November 8

Ten joined us to welcome Emcon Operations Manager Andrew Gaetz to this ASK Salt Spring gathering. As most Salt Springers know, Emcon (https://www.emconservices.ca/bc-contract-areas/) is our roads maintenance contractor. Andrew’s region includes all provincial roads from Chemainus in the north to Victoria, including Port Renfrew, Lake Cowichan, Sooke, and all roads on the six Southern Gulf Islands. With a ten-year contract that began in 2019, we learned that there may also be a five-year extension beyond 2029 to this contract. 

After our Territorial Acknowledgement, Andrew spoke of his “delight and excitement” that winter is on its way with trucks that have been winterized and winter crew refresher training completed. Crew shifts have also been converted to winter schedules to allow for 24/7 coverage. 

While much of this is routine, Andrew spoke later of the danger of being a snowplow driver. Difficult tasks like putting chains on the huge snow plow tires are anticipated, and the training is good. But, while we might not consider the danger to drivers as they slip and slide on these huge snow plows in the dark and during low visibility storms, it is on Andrew and his crews’ mind throughout the winter. 

His advice to us: “Please, please stay at home when it snows!” Your road may not be on Emcon’s plowing priority (major roads first),and it may be a while before crews can get to you. Keep food supplies on hand and be patient: Repeatedly calling Emcon, sometimes even creating a false emergency, is simply not helpful. 

Despite the difficulties and long overnight shifts during winter storms, Andrew smiled, his eyes dancing. While winters are crazy-busy, stressful, exhausting , and sometimes worrisome, he likes the challenge and is absolutely never bored! He is also excited that Salt Spring just received a new (2023) plow truck designed especially for our narrow, curvy roads. 

Andrew, though, is not “excited and delighted” by the huge (estimated to be 10×6 metre) murals painted on our roads. Totally understanding the need to protest, painting roads creates an unsafe distraction that Emcon must address. To blacken out the message requires three crew (at a total of $200/hr). At an estimated cost, including black paint, of over $500 to obliterate each mural, do we really want Emcon to be spending its energy covering road murals instead of fixing potholes, clearing ditches, replacing culverts, and. . . .?

When Andrew was asked if Emcon received enough money from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI), the answer was multifaceted. We learned: 

• Our roads are degrading. Andrew agrees that they are in worse shape now than a decade ago. In his opinion, too many of our roads are beyond their life and need to be repaved/upgraded. It is his belief that in the 1980s, there was a huge province-wide paving effort with little repaving since on our non-urban roads. Salt Spring is not alone, and Andrew sees roads that are beyond their usable lifetime all across his region. He is clear that his role is to keep traffic moving safely by patching, mending, and smoothing It saddens him that most needed repaving will simply not be done in the foreseeable future. 
• Every year, Andrew’s expansive region gets a pre-determined amount with small cost of living increases. This amount, approximately $16 million, is spread throughout his region for structures (mostly bridges; Andrew has 170 in his area of responsibility, we have two) and then divided based on kilometres with Salt Spring’s nearly 300 km of roads receiving approximately 17% of the remaining total. 
• Of the 10 areas Andrew supervises, Salt Spring roads are among his top three priorities/concerns, joining Duncan and the Shawnigan Lake areas. 
• Every summer, in addition to the required maintenance, Salt Spring gets one small (600 metric tonnes or approximately 50 dump truck loads) repaving project. Sometime this repaving is divided among several of the most degraded sections of road; other times one section of road gets it all. While Andrew does not yet know which lucky section(s) of road will get a needed facelift, roads in need of work, like Blain and Atkins, are on his list.
• During emergencies, like the atmospheric river event of 2021, there are simply not enough resources. With 180 road issues across his area of responsibility, he and his crew were stretched very thin. While Salt Springers justifiably lamented insufficient information, warning of road closures, and signage, there were simply not enough resources to adequately address all road safety issues during this catastrophe. Since this flood, Emcon has significantly increased its emergency supply of signs and barriers. We were shocked to learn, however, that during the flood, approximately $15,000 dollars worth of barriers and signs were destroyed, thrown out of the way and into ditches and water by angry and impatient drivers. Sadly, too much of this damage to Emcon supplies was done here. . . smarten up, Salt Spring! 

When street sweeping was mentioned by a participant who had just returned from Europe where he watched daily sweeping, we learned that Emcon’s contract only requires them to sweep our roads once a year. Largely a funding issue, there is some political advocacy to increase the allocation for street sweeping. Although Andrew has gone beyond his contract to sweep more often, he agrees that sweeping more frequently than is possible for Emcon is essential for the safety of our cyclists. When a participant suggested CRD take on this responsibility, Andrew reminded us of an 1988 agreement in which MoTI agreed to take responsibility for all of Salt Spring’s roads. 

But, watch for a possible volunteer-driven (literally) solution: Island Pathways’ electric bike-powered street sweeper (https://www.facebook.com/IslandPathways/?locale=da_DK). 

And potholes. . . . While some view potholes as a very effective traffic calmer, these holes in our road surface indicate a road that needs to be repaved. Filling potholes is merely a stopgap, done over and over again as the road continues to degrade. While Andrew agreed with participants that pothole fill could be better compacted, we learned from him that, despite the technique used, the hole in the degraded road often expands. 

The good culvert news. . . .some years ago at an ASK Salt Spring, culverts were one of Andrew’s top worries with deferred maintenance and too small culverts threatening our roads. While they are always on Andrew’s list, he is making great progress. Each summer, Salt Spring gets a 60 foot B Train (https://www.verduyntarps.ca/blog/what-is-a-b-train-trailer) full of culverts. Slowly, but surely, our culverts are getting replaced. 

Andrew, who works closely with each of his road managers who then supervise the foremen of local crews, spoke with great enthusiasm about our local crew, one of the very best of his many hard working crews. All are locals, many of whom have worked for years with Emcon (and Mainroad previously). They know Salt Spring well and care deeply. As a participant noted, when one calls the Hazard Line (1-866-353-3136), the response is nearly immediate. That is because the Kamloops receiver immediately passes the issue to our local crew who know and understand our island’s roads intimately. 

That morning, Andrew and our Salt Spring crew had been celebrating the successful completion of the Vesuvius Bay Road/Tripp Road project. Requiring purchase of the Trip Road property below and tons of rock, Andrew was very pleased with the work of a local subcontractor, estimated to cost approximately $800,000. Many would agree with this Salt Spring Exchange Comment by Christopher Roy: Thank you to everyone involved in what appears to be very professional, and meticulous work on Vesuvius Bay Road above Tripp Road. Those of us who use this road regularly have likely noticed over the past 10+ years that it has been gradually slumping in that area. It wasn’t hard to imagine that, after a few more atmospheric rivers, the entire section might have washed down, potentially impacting the former house below and significantly disrupting travel for drivers and cyclists alike. Great work!

Even though the Ganges Hill project (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation-projects/other-transportation-projects/salt-spring-island-projects/fulford-ganges-road-improvements) is not in Andrew’s area of responsibility, participants spoke highly of the efficiency, planning, traffic management of the construction so far. When asked about the Blackburn Bridge project, funded by Disaster Resilience and Innovation (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/local-emergency-programs/financial/drif), we learned that, with many groups involved, this project has been temporarily postponed. Initially planned to coincide with the Ganges Hill project, some drivers are likely pleased about the project pause. 

Already 1:00, we bid a grateful farewell to Andrew, deeply appreciative of his responsiveness, unflagging willingness to find solutions, understanding of our road concerns, and obvious delight in a job he finds challenging, exciting and never boring. (Thanks, Andrew!) 

Andrew was then interviewed by our local radio station, CHiR.fm. You can listen to this interview, as well as those of previous ASK Salt Spring guests, at ASK Salt Spring Answered (https://chir.fm/answered). 

Just in case you are interested. . . .This report has been written by Gayle Baker, founder of ASK Salt Spring, currently also a Salt Spring Local Community Commissioner. This report has also been edited by this week’s special guest, Andrew.