What do Savary Islanders value most about living on a small, off-grid, yet popular tourist destination, and where do they see the island community heading in the next 25 years?
Those are just two of the questions asked in qathet Regional District’s (qRD) phase two community plan survey, released online last October.
Now, Savary Islanders have had their say. Here are some of the results from the survey:
The survey had a fairly strong uptake and resulted in 575 completed responses: 97 full-time residents, 237 part-time, 141 summer residents, while the rest of the respondents were categorized as other, visitors and property owners (not living on Savary).
The first survey question asked: What do folks value most about Savary Island?
253 people mention natural beauty and environment; 191 like the off-grid and rustic lifestyle; and 163 mentioned a sense of community and freedom.
The second survey question asked participants to imagine life on Savary Island 25 years from now. The survey found a significant emphasis on preserving the island's natural beauty; maintaining the unique off grid lifestyle; strengthening the sense of community; not a lot of new development, but some improvements.
Question three asked community members about concerns they have about maintaining this vision (natural beauty, off-grid) for the island.
The survey found that people are worried about overdevelopment and population growth; environmental degradation; government interference and regulation; infrastructure and services.
Another major concern of folks on Savary is water supply. 85 per cent of respondents strongly agree or agree to safeguarding the island’s groundwater supply, but there is significant disagreement on methods.
To see the full summary of the report and survey results, go to qathet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-01-23-Vision-Survey-Summary-Reportweb.pdf.
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