Salt Spring Exchange

Astrology by Danielle Blackwood: This Full Moon

by Danielle Blackwood Happy Full Moon in Scorpio! On Monday May 12 th at 9:56 am, the Full Moon in Scorpio invites us to enter a portal while gifting us visions of unseen depths. Watch for secrets revealed, hidden power dynamics exposed, and a meeting with the archetypal Shadow. But while this is a particularly potent Full Moon, it also brings its gifts. Although seeing what has been hidden can be disruptive to our worldview, once seen we cannot look away, and we may be called to reckon with ‘what is’ during this lunation. However, the medicine itself is often in the sting of the scorpion, a catalyst that begins a necessary release, so that healing can begin. And while this can play out in the outer world, it can just as easily be a cathartic inner process. And as tempting as it can be to put the blinders back on, Scorpio medicine teaches us that if we look unflinchingly at the truth of something, to sit with it, to hold it with equal measures of courage and compass…

Elizabeth May Re-elected and Mark Carney's Liberals Secure Minority Government

Canada's 2025 federal election concluded with Mark Carney's Liberal Party securing a minority government, marking their fourth consecutive term. Simultaneously, Elizabeth May, co-leader of the Green Party, was re-elected in the Saanich–Gulf Islands riding. May, a long-standing advocate for environmental issues and democratic reform, secured her seat once again, reinforcing her commitment to the constituents of Saanich–Gulf Islands. Her victory ensures that the Green Party maintains representation in Parliament, albeit limited. Nationally, the Liberals, under Carney's leadership, won 168 seats, falling short of the 172 needed for a majority in the 343-seat House of Commons. This outcome necessitates collaboration with other parties to pass legislation and maintain confidence in the House. Carney's campaign emphasized economic stability and a firm stance on national sovereignty, resonating with voters amid escalating tensions with the United States. U.S. President Don…

Full Length Video of the Salt Spring Federal Election Candidates Debate and Q&A

Thank you to the Salt Spring Forum and Gulf Islands Driftwood for co-sponsoring the Federal Election Candidates Debate held at Fulford Hall. The debate featured Green Party candidate Elizabeth May, NDP candidate Colin Plant, and Liberal candidate David Beckham, who engaged in a lively and informative discussion. Notably absent was Conservative candidate Cathie Ounsted, whose decision not to attend elicited audible groans and a few boos from community members present at Fulford Hall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK2UK8w2E0I Election Day : Monday, April 28, 2025 You may vote from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at: Community Gospel Chapel 147 Vesuvius Bay Road Salt Spring Island Advance Voting Days On the following days: Friday, April 18, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Saturday, April 19, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sunday, April 20, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday, April 21, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. At the following address: Gulf …

B.C. Ends Carbon Tax: Mixed Reactions on Salt Spring Island

April 2025 The British Columbia government officially ended the province’s carbon tax on April 1, 2025, aiming to provide immediate relief on fuel prices amidst rising inflation and affordability concerns. Premier David Eby cited economic pressures and political division as reasons behind repealing the policy first introduced in 2008. Salt Spring Island residents, known for their strong environmental ethos, are experiencing mixed feelings about the decision. The repeal cuts gasoline prices by approximately 17 cents per litre and lowers natural gas and heating fuel costs, providing immediate savings for island households and local businesses. This reduction is especially significant for Salt Spring residents who face higher-than-average living expenses and rely heavily on ferry travel and personal vehicles. However, the repeal also ends the Climate Action Tax Credit, which provided quarterly rebates to low- and middle-income families, often exceeding the costs they paid u…

Obituary: John Raposo

John Raposo June 24, 1964 - March 7th, 2025 It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of John Raposo. John passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 7 2025. Predeceased by his precious son Mason Raposo by 23 months John passed of a broken heart. Predeceased by his mother Maria Raposo whom he missed dearly for 25 years gratefully they are all together again. John will be missed greatest by his son Myles Raposo and ex wife Dianne his sisters Maria Campbell Mary Raposo his brother Rick Raposo and all his many many Saltspring friends. John was born in Portugal June 24 1964 and came to Canada at age 8. After schooling in Victoria he moved to Saltspring at the age of 21 starting out as a cook at the Harbour House Hotel then moving on to run his own hardwood floor business for 35 years. He as an extremely hard working person and took pride in his art of laying hardwood as his many floors on Saltspring whisper of his presents still. John was the life of the…

Cellist Tours Islands to Fundraise for Orcas

Clara "the Sidewalk Cellist" has called Vancouver home for most of her life, though she spent several years living on Salt Spring, and two years (during the pandemic somewhat stuck) in Cambodia. As many readers know, growing up in this part of the world instills a reverence for nature, a passion for protecting it, and she feels now more than ever we must all raise our voices to ensure the survival of this incredible coastal ecosystem. Clara once considered a career in politics, but decided she would rather sing about the causes than recite speeches. In September of last year she released her fourth full-length album titled “Pacific Rain” - the title track inspired by our beautiful, wild coastline. This March she will tour across the islands, share this music with local communities, and raise funds for the Georgia Strait Alliance. Many of Clara's compositions swim through and around themes of vulnerability, mortality, reverence for nature, humility, compassion, hope, r…

Ocean Wise Secures Government of Canada Funding to Advance Sustainable Development Goals in Coastal Fishing Communities

New funding will open the door for Canadian community-based fisheries to be recognized for sustainable practices. January 30, 2025 - Ocean Wise has received nearly $850,000 in funding to support alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in three Indigenous fishing communities. Funded in part by the Government of Canada's Sustainable Development Goals Funding Program, the project, Advancing Sustainable Development in Fishery-Reliant Coastal Communities, marks a significant milestone in recognizing Canadian small-scale fisheries, advancing their sustainability, and increasing access to local, sustainable seafood for Canadians. Small-scale fisheries account for 40 percent of seafood harvested globally and employing 90 percent of workers in the seafood sector. But only eight percent of global small-scale fisheries have been assessed for sustainability (Illuminating Hidden Harvests, FAO). Many of these fisheries are not evaluated for sustainability bec…

UPDATE Vesuvius Camera Service Announcement

Hello fellow islanders ... As many know we have been having some issues with the Vesuvius ferry camera. We fixed one issue to now be facing another (Dang it!) ... we have had to bring in some skilled help for this one. We are working on it, fingers crossed it will all be fixed up shortly. Thanks so much for your patience and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause!

PSA: Vesuvius Ferry Camera is Down

Hi Folks! Just a little PSA: Vesuvius Ferry Cams have been down all weekend, we have been working to get them back online - a little blip in the system! Hopefully they will be back up tomorrow, fingers crossed!! We know these are much used service for many of you that take this route regularly, so we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Hopefully we won't see this ominous black "connecting" screen for much longer!

Bus and Ferry Schedules now LIVE on the Exchange!

We are pleased to announce that we are now publishing the local bus and ferry schedules on the Exchange! We have also embedded the web cam links for both Vesuvius and Fulford terminals so you can check the schedule and the cams at the same time. https://saltspringexchange.com/bus-ferry-schedules/

NEW Web Cams for SSI - Road Work on Fulford-Ganges Hill

We got a call a little while back from our friends at Country Grocer, saying “Hey, we think most people would really appreciate having better eyes on the road work on Fulford-Ganges Hill! Would you guys be up to putting up more web cams? We will pitch in!” “Why yes we would!” We started by trying to figure out where the cams would best be situated. The best location was actually pretty obvious. We called Conrad over at Salt Spring Search and Rescue to see if they would be interested in helping us out. These guys are amazing! Super helpful, excited and really collaborative. Thanks Conrad and the team there especially Bill Griffiths for handling the install. Also a big shout out to Christopher Roy for helping pull all the technical parts together. Christopher and Bill worked tirelessly for the last few days getting these all up and running while upgrading our other cameras so they could stream more clearly on all devices. Super team!! So now you can check out how…

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 Métis 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…

The Salt Spring Exchange is now a BC “Benefit” company under new ownership

Earlier this year we officially took over ownership of Salt Spring Media, the parent company of the Salt Spring Exchange and the day-to-day operations of the Salt Spring Exchange. At the time, the previous ownership had kept a fairly low profile and recommended we do the same at least for a time. Quite honestly, it felt like the right call at first. We didn’t have a full understanding of what it took to run the Exchange on a day-to-day basis, and we were quite overwhelmed. But we have heard from many people within the community that they felt it would be lovely for our fellow Salt Springers to know who we are and what our intentions are. To that end, or beginning as it is, we have also decided to make the Salt Spring Exchange a BC “Benefit” Company. If you are wondering what that means, here is a direct reference from the BC Government: A benefit company is a for-profit company that commits to conducting its business in a responsible and sustainable way. It mu…

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