It’s been a tricky time to come on as new Directors during a pandemic. Through 2020 and the first part of 2021 there have been limitations as to what can be pursued or achieved. Now as we look ahead to our second year, we are excited and motivated to advocate for the needs of Savary Island and islanders. We are focused on building relationships with various stakeholders at all levels of government and working closely with other organizations and associations that support Savary Island to leverage our collective knowledge and assets.
At this AGM, we aim to assess where there is the most energy and interest, including new topics, so that we can work with members and key stakeholders to make headway on issues that will benefit many. We have been hearing from members about a variety of topics, and they fall into some familiar themes:
Safety. Fire, roads, access to medivac sites, and how to keep a growing population safe while preserving our unique island lifestyle; Community resources. Increasing our available services such as: garbage & recycling; beach paths/access; a shared space for islanders to use, rent out, or gather in; public washrooms for day trippers; and more; Impact of increased vehicles on island and the increased number of derelict vehicles taking up limited parking spaces near the dock; Activity corridor. Bike and pedestrian paths; Better local representation at the Regional District. Ensuring the next election is one that Savary property owners can more easily vote in, and ensuring candidates have a better understanding of the unique needs of Savary Island taxpayers; The environment. Savary ecosystems are unique, fragile and vulnerable to Savary’s ongoing high density development; Official Community Plan. Looking for ways to make the existing OCP a more effective tool for directly addressing Savary issues, and preparing for future updates to the Plan. To review the existing Plan, download SavaryOCP.pdf. While it is a comprehensive document that speaks to some of the issues above, it isn’t often applied or referenced in a meaningful way.
ASIC acknowledges that individuals are already working to advance some of these items, and aims to support where appropriate.