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French Melons (the last of them) ,Ginger, Blueberries, Tomatoes, Beans and more !!! Foxglove Farm at the Saturday Market!

Foxglove Farm will be at the Saturday Market with French Melons, Baby Ginger, Blueberries, Tomatoes, Peppers, Green Beans, Basil, Cucumbers, Fingerling Potatoes, Carrots, Beets, Greens, […]

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Political Parties, Election Candidates, and Grand-Children

An Indigenous friend told me her band always considers the impact their decisions might have on future generations. My grand-daughter is at the beginning of her life and I’m at the other end. I’ve been privileged to live all of my 75 years on this beautiful west coast. Nature has always inspired and nurtured me. I want the same for my grand- daughter and her generation, and beyond. Political parties and their leaders come and go. Some leave a legacy, like the Islands Trust. I’ve voted Green federally, and NDP provincially because these two parties align best with my values. I know that in this election, the Green Party has no chance of being the BC government or the official Opposition. But the polls show that the Conservatives have a good chance of forming the next government in BC. And that concerns me. There is not a word about caring for the environment in the Conservative platform. I’m supporting the NDP again because they have worked hard to make progress on he…
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Whooping Cough Resurgence Prompts Vaccination Reminder

ISLAND-WIDE – With the resurgence of a vaccine-preventable disease in Canada, Island Health Public Health is encouraging everyone to ensure they’re up to date with their vaccinations. Vaccination is a simple, safe and effective way to protect yourself and your family from many preventable and potentially serious diseases; one of which, whooping cough (pertussis), is currently circulating in the region. Whooping cough is an infection of the airways caused by pertussis bacteria. Symptoms may include a runny nose, sneezing, mild fever and possibly a mild cough in the beginning, resembling a cold. However, instead of resolving after less than a couple of weeks as expected, the cough can last for weeks, sometimes referred to as “the 100-day cough.” The typical “whoop” sound after a coughing fit doesn’t happen in everyone – especially adults. Some people may vomit after coughing episodes or feel exhausted after coughing but seem quite well otherwise. Serious complications are rare…
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ASK Salt Spring Bids a Grateful Farewell to MLA Adam Olsen

September 13 Eighteen joined us for all or part of the time for this very special ASK Salt Spring gathering welcoming Adam Olsen for his last time with us as our MLA. (Be sure, he is very likely to join us again in one of his future community roles!) We began with a Territorial Acknowledgement exploring the concept of reciprocity, a social norm of honest communication in which each can share their needs and is willing to meet the needs of the other person. This is often giving and getting something in return either immediately or in the future. Adam spoke of this as the core of most religions and its central importance to his culture, seeing our land intricately related, its people all relatives reciprocally supporting each other. Adam noted that, with the exception of Gary Holman when he was our MLA from 2013-2017, it was too easy for MLA’s to ignore our islands and focus on the more populated areas in their riding, forgetting that we are all related. Adam understands…
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Call for Artists Interested in Enhancing Healing Environments at the Future Cowichan District Hospital

NORTH COWICHAN —To enrich healing environments indoors and outside the new Cowichan District Hospital, expected to open in 2027, Island Health is pleased to announce a call for artwork to be commissioned for display at the site. Local artists are invited to contribute their creativity and vision to foster spaces of healing, hope and comfort for patients, families, staff, medical staff and volunteers. "Art has the profound ability to heal and uplift the human spirit. As we build the new Cowichan District Hospital, we want to ensure that every aspect of its design contributes to a personalized healing experience. We are excited to see the incredible talent of local artists come to life within the hospital campus," said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. The new hospital aims to become more than a state-of-the-art medical facility; it is envisioned as a space which promotes a sense of community, wellbeing, and recovery through art. By integrating diverse and local artistic …
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Salt Spring Island Fall Service Change

SALT SPRING ISLAND – BC Transit and the Capital Regional District (CRD) are advising customers of a seasonal service change for Salt Spring Island, effective October 1, 2024. Changes will be made to the following routes, to align with ferry schedules: 2 Fulford Harbour 3 Vesuvius 4 Long Harbour There will be a seasonal reduction in trips on Saturdays for route 2 Fulford Harbour. As part of the fall service change, Route 9 Ruckle Park will be seasonally discontinued. Due to construction on Fulford-Ganges Road, there will be some impacts to Route 2 Fulford Harbour and Route 7 Cusheon Lake. For full details on schedules, trip planning, or fares, please visit bctransit.com/salt-spring-island or pick up a copy of the Riders’ Guide.
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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…
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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 …
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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…
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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…
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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 …
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