Governance committee sends trustee pay amendments to Trust Council

The committee voted to forward a draft policy request to the March Trust Council meeting after reviewing a consultant’s recommendations on trustee remuneration.

The Denman Firestarter · Governance · 2026-02-17 · updated 2026-10-19 · Trust-wide: every island edition carries this report.

The draft request for decision would amend the Islands Trust trustee remuneration policy, and the Governance Committee voted to forward it to the March Trust Council meeting; the minutes do not record a committee recommendation on a specific pay option.^[1]

Consultant Paul Murray recommended setting trustee remuneration at 60 per cent of the median compensation for regional district electoral area directors, with a proposed structure dividing the amount between Trust Council and local trust committee work.^[2]

Murray estimated that full implementation of the 60 per cent option would add $260,000 in a full year; he said a first-year implementation beginning April 1 would cost $130,000. He also gave full-year estimates of $160,000 for the 50 per cent option and about $23,000 for the 35 per cent option.^[2]

The minutes record discussion of the comparator, trustee workload, accessibility and the budget effect. They say any increase would affect the annual budget beginning in April 2027.^[1]

The recording includes differing views on the proposal. Trustee Harris opposed a budget increase and said Salt Spring Island should not pay more for trustees representing other islands; Trustee Peterson said remuneration affected who could consider running and supported improvements.^[2]

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