Andrew Leonard, Bowen Island Mayor

08/26/2026

Excited for my alter ego to close out Bowfest's 50th this Saturday. I've got a stack of spanking new remixes, filthy bootlegs, and singalong throwbacks mixed in with just enough rave gravy to shake tail feathers and have Mayor White in Gibsons file a noise complaint.

See you on the field -- check out www.bowfest.org for full details!

06/29/2026

Grafton Lake Watershed Management Plan

Engagement for the Grafton Lake Watershed Management Plan has begun! Come visit our booth at the Canada Day Reimagined celebration, or head over to the project page on our website: bowenislandmunicipality.ca/grafton-lake-watershed-management-plan/

To be informed of more engagement opportunities, sign up to receive updates and alerts from Bowen Island Municipality – sign up here: bowenislandmunicipality.ca/subscribe/

06/29/2026

Thinking of running for Council in the 2026 General Local Election?

On October 17, 2026, Bowen Island voters will be electing a Mayor, six Councillors and two Islands Trustees. There are some key pieces of information you need to know if you are thinking about running for office. As we prepare for the election we will be adding information and resources for candidates on our website: bowenislandmunicipality.ca/2026-election

Mark your calendar! A candidate information session will be held on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 6 - 8 PM at the Community Centre. We’ll host a hybrid meeting where you can attend in person or online, and we’ll go over the nomination process, the election itself and what to expect if you’re elected.

Questions? Please contact Sophie Idsinga, Chief Election Officer at 778-657-6627 or [email protected]

05/25/2026

PODCAST ALERT: Bowen's draft Official Community Plan is out, community engagement is underway... and we want you involved!

I sat down with Don Shafer with the Bowen Island Podcast -- alongside our OCP Committee Chair James Crandles and BIM Planning Manager Daniel Martin -- to unpack what an Official Community Plan is (or isn't), how we're approaching it on Bowen, and where your opportunities are to participate.

Round Two of engagement closes June 22. Take a listen, then weigh in.

🎧 Listen: https://open.spotify.com/episode/32llqWYoi2AXNkxiSJpHfk

🗳️ Engage: https://bowenislandmunicipality.ca/our-government/official-community-plan-update

05/08/2026

Draft Official Community Plan (OCP) Heads to Council

Regular Council Meeting
Monday, May 11, 2026 at 1:00 pm

Staff will present the Draft Official Community Plan (OCP) to Council ahead of the next phase of public consultation, which is expected to begin in late May.

This presentation marks an important milestone in the OCP update process and reflects community input gathered during earlier engagement phases.

There will be several opportunities for public engagement and feedback in the coming months. Residents are encouraged to review the Draft OCP, follow the discussion, and stay tuned for more details.

The agenda for Monday's Regular Council Meeting can be found here: https://bowenisland.civicweb.net/document/341561

Information on the OCP Update can be found here: https://bowenislandmunicipality.ca/official-community-plan-update/

05/05/2026

Deliberate Damage to Traffic Safety Equipment

Unfortunately, a traffic calming device on Cates Hill was deliberately damaged over the weekend, resulting in the wires to the battery being cut. This incident is disappointing, and has been reported to the police.

This device measures vehicle speeds and serves as a reminder for motorists to slow down. It does not use cameras, collect personal information, or identify drivers in any way. All it does is count how many vehicles travel along the road and how many of them are speeding.

The device is funded by taxpayer dollars and was installed in response to community requests for better traffic calming. Once repairs are complete, it will continue to move from neighbourhood to neighbourhood to collect traffic data that helps inform future traffic planning and safety improvements.

Acts of vandalism set these efforts back and impact the entire community. We appreciate everyone’s help in looking out for shared infrastructure that supports safer streets.

04/28/2026

After BC Ferries declined to fund any portion of its operational impacts in Snug Cove earlier this month, Council has given first reading to a proposed Ferry Impact Fee and Reserve Fund Bylaw – a first-of-its-kind measure in British Columbia – to recover municipal costs associated with services the Municipality provides to support ferry operations (such as ferry marshalling, roadway improvements and maintenance, and congestion management).

The proposed bylaw would establish an annual fee of $150,000, based on documented municipal operating costs. The fee provides a transparent mechanism to recover a portion of the ongoing costs the Municipality incurs in delivering services that support the safe and efficient operation of ferry services on its roads and public spaces.

News Release: Bowen Island Moves to Recover Costs of Supporting Ferry Operations

Bowen Island, B.C. – Bowen Island Municipal Council has given first reading to a proposed Ferry Impact Fee and Reserve Fund Bylaw – a first-of-its-kind measure in British Columbia – to recover municipal costs associated with services the Municipality provides to support ferry operations on the small island of 4200 residents.

The proposed bylaw would establish an annual fee of $150,000, based on documented municipal operating costs, and create a dedicated reserve fund. The fee provides a transparent mechanism to recover a portion of the ongoing costs the Municipality incurs in delivering services that support the safe and efficient operation of ferry services on its roads and public spaces.

Read more here: https://bowenislandmunicipality.ca/2026/04/28/bowen-island-moves-to-recover-costs-of-supporting-ferry-operations/

04/23/2026

It’s Volunteer Appreciation Week! We’re incredibly grateful for the time, passion, heart, and soul our volunteers give every day. Thank you for making a real difference in our community.

02/25/2026

2026 Budget Open House

Join Kristen Watson, Chief Financial Officer, for an Open House presentation of the 2026 Budget.

Thursday, February 26, 2026
6:00 pm via Zoom

More information, including Zoom links, can be found here:
https://bowenislandmunicipality.ca/2026/02/24/2026-budget-open-house/
Questions? Contact the Finance Department at 604-947-4255 ext. 8 or email to [email protected].

02/19/2026

About six weeks ago, I pulled on a thread.

When we learned Bowen's annual contribution to the Islands Trust was set to increase by 32%, I was startled. My immediate ask -- what would Bowen be getting in return? I didn't expect where the inquiry would take me.

That one question dropped me, layer by layer, into the architecture of our relationship with the Trust -- the statutes, the policies, the allocation formulas, the budget documents that most of us (myself included, until recently) have never had reason to examine. What started as a tug on one thread became one of the most absorbing projects I've taken on as Mayor -- consuming every free moment this past month, pulling me deeper into a tapestry I hadn't appreciated until I started following the weave...
.. and the question changed.

It stopped being about value-for-money. The Trust does valuable work. The Conservancy protects ecologically significant land. The preserve-and-protect mandate has shaped Bowen in ways that benefit everyone who lives here. I'm not interested in debating whether the Trust has value. It does.

But value wasn't the problem I was finding. The problem was fairness. The question morphed: is the formula doing what it's supposed to do, by its own rules?

The result is a 45-page analysis -- grounded entirely in the Trust's own data, their own policies, and the Islands Trust Act. (find it here:
https://bowenisland.civicweb.net/document/338710 ).

I believe it's the most detailed independent examination of the Bowen-Trust financial relationship ever undertaken. In 2022, 79% of voters told us they wanted the requisition formula renegotiated. This work honours that mandate — not through rhetoric, or an impassioned discourse on value for money, but through evidence.

Monday, February 23rd at 1:00 PM, Islands Trust staff will appear as delegates at our regular Council meeting to respond to the questions and issues raised. I'd love to see you there — it's the kind of conversation that benefits from having the community in the room. Or, jump on the livestream wherever you are.

Can't make it? Write to [email protected] — your comments become part of the public record

Read the report here (even just the summary in the first few pages gives the key findings): https://bowenisland.civicweb.net/document/338710