Salt Spring News

Salt Spring Teachers Strike Update

GISS School Principal, Lyall Ruehlen, reports-

“Regrettably, I am sorry to report that statements issued by the Government and BCTF indicate that the school year will not start on Tuesday, September 2.”

01 September, 2014

Salt Spring Groom Arrested at Wedding

The Times Colonist is reporting a story about a Salt Spring Island groom arrested just just prior to his Beddis Beach wedding. The article aledges that Salt Spring Island resident Shai Topaz was arrested by local RCMP just prior to his wedding last week because of his failure to pay about $7,000 in child maintenance.

Shai Topaz and Claire Fresneda planned to be married on Beddis Beach on Saltspring Island on Saturday afternoon. But as Claire waited in her wedding dress for Topaz to arrive at the ceremony, he was surrounded by RCMP officers, whisked away in his linen suit to the Saltspring detachment, then taken by police boat to the Victoria police station.

“I begged them to allow me to at least see my bride and to have some compassion,” said Topaz, a 47-year-old father of two who works for an international communications company. “Instead, I was taken into custody and my bride was not even informed.”

Video: Protesters Occupy Grace Islet Building Site

Grace Islet protesters took further action again today to send a message to the Province and Islet owner that they intend to continue efforts to stop construction of a house on the islet's burial ground. Protestors travelled en masse to the islet, landed and entered the property fencing to encircle the home citing a failure of all other efforts to remedy building on a known grave site. The RCMP were called to attend. Videos courtesy of Bill Warriner / Salt Spring Live. Editor's Note: Commenting on this post has been closed due to complaints and the aggressive and argumentative nature of the discussion not in alignment with our community guidelines.

Missing Person - Joseph Bernie

44 year old Joseph Patrick BERNIE was reported missing to the Salt Spring RCMP in April of 2014. At that time, he had not been heard from by family members since before Christmas, 2013. BERNIE does casual labour including farm work and some artistry, and has a history of traveling, and being out of touch with family for extended periods. BERNIE spent time on Saltspring Island in the summer of 2013, and may have been en route to Salt Spring on the last occasion he spoke with police in October of 2013. Information obtained by Saltspring RCMP indicates that BERNIE may have traveled, or may be traveling outside of Canada in 2014. Joseph Bernie is described as: Caucasian male 6’2 tall Weighs 208 lbs Brown hair Blue eyes Anyone with information about BERNIE’s whereabouts, or movements since the spring of 2014, is asked to contact Cpl. Martin BEARDSMORE at the Salt Spring RCMP Detachment at 250-537-5555.

Password Reset Issue?

Over the last few months we've had some reports of Salt Spring Exchange community members having trouble resetting passwords. What we've learned is that password resets/reminders work as expected as long ad your username doesn't contain any spaces. Weird, we know. If the username you used to first register on the site has a space in it, the reset won't work. It's a bug! The very best and easiest solution to permanently fixing this is to have us delete your current account so that you can register again with a fresh username that doesn't have spaces. We found this would be better than removing the space without telling you so you can can also get a fresh new password and username that will work without issue for years to come. If you have been having issues getting your password reset to post on the Exchange, contact us to have your account deleted so you register a new account and getting started using the site again. Thank you for using the Exchange! PS: Did you kn…

NSSWD Water Vote Defeated

North Salt Spring Waterworks referendum was defeated by a narrow margin of two votes. Bylaw 264 was to deal with authorizing the borrowing up to a maximum of $10.4 million for the design, construction, commissioning and needed infrastructure upgrades for the new St. Mary DAF plant. 281 of 2,560 eligible voters voted Yes, while 283 voted No. The District would like to thank all the ratepayers who took the time to come out and vote.

Breaking News: CRD Will Not Initiate Potential Expropriation of Grace Islet Property

The Capital Regional District’s (CRD) authority to expropriate Grace Islet could be subject to challenge and Directors have received advice that this is a matter that the CRD should continue to advocate for action by the Province. While the CRD provides a very wide range of services within the current authority granted by the Province and fully recognizes the interests that First Nations have in Grace Islet, the CRD is simply not able to proceed with initiating an expropriation process to acquire the Islet with any assurance of a positive outcome given the complex regulatory framework and interests of all the parties involved. “The owner of Grace Islet has a building permit and Provincial Archaeological Branch approval to build a private residence on what First Nations have identified to be a cultural heritage site,” said CRD Board Chair Alastair Bryson. “In order to consider expropriation, the CRD would be required to take on service responsibility enabling the acquisition …

People Profile: Peter Prince

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 week’s featured local people profile is: Peter Prince Here’s a bit about Peter: Salty has been home for over 25 years and a rich source of inspiration for my craft. For 3 decades I’ve worked as a producer/director/editor/cameraman. Some of my Film/TV projects won national & international awards and aired in over 60 countries. My film work has taken me from Haida Gwaii to Bhutan, while employed by the NFB, CBC, Knowledge, National Geographic & various NGOs. Locals may recall me from my decade as Producer/A&E host for SSTV & Shaw. I'm also a longtime Market vendor, a father of four born & raised Salty kids, pl…

Photos: Grace Islet Protection Gathering

Protectors of Grace Islet held their largest gathering yet in protest of the house building in progress on the island. Participants occupied the islet's North End to witness construction firsthand. The event included speeches from Cowichan Valley First Nations, MLA Gary Holman and MP Elizabeth May. Photos courtesy of Grace Islet Protectors / Gary McNutt. https://youtu.be/SpWh8Em3W8k

Barry Slawsky - Grace Islet Owner Responds

Grace Islet owner Barry N. Slawsky has responded to current protests and criticisms on the development of the Salt Spring Island property he owns. Curiously, Mr. Slawsky choose an off island publication to provide his first public comments on the matter rather than through local Salt Spring Island based media. As published in the Times Colonist, Mr. Slawsky states he is the owner of the islet and has taken all the necessary procedural and legal steps to comply with the development of the islet and the that extent of human remains found on the islet isn't as extensive as has been reported. He writes - "Throughout this comprehensive process, I have been guided by professional environmental and archeological consultants in my determination to be respectful of First Nations. The provincial Archaeology Branch carried out extensive consultation efforts with First Nations, as recently explained by Lands and Forests Minister Steve Thomson in the Times Colonist. My site-alteration…

People Profile: Ken Marr

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 week’s featured local people profile is: Ken Marr Here’s a bit about Ken: My life currently revolves around my children and business. I enjoy the challenges and rewards of parenting a 12 year old girl and 16 year old boy....most of the time. Similarly, owing and operating Windsor Plywood is a very rewarding experience in spite of the current business environment. We are very fortunate to have always had fantastic staff and loyal customers. I graduated from GISS in 1983 and began working in the lumber yard at Windsor in 1984, driving forklifts and delivery trucks. In 1989, I became manager and took and ownership position in 1…

People Profile: Yvonne Poirier

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 week’s featured local people profile is: Yvonne Poirier Here’s a bit about Yvonne: This is my 5th year on Salt Spring now and I am as happy and busy as I could possibly be. I have owned Salt Spring Adventure Company for 2 years now and love getting people out on adventures of all kinds. We offer kayak rentals/tours/expeditions, bike rentals, SUP Boards, sailing and yoga! My winters are kept busy with pruning local fruit orchards, as well as working at local vineyards. I love spending the off season with plants! I have been in love with the outdoors from a very young age as I grew up In Canmore Alberta and have been camping, kay…

People Profile: George Grams

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 week's featured local people profile is: George Grams Here's a bit about George: We moved to Salt Spring from the north shore in 2005. I spent the first two years working exclusively on our farm then I became involved in a project that precipitated my interest in island politics. Whilst we've done a reasonable job on the island of preserving and protecting our natural environment, we've been neglectful of greening our built environment which was the thrust of my professional career and which I've experience of other communities using to dramatically reduce their ecological footprint. I can identify only one public building of a…

Petition: Tree House Laneway Restriction

Local group launches petition requesting that the Harbour Authority of Salt Spring (HASSI) withdraw its request to limit use of the laneway where outdoor seating, dining and music is enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. We, the people of Salt Spring Island, in order to preserve our social and economic harmony and promote the enjoyment of the waterfront in Ganges BC, do hereby reject the arbitrary and anti-social actions taken by the Harbour Authority of Salt Spring (HASSI) in its recent notice for the Tree House Cafe to remove tables and chairs from the Manson Road gravel lane. We cite the Department of Fisheries and Oceans objectives established in the guidelines for Harbour Authorities: “Harbour Authorities are essential to the social and economic life of many communities in Canada that depend on local harbours. Harbour Authorities link people to nearby waters by keeping vital harbour facilities in good repair. Harbour Authorities are also key in representing the needs…

People Profile: Jan Rabson

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: Jan Rabson Here's a bit about Jan: My job is to pretend to be other people, animals & inanimate objects. I do voices for cartoons (Pixar, Despicable Me 2) & seem to work more in LA than Vancouver. I have a recording studio & when not working or writing I coach improv @ GISS, am involved in Connecting Generations & Career Day programs, drive 2 teens around town, volunteer voice-over including the history of SSI & lifesaving drone apps. I MC comedy, produce radio plays, sculpt, cook & still feel I do ½ as much as other SSIers. What brought you to Salt Spring Islan…

Islanders Kick Off 'No House Here' Campaign to Protest Development on Grace Islet

The #nohousehere campaign kicked off at Ross Bay Cemetery today at noon with the erection of a mock house over pioneer graves at Ross Bay Cemetery. The graves are of the ancestors of islander Briony Penn, great-great granddaughter of past mayor of Victoria, past Member of the BC legislature and Supreme Court Judge Montague Tyrwhitt-Drake and William Curtis Ward, founder of Douglas Lake Ranch. Penn states, ”Why are my ancestors' burial grounds protected and those of my fellow islander, Joe Akerman (Cowichan Heritage), are not?” Penn and Akerman are urging British Columbians to go to the graves of their own ancestors or a near by cemetery around British Columbia, write #NOHOUSEHERE on their forearm, take a picture and post on their own social media, on the Grace Islet Facebook page and send the photo to the provincial government. Akerman states, “There is a double standard and it has to end. First Nations have been fighting this uphill battle with government to protect their…

Photo Series: Metamorphosis - Moss Cars of Salt Spring Island

In 2004 the Salt Spring Island photographer Eric Klemm photographed a dozen cars from the fifties and sixties covered by fern and moss on the property of a Salt Spring Island resident. The first exhibition titled "Metamorphosis" was held at Gallery Jones, Vancouver, in 2005. Hereafter the exhibition of 14 large 50x60" prints travelled to: Toronto, Houston,Texas, Milan,Italy, Mainz,Germany, Berlin,Germany, Zingst, Germany and was finally held at Artspring, Salt Spring Island, in May 2007. In September 2011 the German Goethe Institute invited Klemm to show the "Metamorphosis" photographs in Paris. After that it became a travelling exhibition visiting the French cities: Bordeaux, Lille, Brest, Nancy and Toulouse. Klemm has had more than 25 solo exhibitions in his long career, the Metamorphosis project has been his most succesful one, so far. One of the large images is in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Gary Michael Dault wrote 2005 in his col…

People Profile: Rhonan Heitzmann

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: Rhonan Heitzmann Here’s a bit about Rhonan: I first moved to the island back in 1983, 9 yrs old. Growing up here was an amazing and rich experience. The community is so full of conscious , artistic , alternative and spiritual people... I grew up exposed to ideas and energy that only later after traveling around the world a bit did I realize was so special. I made many life long friends and consider myself very fortunate! After graduating here in 1991, I went to SFU and hoped to join a consciousness revolution, "the 90's are going to make the 60's seem like the the 50's man" I used to like…

BC Ferries Awards Contract for New Long Harbour Ferry

VICTORIA – Following the completion of an extensive competitive bidding process, BC Ferries has awarded Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. of Gdansk, Poland contracts totaling $165 million to build three new intermediate class vessels. The contracts have been approved by BC Ferries’ Board of Directors, as well as a total project budget of $252 million that includes financing and project management costs that would have been incurred regardless of where the vessels were built. The budget also includes $51 million for Canadian taxes and federal import duties. The total project budget is within the capital envelope set by the BC Ferries Commissioner. “These are design-build, fixed-price contracts that provide BC Ferries with substantial guarantees related to delivery dates, performance criteria, cost certainty and quality construction,” said Mark Wilson, BC Ferries’ Vice President of Engineering. Other highlights of the contracts include: • Remontowa assumes all design, constru…

Ganges to Get $75,000 (CRD)

The Capital Regional District (CRD) has directed $473,650 from the federal Gas Tax Fund to projects that will increase safety and improve access for pedestrians and cyclists across the region.

Seven municipalities and the Salt Spring Island electoral area will carry out improvements to their local active transportation networks as part of the implementation of the CRD’s Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan (PCMP), including. Salt Spring Island: construction of multi-use pathways near Ganges Village ($75,000)

“We are excited to support this incredible diversity of projects. Each project will contribute to making cycling and walking irresistible across the region.”

Alastair Bryson, Board Chair. Capital Regional District

These projects will improve the safety and enjoyment of cyclists and pedestrians alike in one of BC’s most beautiful areas while…

Not just the Saturday Market...

The Salt Spring Saturday market attracts visitors from many surrounding areas, and this weekend we will all be able to enjoy the market vibes from Friday to Sunday. The market brings together the entire community and has been part of our island’s culture for over 20 years. As a prominent icon to visitors and residents, the market is a great boost to Salt Spring's economic development and ensures that we stand out on the map. Rob Pingle, our market coordinator of 6 years, has taken big steps to ensure visitors to the island are getting their full dose of positive market energy from Friday to Sunday. Plans to have the market open during long weekends have been in the works for quite some time, and Rob is ready to analyze the success of the extra days with an in-depth market evaluation. He has gone out of his way to ensure both visitors and vendors enjoy themselves during the extended hours, and will be using feedback from the community to determine the success of the island’s …