Thetis committee seeks legal advice on Lot 88 emergency options

The committee asked staff to seek a legal opinion on other ways to address the community emergency threat after a fire at the property.

The Thetis Firestarter · Governance · 2023-04-18 · updated 2026-10-12 · Thetis Island

The Thetis Island Local Trust Committee asked staff to seek a legal opinion on other options for remediating the community emergency threat on Lot 88, following a fire there. The motion carried at the committee’s April 18 meeting.^[1]

Bylaw Enforcement Manager Warren Dingman told trustees that a court order requiring the activity to stop and the site to be cleaned up was served in November 2021, with no compliance; another order was served in August 2022. He said contempt proceedings were halted after an error in court procedures.^[1]

Dingman said a new 90-day compliance order, dated February 24, 2023, was to end May 26, after which a new inspection and affidavit would be required. He said a new court date could be set two to three months later, and that a judge could order the Islands Trust to clean up the site and charge the costs to the property owner.^[1]

The minutes record concerns raised in correspondence from residents about the fire and fire risk, and say Dingman would write an affidavit that could include concerns from the letters. He also said an in-camera meeting with legal counsel might be needed to consider whether proceedings could be expedited because of the escalating fire-safety risk.^[1]

The committee also adopted amendments to its Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw to bring them into compliance with provincial riparian regulations; Trustee Ken Hunter opposed both motions.^[1]

The Thetis Firestarter · Our standards