Peter Luckham, Chair of Islands Trust Council, made the following statement regarding the decision of the September 9, 2017 referendum with preliminary results showing 62 per cent voted against Salt Spring Island incorporating into a municipality. “The Islands Trust Council congratulates the community of Salt Spring Island for exercising its democratic right on September 9, […]

Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, issued the following statement in regards to the outcome of Salt Spring’s Incorporation Vote. Salt Spring Island voted against incorporating as an island municipality this past weekend. “Over the past couple of years Salt Spring Islanders have been discussing how their community is governed. It has […]

The incorporation referendum is now over, complete with a clear community “no” decision on the option to incorporate. It is now time to recognize and thank many who have been involved: The Provincial Government, through the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development (now the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing) not only provided financial […]

We are very disappointed in the outcome but as the time honoured saying goes, the people have spoken. We are happy that we’ve seen a record turnout at the polls for this important decision and we congratulate the opposition on their success. Our belief remains that local government decisions should be made by a representative […]

The turnout for, and the result of, the incorporation referendum yesterday were both satisfyingly decisive. For myself the result marks a conclusion to the question of which governance model is appropriate for our community and I hope others feel likewise. Work remains to be done on island to continue to preserve and protect our environment […]

I am pleased that our community has reached its decision about the Islands future form of governance. It has been a long journey for all those involved and there are so many we must thank: the two separate committees, the first looking at governance and the second being the incorporation study committee itself; the countless […]

While Salt Spring residents and property owners are the only ones who will have a vote on whether or not Salt Spring will become an island municipality, that decision will have an effect on all the islands in the Trust area. In fact, the Island’s Trust mandate is to protect the islands for all British Columbians. […]

Before moving to Salt Spring fifteen years ago, I lived in the small town of Port Hope on Lake Ontario, about an hour east of Toronto. The town’s population was the same size as Salt Spring’s, and it had a similar mix of farmers, business owners, artists and writers (among them Farley Mowat). Through unusual […]

Some folks are using the history of our friend Mickey McLeod and his business, Salt Spring Coffee, to suggest that things would be very different if we had a municipality here. I won’t argue with his version of the story, nor will I take on the folks who are advocating for him. That said, here’s […]

Salt Spring Coffee was forced off the island some time ago, and now the last remnant of that unique success story, the RoCo cafe, is closing its doors.  Tree House is open and operating, but the bureaucratic hurricane that surrounds that venerable landmark may eventually take its toll.  The Source has closed its doors, as […]

Having run in the 2011 Islands Trust election as a clear opponent of yet another referen- dum on incorporation, I have been asked my position this time around. Has my view changed? First, I would like to thank those on both sides of this debate for the substance and tone of their appeals. Unfortunately, I […]

Let me start at the end of my story: only a municipality can bring together Salt Spring’s various agencies, coordinate and provide solutions. Disjointed problem-solving creates interminable delays despite a consensus that something be done to help young families establish themselves here. A new beginning in the fall of 2012, my partner and I decided […]

Over 700 islanders — your friends, colleagues, and neighbours — have come out against incorporation. Click on this link to see who has signed on, including: Dan Jason, Andrea Le Borgne, David Miller, Richard Murakami, Andrea Palframan, Sue Newman, Deirdre Roland, Brian Brett, Jade Snow Rosen, Bob Twaites, Sue Earle, Harry Warner, Lea Weir, Tiff […]

When we moved to Salt Spring ten years ago we bought a charming, iconic one of a kind local treasure in the Tree House Cafe. We also bought a business that needed much repair and upgrading. There were many things that were falling apart, but the opinion we heard from many long time locals was […]

If you need only one good reason to vote NO… It is a fact that every municipality in BC struggles to pay for their increasing costs for infrastructure—roads, police, parks, fire protection, and so on. This puts a huge amount of pressure on their councils to either raise taxes, which everyone is resistant to, or […]

On September 9 Islanders will be faced with two drastically different visions for local governance. The choice we are being offered, however, was not “made on Salt Spring.” It was carefully crafted by a provincial government guided by its own interests — downloading massive costs onto a fledgling municipality. Take roads. (The province would love […]