Ten joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome Partners Creating Pathways (https://islandpathways.ca/committees/partners-creating-pathways/) team members Peter Meyer and Donald McLennan. After our Land Acknowledgment and an opportunity for participants to introduce themselves, Donald and Peter shared what “excited and delighted” them. 

Donald began by sharing his delight that, after a lengthy period of hibernation, Partners Creating Pathways have forged a new collaborative relationship with its traditional ally, the CRD. Once again, Partners Creating Pathways are celebrating concrete success developing and expanding the network of pathways around Ganges. His nearly 20 years as a Partner Creating Pathways volunteer under the inspired leadership of now retired chair Jean Gelwicks has been one of his most enjoyable life experiences. He also shared his satisfaction with his years as Chair of the now-dissolved CRD Transportation Commission and his success building benches all over Salt Spring, now numbering over 50! In closing, he also shared his excitement with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent speech in Davos, delighted that Canada is poised to take important world collaborative/leadership role. 

Peter shared his delight about simply living on Salt Spring, excited by the many fun projects in which he is involved. With planning having begun in 2018, he is delighted that the contract for the long-awaited Merchant Mews Pathway has been awarded to a local contractor with significant pathway experience. Estimated as a two week project, Peter hopes that it will be open for walkers by this March. He is also excited about the next big Partners Creating Pathways project, the long planned series of connecting pathways around Swanson Road destined to make walking, especially access to our Rainbow Road schools, far safer and easier. With planning for this pathway also begun in 2018, Peter anticipates that it will be completed in 2027.   

Partners Creating Pathways is a committee of Island Pathways (https://islandpathways.ca/) making active transportation safer, easier, and more fun for cyclists and pedestrians alike for over a quarter of a century Before 2008, Salt Spring roadside pathways on Salt Spring were nearly impossible to build as the rights of way along our roads (as well as our roads) belong to the Ministry of Transportation. With a “curb-to-curb” philosophy, the Ministry is uninterested in building pathways on these rights of way. As a result, these areas alongside our roads languished, weedy and unused. 

While there were a variety of factors that combined to make the creation of pathways on Salt Spring possible, two tragic incidents played an important role: In 2006, a man walking along Lower Ganges near the Lancer Building was killed. Not long after, a child riding a bike on Rainbow Road was injured. Upsetting for so many, concerned citizens went to Electoral Director Gary Holman asking for help. He moved quickly to organize an open house to identify and pursue solutions. 

The long lasting outcome of these tragic events was the establishment of a CRD Transportation Service by the Alternate Appeal Process in 2008. This Transportation Service was given two important tasks, the establishment of our bus system and a mandate to seek traffic calming and pathway solutions to make our roads safer. A Transportation Commission was established to implement this service.

As soon as the Transportation Service was established, Salt Spring finally had the ability to enter into agreements with the province to take over occupation, maintenance, and liability for pathways on roadside rights of way. When this option became available, Partners Creating Pathways sprang to life under the visionary, hardworking and simply spectacular leadership of Jean Gelwicks. Beginning with the pathway along Lower Ganges Road from the RCMP building to Wildwood, just past the Brinkworthy senior community (and strongly supported by Sue Mouat who had routinely cleared blackberries along the route for years so that she could walk to the village), Partners Creating Pathways built a series of more than 3 kilometres of pathways circling Ganges each and every year from 2008 until 2017 (https://islandpathways.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/PCP_Inventory24Apr2023.pdf). 

A true partnership, Partners Creating Pathways included representatives from CRD staff, PARC and Transportation Commissions, Trail and Nature Club, and Island Pathways. It was fueled by tenacious, hardworking volunteers who simply loved creating these pathways and were willing do all the hard clearing and prep work to make it happen. These pathways have been a very good deal for Salt Spring taxpayers: Not only were they less expensive due to the extensive volunteer labour, numerous grants and private donations have generated 75% of the funding required.

These tenacious volunteers did not do it all alone. In addition to kudos to the years and years of work by Partners Creating Pathways’ Jean Gelwicks, Philip Grange, (who, for many years, designed all our pathways and trails), Gary Lehman, Zeke Blazecka, Nigel Denyer, Peter Lamb, Gary Gagne, Glen Trarup, Philip Van Horn, Kees Ruurs, and, of course, Donald, as well as countless participants in the many work parties over the years, credit is also due to the Transportation Commissioners, beginning with its first Chair Bob Fenske and continuing through to include so many committed Transportation Commissioners. And. . . Electoral Director Gary Holman’s continuous support has been a vital positive force fueling Partner Creating Pathways volunteers for many years. 

Beginning in 2018, Partners Creating Pathways volunteers encountered some roadblocks, challenging the continuation of their successful work. The work of these volunteers came under scrutiny by an increasingly risk averse CRD requiring a pause in their efforts while bureaucratic requirements like Volunteer Agreements were sorted. 

With this pause and Jean’s recent retirement from her central role in Partners Creating Pathways, many thought this tenacious team would build no more pathways. Not true. . . Peter Meyer had the courage to take over leadership of a discouraged group. He worked cooperatively to forge a new set of relationships and agreements with CRD staff resulting in a growing number of volunteers and the recent resurgence of promising pathway projects. 

Made even sweeter for its delay, the near completion of the Merchant Mews Pathway is a cause for celebration. This air of enthusiasm is further fueled by promising work on the long-delayed Swanson Road Project. Financially supported by the Local Community Commission through its Transportation Service as well as through grants and donations, Peter envisions a return to regular pathway completions again. 

While Merchant Mews nears completion and initial work on Swanson Road begins, volunteers have also been busy on a series of smaller projects including: 

• The pathway along Brinkworthy Road; 
• The Kanaka Connector, an important school route; 
• Pathway work with Summerside and Country Grocer;
• In partnership with the Trail and Nature Club and CRD, the completion of the also-delayed Trincomali Trail; and,
• Initial work on an important school route in the Fulford area. 

“What else is next?” In 2018, Partners Creating Pathways presented a list of proposed projects to the Transportation Commission. Peter and Donald wonder whether this list is still current. They would like your help identifying pathways that you believe need to be built. Please help them by emailing info@islandpathways.ca with your suggestions.  

Our time together over for this week, we were smiling as we recognized how lucky we were to have yet another tenacious, hard working team of volunteers working so diligently to make Salt Spring an ever better place. We left by expressing our appreciation to Peter, Donald, and their entire team for their vision; expertise; tenacity in tough times; and willingness to do the hard, backbreaking , and dirty work required to bring a pathway concept to reality. (Thank-you Peter, Donald, and all!) 

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. It has been reviewed by Peter and Donald.