Local Listings

View More Ads

Latest Local News

B.C. Provides Economic Assessment of Trump’s Tariff Threat

As B.C. continues to fight against threatened United States tariffs of 25% on all Canadian imports, the Province has done a preliminary assessment of potential impacts to the B.C. economy of a trade war with the United States. In president-elect Donald Trump’s tariffs scenario, B.C. could see a cumulative loss of $69 billion in economic activity between 2025 and 2028. The Province’s real GDP is projected to potentially decline by 0.6% year over year in both 2025 and 2026. Job losses are estimated at 124,000 by 2028 with the largest declines in natural-resource sector export industries and associated manufacturing. Losses would also be felt in the transportation and retail sectors. The unemployment rate could increase to 6.7% in 2025 and 7.1% in 2026, and corporate profits could see an annual decline in the range of $3.6 billion to $6.1 billion. Tariffs imposed by the United States, along with potential retaliatory measures, could impact many of the Province’s key reven…
Read more about B.C. Provides Economic Assessment of Trump’s Tariff Threat
  • - January 17, 2025

Linda's List for Jan.16: Colder Weather Ahead; Homemade Pesticides

After the warm winter so far, below freezing temperatures are now in the forecast for our first bit of colder weather this winter. Starting Friday this week and continuing for a few days, forecasts range from one or two degrees below freezing overnight for the Victoria area to -4 to -5oC overnight further up Vancouver Island, for Vancouver and other Lower Mainland areas. At higher elevations or further inland, overnight temperatures tend to be lower so some of you may have lower temperatures overnight in your garden. It doesn’t look like severe or prolonged cold is likely for now, so preparations this week should just ensure that everything is well mulched and possibly that the least hardy vegetables are covered. But first, you might want to harvest a batch of carrots and other roots, leeks, a cabbage, lots of leafy greens, to store in the refrigerator for use in over the next few weeks. Root crops and cabbages, in particular, keep well for weeks in the fridge if you have the s…
Read more about Linda's List for Jan.16: Colder Weather Ahead; Homemade Pesticides

Want to Join Face-to-Face Conversations About Our Most Divisive Salt Spring Issues?

January 10 Twenty-two joined us to welcome the Restorative Justice team to facilitate explorations of our difficult conversations in a safe and productive space. This is the first of a series of such Restorative Justice/ASK Salt Spring conversations scheduled for the second Friday of each month, 11-1, in the SIMS classroom. Leading our conversation this week was Laura Dafoe. She was joined by two new and enthusiastic Restorative Justice volunteers, Emma and Fig. Sadly missing was program coordinator Jessica Terezakis who is supporting her family in a recent health challenge. While many of us know about the meaningful work done by our local Restorative Justice team, you may want to check out their website as well as the ASK Salt Spring report about their recent time with us. Laura also suggested we read Peter Block’s book, The Abundant Community, offering the following questions: - Invitation to Connection: What can we do to create a stronger sense of belonging within …
Read more about Want to Join Face-to-Face Conversations About Our Most Divisive Salt Spring Issues?

Camping Reservations Open in Several BC Parks Campgrounds

Campsites in many BC Parks can be reserved to prepare for the 2025 spring camping season. Campsites can be reserved four months ahead of the desired arrival date. Reservations for the May 2025 long weekend open this week for many BC Parks campgrounds that accept reservations. This year, 60 new campsites located in three BC Parks are being added to the reservation service. This includes: 30 new campsites with power hookups in Fintry Park near Kelowna; 17 new walk-in sites at Rolley Lake Park near Mission; and 13 new sites (eight park-beside for tent camping and five walk-in) at China Beach Campground in Juan de Fuca Park near Victoria. The campgrounds have several facility upgrades to improve the visitor experience. At Fintry Park, new flush toilets, upgraded services centres with a dishwashing station, a potable water tap and garbage/recycling containers are part of the $1.5-million campground upgrades. The new $2-million walk-in campground at Rolley Lake Park ha…
Read more about Camping Reservations Open in Several BC Parks Campgrounds
  • - January 13, 2025

Thumbs Up for Hitchhiking on SSI

More than 30 years ago, I wrote a column “Don’t Tell Mom, But I Picked Up a Hitchhiker” when I was a cub reporter at a small town newspaper in Michigan about my first time giving a stranger a ride. By then, hitchhiking already felt like something from a bygone era. In most places, the free-spirited 1970s—where Sissy Hankshaw, the protagonist in the Tom Robbins novel “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” could excel as a hitchhiker due to her outsized thumbs—had been replaced by a more fearful society replete with tales of stranger danger. As a result, it came as a welcome surprise to learn before my first visit to BC in 1997 that we didn’t need a car to Salt Spring because hitchhiking was commonplace. The whole visit, including camping in Mouat Park, felt like stepping back in time. Discovering how safe and easy it was to hitchhike on SSI was liberating. Since moving to the island last year, I’ve returned the favour by giving about a dozen rides to hitchhikers, some of whom h…
Read more about Thumbs Up for Hitchhiking on SSI

Obituary: In Loving Memory of Chip Chipman

In Loving Memory of Chip Chipman Chip's wife Jan and his son Peter and daughter Heather want to share with you that Chip passed suddenly and peacefully in his bed in December. Although we were expecting it after his year of dealing with mesothelioma, the suddenness of his death was unexpected. We are so grateful that we were all by his side in his final moments. We thought we would have more time with him, but we are grateful that he no longer had to suffer all the pain and discomforts of his illness. He was the best husband, father, father-in-law (to James) and grandfather (to Liam and Samuel) we could have ever wished for. He was the oldest of eleven brothers and sisters whom he loved dearly and who all looked up to him. We have been receiving loving notes of condolences from all over the world from people whose lives were changed for the better because of Chip. He loved being with our family and our dear friends, playing his guitar, singing, hiking, bird watching, t…
Read more about Obituary: In Loving Memory of Chip Chipman

Buy BC Helps More Local Farmers, Processors Succeed

British Columbians will experience a wider variety of local food and beverage options as more farmers and small businesses get support through Buy BC. “British Columbians know the Buy BC logo represents local products that are produced and processed by people in their communities, from small family farms to innovative food producers,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food. “Buy BC is supporting the people who make up our province’s diverse agriculture and food industry so, together, we can continue to shine a light on many unique and delicious products produced here at home, while strengthening local food systems and economies.” Through the Buy BC Partnership Program, $2 million is available to support those eligible to participate in provincewide marketing projects to help boost awareness, demand, and sales of B.C. products. The funding will help additional local food and beverage companies and industry associations share their stories with more people aroun…
Read more about Buy BC Helps More Local Farmers, Processors Succeed
  • - January 6, 2025

CRD/LCC Budget Town Hall Scheduled for January 9

The Salt Spring Island Local Community Commission (LCC) is holding a public town hall meeting on Thursday, January 9, at 5:00 in the SIMS Board Room. The focus of the town hall is to answer voter questions, and to elicit feedback, on the proposed 2025 CRD/LCC budget. The proposed “provisional” budget, approved by the LCC in September, will be given final approval by the LCC at a special meeting scheduled for January 30. The CRD Board will approve the final budget in its entirety in March. The January 9 town hall will provide one of the last public opportunities for Salt Spring voters to discuss the budget with their elected commissioners before the budget is set to be finalized. The CRD Board approved its provisional budget for 2025, including that of the SSI Local Community Commission (LCC), at its October 30 meeting. The provisional budget is prepared by CRD staff based on a number of factors, including inflation, negotiated wage and salary settlements and contractual obli…
Read more about CRD/LCC Budget Town Hall Scheduled for January 9

Linda's List for Dec. 29: Plan a Year Round Harvest; Seedy Saturdays

We are more than a week past the shortest day of the year, a turning point in the season I welcome as it means that days are getting longer. Although daylight is only about 3 minutes longer than it was on the 21st, the rate of change increases as we get closer to the spring equinox. By mid-January days will be noticeably longer by half an hour. With the continuing warmer than usual weather this month, hardy vegetables are still growing. Even my summer broccoli is continuing to put out new shoots and Chinese cabbage and other leafy greens are still growing slowly, replacing leaves chewed on by slugs earlier in the season. It has been so warm that I have not yet put down the final layer of mulch that would completely cover the top of the carrots and other root crops, but the bag of leaves is ready to hand to be able to quickly cover the beds as soon as there is forecast of below freezing temperatures. While doing yard work the other day, I wasn’t happy to see that buds were al…
Read more about Linda's List for Dec. 29: Plan a Year Round Harvest; Seedy Saturdays

Local Trust Committee December Update, by Trustee Laura Patrick

This report relates to the business of the Salt Spring Local Trust Committee (LTC), which is made up of the two local trustees and an appointed chair. The LTC’s responsibilities include regulating the development and use of land within the Salt Spring Local Trust Area, which includes Salt Spring Island and more than 25 associated islands including Prevost, Secret, and Piers islands. Our next regular meeting will be on February 13th beginning at 9:30 AM at the Salt Spring Legion, Meaden Hall, 120 Blain Road. The agenda will be available on February 7th on the Islands Trust website. Office staff are available to help should you have questions about getting to our meetings or viewing them on-line. Please call 250-538-9144 or email ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca for support. Please note that no in-person office is available on Salt Spring Island currently. Renovations will be commencing on a new office at 121 McPhillips Avenue, with intent to re-open to in-person service in Spring …
Read more about Local Trust Committee December Update, by Trustee Laura Patrick

View More Articles