Sexual assault affects a person in many ways. It can be disorienting, confusing, and frightening trying to get the assistance the survivor most needs. Even trying to get the most basic help can make someone feel vulnerable and afraid. And for some survivors, they stop seeking support then and there. First—what is sexual assault? Sexual assault is any form of sexual contact done without consent. And it happens with disturbing regularity on the Gulf Islands. In response to this problem, IWAV is launching a Sexual Assault Response Program on the Southern Gulf Islands. Starting July 15, sexual assault survivors on the islands will be able to access a free, coordinated emergency response by a team of professionals. These services are available 24/7 through the Sexual Assault Response line. The local number is (250) 931-7712 and the toll-free line 1-833-946-1706. There are three key aspects of the new Sexual Assault Response Program (SARP): emergency response, ongoing suppor…

In the early 1990s, our community center launched a Sustainable Salt Spring Island Roundtable, including members from as many facets of the SSI community as possible. We met every week for a couple of years and published a booklet on Sustainable Development. Through our conversations, we recognized that the most effective way to initiate transformation in sustainable living would be to change how we build. So, in 1992, we organized a Sustainable Building Conference on Salt Spring Island. Leaders in sustainability from across the continent responded to our invitation to participate. Speakers included David Easton, the leading rammed earth expert; Malcolm Wells, the expert in underground building; Carole Venolia, a leading architect and educator for healthy buildings; and advocates for permaculture and strawbale building. It was an amazing weekend of talks at the Elementary School gym that received an enthusiastic response from the community with over 1,000 people attending…

As another school year comes to an end, The Circle Salt Spring Education Society would like to thank all of its members, donors, and funders for their unwavering support over the last year. Everybody has felt the highs and lows of this past year as we all navigated the challenges of the pandemic. The Circle was fortunate to discover the silver linings of COVID-19 and be able to continue providing its social-emotional programs to youth in the community. The organization adapted its traditional delivery of programming to an innovative online platform that, for many teachers, proved to be more powerful. Says one teacher, "I love the interactive aspect of the video delivery—I didn't expect it to be so engaging for my students. Another perk is the flexibility of timing—I could fit the program anywhere into my weekly schedule. It was fun and super relevant." You may have noticed that The Circle rebranded a year ago. When the program facilitators noticed that the challenges stud…

A $10.4 million expansion project will bring improvements to emergency department patient care and privacy at Lady Minto Hospital. Capital costs for the project are being shared by the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation, which has pledged $7.4 million, and the Capital Regional Hospital District (CRHD), which will contribute $3 million. “We know that upgrades are needed to allow Lady Minto Hospital and its dedicated staff to continue to provide high quality care for Salt Spring Island residents,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “This project will greatly enhance patient-centred care for this region, providing patient privacy and the opportunity to provide more specialized treatment including for mental health and substance use.” “Island Health is grateful the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation and the CRHD have committed to funding this important expansion at Lady Minto Hospital,” said Leah Hollins, board chair, Island Health. “This project will help support excellent healthc…

To see the waters surrounding the Gulf Islands simply as ‘the perfect background for a selfie’, is to miss the secrets of the colourful flora and fauna that live below the waves. At low tide, purple, orange and green alien-like species stand out among the rocks. From sea stars to sea cucumbers, the coast has hosted an array of marine life for millions of years. With the passing of World Ocean’s Day, we should recognize not only how vulnerable these species are to human impact, but also, how we can bolster their resilience and our own. Human activity does not degrade the ocean by default. In fact, Coast Salish peoples have refined techniques over thousands of years and built infrastructure that improves the survival of Butter clams, supports biodiversity and protects shorelines from storm surges and erosion. Sea gardens (A.K.A. clam gardens) are a technology that involves building a rock wall at the low tide line. This increases inter-tidal habitat and harbours an abunda…

The Salt Spring Island Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 Neighbourhood Small Grants. These grants (up to $500) support projects that fit the grant priorities: respect and celebrate diversity, connect and engage residents to increase community resilience, foster creativity and wellbeing while sharing skills and knowledge, and tackle social isolation. There are 32 projects taking place on Salt Spring Island this summer as part of the Neighbourhood Small Grants program. All project leaders are required to follow BC public health orders, recommendations and guidelines to ensure physical distancing protocols at the time that the project occurs and are encouraged to deliver their projects online. Anti-Racist Summer Reading A project to support teachers in furthering their education by supplying summer reading materials about anti-racism, social justice, diversity, and inclusion principles. A small lending library will be set up in the Gulf Islan…

As chair of the Capital Regional District (CRD) Liquid Waste Commission for the last few years, I’ve come to realize that there’s more to  flushing than meets the eye. It seems easy enough: just throw things down your toilet or sink and they magically disappear! Not so! It’s really important to pay attention to the rest of the story. Here on Salt Spring your drains either go to a septic tank or a sewer treatment plant. In both cases, what you put into the system matters a lot. Firstly, only poop, pee and toilet paper should go down the toilet. Please don’t throw wipes, hygiene products, condoms, cotton swabs, or dental floss down the drain. Even if it says flushable on the package, our systems can’t handle it! (The same goes for grease down the kitchen sink.) Secondly, only green cleaners should be used when they are going to enter the system, either septic or sewage.  (As a veterinarian and animal welfare consultant I encourage you to use only non-tested-on-animals pr…

Island Health has launched an awareness campaign for men who use drugs to help prevent overdose deaths and support men to break the silence about their drug use. “People use drugs for many, complex reasons, and often even the people closest to those who’ve overdosed didn’t know they were using,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “That’s why breaking down stigma about who uses drugs is so important. Let’s have open conversations that encourage people to break the silence and reach out for help.” Last year in the Island Health region, 263 people died from illicit drug toxicity. Of those people, 225 were men - and 126 of them were in a private residence when they overdosed. “We know that among those who die from toxic drug poisoning, men who use alone are at greatest risk,” said Dr. Richard Stanwick, Island Health’s Vice President, Population Health & Chief Medical Health Officer. “We want them to know their lives matter - and there are sup…

As the province’s public health emergency regarding substance related harms enters its sixth year, the BC Coroners Service reports that toxic illicit drugs have claimed the lives of 158 British Columbians in March 2021. This raises the total number of deaths in the province for the year to 498. “Once again, we are reminded of the incredible toll that the toxic drug emergency is having on communities throughout our province,” said Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, BC Coroners Service. “The illicit drug supply in British Columbia is volatile and unpredictable, and anyone using a substance from this unregulated market is vulnerable to serious injury or death.” The 158 deaths represent a 41% increase over the 112 deaths recorded in March 2020 and ties the previous high for March established in 2018. For the third consecutive month, more than five British Columbians lost their lives to illicit drugs every day, and the yearly total to date surpassed the previous high of 401 deat…

The community health network on Salt Spring, the Salt Spring Health Advancement Network (SSHAN), began eight and a half years ago as a doctor recruitment committee. It was soon realized that issues related to the recruitment of doctors were closely connected to issues related to community health. Over time the committee evolved into a community health network, with two main focus areas of concern - seniors and mental health. Since Salt Spring is a retirement community, seniors are a primary focus. Mental health is another focus because it is the most common health issue in our community. In 2019, the Salt Spring Community Health Society conducted a Community Health Needs Assessment survey. Results identified mental as health as the most prevalent issue faced by community members. Non-emergency mental health services have long wait times or are unavailable to half of the people who seek them. 39% of respondents say emergency mental health services are unavailable certain hour…

New and expanded day surgery unit which supports Gulf Island residents opens at Saanich Peninsula Hospital - On Monday April 12th, at 10:00 am, staff at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital celebrated the opening of a new and expanded Day Surgery Unit. As a part of the opening ceremonies, local First Nations elders May Sam, Patti Underwood and Barb Henry conducted a blessing for the new facility. “Without the support of our generous and dedicated donors, this project would not have been possible”, says Shelley Mann, Chair of the Saanich Peninsula Hospital & Healthcare Foundation. “These friends and neighbours of ours on the Saanich Peninsula contributed the entire cost of the project – $3.5 million dollars. We are so grateful to them for helping our hospital continue to meet the needs of our growing and changing community.” “We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Saanich Peninsula Hospital and Healthcare Foundation and the many donors who supported this project and …

The Salt Spring Island Chapter of the Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice, on behalf of your local family doctors, would like to provide an update on our primary care provider shortage and how we are working to resolve it. We recognize the importance of Salt Springers having access to longitudinal primary care and realize that Dr. David Beaver’s recent retirement left more residents without a family physician. Unfortunately, this means that many of you are accessing your primary care needs through the emergency at Lady Minto Hospital, travelling to walk-in clinics off island or increasingly through virtual primary care clinics. We are working with our health authority, community and Ministry partners to find ways to attract and keep family doctors on the Island. Island Health and Health Match BC have been actively recruiting physicians and a nurse practitioner for the Island. Recently, the Salt Spring Island Chapter formed a Recruitment and Retention Working Group t…