Community People Profiles is a series on the Salt Spring Exchange featuring local personalities on our dynamic Gulf Island. Our People Profiles are short interviews, with one answer questions to share with you a little about what each of the people we will feature are thinking about as they go about their lives living on Salt Spring Island.

This weeks featured local people profile is: Michael Levy

Here's a bit about Michael;

Ever since moving to the island 20+ years ago, I have been fascinated by the extraordinary diversity in the flora & fauna as well as the people. I have been fortunate enough to be able to record this diversity through the lens of my camera, sharing my work through cards, calendars, fine art prints and books. To date, I have published two hardcover photo books of the island with plans to do many more!

I also owned The Fritz Movie Theatre for many years and enjoyed being an active part of many community events and fundraisers.

Rock climbing, kayaking, hiking, camping & mountaineering have all been great activities that I have pursued with fellow islanders over the years. I am now somewhat more sedentary after a successful living donor (my sister Barbara) kidney transplant in 2010. My recovery from the transplant was made all that much better with incredible support from my friends & family here on the island.

What brought you to Salt Spring Island?

My family moved to the island in 1993 while I was living in Vancouver. A bad car accident in September of that year put me off work temporarily and I came to Salt Spring to recover. I never fully recovered and have been on the island ever since.

What one thing about Salt Spring would you tell someone who has never visited the island?

Visit any time of the year, there is always something amazing to experience here if you take the time to explore.

If you had a magic Salt Spring wand, what island thing would you change?

I would like to see a youth hostel on the island once again so that young people, backpackers and families just starting out would have somewhere fun & affordable to stay...what's happening with the old firehall anyway?

Which well known person, living or dead, do you think would be a good addition to the island?

Wes Anderson so that he could use local people and locations to make his quirky films

Is there a special project, business or initiative you are working on that islanders should know about?

I am currently working on two new books for publication in 2016 (if all goes well!). I am always interested in creative collaborations as well!

Is there a really good interview question we should have asked you?

Who do you admire most on the island?

How would you have answered your question?

That's a tough one for sure...there are so many people that give back in so many ways to our community. When all is said and done. I'd have to say my brother Geoff. He has demonstrated to me what it means to really overcome incredible pain and suffering and still manage to keep a positive outlook on life.