Should North Pender Island have more accountable local government?
Private project. The petition is open. This domain preserves public information and invites anyone who thinks North Pender Island should govern itself to add their name. It does not claim to speak for North Pender 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
2,335 parcels across 4,509 hectares, mapped and inspectable. 329 Islands Trust meetings archived since 2012.
Parcel counts and hectares cover the whole North Pender 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.
The more populated of the two Penders, joined to South Pender by a bridge.
Latest research and writing
Newest first; every claim footnoted to its source.
"Polite Behavior Is Certainly Not Doing It": The Case on North Pender Published August 16, 2026 North Pender Island shows what the Islands Trust model looks like in slow motion: a housing problem the Trust itself says has run "for more than a decade" before a dedicated response began, a complaint-driven enforcement system carrying a multi-year backlog, and broad land-use power that stops exactly where residents' most urgent needs begin. All of it is funded by a budget rising 8.1 per cent per household — one that even North Pender's own trustee suggested voting down to force the province to listen.
Water: the groundwater under North Pender Island
Island homes drink groundwater. The Province of British Columbia maps 5 aquifers under North Pender Island; the main one sits beneath 1,471 of the island's lots, and 519 wells are registered on these aquifers. Classifications below are the Province's own, shown verbatim. Full water report for North Pender Island →
Aquifer 720 — North Pender; southern portioin: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 9.5 km², mapped 2004. Vulnerability Moderate; productivity Low; demand Moderate; 116 wells on record; 1 water licence. Provincial factsheet
Aquifer 711 — North Pender; northern area: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 11.3 km², mapped 2004. Vulnerability High; productivity Low; demand Moderate; 262 wells on record; 1 water licence. Provincial factsheet
Aquifer 712 — North Pender; Port Browning: Bedrock — Fractured sedimentary rock, 6.3 km², mapped 2004. Vulnerability High; productivity Low; demand Moderate; 123 wells on record; 1 water licence. Provincial factsheet
Aquifer 787 — Sidney Island, South End: Bedrock — Fractured crystalline bedrock, 4.1 km², mapped 2006. Vulnerability Low; productivity Low; demand Low; 13 wells on record; 0 water licences. Provincial factsheet
Aquifer 786 — Sidney Island, North End: Sand and Gravel — Confined sand and gravel - glacial, 2.3 km², mapped 2006. Vulnerability Moderate; productivity Moderate; demand Low; 5 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
Otter 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. North Pender 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.