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Obituary: Victoria Linda Hadassa Mihalyi

Victoria Linda Hadassa Mihalyi (AKA Vicki Miller) has flown up into the wide blue sky. Famous on Salt Spring Island for her Flying Dreams Productions, such as HuM, The Dharma According to Fifi, and SpeakEasy, Victoria brought Aerial Arts to Salt Spring, borne aloft ever since. Countless dance and aerial artists have been inspired by her work here—she was a consummate athlete, dancer, martial artist, … if this list went on it would fill the page! As with many islanders, Victoria had an extra-ordinary life before she re-invented herself here. Born in Toronto, April 23, 1952, she married Max Miller at 20, and enjoyed a flourishing love with him ever since. Known as Vicki Miller, she was a powerful animal rights activist and rescuer for many years, swerving Canadian beliefs toward mercy to the protein-providers we forget. Unto herself, and ever-amplified by her faithful Max, she was a Force. Her long-time Toronto friend Lynne Thomas wrote this: “You took over the Humane So…
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ASK Salt Spring with MLA, Adam Olsen discussing forestry, legislative momentum, pipelines and more

After a Territorial Acknowledgement suggesting we read The Dawn of Everything to better understand how Indigenous societal structures have impacted our democracy, 22 Salt Springers welcomed our MLA, Adam Olsen. Adam began by briefly reviewing some of the bills from the recently-concluded legislative session. Among them were two concerning childcare - one to regulate the childcare industry and the other to further the provincial commitment for universal childcare. Adam also told us a bit about two complex bills with long-awaited amendments to forestry policy. Among other things, it moves the responsibility for creating forest stewardship plans from the logging company to the Chief Forester who is now responsible for creating forest landscape plans as well as creating oversight for road building. This bill also provides a mechanism for the province to buy back timber licenses and clarifies the process for the provincial government to gain consent from First Nations. In A…
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IWAV announces anonymous sexual assault reporting

Most sexual assault survivors make the complex and difficult decision to not report a sexual assault to police. They may be reluctant to engage with the criminal legal system for various reasons, or they choose not to report because they know the person who has assaulted them — a reality in up to 80% of all sexual assault cases. It’s one of the most underreported crimes in Canada, with around 90% of all cases unreported. On Salt Spring and the other Southern Gulf Islands, sexual assault survivors now have another option. They can go through a third party agency to make a simple and anonymous report of a sexual assault. This is called Third Party Reporting (TPR). The agency submits information to the police on the behalf of the survivor. For survivors on the islands, the third party is the Sexual Assault Response Program (SARP) at IWAV (Islanders Working Against Violence). Here’s how it works: With the help of the SARP coordinator, the survivor provides the information and…
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MLA Adam Olsen updates on the pandemic, emergency management and more

It has been a challenging year in British Columbia. The persistent COVID-19 pandemic and opioid crisis have required an unparalleled public health response. The heat dome, wildfires, and flooding are powerful examples of the demand climate change will put on our provincial and community infrastructure and public safety response. The confluence of these social and climate crises has taken the lives of loved ones and pushed our public systems and infrastructure to the brink of collapse. We are grateful for the courageous work of all the first responders, emergency management staff, local government leaders and staff and community volunteers this year. We are concerned about our individual and collective preparedness. We have asked several questions of the government about our emergency response, vulnerabilities of transportation infrastructure, and contingencies for food security. The provincial government is reviewing and updating the Emergency Program Act. The…
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Islanders invited to remember and commit to violence-free communities

On Monday, December 6, Salt Spring islanders are invited to gather online at 5 PM in memorial and solidarity of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada.  Like last year, the memorial - hosted by The Circle Salt Spring Education Society and Islanders Working Against Violence (IWAV) - will be a Zoom event that will be live-streamed online. The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada was established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada to commemorate the 14 young women who were murdered by a gunman on December 6, 1989, at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal as a deliberate act of violence against women. More than 30 years have passed since the École Polytechnique massacre, and gender-based violence continues to be a real and horrific issue in the world, in Canada, and in our own community. Every six days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner (Statistics Canada 2019) and on any given night…
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ASK Salt Spring with Salt Spring Island Emergency Coordinator, Charles Nash on recent flooding and road conditions

Eighteen Salt Springers came to discuss our recent flood and our roads with Salt Spring Island Emergency Coordinator, Charles Nash, and four of our Transportation Commissioners. After a meaningful Territorial Acknowledgment, we asked Charles to begin by giving us some guidance about preparing for emergencies. The messages were loud and clear - and repeated in a variety of ways during our two hours together: We each have a responsibility to prepare ourselves for emergencies. Some of these preparations include having several Grab and Go bags ready (for home, car, work, and pets), having extra water accessible, and signing up for the application, Alertable. Our PODs are critically-important in addressing emergencies. They are able to successfully-alert and help neighbours by phone, email, notice boards, and even knocking on doors. Charles suggested we all make sure that we are connected to our neighborhood POD. If you cannot seem to identify one in your community, conta…
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Obituary: Cliff Jones

Cliff was born May 6, 1940 in Vancouver and passed away on November 23, 2021, surrounded by loved ones. Cliff lived and worked on Salt Spring Island since 1970 (on and off) and his wife Shelley Nitikman still lives here. Cliff led an immense life that was always large, loud, and full of passion – a life that cannot be reduced to words. Fast cars, nautical adventures (and disasters), good food, fine wines, and music. Cliff was always moving and never stopped working, even to his last days. He drove taxi, ran a Jazz Club, was a carpenter, a teacher, sold wine, was a PR Director at the Vancouver Art Institute, and left a lasting legacy in the Canadian music Industry. Cliff met countless people; his family and friends were his deepest joy. Everyone felt his love and loyalty and probably has a unique (and likely crazy) story about Cliff. Cliff was predeceased by his parents and younger brother. He is survived by Shelley, her children and their families, by his brother Roy a…
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IWAV granted $18,500 from collective fundraising network of 100+ Women Who Care

Eighty-two members of the 100+ Women Who Care Salt Spring group gathered via Zoom on a rainy November 17th to hear compelling five-minute presentations from three worthy Island causes. An anonymous vote was cast in real time, revealing the charity of choice who will receive a $18,500 pooled collection is IWAV, or Islanders Working Against Violence. “Our staff are thrilled for this amazing contribution from women in our community to extend our outreach services and support for our second stage residents,” explains IWAV’s Executive Director Kisea Petersen. “These women have left intimate partner violence or other gender-based violence and look to IWAV to help them regain confidence, resiliency, and a healthier future for them and their children.” For almost 30 years IWAV has been providing safety and services for women experiencing violence, abuse, and poverty. With 28 staff and several volunteers, it operates multiple programs and facilities including a 24-hour crisis line…
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