News - Salt Spring Exchange

Salt Spring’s Climate Adaptation Research Lab Launches as Independent Society

Something significant has been quietly growing along with the trees on the slopes of Hwmetʼutsum (Mt. Maxwell) for the past four years — and it just took a big step forward. The Climate Adaptation Research Lab, known to most people on Salt Spring simply as CARL, has officially registered as an independent Society. The CARL team is greatly appreciative for the support and collaboration from Transition Salt Spring and North Salt Spring Water Works, two organizations which helped catalyze this growth of CARL. Starting in 2021, the Maxwell Creek Watershed Project (not yet known as CARL) stemmed from a pressing question arising from the community: what is the true condition of the forests above Maxwell Lake, and how vulnerable are they to fire? These questions are important for those who rely on the water from Maxwell Lake, which is nearly half of the residents on Salt Spring. It is also a question on the minds of communities across our region. Leading the science is Dr. Ruth…

Voted Off The Island

The Real Story Behind Salt Spring Coffee I came to Salt Spring Island in 1981 to visit my brother, Ross. I never left, at least not by choice. What started as a visit turned into a life. Ross was farming out at Mansell Farm, and something about the island grabbed hold of me. The pace, the community, the sense that you could build something real here. Salt Spring Island in those days had a population of around 5,000. It wasn't the tourist destination it's become, it was a working island, full of long-time families, farmers, artists, and people who'd come looking for an alternative way of living. Robbyn and I rekindled our lives around that time (a whole other story), and together we started an organic market garden at Mansell Farm. This was before "organic" was a marketing term. It was just how we grew food; carefully, attentively, with respect for the land. In 1985, our daughter Metta was born at the farm. That same year I started my sawmill business The mill be…

Community People Profile: Ethan Wilding

Tell us a bit about your background: I was born and raised in the Yukon, the son of small-business owners. The North gave me two things that stuck: a deep respect for the land, and the habit of finishing what I start. That respect led me to a Ph.D. in Environmental Ethics, which I went on to teach for years, and later to building and running multiple cutting-edge companies. After a few chapters in other cities, I have happily called Salt Spring home since 2020. These days, most people know me as "the FabLab guy." Through the Wilding Foundation, I've fully funded the FabLab for the past five years and pitched in to help plenty of other local programs along the way. Since moving to the island, I met the love of my life, Bahareh. We were recently married here at the maker space where we hold shoe making workshops and host events for local organizations. Fun fact: I made Bahareh’s wedding shoes. And that’s the thing about Salt Spring: it encourages you to be the…

Some Places Still Remember How to Gather

It's easy to forget what community actually feels like. We talk about it all the time. We say we want more of it. We worry that we've lost it. But then, every so often, you wander into a place where community gathers, shares, and enjoys itself a little like "old times." Salon Sundays at Stonewell Farm feels a little like that. If you've never been, it's difficult to describe without making it sound like a festival, because technically it is. There are musicians and workshops and local food and drinks, farm animals wandering about, children with room to be children, shady places to sit, conversations that stretch longer than expected, and enough corners to discover that no two visits feel quite the same. And yet somehow the feeling of the day isn't one of entertainment. It's one of ease. People arrive with blankets and picnic baskets. Kids pulling parents into their adventures. Someone you vaguely know introduces you to someone they've just met. Music uplifts w…

Ruckle Park Service Returns for the Summer

BC Transit and the Capital Regional District are informing transit users of an upcoming change to the Salt Spring Island Transit System effective June 25, 2026. As part of this service change, Route 9 service to Ruckle Park will start back up and remain in place until October 1, 2026. To better align with BC Ferries service, there will be changes made to the following routes: Route 2 Fulford Harbour Route 3 Vesuvius Route 4 Long Harbour Schedules on these routes have been adjusted to vary by the day of the week. Specific trip time and schedule changes can be found in the most recent Rider’s Guide. For more information on trip planning, fares or to sign up for customer alerts, please visit bctransit.com/salt-spring-island

What's on This Week on CHIR-FM

A conversation with poet and Zen teacher Peter Levitt, an interview with Figs and Honey owner Lisa Sliwowska, a show celebrating fatherhood and the usual fare of fantastic music from many genres are among the audio treats this coming week on CHIR-FM, the Voice of the Gulf Islands. Tune in to 107.9 FM (or 102.1 FM in the South End) or stream the station online to hear more than 20 unique local programs on your community radio station. Tuesday (June 16) 10-11 a.m: On TRUpreneur, host David Crouch will be in conversation with Lisa Sliwowska, owner of Figs and Honey, about her business focused on beauty therapy and healing arts. Tuesday (June 16) 5-6 p.m. On Connections, host David Minkow celebrates Father’s Dad by playing music from John Hiatt to Johnny Cash about all kinds of fathers. Show re-airs Thursdays at 5 pm and Saturdays at 5 pm. Thursday (June 18) 10-11 a.m. On Check it Out, hosted by library volunteer Cecilia Low, the featured guest will be local poe…

Ethan Wilding to Run for Trust

When Salt Spring works it is because of the people who show up. The volunteers. The tradespeople. The parents who coach our teams. The farmers who feed us. The artists and musicians who run the festivals. The Lady Minto extended care volunteers and the quiet heroes who keep this island alive when no one is watching. When Salt Spring doesn't work it is because we forget that waiting for someone else to fix what only we can, never works. Our problems are real. But no cavalry is coming to save us. We need to stop pretending that if we do nothing it will all be okay. Neither our forests nor our communities will flourish if we leave them to care for themselves. Both need stewarding. Luckily, our strengths are greater than our problems. The only thing holding us back right now is that we are stuck: in ideas that don’t work anymore and in a local government that has run on a complaints-driven model for so long that it only answers to the loudest voices, not the wisest decisi…

A Community Working Together Towards Food Security

As the growing season gets underway, we have much to celebrate and be thankful for at Harvest Farm at Island Community Services. A giant heartfelt thank you goes out to Windsor Plywood, Forsyth Farm, and Charles Excavating for their generous support of Harvest Farm Central at Brinkworthy and Lower Ganges Roads. Their contributions have helped us complete important work, including improving drainage around our greenhouses, moving topsoil into growing spaces, and preparing the land for the arrival of our AgriKit – a modular food processing and storage unit, thanks to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. These improvements put us in a strong position to plant cover crops this season and establish winter crops in our greenhouses later this year. We are grateful for the support of local businesses that help make this work possible and strengthen food security in our community. Our Grow a Row campaign is off to a great start, with 14 community members already signed up to g…

Salt Spring Island Local Community Commission (LCC) Meeting Report for May 21, 2026

The Salt Spring Island Local Community Commission (LCC) held its regular May daytime business meeting on Thursday, May 21, at 9:00 am at the SIMS Board Room (streaming online with TEAMS). The full 286 page agenda package, including minutes of previous meeting, presentations, staff reports, and supporting documentation, is available online. Presentations and Delegations - The LCC received a delegation from Kristin Peebles and Tim Hiltz, Salt Spring Island Foundation, on agenda item 7.1. Salt Spring Island Electoral Area 2026 Grant-In-Aid Application - Spring Intake. The Salt Spring Island Foundation provided an additional $20,000 in funding for the LCC Grant-In-Aid budget as well as a non-binding review and assessment of grant applications for the consideration of the LCC. - The LCC received a delegation from Kaen Seguin, Sweetgrass Arts and Music, on agenda item 7.1. Salt Spring Island Electoral Area 2026 Grant-In-Aid Application - Spring Intake, speaking to the request …

What Would Make Salt Springers as Happy as Finlanders? Welcoming MLA Rob for a Lively Conversation

Twenty-four joined this ASK Salt Spring conversation to welcome MLA Rob Botterell. He offered our Land Acknowledgement, noting how moved he was that acknowledgements had become the beginning of so many meetings throughout the province. He expressed his privilege that we are able to live, eat, and work on these lands, benefitting from thousands of years of First Nations’ stewardship, wisdom, and knowledge. In closing, we learned that the Indigenous name he was gifted by Huu-ay-aht Nation, Naacałuk, means “Always Watching”. When participants were given the opportunity to introduce themselves, they were also asked to share what it would take for them to be as happy as Finlanders, recognized as the happiest people in the world. Answers included: - Solving the housing crisis with innovative solutions, affordable housing options for all, and homelessness a thing of the past, - A connected community with none in distress, our elderly and most vulnerable supported, - Civili…

Obituary: Ronald J. Martin

Ronald Martin August 22, 1931 –June 4, 2026 Ronald J Martin, dedicated educator, leader, lifelong lover of animals, baseball and the arts, passed away peacefully on June 4 at the age of 94. Ron is survived by his wife, two sons, two stepchildren, and beloved cat Alexander. He is predeceased by his dear cousins Marcia and Margo and his daughter Valerie who died of leukemia as a young girl — a loss he carried with quiet strength throughout his life. He earned a BA from Dartmouth and MBA from Columbia before moving to Carmel Valley with his wife Vivian where he ran a newspaper after serving in the US army. He then moved into education, teaching drama at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, and serving as head of Sheridan College’s Faculty Association. He was a prominent member of the OPSEU negotiating team and was instrumental in setting up the CAAT pension plan for college teachers. We will remember Ron for his love of children, his generosity, his loyal friendship and…

New Reel Highlights Free and Low-Cost Mental Wellness Support on Salt Spring

Did you know that many people who could benefit from mental health support never receive it simply because they cannot afford it? One quarter of the 22 million Canadians who would benefit from mental health support report cost as a barrier to accessing care. For rural communities like Salt Spring Island, finding timely and affordable support can be especially challenging. That is why the Mental Wellness Initiative created #ReachOutSaltSpring. #ReachOutSaltSpring is a community-driven program that connects Salt Spring residents with free or low-cost holistic mental wellness services. Through the generosity of participating practitioners, community members can access support from counsellors, coaches, bodyworkers, massage practitioners, reflexologists, and other wellness professionals. The program was created with a simple belief: everyone deserves access to support, regardless of their income or circumstances. To help spread awareness of this resource, I recently …

Obituary: Bo (Douglas) Filter

FILTER, Douglas Bruce (Bo) May 10, 1945 - January 05, 2026 Douglas Bruce Filter, 80, was born May 10, 1945 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. He lived on the family farm with his family. He was active in sports, especially football for the Bison team for the Central City High School. He also played in the concert band, was vice president of the Student Council, class representative and treasurer. When he finished High School he served in the US Navy, stationed in Puerto Rico as an Electronic Technician. After the Navy he graduated from the University of Nebraska with a BA in Psychology and a MA degree in Psychology in Santa Monica, California. He was a counsellor in the US before moving to Canada. During that time in the US, he refurbished a 1931 Studebaker which he later drove to BC to rent out for weddings and graduations. In BC, Bo became very involved in the peace movement and started an organization called S.O.S. (Save Our Seas), the idea being to stop warships from en…

Long Tables. Shared Harvests. Music Under the Stars. Hands in the Soil.

You know when you've planted a garden — beds built, weeds pulled, seeds watered — and then... nothing. Things grow very slowly.... painfully slowly. Slugs dine. Then, you wake up one morning to find everything suddenly flourishing, thanks to rain, sunlight, and all the unseen magic underground. That's how it feels this summer at the Farmland Trust. Though I have been the Executive Director since only May of 2025, I got involved in 2010: way, way back near the beginning, when a 60-acre farm had been entrusted to a group of dedicated islanders to become a resource for growers who wanted to farm, but couldn't access land at Salt Spring prices. Back then, tasked with building the first website, I sat with volunteers who all had this shiny glow of belief in their eyes as they tried to describe the community benefits of something that did not yet exist. Today, that vision has become real: hands in the soil, music under the stars, shared harvests and long tables full…

What's on This Week on CHIR-FM

An interview and recording of award-winning Indigenous composer Corey Payette at ArtSpring, a show celebrating Pride, and an interview with Eleanor Cocker of the Mayne Island Community Library are among the offerings on tap this week on CHIR-FM, the Voice of the Gulf Islands. Tune in to 107.9 FM (or 102.1 FM in the South End) or stream the station online to hear more than 20 unique local programs on your community radio station. Tuesday (June 9) 1-2 p.m.will be talking about the history of the Pride movement and playing accompanying music from through the decades. She welcomes song and theme suggestions at thissong@chir.fm. Show re-airs Thursdays at 1 pm and Saturdays at 1 pm. Wednesday (June 10) 6-8 p.m: On Saltspring Sessions, join host Sima Rehn as she interviews and shares a recent concert by award-winning Indigenous composer Corey Payette. Recorded at ArtSpring this winter, Closest Thing To Home is a cultural reckoning, a reclamation, and an invitation to reimagi…

Toward a More Inclusive and Resilient Future for Salt Spring

After nearly eight years in public office as one of your two Salt Spring Island Local Trustees, I have decided that I will not be seeking a third term in the upcoming local elections this fall. When I first stepped forward in 2018, I did so with a clear goal: to support the Islands Trust in better protecting the environment while also supporting a healthy, resilient community. Nearly a decade had passed since a woman had held the position of Local Trustee on Salt Spring Island, and many community members were actively looking for a new approach. I threw my hat in the ring determined to help move the island forward. Over two terms, I focused on the priorities that I heard about most from the community: improving housing outcomes, strengthening environmental stewardship, and modernizing our slow and confusing governance. I worked to build stronger relationships between the Islands Trust and the Capital Regional District, local commissions, water districts, and housing provi…

Night Rescue Highlights Skill of Salt Spring's Marine Search and Rescue Crew

A crackling marine radio call for help, a southerly wind roaring through Stuart Channel between Salt Spring and Vancouver Island at close to 80 km/hr, and waves of nearly three feet ... oh and, did I mention? It’s dark. This is not exactly the time any of us would choose to jump into a boat and head out to sea, but on the evening of March 24, just as they were finishing up their weekly crew meeting, a call from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre sent our local Marine Search and Rescue team (RCMSAR25) out into the proverbial ‘dark and stormy night’ to look for a distressed sailboat. Wearing their survival dry suits and radio helmets, and equipped with radar, night vision goggles, electronic charts, and powered by the combined 450 horsepower of the engines on their 28’ rigid-hulled inflatable, the team cast off from their dock at Vesuvius and started hunting for a drifting 27’ Catalina sailboat somewhere out in the dark. Radio communications were scratchy at best, an…

Roads 101: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Our Roads

Twenty-one joined this ASK Salt Spring conversation with our transportation experts, Ministry of Transportation and Transit’s (MoTT) Area Roads Manager Owen Page and Emcon’s Operations Manager Andrew Gaetz and Road Area Superintendent Craig Jantzi. After our Land Acknowledgement and a chance for each of us to introduce ourselves, we began to learn about the roles and responsibilities of our guests. We began with Andrew and Craig. Emcon, our roads maintenance contractor, is responsible for all of the provincial roads on Vancouver Island south from Crofton to Port Renfew, also including the Southern Gulf Islands and Salt Spring. Working closely with MoTT, their scope of responsibilities include emergency responses (largely snow and flood events) as well as road maintenance that spans from annual sweeping, brush cutting, mowing, ditching, and culvert replacement to pothole filling and smaller asphalt-replacement jobs. Unfortunately, some of their funding is also used to address…

The Repair Café Effect: Fixing Things, Strengthening Community

When a lamp lights up again, a zipper slides smoothly, or a beloved sweater gets a second life, something important has happened. An item has been repaired and kept out of the landfill. But at Salt Spring's Repair Cafés, something even more valuable often takes place. A conversation begins. Over the past two years, Transition Salt Spring (TSS) and an extraordinary team of volunteer fixers have hosted ten Repair Cafés. Together, over one thousand items have been repaired, countless kilograms of waste have been diverted from the landfill, and residents have saved money by extending the life of things they already own. Yet ask anyone who has attended one of these events what they remember most, and chances are they won't start by talking about a toaster, a bicycle, or a pair of pants. They'll talk about the people. They'll remember sitting across from a volunteer while learning how a sewing machine works. They'll remember hearing stories about how something was bu…

What's On this Week on CHIR-FM

A recent Salt Spring Live recording by Blair Francis, an interview with photographer and writer DL Acken; a show on the Great Canadian Camping Experience; a conversation with Homecare Salt Spring owner Valerie Louvet are among the swell things coming your way this week on your community radio station CHIR-FM. Tune in to 107.9 FM (or 102.1 FM in the South End) or stream the station online to hear more than 20 unique local programs on the Voice of the Gulf Islands. Sunday (May 31) 3-4 p.m: On Harmonic Expeditions, the second half of this episode is dedicated to experimental, electroacoustic, ambient and entirely digital music created by Meredith Bates, Matt Robertson and Chris Gestrin. They recently performed together at All Saints After Dark, to celebrate the release of Meredith’s second album, The Observer Effect. Audio engineer WiL Shulba was engaged to provide an octophonic sound system for this event.. Show re-airs Tuesdays at 3 p.m. Tuesday (June 2) 10-11 a.m: On TR…

Astrology by Danielle Blackwood: Full Moon MAY 2026 (SAGITTARIUS)

Each Full Moon brings its own wisdom, teachings, and medicine through the lens of a particular archetype. The Full Moon often brings something to fruition and illuminates what has been hidden. Each month we experience a subtle shift as the Full Moon highlights specific themes, emotions and feelings. For many, the Full Moon amplifies the way we interpret and experience both our inner world and the world around us. Happy Full Moon in Sagittarius! The Full Moon at 9° Sagittarius on May 31st (1:45 am PT) is a Blue Moon, meaning that it is the second Full Moon in a calendar month. This is a rare Full Moon in that it’s free and clear of any hard aspects to other planets. It’s a time to celebrate, kick up our heels and choose our own adventure. It may mark a significant turning point on our journey, lighting a path that leads the way to a new and meaningful quest that rekindles our spark and renews our faith. We may feel a tangible shift, a noticeable quickening. So many o…