservations grants-in-aid program
- Reconciliation Action Plan update and implementation
- Administrative support to regional coordination groups (e.g. Southern Gulf Islands Forum, Howe Sound Community Forum)
- Species at risk protection program through the Islands Trust Conservancy
- Improvements to bylaw compliance and enforcement services
More Information: