My wife and I were enjoying our fifth year on Salt Spring Island when the pandemic hit. As we hunkered down, like many others in this wonderful community, I looked for a way to use my unexpected free time to give back to the island. Our company, Terrier Marketing, works with manufacturers that supply the entertainment industry, among others. When one of them came up with images that could be projected on the sides of buildings, I knew I had what I was looking for. I needed to find a building that would provide a surface that could be projected on, and a corresponding secure location where I could locate the projector. A careful study of buildings along Fulford Ganges Road found only one pair of buildings that would meet my needs. Dan Spiess at Salt Spring Physiotherapy gave his permission to use his temporarily shuttered clinic and enthusiastic support for what he called “this noble project”. Jeremy Milsom at Salt Spring Inn allowed us to use his exterior wall as a screen. …

The Salt Spring Literacy Board has made a difficult decision: we have cancelled the annual Book and Jewellery Sale, which is held in November. The preparation and planning process for this sale begins in April. The volunteers need seven months to collect, sort, clean, repair and price donated items. We are unable to collect the books due to the need for social distancing and limiting the exchange and handling of goods. The volunteers who contribute the countless hours to make the sale possible would be put at risk should we begin collecting before it is entirely safe to do so. Please hang on to your books as we depend on your donations. We will communicate as soon as we can coordinate a book collection in a safe manner. Jewellery donations are easier to manage in a safe way. Island Savings has agreed to have a collection bin for jewellery in its branch, effective May 1. This bin is a safe receptacle for your treasured donations – simply drop your jewels into a hole at the…

These students are a combined choir from the Grade 3/4/5 classes at both Fernwood and Salt Spring Island Elementary Schools, in Salt Spring Island B.C. Each school, lead by music teacher Whitney Walker, was excited to enter the CBC Challenge, but decided to work together to combine their voices, rather than submit two tapes. They have met weekly at noon for the last month or so in their respective schools, to learn their song. “Scars to Your Beautiful,” by Alessia Cara, was the Canadian selection they chose, because of the beauty of the message; “Just Be Yourself.” Then they came together on taping day, meeting for the very first time, to create their tape together to submit to the Music Challenge as one large choir. What a great experience it was singing together! https://youtu.be/tcP8gzNg3u0

Five Salt Spring artists have been named as finalists for the Salt Spring National Art Prize (SSNAP). They are among the fifty or so artists from across Canada to have their work eligible to win one of nine awards, six selected by jurors and three selected by public vote. Local artists are also in the running to take home the prestigious Salt Spring Prize (Joan McConnell Award) of $20,000 as chosen by an independent jury. SSNAP provides both emerging and established artists an amazing opportunity to be part of the same Canadian artistic dialogue. With over 1,200 artists submitting original, two and three-dimensional works from coast to coast, here’s the list of Salt Spring artists selected as finalists: Bronwyn Austin Josephine Fletcher Krysta Furioso John David James Carol Narod Salt Spring’s John David James is the only Canadian artist to be a finalist in all three SSNAP exhibitions. He says he’s thrilled to be able to push the boundaries of his work and c…

The following article was written by Jennifer Cikaluk as part of a series of articles about filmmakers coming to the Salt Spring Film Festival on March 1-3, 2019. Filmmaker Rami Katz will be attending the festival and leading a discussion about the film following the screening. The Filmmaker series is sponsored by Mid island Co-op. THE ISSUE OF MR. O’DELL: An interview with Director Rami Katz Vancouver based filmmaker Rami Katz’s interest in the visual image first began with still photography. Then in a high school cinematography course, he found his new passion, filmmaking. He enrolled in the Simon Fraser University Film programme and later advanced his studies at UBC to receive his MFA in Film Production. His master thesis film, The Issue of Mr. O’Dell premiered in 2018 and has been very well received. To date he has directed and produced several short length documentaries and his films have been screened at film festivals around the world. The Issue of Mr. O’Dell is…

The following article was written by Jennifer Cikaluk as part of a series about filmmakers coming to the Salt Spring Film Festival on March 1-3, 2019. Filmmaker Greg Durrell will be attending the festival and leading a discussion about his film following the screening. The Filmmaker series is sponsored by Mid Island Co-op. DESIGN CANADA: An interview with Director Greg Durrell Design Canada is a film which chronicles the becoming of Canada’s identity. When you take a look at Canadian iconic graphic design, it is easy to see Canada is one of the most well branded countries in the world. But where did it all begin? “Did Canadians design these symbols or in fact did these symbols design Canada” (Design Canada) Greg Durrell, a graphic designer and partner of a Vancouver based design firm, first became interested in graphic design in high school. He dreamed about being on the design team for the Olympic Games and eventually that is exactly what he did. Inspired by the de…

The following article was written by Jennifer Cikaluk as part of a series of articles about filmmakers coming to the Salt Spring Film Festival on March 1-3, 2019. Filmmaker Andrea Palframan who resides on Salt Spring will be attending the festival and leading a discussion about the film following the screening. The Filmmaker series is sponsored by Mid Island Co-op RAVEN PEOPLE RISING: An interview with Director Andrea Palframan On October 13, 2016 the tug boat Nathan E. Stewart ran aground off the shores of the Heiltsuk people’s territory in one of the most pristine habitats in the world and one of the last and largest intact temperate rain forests on the planet. The Heiltsuk have been faithful stewards of this territory along the Central Coast of British Columbia for centuries. It’s a place where sea meets the land within the Great Bear Rain Forest. “Heiltsuk territory is a vast and beautiful place. It’s a place which I call home with all my relatives. My home consist…