This report relates to the business of the Salt Spring Local Trust Committee (LTC), which is made up of the two local trustees and an appointed chair. The LTC’s responsibilities include regulating the development and use of land within the Salt Spring Local Trust Area, which includes Salt Spring Island and more than 25 associated islands including Prevost, Secret, and Piers islands. Our next regular meeting will be on March 20th beginning at 9:30 AM at the Salt Spring Legion, Meaden Hall, 120 Blain Road. The agenda will be available on March 14th on the Islands Trust website. Office staff are available to help should you have questions about getting to our meetings or viewing them on-line. Please call 250-538-9144 or email ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca for support. Please note that no in-person office is available on Salt Spring Island currently. Renovations will be commencing on a new office at 121 McPhillips Avenue, with intent to re-open to in-person service in Spring 202…

February 7 Twenty-two joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome Rob Botterell for his first time with us as our MLA. He was accompanied by his able and welcoming constituency assistant, Theresa Coles. (Don’t fret if you missed this opportunity: Rob plans to be with us the first Friday of each month, 11-1, SIMS classroom next to the Boardroom.) After his Territorial Acknowledgement, Rob added how grateful he was to be with us today and to have the opportunity to carry on the great work of former MLA Adam Olsen. When asked what “excites and delights” him, he shared his pleasure that 2025 will bring us the opportunity to work on shared issues, commitment to successfully address issues, and joy with the melting snow - allowing him to be with us today without worrying about driving in treacherous snow. The first question from a participant acknowledged appreciation of his first newsletter. (Want to receive this bi-weekly newsletter? ) She asked about the results of the…

PRESS RELEASE – January 30, 2025 North Salt Spring Waterworks District Approves Partial Lift of Moratorium on Maxwell Lake System. Following the completion of detailed analyses of water supply reliability and water system infrastructure, and several months of community engagement and feedback, the North Salt Spring Waterworks District (NSSWD) Board has approved a partial lift of its water moratorium policy (Moratorium) that has been in place since 2014. The NSSWD Board and staff have taken great efforts to responsibly manage Salt Spring Island’s largest yet limited water supply by using a science-based approach to assess future water supply reliability and potential improvements. While there is considerable demand for housing on Salt Spring Island, NSSWD is taking a cautious approach with this significant change for our community. It has been determined that the current supply availability for the Maxwell system can assist with the current housing need in the Ganges area…

The Salt Spring Island Local Community Commission (LCC) is holding a public town hall meeting on Thursday, January 9, at 5:00 in the SIMS Board Room. The focus of the town hall is to answer voter questions, and to elicit feedback, on the proposed 2025 CRD/LCC budget. The proposed “provisional” budget, approved by the LCC in September, will be given final approval by the LCC at a special meeting scheduled for January 30. The CRD Board will approve the final budget in its entirety in March. The January 9 town hall will provide one of the last public opportunities for Salt Spring voters to discuss the budget with their elected commissioners before the budget is set to be finalized. The CRD Board approved its provisional budget for 2025, including that of the SSI Local Community Commission (LCC), at its October 30 meeting. The provisional budget is prepared by CRD staff based on a number of factors, including inflation, negotiated wage and salary settlements and contractual obli…

This report relates to the business of the Salt Spring Local Trust Committee (LTC), which is made up of the two local trustees and an appointed chair. The LTC’s responsibilities include regulating the development and use of land within the Salt Spring Local Trust Area, which includes Salt Spring Island and more than 25 associated islands including Prevost, Secret, and Piers islands. Our next regular meeting will be on February 13th beginning at 9:30 AM at the Salt Spring Legion, Meaden Hall, 120 Blain Road. The agenda will be available on February 7th on the Islands Trust website. Office staff are available to help should you have questions about getting to our meetings or viewing them on-line. Please call 250-538-9144 or email ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca for support. Please note that no in-person office is available on Salt Spring Island currently. Renovations will be commencing on a new office at 121 McPhillips Avenue, with intent to re-open to in-person service in Spring …

Local Trust Committee November Update, by Trustee Laura Patrick This report relates to the business of the Salt Spring Local Trust Committee (LTC), which is made up of the two local trustees and an appointed chair. The LTC’s responsibilities include regulating the development and use of land within the Salt Spring Local Trust Area, which includes Salt Spring Island and more than 25 associated islands including Prevost, Secret, and Piers islands. Our next regular meeting will be on December 12th beginning at 9:30 AM at the Salt Spring Legion, Meaden Hall, 120 Blain Road. The agenda will be available on December 6th on the Islands Trust website. Office staff are available to help should you have questions about getting to our meetings or viewing them on-line. Please call 250-538-9144 or email ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca for support. Please note that no in-person office is available on Salt Spring Island at this time. Renovations will be commencing on a new office at 121 McP…

Islands Trust, on behalf of the Galiano Island Local Trust Committee, has filed a petition in the BC Supreme Court in order to preserve the unique environment of Wise Island, an island within the Galiano Island Local Trust Area. The claim seeks remediation of a property on Wise Island where trees were cut without a permit in an area protected by a Shoreline and Marine Development Permit Area. The Galiano Island Local Trust Committee’s Shoreline and Marine Development Permit Area safeguards sensitive shorelines, and outlines regulations and guidelines for development. As required by the Galiano Island Official Community Plan, known as Bylaw 108, physical and ecological characteristics of shorelines in the Galiano Island Local Trust Area must be carefully managed to avoid potential negative impacts of development. The Galiano Island Local Trust Committee has been addressing this breach of Bylaw 108 with the property owner since 2022 and has provided several opportunities for…

The following is a statement from the Salt Spring Island's Local Community Commissioners. SIMS Community Space Proposal Recently, Salt Spring's Local Community Commission (LCC) has heard from community members concerned by plans to rent space in Salt Spring Island Multi Space (SIMS) to the Chuan Society. The Society has proposed a short-term pilot project to create a place where community members can gather, work on creative projects, participate in workshops, talking circles, and have a warm place to connect with other members of the community during colder months. The concerned community members may not be aware that space in SIMS was used for a similar purpose just last year, when classroom 2 was rented by the Green Ground Community Design Society as a “maker space," serving the same community members as the Chuan project aims to serve. During the time this was operating, there were no significant conflicts with other users and no incidents raising concerns for the …

Local Trust Committee October Update, by Trustee Laura Patrick This report relates to the business of the Salt Spring Local Trust Committee (LTC), which is made up of the two local trustees and an appointed chair. The LTC’s responsibilities include regulating the development and use of land within the Salt Spring Local Trust Area, which includes Salt Spring Island and more than 25 associated islands including Prevost, Secret, and Piers islands. Our next regular meeting will be on November 14th beginning at 12:30 PM at the Salt Spring Legion, Meaden Hall, 120 Blain Road. The agenda will be available on November 8th on the Islands Trust website. Office staff are available to help should you have questions about getting to our meetings or viewing them on-line. Please call 250-538-9144 or email ssiinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca for support. Please note that no in-person office is available on Salt Spring Island at this time. Renovations will be commencing on a new office at 121 McP…

Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – Islands Trust Council is pleased to announce the hiring of Rueben Bronee as Islands Trust’s new Chief Administrative Officer. Bronee will replace Russ Hotsenpiller, who retired in June 2024 after more than eight years in the role. Julia Mobbs, Islands Trust’s Director of Administrative Services, has served as the Interim Chief Administrative Officer since July. “After an extensive search process via an executive search firm, I’m delighted to announce that Rueben Bronee will be joining us as our new Chief Administrative Officer,” said Peter Luckham, Chair of the Islands Trust Council. “Rueben is a trusted public sector executive. He has extensive experience leading high-profile transformation initiatives and providing strategic advice. We look forward to working with him as we finalize and implement our strategic plan, and as we carry out the preserve and protect mandate of Islands Trust.” “We also wish to provide our sincerest thanks…

October 11 With only a few gathering to welcome Local Community Commissioners Ben Corno and Earl Rook, this ASK Salt Spring conversation was casual. This informal format allowed participants to get to know these two Local Commissioners, better understanding their perspectives on a wide range of issues. Chair Earl Rook offered us our Territorial Acknowledgment. He began by telling us about a recent play he attended at ArtSpring, “Much Ado About Nothing,” that explored the too-frequent hollowness of our Territorial Acknowledgements. Earl acknowledged Islands Trust Local Chair Tim Peterson for his recent heartfelt Acknowledgement, committing himself to avoid rote and rehearsed acknowledgements. Noting that the new Penelakut Chief Pam Jack had also attended this recent Local Islands Trust meeting, Earl asked us to think about this stolen land on which we live. He lamented that settlers buying land are seldom told about the First Nations that were here first. When he and his…

We just had the second worst wildfire season on record (and only second to a memorable 2023). The city of Jasper burned down. A friend of mine had to evacuate from her thru-hike through the rockies as she heard that fires were eclipsing the trail a day’s walk away. BC sits on what is now known as a “carbon bomb”. If the methane gas (marketed as natural gas) from fracking wells in the Montney Formation in Northern BC is shipped around the world and burned, it will create over a gigatonne of climate pollution, thickening the blanket of gases that create the hot dry conditions that make each summer’s fires more frightening than the last. Additionally, when methane gas leaks, it is 86x stronger as a greenhouse gas than when it is burned. Ignoring this inconvenient reality is how proponents greenwash LNG. Even if leakages can be managed domestically, markets abroad receiving this gas will not have the same standards. At the Salt Spring and Saanich fall fairs, myself and a f…

Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – At its quarterly meeting in September 2024, Islands Trust Council voted to request that the Province of British Columbia undertake a review of the Islands Trust's mandate, governance model, and structure. The Islands Trust Council made the same request in 2022. It is Islands Trust Council’s recomendation that the Province conduct a comprehensive review of the Islands Trust Act, similar in scope to the work of the parlimantary committee that led to the creation of Islands Trust 50 years ago. Islands Trust Council believes it is essential that the many Indigenous peoples with interests in the lands and waters of the Trust Area be involved through their governing bodies, not only as participants in the review, but also as partners in the development of its terms of reference. Islands Trust Council is seeking alignment with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and believes it is of paramount importance that Islands Trus…

Parties Respond To Key Concerns of the Rural Islands and Remote Coastal Communities As a public service for rural islanders and rural coastal communities the Rural Islands Economic Partnership (RIEP) issued a call for the BC Conservative Party, the BC Green Party, the BC New Democratic Party, to respond to questions about their Party’s position on key issues of concern for BC’s rural-remote-Indigenous coastal communities. Read their responses: Election 2024 Responses Table – All Parties RIEP believes that being an informed voter is crucial to the health of our Canadian democracy. When voters are knowledgeable about the candidates, policies, and issues on the ballot, they are better equipped to make decisions that align with their values and the needs of their communities. Informed voting helps ensure that elected leaders are accountable and representative of the public’s interests, rather than being chosen based on personality or misinformation. Responses to these q…

September 27 NOTE: Those of you who are watching carefully may wonder why Electoral Director/Local Community Commissioner (LCC) Gary Holman is often our ASK Salt Spring special guest. This is a result of circumstances: Chair Earl Rook has been on a family holiday in Europe, Ben Corno’s work schedule has interfered, and Brian Webster is in the midst of apple harvesting. (And I, Gayle, am busy taking notes in preparation for the writing of this report.) That will change as Earl is due back soon, Ben’s work schedule has changed, and Brian’s apples will soon be harvested. So, please plan to welcome a varying combination of two Local Commissioners the second week of every month, beginning Friday, October 11. (Gary has been a consistent guest of ASK Salt Spring since it began fall 2019. If you want to check out reports of his visits - as well those of other special guests - nearly 200 searchable reports! - please check out our brand new website: asksaltspring.com.) This gath…

This report relates to the business of the Salt Spring Local Trust Committee (LTC), which is made up of the two local trustees and an appointed chair. The LTC’s responsibilities include regulating the development and use of land within the Salt Spring Local Trust Area, which includes Salt Spring Island and more than 25 associated islands including Prevost, Secret, and Piers islands. The LTC will hold a special electronic meeting on October 1st beginning at 1:30 PM to address several business items. As with all of our meetings, it is open to the public and the meeting link and agenda are available on the Islands Trust website. Our next regular meeting will be on October 10th beginning at 9:30 AM. This will also be an electronic meeting that is open to the public, and a meeting link and agenda will be available on October 4th on the Islands Trust website. Office staff are available to help should you have questions about getting to our meetings or viewing them on-line. P…

September 20 A small group gathered to welcome Electoral Director/Local Community Commissioner (LCC), Gary Holman, as well as LCC member Gayle Baker. After a lovely Territorial Acknowledgement by notetaker Sheila Dobie, facilitator Grant Fredrickson asked guests what “excites and delights” them. While, with a wry smile, Gary said that he is simply not the “excited and delighted” type, he proceeded to congratulate the North Salt Spring Waterworks District (NSSWD) for its intention to relax the water moratorium to allow for some additional hookups in the area served by Mount Maxwell Lake. Gary acknowledged the staff and trustees of NSSWD for their diligence in gathering and analyzing needed data to make a prudent and scientific decisions concerning current and future water needs. It is estimated that this relaxation of the NSSWD moratorium could result in as many as 300 new hookups. While details are still needed, this is very, very good news, expected to provide water for im…

September 13 Eighteen joined us for all or part of the time for this very special ASK Salt Spring gathering welcoming Adam Olsen for his last time with us as our MLA. (Be sure, he is very likely to join us again in one of his future community roles!) We began with a Territorial Acknowledgement exploring the concept of reciprocity, a social norm of honest communication in which each can share their needs and is willing to meet the needs of the other person. This is often giving and getting something in return either immediately or in the future. Adam spoke of this as the core of most religions and its central importance to his culture, seeing our land intricately related, its people all relatives reciprocally supporting each other. Adam noted that, with the exception of Gary Holman when he was our MLA from 2013-2017, it was too easy for MLA’s to ignore our islands and focus on the more populated areas in their riding, forgetting that we are all related. Adam understands…

Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – The Islands Trust office on Salt Spring Island will be moving to a new, conveniently-located office space this winter. Islands Trust has secured a multi-year lease for new office space in Ganges Village, Salt Spring Island at 121 McPhillips Avenue. "We are looking forward to a new office space for the public to engage with Islands Trust staff on Salt Spring Island," said Chair Peter Luckham, Chair of Islands Trust Council. "A physical location for Islands Trust on Salt Spring Island is important to being part of the largest community in the Islands Trust Area and to providing the public with convenient access to in-person assistance.” The new Islands Trust location is adjacent to the Capital Regional District location, facilitating continued cooperation. Through the fall, the new office space will be renovated to ensure it meets requirements for staff and the public. Islands Trust will continue to provide in-person services at its cur…

August 23 A small group (plus another well-behaved pup) gathered to learn all about our community radio CHiR.fm. President of the Gulf Islands Community Radio Society, Damian Inwood, was familiar to many of us as a regular ASK Salt Spring participant, interviewing our special guests after most gatherings. (Interested? Check out ASK Salt Spring Answered Damian was joined by society Secretary Charley Miller and Treasurer David Crouch. We also owe thanks to facilitator Sheila Dobie and notetaker Julie Thomson for their invaluable contributions to this gathering. After a Territorial Acknowledgement by Damian, speaking of the power of Indigenous communities helping one another in troubled times, we learned a bit about the history of our new local radio station, CHiR.fm. The Gulf Islands Community Radio Society was formed in 2015 after the previous Salt Spring station, CFSI, had failed and had its licence revoked by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commissi…