2015 - Page 3

Canoe Trip to Our Local 'Hawaiian' Island

This past weekend was a beautiful sunny fall day, just perfect to take some friends visiting from Portland out for a kayak and canoe. We invited out friends to join us on a trip to our own Hawaiian Island, more commonly known as Russell Island, which is just a short paddle from Salt Spring Island. The history of Russell Island and the Hawaiian people are intertwined and this connection began with the Northwest Coast fur trade. In the late 1700s, Hawaiian, or Kanaka as they are known in their language, became involved in the maritime fur trade. Sea otter pelts were being traded in Asia and, at this time, the Hawaiian Islands became a natural stopover between North America and Asia. The Kanaka became employees of the various fur trade companies, including the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Over time, small Hawaiian settlements began to form around HBC posts in both Canada and the United States. When the United States government began passing legislation which prevented the Kanaka…

New Community Endowment Gearing up to benefit Salt Spring Charities

Island Savings, a division of First West Credit Union, is inviting charities on Salt Spring Island to apply for funding from the newly established Island Savings Community Endowment, housed within the First West Foundation. Funding is available for charities with programming that promotes resilient and sustainable Island communities. There is $70,000 in funding available in early 2016 and expressions of interest for grants are now being accepted. “The endowment grants are designed to enhance Island Savings’ communities by funding programs that improve people’s capacity to care for themselves and their families, to learn new skills and develop the resilience to overcome challenges,” says Seline Kutan, executive director of the First West Foundation. The fund will also support charitable programming that enhances environmental stewardship and sustainability. The $2 million endowment was made possible by the merger of Island Savings and First West Credit Union on January 1.…

Alleged Incident of Indecent Exposure at GISS

It has been reported to School District 64 that an adult was watching kids and masturbating in the bushes near Gulf Island Secondary School at the end of the school day on Monday, September 28th, 2015. The incident is now under investigation by the RCMP. For School District 64, the safety of students is a priority. The District is in the process of reviewing supervision details at all schools on Salt Spring Island. Additionally, the RCMP has indicated that they will be stepping up their patrols of the schools and the surrounding areas. The RCMP has suggested that until their investigation has been completed that schools and parents ensure that students are not alone outside their home. The use of a buddy system should in place in situations such as walking to and from school, waiting for the bus, and for youth waiting to be picked up by parents at playing fields and community events. Parents and students are requested to call the RCMP at 911 if suspicious activity is obse…

Times They Are 'A Changing... at Ganges Yoga Studio

The wondrous shift of the seasons, with the prolific appearance of apples and pumpkins and the slant of light of Fall, signals change. The industrious spinning of webs with patient spiders suspended in the centre of their meticulous weaving, wood smoke and fallen leaves, indicate change. Changes around the globe: political, geographic and climatic, escapes no one. Yes, the only constant is change, and it comes to us all. A significant personal change for me of late is selling my Yoga Studio to the Salt Spring Island Wellness Centre. Many of you have watched me create and recreate Ganges Yoga Studio five times in a total of the 14 years I have operated the Studio downtown. With each termination of my lease, I never missed a beat and found a forgotten, abandoned or undesirable piece of real estate and transformed each into beautiful, sacred spaces for multi-discipline activities ranging from daily classes in movement therapies to educational forums. Who can forget th…

New Outdoor Playing Fields to Increase Recreation Space

The Capital Regional District (CRD) announced today that an offer by Salt Spring Island Parks and Recreation Commission (PARC) to purchase 15.36 acres of land for recreational space has been accepted. The land, located at 181 Brinkworthy Road on Salt Spring Island, will be used for additional playing fields. The existing fields on Salt Spring Island do not meet the current needs of the community, especially the active soccer and baseball leagues. "After the Parks and Recreation Commission (PARC), sports groups and other community input, the need for additional sport fields was identified as a top priority in the PARC Strategic Plan," said Wayne McIntyre, the Salt Spring Island Electoral Area Director. "This announcement is an exciting step toward the fulfillment of this long-standing need. Congratulations to PARC and the CRD staff for their hard work and perseverance. This project will provide our community with both recreational and economic opportunities!" The offer …

Linda's List: Fall to do list

It is the first day of fall and here are some things to do in the garden: Pinch your Brussels sprouts: To force the plants to plump up their sprouts, pinch or cut off the centre top-knot of leaves by the end of September. If your plants are large and already forming nice sprouts, this is optional. If your plants haven't made sprouts yet, then this will make the tiny sprouts grow really quickly. If plants are still quite small (several people have told me they put in late seedlings), you might as well pinch the tips out and see what happens. Brussels sprouts are biennials, which means if they don't make sprouts this fall, they won't make them in the spring either because they will grow flower stalks instead. But the flower sprouts are very tasty and tender, so don't give up on your plants no matter what size they are as there will be something to harvest. Last chance thinning: When I checked my carrots the other day I found some were too crowded and that a flurry of reme…

Elizabeth May - 2015 Federal Elections Candidate People Profile

Community People Profiles for Elections is a series on the Salt Spring Exchange featuring local personalities on our dynamic Gulf Island who are running for elected office. 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 run their respective election campaigns. This profile is for Elizabeth May, Federal Green Party Candidate, who is running for re-election as our Member of Parliament in our Saanich—Gulf Islands riding. Here's a little bit about Elizabeth: Elizabeth May worked over decades in the environmental movement – as a volunteer, as a lawyer, as the Senior Policy Advisor to the minister of the environment (1986-1988) and as executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada (1989-2006). In 2005 she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for her work to protect Canada’s ecological richness. In 2006 she became leader of the Green Party of Canada and…

Tim Kane - 2015 Federal Elections Candidate People Profile

Community People Profiles for Elections is a series on the Salt Spring Exchange featuring local personalities on our dynamic Gulf Island who are running for elected office. 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 run their respective election campaigns. This profile is for Tim Kane, Federal Liberal Candidate, who is running for Member of Parliament in our Saanich—Gulf Islands riding. Here's a little bit about Tim: Tim Kane – Federal Liberal Candidate in Saanich-Gulf Islands. I’ve lived in Saanich-Gulf Islands since 2009. Over the course of my working career I’ve founded several successful businesses. Delta Media, the communications company my wife Sheena Pennie and I started at our kitchen table, grew to become part of a global enterprise and provided many good jobs for Canadians. During my 30 years in Ottawa I first was a public servant th…

Video: 2015 Fall Fair Zucchini Racing

One of the highlights on the Fall Fair. Another great year of zucchini racing on Salt Spring Island. Big crowd, big fun, great times. Thank you to all the racers, organizers Noella and Mike Fraser and Harry Warner for MC’ing the event again this year. Here's some racing highlights from 2014. Here's some racing highlights from 2013. Here's a classic throw back to 2009 when the track was only two runs:

Poll: 2015 Federal Election

The 2015 federal election is coming up on October 19, 2015 to elect members to the House of Commons of the 42nd Parliament of Canada. There are currently four candidates running for election in our Saanich-Gulf Islands riding; Robert Boyd (Conservative Party), Alicia Cormier (NDP), Tim Kane (Liberal Party) and incumbent Elizabeth May (Green Party). Who will get your vote? 2015 Federal Election Poll: Who will get your vote?

Salt Spring Reads: Margarita Nights

Salt Spring Reads is an online book club/review. For this column I try to find books that you might love to discover, books with a Salt Spring connection. Reviewed books are available at the Salt Spring Library and in local bookstores. Feel free to share your comments to discuss this book with others. Margarita Nights by Phyllis Smallman A Florida setting and a female bartender with attitude, whose husband is killed in a boating accident, form the basis for this intriguing ‘who done it?’ Instead of being rid of him and the troubles he caused her when he was alive, Sherry Travis finds herself deeply involved in more lies and scams as she tries to figure out if his death was accidental, a set-up or a murder. The book is fast paced and a great read if you enjoy well written murder mysteries. Phyllis Smallman is a Salt Spring resident who spends part of the year in Florida as well as in Ontario. Margarita Nights was followed by five more Sherry Travis mysteries. The …

2015 Salt Spring Island Pride

What a beautiful day of beautiful people celebrating diversity on Salt Spring Island. There was a wonderful community turnout out today for the 2015 Salt Spring Island Pride Parade. Another very successful community gathering here on the island that drew many visitors and tourists to the island along with upcoming federal election hopefuls, Elizabeth May (Green Party) and Alicia Cormier (NDP). Here’s a sample of the day in time lapse video and photos from the parade. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/H-CJ5Y4mqm0

Are You Registered to Vote?

The 2015 Canadian federal election (formally the 42nd Canadian general election) will be held on October 19, 2015 to elect members to the House of Commons of the 42nd Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper requested writs of election for a federal general election from Governor General David Johnston on August 2. The date of the vote is determined by the fixed-date Canada Elections Act.[1] At eleven weeks, the campaign will be the longest in modern Canadian history.[2] As a result of the 2012 federal electoral redistribution, the number of electoral districts was increased to 338, with additional seats based on population assigned to Alberta (6), British Columbia (6), Ontario (15), and Quebec (3). Basics Do I have to be registered in order to vote? Yes. Here's how to register. Am I already registered to vote? Check online to see if you're registered to vote in federal elections. If you can't check online, you can call us to ask if you're registe…

Fernwood Elementary: Installing New Furniture in the School

Last week we brought you the story of the new Fernwood Elementary School, multi-age, nature based learning programs that are starting in just a couple of short weeks. There are no students at school at this time of year, except perhaps the odd visit and kids playing in the playground outdoors, but inside the school is another matter. We're excited and nervous parents enjoying the last days of a deliciously warm summer, eager for the start of this new program to work well for our kids, the school and our community. Our daughter is going into kindergarten, our son into grade two and they will share the same class with a great group of their friends. One piece of sage advice that we've been given over the years to help our kids transition into different experiences is to try and give them a safe, easy sample of the experience before they need to immerse themselves in it. We took the kids to the dentist long before they needed to go to the dentist so that they could exper…

Steelhead LNG Proposed Pipeline to Pass Near Salt Spring

Steelhead LNG announces pre-construction agreement for natural gas pipeline from Washington State to Vancouver Island Williams, the owner and operator of Northwest Pipeline, is working with Vancouver, British Columbia-based Steelhead LNG to explore building and operating the Island Gas Connector (IGC) Project – a natural gas pipeline to serve a proposed liquefied natural gas facility on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia (BC) called Malahat LNG. The proposed IGC Project would begin in the U.S. and end in Canada. Latest News Steelhead LNG and Williams Announce Island Gas Connector Project to Vancouver Island. September 1, 2015 Steelhead LNG and Malahat First Nation Sign Mutual Benefits Agreement and Lease for LNG Project. August 20, 2015 Project Williams and Steelhead LNG have signed a pre-construction agreement to design and pursue regulatory approvals of a proposed natural gas pipeline to Steelhead LNG’s proposed Malahat LNG facility, a floating n…

UPDATE - Video: Police Cruisers Involved In Downtown Incident

Shortly after 12:00 am on August 29th, 2015, officers with the Salt Spring Island RCMP were conducting an impaired driving checkpoint in the 100 Block of Upper Ganges Road, when a man driving a Chevrolet Blazer attempted to avoid the checkpoint, nearly striking an officer who was on foot. Video Warning: Coarse language and circumstances may be disturbing to some viewers. Video Credit: Briggs Bachman Video Credit: Tyson Funk Video Credit: Andrea Greenhough Video Credit: Kyle Matheson A police car, stationary on the roadway at the time, was then rammed head-on by the suspect vehicle. Officers approached the SUV, smashing out the driver's side window in an attempt to gain control of the suspect. A second police vehicle attempted to box the suspect vehicle in and was also rammed as the suspect drove back and forth between the two police vehicles, causing significant damage to both. Despite their attempts to stop the man from driving away, he managed to manoeu…

Linda's List: Wet forecast, last seeding, powdery mildews

Okaaaaay....once again a forecast with rain over several days....who knows, maybe this time our rain dances will be answered? In case it does drizzle, trickle, spatter, shower or (dare I dream?) actually rain for 4 or 5 days, this is a quick note to remind you to keep tomato plants dry to avoid late blight. A simple sheet of plastic suspended between poles or laid over tunnel hoops will suffice if winds are not too strong. Be sure to leave the sides and ends of covers wide open for maximum ventilation. You don't want any moisture to condense on the underside of the plastic and wet the leaves or you will have defeated the purpose of keeping the rain off. If your tomatoes are in pots, trundle them under the overhang of the roof if you can. If you have plums or other soft fruit ripening right now, a good soaking from rain, especially after this prolonged dry weather can make the fruit split. I have mid-season plums ('Victoria') ripening right now, so on Friday I will pick ev…

School District 64 Back to School Information

It's back to school time for all schools in the School District 64 area. Here are details for parents.

Fernwood Elementary: New Beginnings

This is a personal story. One which I thought I might never get to write. It's about being inspired to do great work for others and also wanting those close to you to benefit from that great work. Three years ago I started working with Natural Pod, which based on Vancouver Island just a ferry ride away from Salt Spring. Our CEO of Play, Bridgitte Alomes and I met at the annual Social Venture Institute (SVI), of which we're both proud alumni. This 'chance' meeting forged a tremendous working collaboration and great friendship. As the Director of Marketing and partner in the company, together with the Natural Pod team, we've transformed the business over the last few years from a consumer focused natural toy company to an educator focused, sustainably made, better learning environment business, and we've proudly helped put 25,000+ kids in play at over 700+ early learning centres, preschools, kindergartens and daycares. And while I'm incredibly proud of that accomplishment, som…

Salt Spring Island Foundation: Connecting Your Giving to Community Needs

Take a look around you. Ten thousand Salt Springers going about their business with varying degrees of success, mostly fit, mostly healthy, mainly happy. And why not? Salt Springers live longer. Between 2009 and 2013 the average life expectancy of a Gulf island woman was 85.44 years compared to 83.87 for the poor souls on Vancouver Island. (We also have the peculiar distinction of having the highest percentage of births to older mothers in the province, elderly gravida as the statisticians so charmingly put it. Elderly in this case is a lithesome 35!) We have schools, a library, an arts centre, clubs, pubs and churches. We have sports teams and rescue teams, painters, potters and photographers, children who dance and sing, men who work lathes and women who weave. And vice versa. So Salt Spring is a community—and a pretty successful community for the most part. Yet we know that it’s not perfect. Poverty, mental health issues and the lack of affordable housing are formid…

We Didn't Win Kraft Project Play, But Oh What a Journey!

An incredible experience, it touched all corners of Salt Spring and brought our community together as rarely seen before. Everyone embraced the challenge with enthusiasm even though we didn't win the big prize. People of all ages and interests voted day and night, recruited their friends and relatives near and far, and spread the word in every possible direction. There are wonderful stories of distant friends of Salt Spring voting 1000's of times and 'robot' dances all being performed in our homes and businesses as we enjoyed helping the Island cause. Congratulations to Monroe Park for winning the $250,000 Grand Prize. If HEART could have won the contest, Salt Spring would have been the clear winner. Even if we didn't get the most votes, we have won $25,000 and the actual experience itself has been an incredible gift! What a great community we live in, be very proud.