Savary Island Land Trust

09/05/2026

Have you taken the short qRD Savary OCP survey?
Deadline September 7. It takes a community to save an island.
https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/s.aspx?co=MwQALk5i

Read full article at savaryislandlandtrust.org

Savary already has 3 times the number of dwellings that would be allowed if current subdivision standards (2.5 acres/dwelling) applied. They don't. Savary's aspirational OCP could enable 6 times the number of dwellings or more. ASIC wants no regulations on Savary forever. Do you? FILL in the OCP survey now https://qathet.ca/2026/06/30/survey-open-savary-island-official-community-plan/

08/31/2026

Last Market of the Summer 2026. Come by for a visit. Get your SILT hoodies or t shirts for Christmas surprise gifts for the family.

08/27/2026

Unfortunately, a dead harbour porpoise washed up on Savary yesterday. If you come across the body, please do not touch it as marine mammals can transmit diseases. If you want to report a marine mammal sighting, incident, or death, you can do so at https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/mammals-mammiferes/report-rapport/page01-eng.html.

We are so lucky to share our waters with marine mammals like orcas, humpbacks, dolphins, and porpoises. In general, aim to keep 100 metres (1 football field) away from whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and at least 200 metres away from whales/dolphins/porpoises that are resting or with a calf, or our local orcas. Binoculars are a great way to watch safely!

08/24/2026

Thank you everyone who has participated in the 2026 Savary Bioblitz so far! With only a week left of the challenge, we’ve already smashed our previous records, with almost QUADRUPLE the number of observations and almost DOUBLE the number of species compared to last year! Your efforts are incredibly helpful for documenting the amazing biodiversity of this island.

Remember, the person with the most observations during the Bioblitz wins a free T-shirt. With @ emmmmmmmna and @ mollymb out of contention, the top three contenders are @ thetosher, @ quinnbirds, and . Good luck to all of you, we will reach out to the winner in September!

1. Bald Eagle by @ quinnbirds
2. Northern Alligator Lizard by @ thetosher
3. Spotted Ratfish by @ charbotski
4. Genus Calliopius by @ emmmmmmmna
5. Chicken of the Woods by @ quinningit

08/20/2026

Looking for a beautiful, non-invasive groundcover? Plant redwood sorrel!

🚫 Skip yellow archangel. While it may look attractive, this invasive plant forms dense mats that block sunlight, restrict space, and outcompete native plants.Reduced plant diversity can also mean less food and habitat for pollinators and wildlife!

🍀 Instead redwood sorrel is a native, shade-tolerant groundcover that has beautiful clover-like leaves and is well suited to moist, shady gardens.

🌱 Be this summer and help protect your local ecosystems!

🔗 bcinvasives.ca/play-your-part/plantwise/grow-me-instead/

08/19/2026

Mark your calendars for this week! On island fire extinguisher servicing and sales at three different locations on three different days. Another way YOU can be prepared!

08/18/2026

Market Day today
Come by for a visit

08/18/2026

The Draft Savary Island Official Community Plan has passed its first reading by the qathet Regional District. The qathet Regional District staff are seeking your feedback on the plan.
qRD planner Ms Julia Dykstra has made it clear that this is likely the only "planning' Savary will see for the next 25 years.
In April of this year, the planner, Julia Dykstra informed the OCP Advisory Committee that:
"I would like to assure you that we have heard the message loud and clear: most property owners on Savary Island do not want private property land use regulations. There are no private property land use regulations proposed or envisioned by the Official Community Plan."

The original OCP was a 10 year process that prioritized "one dwelling per parcel zoning"; however, no action was ever taken to pursue it in the last 25 years, and development has more than doubled, with multiple properties now having 2, 3 or more dwellings per parcel. Clearly, a non regulatory OCP will continue this trend. In fact the current OCP survey results indicated that more than 40% of the public would like to have a second dwelling on their parcel.

For several years, SILT has requested that the qRD conduct a water study, a carrying capacity study and a tourism impact study as part of the OCP process. We were happy to see the investment in groundwater research; we now know it is vulnerable especially in the summer months. Unfortunately, the qRD has not yet followed up with a carrying capacity study or tourism impact study. So we don't really know the limits to growth or what capacity the land, its conservation and human volunteer services can safely sustain. Visit the qathet Regional District OCP table at the Market on Tuesday August 18 to learn more. You can also share your views by completing the short Savary OCP SURVEY https://www.qathet.ca/current_project/savaryocp/ by the end of August, or by contacting Planner Julia Dykstra ([email protected]) or Area A Representative Jason Lennox ([email protected]) directly.

The qathet Regional District is updating the Savary Island Community Plan! This update will build on previous plans, reports, and studies, and include a comprehensive community engagement process.