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Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was created through a legal settlement between Residential Schools Survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit representatives and the parties responsible for creation and operation of the schools: the federal government and the church bodies. The TRC’s mandate was to inform all Canadians about what happened in residential schools. The TRC documented the truth of Survivors, their families, communities and anyone personally affected by the residential school experience. This included First Nations, Inuit and MĂ©tis former residential school students, their families, communities, the churches, former school employees, government officials and other Canadians. The TRC concluded its mandate in 2015 and transferred its records to the safekeeping of National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). Work of the TRC The TRC carried out extensive research, including hearing from Residential Survivors, their f…
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CRD Statement for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 30, known as Orange Shirt Day and now observed as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is a time for reflection, education, and action. This day honors the survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities, and recognizes the ongoing impacts of these institutions on Indigenous Peoples across Canada. The CRD is committed to fostering a community that respects and upholds the rights and cultures of Indigenous Peoples. We acknowledge the profound harm inflicted upon Indigenous peoples by Canada's residential schools and the ongoing impacts and intergenerational trauma that persist within Indigenous communities. The Kuper Island Indian Residential School, located on Kuper Island (now known as Penelakut Island), operated from 1890 to 1975. According to information obtained from the BC Archives, children who attended this school experienced profound isolation from their communities and traumatic separation from their families. They were forbi…
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BC Ferries Urges Long Weekend Passengers to Book Early Amid Limited Capacity

VICTORIA, BC – With the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Thanksgiving long weekends fast approaching, BC Ferries is advising passengers to book in advance due to limited capacity and the risk of being turned away. The 60-year-old Queen of New Westminster is undergoing significant repairs and will be out of service until spring, reducing overall system capacity and making advance travel planning essential. “Both of these long weekends are an important time for families and communities to connect, and we play a key role in facilitating those connections,” said Mel Lucia, Vice President of Customer Experience at BC Ferries. “We’re adding capacity where possible but having one of our major route vessels out of service and no resiliency in our fleet presents a challenge. Passengers are encouraged to book in advance, consider travelling during off-peak times, or walk on board to avoid disruptions during these busy periods.” To manage demand over both long weekends,…
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Conservatives, Greens Inconsistent on Affordable Housing Plans

If housing affordability is a big issue for you, the upcoming provincial election should be good as all three parties are talking a lot about it. I’ve been working on housing issues on Salt Spring with many others for a while now, and wanted to dig deeper behind the slogans to see which parties might make the most difference for us. Housing is a crisis in many communities across Canada, but the conditions making it so bad on Salt Spring are unique. Living in a conservation zone dominated by tourist and retirement economies, and with no local government able to build its own projects or drive change at the local level, means a lot of the big ticket funding, province wide policy changes, or other programs won’t apply here. But looking ahead to the election, let’s see what the parties have to offer. Conservatives seem to be making a play for working class voters, running on a platform of fixing how unaffordable life has gotten. The BC Conservative website is mostly big emoti…
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ASK Salt Spring Welcomes Local Commissioners Gary and Gayle

September 20 A small group gathered to welcome Electoral Director/Local Community Commissioner (LCC), Gary Holman, as well as LCC member Gayle Baker. After a lovely Territorial Acknowledgement by notetaker Sheila Dobie, facilitator Grant Fredrickson asked guests what “excites and delights” them. While, with a wry smile, Gary said that he is simply not the “excited and delighted” type, he proceeded to congratulate the North Salt Spring Waterworks District (NSSWD) for its intention to relax the water moratorium to allow for some additional hookups in the area served by Mount Maxwell Lake. Gary acknowledged the staff and trustees of NSSWD for their diligence in gathering and analyzing needed data to make a prudent and scientific decisions concerning current and future water needs. It is estimated that this relaxation of the NSSWD moratorium could result in as many as 300 new hookups. While details are still needed, this is very, very good news, expected to provide water for im…
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The 2024 Annual Salt Spring Island Apple Festival

Theme: Celebrating The Amazing Apples of Salt Spring Island, BC Sunday, Sept 29, 2024. A chance to visit APPLE HEAVEN while still on earth! Last year, 2023 was a great success with over 1500 Apple Lovers enjoy amazing apples, good food, Salt Spring farms and other Salt Spring Treasures 1) The apple display at Fulford Hall in 2023, had 489 varieties (a RECORD for Salt Spring) all arranged alphabetically and all grown on Salt Spring Island. The Apple Display is in the middle of the hall, while about 20 vendors of Salt Spring Treasures will fill the perimeter of the hall, including the very popular Pie Ladies, who were sold out of 236 pies by 11:30 AM 2) A FLY OVER of the Apple Display from the 2019 Salt Spring Apple Festival It contains 416 apple varieties all grown ORGANICALLY on Salt Spring Island, BC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCNguvXYRn4 3) Our Pie Ladies baked over 150 apple pies, each one indicating what apple variety was used…
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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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