Should Mayne Island have more accountable local government?

Private project. The petition is open. This domain preserves public information and invites anyone who thinks Mayne Island should govern itself to add their name. It does not claim to speak for Mayne Island.

Sign the petition on this page. Residents decide whether and when to sign.

Options local people may examine

• Municipal incorporation or regional-district transfer.
• A stronger elected local body or service-area reform.
• A modified Islands Trust structure.
• Maintaining the status quo.

The island, on the record

1,620 parcels across 2,245 hectares, mapped and inspectable. 241 Islands Trust meetings archived since 2012.

Parcel counts and hectares cover the whole Mayne Island Local Trust Area as ParcelMap BC maps it, which includes foreshore and marine parcels as well as land. Treat the hectare figure as mapped parcel area, not the island's land area.

Statistics Canada counted 1,304 residents on Mayne Island in the 2021 census, up from 949 in 2016 — a change of +37.4% in five years. There are 1,292 private dwellings, 706 of them lived in by usual residents — 45.4% are not somebody's home. The median age is 62.8, and about 1,204 residents are adults (18 or over) — an estimate, because Statistics Canada publishes no 18+ boundary at this geography. Figures are for the Mayne Island Trust Area designated place. Source: Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0012-01 — Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places (2021 Census).

A compact Southern Gulf Island with deep settler and farming history, under its own Local Trust Committee.

Latest research and writing

Newest first; every claim footnoted to its source.

• 974 Followers and a Closed Door Published August 16, 2026
  Between 2022 and 2025 the Islands Trust closed Mayne Island's walk-in office and ended print newspaper public notices, leaving islanders to track development decisions through a website and a Facebook page the local paper noted had 974 followers. Mayne's own elected trustee had already told Trust Council that "people are not happy with the Islands Trust" — an unease with a paper trail on the island going back to at least 2011.

Water: the groundwater under Mayne Island

Island homes drink groundwater. The Province of British Columbia maps 4 aquifers under Mayne Island; the main one sits beneath 536 of the island's lots, and 367 wells are registered on these aquifers. Classifications below are the Province's own, shown verbatim. Full water report for Mayne Island →

• Aquifer 619 — Mayne Island: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 8.0 km², mapped 2006. Vulnerability Moderate; productivity Low; demand Moderate; 137 wells on record; 2 water licences. Provincial factsheet
• Aquifer 620 — Mayne Island: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 7.7 km², mapped 2006. Vulnerability Moderate; productivity Low; demand Moderate; 114 wells on record; 2 water licences. Provincial factsheet
• Aquifer 447 — Georgina Pt - Hall Hill, Mayne Island N.: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 3.7 km², mapped 2006. Vulnerability High; productivity Low; demand Moderate; 63 wells on record; 1 water licence. Provincial factsheet
• Aquifer 632 — Navy Channel, S. Mayne Is.: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 3.9 km², mapped 2006. Vulnerability Moderate; productivity Moderate; demand Moderate; 53 wells on record; 0 water licences. Provincial factsheet

A High vulnerability rating means relatively little natural protection between the surface and the water people draw from; it describes susceptibility, not current contamination. Source: Ground Water Aquifers — BC Data Catalogue (Open Government Licence — BC) and the Province's GWELLS registry.

Ferry tracker

Village Bay (Southern Gulf Islands routes) — live sailings and vessel positions sit at the top of this page. Official schedules: www.bcferries.com/routes-fares/schedules.

Ownership and relationship

Private, personal project. Mayne Town was built privately and is maintained privately by Tony Aly, a vibe coder on Denman Island. It is not an official government, Islands Trust, regional-district, community-association, or locally endorsed website.

The related Abolish Islands Trust project advocates long-term provincial statutory change. A future locally led island project may choose a different position.

A domain is not a local chapter.