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Founder and former Owner/Operator of the Salt Spring Exchange - Social Venture Entrepreneur | Photographer - Unceded Coast Salish + Nuu-chah-nulth Territories - West Coast, BC, Canada - christopherroy.com

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2024 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with the Penelakut Tribe and Coastal Blood Singers

The community of Salt Spring Island gathered together today with elders and members of the Penelakut Tribe who hosted an open invitation event in honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. Spune’luxutth elders shared personal stories of residential school and the harm the experience caused them, their families and their communities. They also spoke about the need for reconciliation and the importance of re-securing lands on Salt Spring Island to support the protection and preservation of their culture. Penelakut Costal Blood Singers opened and closed the gathering from the end of Fernwood Dock with man…
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Photos: 2024 Salt Spring Island Pride Parade

The Salt Spring Pride Festival is a vibrant celebration where the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and their allies from both local and surrounding areas unite to revel in the rich diversity and inclusivity that define queer culture. This festival is more than just an event—it's a joyous safe haven where individuals can fully express their authentic selves, share artistic offerings, and build a collective culture that fosters a deep sense of belonging, support, and celebration. This past Saturday, as part of the festival, the spirit of togetherness was brought to life as the Salt Spring Island community, along with organizers and festival attendees, came together for a lively and jubilant pride parade through the streets of Ganges. The parade was a spectacular display of colour, creativity, and camaraderie, capturing the essence of what it means to celebrate pride on our island community. Here are some of the photos from the event for you to enjoy! See the full photo series at chr…
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Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue attend to house fire in the 200 block of Maliview Drive

Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue attended and knocked down a house fire in the 200 block of Maliview Drive this evening at approximately 7:45 PM, Friday, August 25th, 2023. Numerous apparatus and firefighters responded to the scene with sirens that could be heard across much of the North End of the island. Also attending the scene were members from BC Ambulance, Salt Spring RCMP and BC Hydro. The fire was put down within minutes of their arrival. No injuries were reported. The occupant of the unit was not at home at the time of fire. The house was left mostly intact but did appear to suffer substantial damage in the area of the fire. Firefighters did discover a small, black cat at the dwelling and were able to safely recover the animal. Fire concerns across the island are particularly heightened at this time because of the dry, drought-like conditions and significant fire and smoke activity across B.C. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. …
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Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue contain fully involved structure fire in the 100 block of Walker's Hook Road

Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue arrived to a fully involved structure fire overnight in the 100 block of Walker's Hook Road. Flames could be seen at the site from the bottom end of the "Big Dip" as the on duty members approached the scene driving North along Robinson Road. The fire column had engulfed the entire structure on their arrival and was contained by responding crew members without damage to surrounding properties and without the fire spreading to nearby forests. No one appeared to be home at the time of fire and no injuries were reported. The family dog is presumed lost in the fire. The family cat is missing and neighbours in the area are asked to keep eye out. The cat's name is Sitka and is an orange and white Maine Coon type of breed. The fire resulted in a total loss of the main structure along with a trailer, damage to a parked car and shipping containers at the site. A GoFundMe fundraiser has been started to help support the family and a Meal Train …
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Photos: Salt Spring Island gets its Pride on once again

Salt Spring Island, renowned for its natural beauty and vibrant community, is hosting its very first Salt Spring Pride Festival this weekend from July 28 to 31, 2023. The festival aims to bring together residents and visitors alike to celebrate diversity, promote inclusivity, and spread love throughout the picturesque island. The Salt Spring Pride Festival is an exciting milestone for the community, reflecting the island’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions. This four-day extravaganza, housed at the Salt Spring Island Farmers’ Institute, will feature a rich tapestry of events, including the Pride Dance, guest musicians, and workshops offering something for everyone to enjoy and engage with. Participants will have the opportunity to offer additional workshops and activities through the Co-Creation Hub. These interactive sessions will explore important issues related to 2SL…
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2023 Salt Spring Island Local Community Commission official election results

Update May 31, 2023, at 11:54: The Capital Regional District (CRD) is pleased to announce the final results for the Salt Spring Island Local Community Commission (LCC) elections, which identify the following four commissioners who will join Gary Holman, Salt Spring Island Electoral Area Director, to form the LCC: Gayle Baker, Brian Webster, Earl Rook and Benjamin Corno Voter turnout statistics for the Salt Spring Island LCC Commissioner race (includes resident and non-resident): Salt Spring Island: 32% (3,262 out of 10,219 registered electors) As part of the official determination of results, the CRD confirmed and verified the accuracy of all ballot accounts, confirmed the calculation of vote tallies from the electronic tabulators and ensured the correct consolidation of total results from across all polling locations including mail ballots. The Salt Spring Island LCC will oversee and advise on economic development, liquid waste disposal, community parks and recreation…
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Capital Regional District completes 75 acre Community Park land acquisition on Hwmet’utsum (Mt. Maxwell)

The Capital Regional District (CRD) has announced that the next milestone in the creation of a new community park on Hwmet’utsum (Mt. Maxwell) on Salt Spring Island has been achieved. The formal transfer of land between the previous owners and the CRD was recently completed and the project can now move toward the creation of a management plan. As part of this next step in the creation of the new park, the CRD, with the support of project stakeholders, First Nations, CRD/PARC, neighbours, community groups and trail users will participate in an open engagement and planning process to envision the new park for the long-term stewardship of the forest and ecology of this area of Hwmet’utsum. The Salt Spring Community Park campaign completed the initiative to raise the final $350,000 towards the purchase of 75 acres of forested land on Hwmet’utsum ahead of the October 31, 2022 deadline, thanks to a final grassroots push, and a generous grant from the Salt Spring Island Foundati…
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Snow photos from around town before the rain returns - What's it like out there?

Salt Spring Island has enjoyed a bounty of winter over the last many days causing widespread travel and ferry disruptions for many of us. Heavy rains with the potential for flooding are now in the forecast and it looks like the island will transform again from a winter wonderland back into a sea of green. But before that happens, we managed to get out for the first time in a few days for a little photo tour. If you haven't been in out in a while or checked in on our Salt Spring Exchange live cams to see real-time conditions, 24 hours a day, this is how things look around town.
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Park supporters celebrate land acquisition with ceremony led by Quw’utsun elder Qwiahwultuhw

Over 200 community members, park donors and volunteers gathered this past Saturday to celebrate the completion of fundraising for the new community park on Hwmet’utsum (Mt. Maxwell) with a water blessing ceremony led by Quw’utsun elder Qwiahwultuhw (Robert George). Hosted at Fulford Hall by the Salt Spring Community Park campaign team and event supporters, the Baha'i Community of Salt Spring Island, the gathering featured Quw’utsun drumming offered by Joe Akerman and Pamela Bourque and dancing performed by Tzinquaw Dancer Larry George along with stories, poetry and ceremony to show support for the project and event host Qwiahwultuhw. Campaign fundraising advisor Christopher Roy MC’ed the event which marked the culmination of months of fundraising work to secure the final $350,000 needed to purchase the land for the first new park on the island in 15 years. The gathering was initially planned as the final fundraising event for the campaign but transformed into a land an…
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2022 General Local Election preliminary results

Thank you to all the candidates who offered their time and resources to run for these locally elected positions and to everyone who supported the voting process. Here are the preliminary results from this year's vote as posted by Anthony A. Kennedy, Deputy Returning Officer for Salt Spring Island. The final, official results will be confirmed at a later date. The total number of ballots cast was 3916, with 524 ballots cast in Fulford, 1654 at the Library and 1738 at the Gospel Chapel. Here were the results of the 2018 General Local Election and the 2014 General Local Election.
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Salt Spring Island ratepayers vote 'YES' to borrowing funds for new fire hall

Initial results of the 2022 Salt Spring Island fire hall referendum have been posted by election Returning Officer, Anthony Kennedy and Deputy Returning Officer, Alistair Sim. When asked “Should the Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District be given authority to borrow a maximum of $9.7 million dollars over a period not longer than 25 years to fund the construction of a new fire hall?” Salt Spring Island ratepayers have voted YES. The initial vote results were as follows: 3,472 votes were cast with 2,608 (75%) voting 'YES' and 864 (25%) voting NO. In addition, there were 57 non-deliverable mailing votes, 141 votes from voters not on the voters list, 34 corporate returns and 13 spoiled/rejected ballots for a total of 245 votes that were not counted as part of the final record. The results of the vote are a departure from the last referendum in 2013. In the 2013 referendum, Salt Spring Island voted 'NO' to adopting Bylaw No. 122 cited as “Emergency Response Ce…
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Watch: Salt Spring Island first responders gather to ‘salute’ local health care workers

After more than 20 months of a global pandemic which has seen over 213,000 people infected with the COVID-19 virus across British Columbia, health care workers continue to provide front line support to care for all of those impacted by the virus. In the spirit of this ongoing work being done at our local Lady Minto Hospital and health clinics here on the island led by doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, technicians and support staff, Salt Spring Island emergency first responders, members of the Salt Spring RCMP, Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue, BC Ambulance and Salt Spring Island Search and Rescue gathered today to offer an informal 'salute' to our local health care teams. Emergency vehicles circled the hospital parking lot this afternoon around 3 PM with their lights flashing and the occasional siren to honour those members of our community who have been doing the good work of caring for us all through the ongoing health, social and economic turbulence we've all bee…
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Watch: Landslide closes North End Road in both directions

Heavy rains from last night's rain has caused extensive damage around the island. It now appears that one of the areas most impacted is in the 1200 block of North End Road. The road is closed in both directions due to a landslide that has come down from the West side of Trincomali Ridge onto the road bringing trees and debris across the center lane. The force of the slide was strong enough to displace the concrete median protecting the road from the steep rock face along that section of the road. Emcon does not have an estimate date or time for the reopening and motorists are advised to avoid the area. You can see the extent of the damage in the video and photos below. https://youtu.be/7tOHnA5skwU
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Watch: Heavy rains wreak havoc on Salt Spring Island

Salt Spring Island major road events update as of 2021 November 19 at 4:00 PM: Five days after an 'atmospheric river' blew across British Columbia and left a wake of damaged infrastructure, loss of life and livestock, a number of main roads on Salt Spring Island are still either closed or partial closed to traffic. Here are current photos and video from the main roads of Fulford-Ganges Road and North End Road. Some community members continue to willfully ignore closed road signage and requests from EMCON and Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue not to go around or remove barriers. At the washout area between Blackburn Road and Horel Road on Fulford-Ganges Road numerous vehicles were observed to be driving around closed road signs to make their way past the still very high waters of Blackburn Lake. It appeared the caution tape had been torn down, the barrier moved and the Road Closed sign had been driven over and bent out of shape before it was put back up by a passerby who had to unb…
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Salt Spring community march with Cowichan First Nation to honour residential school survivors on the inaugural National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

Joining an estimated 2000+ other march participants, numerous Salt Spring Island families and community members travelled this morning to Cowichan First Nation in Duncan to participate in the first ever march in recognition of National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. The gathering featured Cowichan First Nation elders and residential school survivors who, with grace and humour, shared their stories about the importance of what it means to remember and to chart a new path forward for Indigenous relations in Canada. Numerous elders shared their personal experiences of the harm caused to them and their families during their time as students in the residential school system. Tzinquaw Dancers, a traditional Coast Salish dance group performed numerous dances and songs to welcome all participants to the event. National Day for Truth & Reconciliation is being celebrated as a federal statutory holiday in Canada. It is a national day of remembrance for victims of the Canadian Indi…
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Locals gather at 'Right to Choose' sidewalk rally in opposition to pandemic mandates

Around 200 community members gathered together this afternoon in Ganges on Salt Spring Island in what organizers described as a 'Right to Choose' sidewalk rally. The event was intended to demonstrate solidarity with those who oppose mask and vaccine mandates being implemented by Federal and Provincial governments in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Demonstrators stood together along the Centennial Park pathway and Lower Ganges Road encouraging passing motorists and pedestrians to join them in their support of medical freedom and the right of choice in opposition to mask and vaccine mandates. Numerous protest signs with messages that included 'My body, my choice", "If the vaccine works, why the passports?", "No masks on kids", "Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of the truth.", "Stop medical tyranny, say no to mandatory vaccines" and more were carried by participants, many of whom hoped to raise awareness about what they see as the infringement of pe…
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Locals gather at Salt Spring RCMP detachment in solidarity with Fairy Creek protestors

Over 100 community members gathered together this afternoon in front of our local Salt Spring RCMP detachment in solidarity with protestors defending old-growth forests in and around Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island. The demonstration was part of a coordinated series of peaceful protests in Burnaby, Victoria, Sooke, Dunca, Parksville, Courtenay, Nelson, Sechelt, Vernon and in other communities across BC working to send a message to the Provincial Government and RCMP leadership to 'stand down' and stop what advocates are calling highly aggressive and violent protester extraction tactics involving RCMP use of force, pepper spray and other police tactical techniques. Protestors at Fairy Creek have been on site in the old-growth forest valley for more than one year now in opposition to the planned and ongoing clear-cutting of the dwindling old-growth forests across Vancouver Island. Clear-cutting which numerous Indigenous community members, scientists and global forest protect…
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Missing person at St. Mary Lake public beach access located deceased

Update: 2021 August 16 - 11:28 AM: The body of the man reported missing on August 13th near St. Mary Lake on Salt Spring Island has been recovered. On August 14th just after 8p.m. the body of the missing 19 year old man was located in St. Mary Lake, not far from where he was last seen. His body was found by members of the RCMP Under Water Recovery Team (URT) who were called in to assist with the investigation. The deceased was confirmed as the missing person. The Salt Spring RCMP wish to thank Salt Spring Search and Rescue, Salt Spring Fire Department, BC Ambulance and the Salt Spring Community for their support for the family of the missing man states Sgt. Clive Seabrook, Salt Spring RCMP Detachment Commander. As the investigation progressed the Salt Spring RCMP advised the public to avoid St. Mary, it has since been reopened. The BC Coroners Service is also conducting a concurrent fact-finding investigation into this unexpected death. Due to the privacy of the deceased, under…
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Locals Raise $8,000 for Heiltsuk Nation at Salt Spring Island Floating Concert

Over 120 Salt Spring Islanders gathered together last night on Cusheon Lake to raise funds for the Heiltsuk Nation’s “Step Up for Coast Heroes” campaign. The Nation is in the midst of a groundbreaking Indigenous Environmental Assessment project that pairs western science with traditional knowledge to uncover the full impacts of the Nathan E. Stewart disaster, while charting a way forward to restore ecosystem health. The legal challenge, with support from RAVEN Trust, is part of that path, as the case aims to enshrine the caretaker values and stewardship plans of Heiltsuk Nation into law. The event raised over $8,000 towards the campaign goals thanks to generous donors and a matching funds contributor. After observing a moment of silence in honour of all the recent Residential School grave site discoveries, the event featured live performances by local songstress Yael Wand, for whom the event also coincided with the upcoming release of her new CD titled Salt Water Heartwood, …
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Memorial honours the 215 Indigenous children found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School

Salt Spring Island community members are coming together along with communities all across Canada to honour the recently discovered missing and murdered students of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation has uncovered the remains of 215 children buried at the school in a mass grave that was operated by the Roman Catholic Church in concert with the Canadian Government as part of an effort to dislocate and eradicate Indigenous peoples and cultures across the country. These burial sites are known to exist at numerous residential schools in Canada and though this most current discovery is shocking both for its scale, and for the manner in which the unmarked graves were located. The Salt Spring Island Public Library offered their front steps for the memorial after requests from the community came forward to create a memorial here on the island similar to those happening across the country. Numerous locals have placed 215 pairs of sho…
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Devastating fire at Windsor Plywood on Salt Spring Island causes major damage

Update as of 2021 June 09 at 01:55 PM: Nine days since the devastating fire that fully engulfed and destroyed the main retail space of Windsor Plywood on Salt Spring, the site is alive with people and activity working to restore service for the local trades, building community and homeowners. "We've had a tremendous amount of support and response from our community and our team members have been incredible supporting all the things we've needed to do get back up and running to support customers and the community." - Mike Stefancsik, Owner/Manager Demolition work has begun on the main structure destroyed in the fire, temporary buildings lent to Windsor Plywood by Fields who took over the former Slegg Lumber Yard are in place, temporary water/septic services are being installed, Shaw has been on site to restore telephone and data services, forensic investigators are in the process of conducting their investigation into the cause of the fire and today on site, a massive, tem…
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