Should Saturna Island have more accountable local government?

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

532 parcels across 4,420 hectares, mapped and inspectable. 148 Islands Trust meetings archived since 2012.

Parcel counts and hectares cover the whole Saturna 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 465 residents on Saturna Island in the 2021 census, up from 354 in 2016 — a change of +31.4% in five years. There are 484 private dwellings, 259 of them lived in by usual residents — 46.5% are not somebody's home. The median age is 63.6, and about 437 residents are adults (18 or over) — an estimate, because Statistics Canada publishes no 18+ boundary at this geography. Figures are for the Saturna Island Trust Area designated place. Source: Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0012-01 — Population and dwelling counts: Canada and designated places (2021 Census).

The southernmost and least developed of the major Southern Gulf Islands, much of it national park reserve.

Latest research and writing

Newest first; every claim footnoted to its source.

• Feeding the Komodo Dragon: The Case on Saturna Published August 16, 2026
  Saturna Island pays a share of the Islands Trust budget more than double its population share into an institution whose costs have outrun inflation for decades, whose local committee is chaired by a trustee another island elected, and whose enforcement regime drew formal recommendations from BC's Ombudsperson. Drawn entirely from the Trust's own pages, local press, and Saturna residents' documented record, this is the case against the institution — not against the elected islanders inside it.

Water: the groundwater under Saturna Island

Island homes drink groundwater. The Province of British Columbia maps 4 aquifers under Saturna Island; the main one sits beneath 98 of the island's lots, and 228 wells are registered on these aquifers. Classifications below are the Province's own, shown verbatim. Full water report for Saturna Island →

• Aquifer 737 — Saturna Island - west: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 2.9 km², mapped 2006. Vulnerability Moderate; productivity Low; demand High; 76 wells on record; 0 water licences. Provincial factsheet
• Aquifer 735 — Saturna Island - east: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 1.4 km², mapped 2006. Vulnerability High; productivity Low; demand High; 115 wells on record; 0 water licences. Provincial factsheet
• Aquifer 738 — Saturna Island - west: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 0.3 km², mapped 2006. Vulnerability Moderate; productivity Low; demand Moderate; 3 wells on record; 0 water licences. Provincial factsheet
• Aquifer 736 — Saturna Island - north: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 2.6 km², mapped 2006. Vulnerability Moderate; productivity Low; demand Moderate; 34 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

Lyall Harbour (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. Saturna 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.