Like most people who move to Salt Spring, at least in the modern era, I had no understanding of Salt Spring’s Indigenous history, or the 13 (or so) Indigenous Nations whose shared territory this is - not traditional territory, as Adam Olsen likes to point out, but current, unceded territory, not covered by any treaty. My home sits on their land. When I moved here, I didn’t know that.

With so much to learn and relationships yet to be made, I’m discovering how hard it is to start projects off on the best path forward, one that both newcomers and Indigenous rights-holders can travel together. So often, we are in a hurry, make initial attempts at a shared conversation, and then move forward before that first step is effectively made together. This is an example of what Spune'luxtth (Penelakut) Councilor Kurt Irwin, now a friend, means when he says “It’s no fun to be invited to a party after it’s over. And the hundredth time you get invited like that, you may not feel…

I'm not a politician. So when I drafted my platform to run for Islands Trustee I built my platform on four core things that were valuable to me.

I hoped these things would resonate with the community, and I am so thankful for the conversations I've had. From Fall Fair to potlucks with friends, from community Q&As to kitchen table chats, people have responded, and responded positively.

When I talk about the importance of bringing greater accessibility and transparency to the Trust, when I talk about the value of our environment, when I talk about the importance of farms and farmers, people are into it. People want a local government that works for them. They want to live in a well protected rural community. They want local food grown by local farmers.

My name is Tisha Boulter, and I am seeking re-election after eight years of service on the Board of Education here in the Gulf Islands.

Since 2005, I’ve been a very involved Mom who has served on every Parent advisory council (PAC) at my children’s schools including the SS Center school, Phoenix elementary, Fernwood elementary, the Middle school and GISS. I started and supported hot lunch programs at every location because I was determined all the kids would have equitable access to food. As a parent I was committed to supporting my kids' teachers through fundraising and volunteering in the classroom and field trips. I was a district PAC member up until I was ‘shoulder tapped’ by Nancy MacDonald to join the school Board in 2018.

Now in this role, I am participating in supporting all the learners in our district with the same care, compassion and commitment.

During my previous 2 terms, I’ve served as the board chair for 4 years and chaired work…

By Ethan Wilding

The status quo is not working. We keep circling back to the same problems, and people have stopped believing their government will ever solve them. I’ve heard it in kitchens, coffee shops, and community halls, from people trying to find a home, keep a business open, protect the place they love, or just get a straight answer. Complaint has become a culture, and cynicism has become its comfort food.

I’m running because we can do better. Preserving and protecting this island now means changing how the Trust works.

The problems we have with housing, affordability, water, climate change, and ecological decline are tangled together. They lock arms, and each makes the others worse. There’s a name for that: a polycrisis. We’re in one. A farmer needs somewhere to live as well as land to farm. A business needs workers who can afford to stay. Housing needs dependable water and appropriate wastewater treatment. Where we build affects fore…

I was one of four Salt Spring Islanders entrusted by voters in 2023 to serve as commissioners on the inaugural Local Community Commission (LCC). Salt Spring now has an effective 5-member local government body, hearing citizen concerns, advocating for community interests, and making local decisions in open public meetings on Salt Spring, for Salt Spring. For a new organization taking on a broad range of challenging issues, the first LCC has been remarkably successful. However, much work remains to be done and so I am seeking a second term as one of your LCC commissioners in the October 17 election.

While the creation of the LCC was a major step forward in bringing more accessible, transparent, and democratic local governance to Salt Spring it remains an unfinished project. The initial establishment bylaw, in its delegation of authorities to the LCC, seized upon the more obvious responsibilities, the “low hanging fruit”, …

When our young tenant appeared unaware of her right to vote in our October 17 civic election I took it as a lack of awareness, which was confusing. She’s an intelligent, informed, thirty-something woman, the granddaughter of a former federal cabinet minister.

I soon learned it wasn’t that she lacked an understanding of her rights, on the contrary, it was a lack of interest. She explained that young people in her friends’ group, particularly those who rent, feel a profound disconnect with the powers that be.

“It feels like a bunch of power-hungry boomers who don’t care…no efforts are being made to engage my community of [young] people, they’re not paying attention…they don’t want to improve the lives of young people in our community, it’s boomers fighting amongst themselves to preserve and protect their privilege,” she said. “If you’re not lucky enough to find housing, Saltspring just kicks you out”.

The stress and uncertainty that comes with…