Now is the time for teamwork. One candidate is making a lot of noise, spreading falsehoods and half-truths as if he alone has all the answers. But an effective board of directors is not about one person pursuing their own agenda, at significant cost to the ratepayers. There is one team that can help secure our safety and keep things on track, working together for Salt Spring’s future. That is the team of Cook, Hetherington and Martin.

The Salt Spring Island Fire Improvement District, known as Salt Spring Fire Rescue or simply the Fire Department, has come a long way in the last five years. After earning a 75% vote of support from ratepayers for borrowing the necessary funds, we have planned and built the new firehall on time and on budget.
Now, more than ever, we need teamwork to meet the challenges facing Salt Spring. You have three votes to help us meet the challenges we face:
• Bringing the new firehall to completion smoothly, on budget and on time.
• Building emergency firefighting capacity (such as water storage on site, and the planned 750,000-gallon pond behind Fulford Hall).
• Growing wisely to meet the new demands of firefighting on SSI (such as deploying a pre-owned ladder truck to reach several multi story properties).
• Planning prudently for a new north end satellite firehall in 2030 (which will include topping up reserve funds, potential donation of land, and proper seismic considerations).
• Keeping taxes low.
Elect a team that works for you.
Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue needs trustees that can work together to meet the challenges ahead. Elect a team that is experienced, capable and on the same page:
o Incumbent trustees Rollie Cook (Chair) and Mary Lynn Hetherington (two term trustee, who have helped lead the board from planning through to the opening of the new firehall in May, on budget and on time.
o Darryl Martin, a retired professional engineer who is new to the board. Darryl is an accomplished community leader who has chaired CRD’s economic development committee and sat on the SSI Chamber of Commerce.