Local Listings

View More Ads

Latest Local News

Salt Jar Refillery: Your Gateway to Quality Food and Community Connection

Part of Transition Salt Spring’s Lighter Living Series Do you love great food and connecting with others who share your passion for high-quality ingredients? Look no further than Local Salt, Salt Spring Island’s premier source for plastic-free groceries. Located at The Root and stocked with top-notch products, Local Salt empowers islanders to reduce their environmental impact without sacrificing quality. Here’s how it works: -you can shop in store at the Root, 189 Beddis Road - Friday & Saturday (10:00 - 5:00), Sunday (11:00 - 3:00), Tuesday - during the Localsalt Food Hub pickup (2:00 - 6:00), or Online at www.localsalt.ca where you can order SALT JAR refillery items, Salt Spring’s very first zero waste stop, alongside your weekly local salt favourites. Items for pre-order come in a returnable glass mason jar or wrapped in backyard compostable materials if they don’t fit in a jar (i.e. spaghetti, crackers etc.) Just order what you need, refill your existing containers an…
Read more about Salt Jar Refillery: Your Gateway to Quality Food and Community Connection

New Major Vessels to Increase Capacity and Reliability

Victoria, BC - BC Ferries is taking a major step forward in its New Major Vessels (NMV) project, marking a critical milestone in the company’s largest capital investment ever. To address projected population growth, replace aging vessels, and meet customer expectations, BC Ferries is now continuing the procurement process for the first five of seven new vessels needed for its busiest routes, with the remaining two new vessels to be built in a later phase. Additionally, work will be planned to extend the operational life of two existing C-Class vessels, the Queen of Surrey and the Queen of Oak Bay, through local shipyards and contractors. “Our customers have been clear – they expect reliable service and affordable fares, and this approach directly addresses both,” says Nicolas Jimenez, President and CEO of BC Ferries. “By adopting a phased strategy, we can responsibly increase capacity and resilience while carefully managing our investments to minimize fare pressures for …
Read more about New Major Vessels to Increase Capacity and Reliability

Let’s Vote for the Best Candidate

Forget about political parties. They all have their individual axes to grind and seem locked into their own inflexible dogma. Why not vote for the best candidate in all elections! Party politics and majority governments ensure that individual candidates have little say on issues as they are forced to support their parties in all discussions and votes. We, in turn, have little representation in the political arenas as our voices get silenced by the policies parties adopt from their influential leaders. In my opinion, minority governments are the only way to get political parties away from their vested interests and to provide a variety of ideas and opinions about how issues should be decided. We are all aware of the great disparity in our society between the haves and the have-nots, or even the have-lesses. The coalition of NDP and Liberals at the federal level has resulted in dental care for many who don’t have it, more investment in health care and day care for le…
Read more about Let’s Vote for the Best Candidate

Every election is the most important!

I must respond to the arguments advanced by Jason Mogus in his editorial The Most Important Election of our Lifetimes? Jason is free to endorse any candidate he wishes, however the rationale he is advancing is a threat to our democracy and needs to be thoughtfully challenged. It has been an honour to serve the incredible communities in Saanich North and the Islands for the past seven years. Together, with my local and federal government counterparts, we have celebrated tremendous successes including powerful advocacy and hundreds of millions of dollars invested in our communities. Let’s unpack the theory that all communities need an elected representative that sits on the government side of the legislature because they are the only people that can get things done or bring investments to the community. Firstly, it is the opposite of the Westminster parliamentary system that is the foundation of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly. It is a dangerous argument bec…
Read more about Every election is the most important!

Time for Change

I was born and raised in the islands and other than a stint in Toronto, BC is my home. However, it’s not the place it used to be. I agree with Jason Mogus. A change in government is indeed necessary, but reelecting the NDP would be cruel and unusual punishment for British Columbians. Under David Eby, the government has evolved into a larger version of the Islands Trust - inefficient, excessive costs, incoherent policies and purpose and in the case of the province, the highest debt in history. Unlike the Islands Trust, we don’t need a governance review to change it. We just need to vote the government out on October 19. Climate scientist and former leader of the Greens, Andrew Weaver, recently said “They (the NDP) have lost touch with the average person,” “Dave Eby is coming across as an ideological, know-it-all elitist, who surrounds himself with sycophants.” Weaver went on to predict a Conservative win in October. I also agree with Jason that it makes little …
Read more about Time for Change

Our beloved Celeste Mallet Jason

Dear friends ~ Celeste passed peacefully Sept 9th at 9:09pm. She is held in vigil and prayer. Feel welcome to participate in prayers for her at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga, for the next 11 days at 7:30am in the Satsang room. *** update: the 'Tarpanam' 7:30am prayers for Celeste, will be at Ganges Yoga Studio on Saturday and Sunday, Sept 14, 15th. “Her body ends but her presence glows We thank you for her many gifts With deep gratitude for her radiant energy, her ongoing care of us, her wisdom and willingness, her mentorship and curiosity and love We let her go Back into divine light Back into love and formless flight We let her go Thank you to all she touched and were touched by her Much love to all Deepest bows to you dear Celeste” Ommmmm Shanti Shanti Shanti All love
Read more about Our beloved Celeste Mallet Jason

Conservation Stewardship Program on Salt Spring Island Part of $8.5M Conservation Funding

Victoria, B.C.: The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation is proud to announce over $8.5 million in funding for 178 fish and wildlife conservation and conservation stewardship projects across B.C. this year, with over $850,000 allocated to projects in the West Coast region. For over 40 years, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) has provided funding for conservation projects throughout B.C. Projects are led by a range of partners, including community groups, rod and gun clubs, non government environmental organizations, First Nations and Indigenous-led organizations, and the British Columbia government. Since 1981, the HCTF has funded over 3,800 projects representing an investment of over $232 million for conservation in the province. Among this year’s projects in the West Coast region is a multi-year project, co-funded by the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), working to protect and enhance wildlife habitat on Salt Spring Island. Through several c…
Read more about Conservation Stewardship Program on Salt Spring Island Part of $8.5M Conservation Funding

Expanded Emergency Department Coming Soon to Salt Spring Island

People living on Salt Spring Island will benefit from enhanced patient-centered care as the Lady Minto Hospital emergency department expansion nears completion. “The expansion and modernization of the emergency department at Lady Minto Hospital reflects our government’s commitment and investment in enhancing health-care services for people living on Salt Spring Island and around British Columbia,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “By expanding the capacity and efficiency of the emergency department, this important project will benefit patients and their families while also supporting health-care providers, and is yet another action we are taking to increase access to health care where people need it.” The expanded emergency department is expected to open in fall 2024 and includes a 420-square-metre building addition, bringing the total building size to 2,728 square metres and increasing the number of treatment rooms/bays from six to eight. “The Lady Minto Hospital …
Read more about Expanded Emergency Department Coming Soon to Salt Spring Island

Yes, It IS The Most Important Election of Our Lifetime

Jason Mogus makes some excellent points in his recent article regarding the important benefits of having an MLA from our riding being a member of the political party in government. However, when it comes to this election “business as usual” should not be the chosen option…and by that I mean electing another NDP government is not the solution to the many challenges we face on Salt Spring. The NDP have had the last 7 years to prove themselves competent and have failed in that most important of basic tasks. And, while Adam Olsen is a nice guy, being in a party that was lucky to obtain 2 seats in the Legislature, his “political clout/influence” was virtually non-existent. Such is the nature of party politics. Over the past 7 years there has been about a 40% increase in government spending. ($50 billion to $70 billion). It is estimated that between 14,000 and 21,000 individuals are in management positions in the healthcare sector. Many of those positions are filled wi…
Read more about Yes, It IS The Most Important Election of Our Lifetime

Salt Spring Island Office Relocation

Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – The Islands Trust office on Salt Spring Island will be moving to a new, conveniently-located office space this winter. Islands Trust has secured a multi-year lease for new office space in Ganges Village, Salt Spring Island at 121 McPhillips Avenue. "We are looking forward to a new office space for the public to engage with Islands Trust staff on Salt Spring Island," said Chair Peter Luckham, Chair of Islands Trust Council. "A physical location for Islands Trust on Salt Spring Island is important to being part of the largest community in the Islands Trust Area and to providing the public with convenient access to in-person assistance.” The new Islands Trust location is adjacent to the Capital Regional District location, facilitating continued cooperation. Through the fall, the new office space will be renovated to ensure it meets requirements for staff and the public. Islands Trust will continue to provide in-person services at its cur…
Read more about Salt Spring Island Office Relocation