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What our Candidates say About Fracking

We just had the second worst wildfire season on record (and only second to a memorable 2023). The city of Jasper burned down. A friend of mine had to evacuate from her thru-hike through the rockies as she heard that fires were eclipsing the trail a day’s walk away. BC sits on what is now known as a “carbon bomb”. If the methane gas (marketed as natural gas) from fracking wells in the Montney Formation in Northern BC is shipped around the world and burned, it will create over a gigatonne of climate pollution, thickening the blanket of gases that create the hot dry conditions that make each summer’s fires more frightening than the last. Additionally, when methane gas leaks, it is 86x stronger as a greenhouse gas than when it is burned. Ignoring this inconvenient reality is how proponents greenwash LNG. Even if leakages can be managed domestically, markets abroad receiving this gas will not have the same standards. At the Salt Spring and Saanich fall fairs, myself and a f…
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  • - October 17, 2024

Indian Classical Music Concert has Wild Local Backstory

Taking a DNA test is not for everyone. It can be time-consuming sleuthing the results, and there are privacy concerns—a sheriff’s department in North Carolina contacted me a couple years ago because I matched with a woman murdered in 1989 and they wanted my help in identifying her. For me, taking a DNA test has been well worth it. The results have helped solve family mysteries and facilitated connections with long-lost relatives. The best of which was matching with a second cousin once removed, Niel Golden, who is performing an Indian Classical Music concert with Steve Oda at the Ganges Yoga Studio on October 26. Matching DNA with Niel has led to a dear friendship as well as our discovery that we had a very famous relative saved from the Holocaust by someone even more famous (more on that later). Niel plays tabla (hand drum) and is a disciple of Pandit Sharda Sahai. Steve plays sarode (a 25-string fretless lute) and studied for many years with the legendary Ali Akbar Kha…
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Islands Trust Requests Provincial Review of Islands Trust Act

Lək̓ Ê·É™Ć‹É™n, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – At its quarterly meeting in September 2024, Islands Trust Council voted to request that the Province of British Columbia undertake a review of the Islands Trust's mandate, governance model, and structure. The Islands Trust Council made the same request in 2022. It is Islands Trust Council’s recomendation that the Province conduct a comprehensive review of the Islands Trust Act, similar in scope to the work of the parlimantary committee that led to the creation of Islands Trust 50 years ago. Islands Trust Council believes it is essential that the many Indigenous peoples with interests in the lands and waters of the Trust Area be involved through their governing bodies, not only as participants in the review, but also as partners in the development of its terms of reference. Islands Trust Council is seeking alignment with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and believes it is of paramount importance that Islands Trus…
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Free Transit on Provincial Election Day

GLOBAL - BC Transit and many local government partners across the province are offering free transit on Saturday, October 19, 2024, for the provincial elections. Offering free transit helps make it easier for residents to get to the polls and cast their ballots. Decisions to offer free transit are made by local government partners in each separate community Take advantage of free transit in the following communities: Comox Valley (includes handyDART) Cowichan Valley – This does not include service on interregional routes 66 and 70. (includes handyDART) Fort St. John (includes handyDART) Kamloops (includes handyDART) Kitimat (includes handyDART) Penticton (includes handyDART) Port Alberni Prince George (includes handyDART) Prince Rupert (includes handyDART) Quesnel (includes handyDART) Regional District of Nanaimo – this does not include service on the 70 Nanaimo-Cowichan Express (includes handyDART) Revelstoke (includes handyDART) Salt Spring Island Skeena Re…
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Cultivating Community: Exploring Gardening and Sustainability with the Salt Spring Island Garden Club

Part of Transition Salt Spring’s Lighter Living Series For anyone intrigued by the idea of cultivating their own food, or just keeping their landscape healthy - the Salt Spring Island Garden Club offers an indispensable community and wealth of expertise. Annual membership is a steal at just $25 for individuals and $35 for families (2 people living in the same household). Meetings are held at Meaden Hall, Royal Canadian Legion, every 4th Wednesday from February to June and September to November. Visitors are welcome to drop-in ($5). Each meeting hosts a vibrant gathering featuring esteemed guest speakers. From local luminaries like Linda Gilkeson, Dan Jason and Jane Squire to globetrotting experts like Gary Lewis of Phoenix Perennials, our speakers delve into diverse topics from native plant reintroduction and growing medicinal perennials, or edible landscapes to growing vegetables in a changing climate. Beyond insightful talks, meetings buzz with activity. Picture a mi…
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Wish List Planning - Salt Spring's Official Community Plan

Salt Spring is about to embark on a “targeted update” of its Official Community Plan, and the proposed changes are far from modest—they could transform the island in ways few would have imagined possible, and spell the end of the Islands Trust in all but name. This coming Wednesday and Friday, the Islands Trust is inviting island residents to give their opinion on “what makes a complete community.” It sounds like a trip to the promised land, but be careful what you wish for! The “complete communities” assessment covers topics such as housing, transportation, employment opportunities, services and amenities. But there is a problem: the process, especially for housing, is starting with a wish list rather than a community discussion of growth parameters which are essential in a protected area. In other words, we are invited to shop at the candy store without being told how much money there is to spend. On Salt Spring, the development budget is not as large as those in oth…
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UPDATE: Boil Water Alert: Water Quality Highland-Fernwood, BC

UPDATE: The Boil Water Advisory for Highlands Fernwood water system issued on Saturday October 12, 2024 is rescinded as of Monday, Oct. 14. Water quality sampling and testing has confirmed the water is now safe ... For more information on boil water advisories, please visit www.islandhealth.ca/boilwater. Due to a watermain break the municipal water in Capital Regional District may be unsafe to drink and could cause serious illness. Boil Water Advisory | Portion of Highland-Fernwood Water System due to watermain break The Capital Regional District (CRD) in consultation with Island Health has issued a Boil Water Advisory for a portion of the Highland-Fernwood water service on Salt Spring Island. Customers on the following roads should boil their water until further notice - Maliview Drive, Fer de Lance Road, Westcott Road, Hedger Road and Walker's Hook Road. Water quality may have been compromised as a result of a water main break. As a precaution, the Boil W…
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Islanders Urged: Be An Informed Voter This Election Cycle

Parties Respond To Key Concerns of the Rural Islands and Remote Coastal Communities As a public service for rural islanders and rural coastal communities the Rural Islands Economic Partnership (RIEP) issued a call for the BC Conservative Party, the BC Green Party, the BC New Democratic Party, to respond to questions about their Party’s position on key issues of concern for BC’s rural-remote-Indigenous coastal communities. Read their responses: Election 2024 Responses Table – All Parties RIEP believes that being an informed voter is crucial to the health of our Canadian democracy. When voters are knowledgeable about the candidates, policies, and issues on the ballot, they are better equipped to make decisions that align with their values and the needs of their communities. Informed voting helps ensure that elected leaders are accountable and representative of the public’s interests, rather than being chosen based on personality or misinformation. Responses to these q…
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BC Can't Afford Another Term of Divisive NDP Government

When considering who to vote for in the coming provincial election it’s important to consider the NDP's governments record over the past seven years and to speak frankly about this record. There are many grandiose promises being offered up by Premier Eby, this election and one wonders why they weren’t put into practice during their long reign. Twenty eight percent of BC residents don’t have a doctor and across the province, emergency rooms have been closed and wait times for ER and diagnostic services are extreme. The warning signs have been summoned for years and have been ignored. BC now has a two tiered system -those that have doctors and those don’t and many are opting to pay privately for diagnostic and health services. Over the past 6 years economic growth has stagnated in the private sector. At the same time, the NDP increased the government bloat by 31%. There has been major public sector employment increases which has not netted us swift delivery of service. I…
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New Rebates Announced for North Salt Spring Waterworks District Residents

Have you been dreaming of installing a rainwater catchment system on your property? Well, now is definitely the time to make that dream a reality, as the North Salt Spring Waterworks District (NSSWD) joins forces with Transition Salt Spring to launch a new rebate for ratepayers who install rain catchment systems of 520 US Gallons or larger! The Waterworks District is very excited to support ratepayers in reducing their water bills while conserving our precious shared resources. We all know that as climate change brings longer and more intense droughts, our freshwater resources are becoming increasingly scarce. Living on an island, the only fresh water we receive is what falls from the sky during the rainy season. However, much of this fresh rainwater is fed to the ocean, reducing the potential supply of freshwater in our community. This makes it essential that we all do our part in collecting and conserving our freshwater supply for the most critical uses—drinking water f…
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