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Community People Profile: Ethan Wilding

Tell us a bit about your background: I was born and raised in the Yukon, the son of small-business owners. The North gave me two things that stuck: a deep respect for the land, and the habit of finishing what I start. That respect led me to a Ph.D. in Environmental Ethics, which I went on to teach for years, and later to building and running multiple cutting-edge companies. After a few chapters in other cities, I have happily called Salt Spring home since 2020. These days, most people know me as "the FabLab guy." Through the Wilding Foundation, I've fully funded the FabLab for the past five years and pitched in to help plenty of other local programs along the way. Since moving to the island, I met the love of my life, Bahareh. We were recently married here at the maker space where we hold shoe making workshops and host events for local organizations. Fun fact: I made Bahareh’s wedding shoes. And that’s the thing about Salt Spring: it encourages you to be the…
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Some Places Still Remember How to Gather

It's easy to forget what community actually feels like. We talk about it all the time. We say we want more of it. We worry that we've lost it. But then, every so often, you wander into a place where community gathers, shares, and enjoys itself a little like "old times." Salon Sundays at Stonewell Farm feels a little like that. If you've never been, it's difficult to describe without making it sound like a festival, because technically it is. There are musicians and workshops and local food and drinks, farm animals wandering about, children with room to be children, shady places to sit, conversations that stretch longer than expected, and enough corners to discover that no two visits feel quite the same. And yet somehow the feeling of the day isn't one of entertainment. It's one of ease. People arrive with blankets and picnic baskets. Kids pulling parents into their adventures. Someone you vaguely know introduces you to someone they've just met. Music uplifts w…
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Ruckle Park Service Returns for the Summer

BC Transit and the Capital Regional District are informing transit users of an upcoming change to the Salt Spring Island Transit System effective June 25, 2026. As part of this service change, Route 9 service to Ruckle Park will start back up and remain in place until October 1, 2026. To better align with BC Ferries service, there will be changes made to the following routes: Route 2 Fulford Harbour Route 3 Vesuvius Route 4 Long Harbour Schedules on these routes have been adjusted to vary by the day of the week. Specific trip time and schedule changes can be found in the most recent Rider’s Guide. For more information on trip planning, fares or to sign up for customer alerts, please visit bctransit.com/salt-spring-island
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What's on This Week on CHIR-FM

A conversation with poet and Zen teacher Peter Levitt, an interview with Figs and Honey owner Lisa Sliwowska, a show celebrating fatherhood and the usual fare of fantastic music from many genres are among the audio treats this coming week on CHIR-FM, the Voice of the Gulf Islands. Tune in to 107.9 FM (or 102.1 FM in the South End) or stream the station online to hear more than 20 unique local programs on your community radio station. Tuesday (June 16) 10-11 a.m: On TRUpreneur, host David Crouch will be in conversation with Lisa Sliwowska, owner of Figs and Honey, about her business focused on beauty therapy and healing arts. Tuesday (June 16) 5-6 p.m. On Connections, host David Minkow celebrates Father’s Dad by playing music from John Hiatt to Johnny Cash about all kinds of fathers. Show re-airs Thursdays at 5 pm and Saturdays at 5 pm. Thursday (June 18) 10-11 a.m. On Check it Out, hosted by library volunteer Cecilia Low, the featured guest will be local poe…
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Ethan Wilding to Run for Trust

When Salt Spring works it is because of the people who show up. The volunteers. The tradespeople. The parents who coach our teams. The farmers who feed us. The artists and musicians who run the festivals. The Lady Minto extended care volunteers and the quiet heroes who keep this island alive when no one is watching. When Salt Spring doesn't work it is because we forget that waiting for someone else to fix what only we can, never works. Our problems are real. But no cavalry is coming to save us. We need to stop pretending that if we do nothing it will all be okay. Neither our forests nor our communities will flourish if we leave them to care for themselves. Both need stewarding. Luckily, our strengths are greater than our problems. The only thing holding us back right now is that we are stuck: in ideas that don’t work anymore and in a local government that has run on a complaints-driven model for so long that it only answers to the loudest voices, not the wisest decisi…
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A Community Working Together Towards Food Security

As the growing season gets underway, we have much to celebrate and be thankful for at Harvest Farm at Island Community Services. A giant heartfelt thank you goes out to Windsor Plywood, Forsyth Farm, and Charles Excavating for their generous support of Harvest Farm Central at Brinkworthy and Lower Ganges Roads. Their contributions have helped us complete important work, including improving drainage around our greenhouses, moving topsoil into growing spaces, and preparing the land for the arrival of our AgriKit – a modular food processing and storage unit, thanks to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. These improvements put us in a strong position to plant cover crops this season and establish winter crops in our greenhouses later this year. We are grateful for the support of local businesses that help make this work possible and strengthen food security in our community. Our Grow a Row campaign is off to a great start, with 14 community members already signed up to g…
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Salt Spring Island Local Community Commission (LCC) Meeting Report for May 21, 2026

The Salt Spring Island Local Community Commission (LCC) held its regular May daytime business meeting on Thursday, May 21, at 9:00 am at the SIMS Board Room (streaming online with TEAMS). The full 286 page agenda package, including minutes of previous meeting, presentations, staff reports, and supporting documentation, is available online. Presentations and Delegations - The LCC received a delegation from Kristin Peebles and Tim Hiltz, Salt Spring Island Foundation, on agenda item 7.1. Salt Spring Island Electoral Area 2026 Grant-In-Aid Application - Spring Intake. The Salt Spring Island Foundation provided an additional $20,000 in funding for the LCC Grant-In-Aid budget as well as a non-binding review and assessment of grant applications for the consideration of the LCC. - The LCC received a delegation from Kaen Seguin, Sweetgrass Arts and Music, on agenda item 7.1. Salt Spring Island Electoral Area 2026 Grant-In-Aid Application - Spring Intake, speaking to the request …
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What Would Make Salt Springers as Happy as Finlanders? Welcoming MLA Rob for a Lively Conversation

Twenty-four joined this ASK Salt Spring conversation to welcome MLA Rob Botterell. He offered our Land Acknowledgement, noting how moved he was that acknowledgements had become the beginning of so many meetings throughout the province. He expressed his privilege that we are able to live, eat, and work on these lands, benefitting from thousands of years of First Nations’ stewardship, wisdom, and knowledge. In closing, we learned that the Indigenous name he was gifted by Huu-ay-aht Nation, Naacałuk, means “Always Watching”. When participants were given the opportunity to introduce themselves, they were also asked to share what it would take for them to be as happy as Finlanders, recognized as the happiest people in the world. Answers included: - Solving the housing crisis with innovative solutions, affordable housing options for all, and homelessness a thing of the past, - A connected community with none in distress, our elderly and most vulnerable supported, - Civili…
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Obituary: Ronald J. Martin

Ronald Martin August 22, 1931 –June 4, 2026 Ronald J Martin, dedicated educator, leader, lifelong lover of animals, baseball and the arts, passed away peacefully on June 4 at the age of 94. Ron is survived by his wife, two sons, two stepchildren, and beloved cat Alexander. He is predeceased by his dear cousins Marcia and Margo and his daughter Valerie who died of leukemia as a young girl — a loss he carried with quiet strength throughout his life. He earned a BA from Dartmouth and MBA from Columbia before moving to Carmel Valley with his wife Vivian where he ran a newspaper after serving in the US army. He then moved into education, teaching drama at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, and serving as head of Sheridan College’s Faculty Association. He was a prominent member of the OPSEU negotiating team and was instrumental in setting up the CAAT pension plan for college teachers. We will remember Ron for his love of children, his generosity, his loyal friendship and…
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New Reel Highlights Free and Low-Cost Mental Wellness Support on Salt Spring

Did you know that many people who could benefit from mental health support never receive it simply because they cannot afford it? One quarter of the 22 million Canadians who would benefit from mental health support report cost as a barrier to accessing care. For rural communities like Salt Spring Island, finding timely and affordable support can be especially challenging. That is why the Mental Wellness Initiative created #ReachOutSaltSpring. #ReachOutSaltSpring is a community-driven program that connects Salt Spring residents with free or low-cost holistic mental wellness services. Through the generosity of participating practitioners, community members can access support from counsellors, coaches, bodyworkers, massage practitioners, reflexologists, and other wellness professionals. The program was created with a simple belief: everyone deserves access to support, regardless of their income or circumstances. To help spread awareness of this resource, I recently …
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