Like most of British Columbia, land prices on Gabriola Island have increased dramatically in recent years. This prices many individuals out of land for agriculture, retail rental, small-business or non-profit development, and housing. Many small towns in the province have seen ownership of their communities centralized into the hands of a few people who are not residents and are mainly focused on profitability.
We believe that forward-thinking community self-sufficiency lies in non-profit models that allow for diversity, inclusion, and economic justice. Collective ownership of land is one approach to this, and there are opportunities now that may not exist in the future as land ownership becomes increasingly concentrated and out of reach.
A Community Land Trust (CLT) is a non-profit organization that holds land on behalf of a placed-based community, while serving as the long-term steward for affordable housing, community gardens, civic buildings, commercial spaces and other community assets on behalf of a community.
CLTs treat land as a public good. Buildings are owned and used by organizations, businesses, and individuals. The CLT owns the land and works to ensure it is used in ways that benefit the community. They do this by facilitating and supporting community-driven planning to address the community’s immediate and long-term needs.
Traditionally, Community Land Trusts have been used for the development of supportive or affordable housing. On Gabriola Island we envision broader types of land use including (but not limited to): food production, sustainable energy, affordable housing, supportive housing, community water supply, community amenities, small-scale economic development, and education.
Use of land will be available to non-profit organizations and co-operatives operating on Gabriola, individuals living on Gabriola, and the Snuneymuxw First Nation and its members.