Please join us this Friday, September 11, 11-1, in the SIMS classroom next to the Boardroom to welcome Susanna Haas Lyons and David Norget to lead a frank, and open conversation about respectful dialogue based on issues rather than personal attacks.

Fifteenjoined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome MLA Botterell. During Rob’s Acknowledgement, he expressed his appreciation of the many First Nations who stewarded our lovely islands, recognizing their patience as we try to understand, embrace, and implement reconciliation. After each of us had a chance to introduce ourselves, Rob told us that he was “excited and delighted” by his three weeks of sailing, joyful to return home to a thriving garden lush with produce, well-defended by his 8’ deer fence. 

Rob began by telling us a bit about BC’s new Infrastructure Project Act (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/infrastructure/infrastructure-projects-act), designed to get hospitals, schools and other public infrastructure built faster. This would be done by putting certain “designated projects” at the front of the line for permits and approvals and by shortening the environmental assessment process from what has typically been about five years down to potentially less than two. Fast tracked, this law was introduced and received Royal Assent in only one month, a speed seen more and more often in our Legislature. 

While the intent of completing priority projects more quickly may be very reasonable and even laudable, there appear to be deep concerns about this legislation, including:

1. Many critical details are not defined by this legislation, relying upon regulations instead. Rob fears that relying upon yet-to-be clarified regulations could have serious unanticipated negative consequences. 
2. The law was passed so quickly that local governments, with a deeper understanding of unique community considerations, did not have time to fully analyze the implications of this legislation before it was passed. 
3. This law treats all BC communities equally, not taking into account the longstanding “preserve and protect” mandate of the Islands Trust. Fears are that the Minister of Infrastructure could impose a fast-track solution for a project that ran counter to this mandate. 

The BC Greens voted against this act. Rob’s reason for voting against it was that there had not been thorough debate and consultation and that too much was left to regulation. Now that it has passed, Rob, while still in an information-gathering mode, will work to make sure the regulations are narrow, that “provincially significant” is clearly defined, and that Island Trust communities maintain their decision-making power over what gets built.

Parallel, but even more timely, is the conversation about recent federal legislation to fact-track the proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline, a massive undertaking designed to transport over a million barrels of heavy crude oil daily from Alberta to a marine terminal at Roberts Bank. Despite serious opposition by environmentalists and First Nations citing inadequate consultation, catastrophic risks to Salish Sea ecology, and conflict with global climate commitments, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government signed the agreement to fast-track this project.

When we asked what we could do, the immediate action is to submit your protest of the pipeline here: 

https://www.wcel.org/blog/submit-your-comment-risky-pipeline-tanker-project-not-national-interest. Don’t postpone: The deadline for submittal is September 18. 

What else? Watch carefully as this will be a major conversation in the upcoming Islands Trust Council meeting, September 9-11: https:(//islandstrust.bc.ca/document/july-31-2026-september-9-11-2026-islands-trust-council-meeting-announced/). At this multi-day meeting, the Trust Council will discuss advocating in opposition to the pipeline with hopes of aligning with our neighbouring San Juan Islands and First Nations in this opposition. 

And, support Rob as he and the Greens advocate against the federal pipeline. They will also be working hard to clarify BC Infrastructure Project regulations to protect Islands Trust decision-making powers from this fast-tracking legislation. 

Three months ago at ASK Salt Spring (https://asksaltspring.com/2026/06/05/what-would-it-take-for-salt-springers-to-be-a-happy-as-findlaners-lively-discussions-with-mla-rob-botterell/), Rob committed to extending our Ganges 30 kilometre speed limit to include Lower Ganges Road past Country Grocer to make it safer for seniors living in multiple communities along this route. 

To accomplish this, he recently met with Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MoTT) staff to explore moving this forward. (As most of us know, this 30 km reduction from the provincial minimum of 50 km was an anomaly, largely due to enthusiastic advocacy by local groups, Myna Lee Johnstone, the now-dissolved Transportation Commission, and former MLA Adam Olsen.) While Rob’s meeting with MoTT was constructive and collaborative, he also learned about the complex process and engineering studies required to change speed limits. Undeterred, Rob told us that he was still highly motivated to spearhead this speed limit reduction. 

At this meeting, Rob also asked Mott staff why Salt Spring has so far been unsuccessful getting rainbow crosswalks. (Several years ago, RCMP’s Clive Seabrook also tried repeatedly to get these rainbow crossings.) While this crosswalk conversation with MoTT has just begun, Rob is hopeful that Salt Spring will soon get some rainbow-coloured crosswalks. Stay tuned. . . .

Before leaving transportation issues, a long-time bus rider reminded us that BC transit is too inflexible, not seriously considering options that would be better for small island communities like Salt Spring. While Rob agreed that transit systems should be “fast, free, and frequent,” he reminded us of the reality of our BC $13 billion deficit and the newly discovered estimated $1.5-3.5 billion revenue shortfall. Despite the importance of funding for so many projects, like transit and housing, Rob predicted that a spending lockdown would continue. 

Several participants reminded us that our healthcare system is failing us with too-long waits for emergency medical intervention and too many without a primary care physician. Rob heard and shared these concerns, believing that this issue is not a funding one but rather an administrative failing. He questioned why, after former Minister Jose Osbourne had gained the complex healthcare knowledge she needed, she was transferred to another ministry, leaving a new Minister, Ravi Kahlon, to begin that time-consuming learning process all over again. 

In addition to this perplexing administrative shuffle, Rob sees other administrative failures in the system: He believes that too much money stays at the top with too little making it to the front lines for those who care for patients. In addition to money, he also sees too many of the decisions as top-down rather than being guided by those with hands on experience of challenges and solutions. 

While deeply involved in the expansion and improvement of team-based clinic care (like our funded Primary Care Network), his top priority remains to get a primary care physician for all who want one. On that note, Salt Spring has had some satisfying success assigning a doctor to more than 1,500 Salt Springers. How did this happen? Doctors are being successfully-recruited to Salt Spring, and more and more in need of a doctor are registering for the Health Connect Registry (https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/find-care/health-connect-registry). If you do not have a primary care physician, this is your most important first step!

The rest of our time together was spent discussing housing. Rob told us that he had four primary areas of housing focus for the upcoming legislative session: 

1. In response to the abrupt halt of BC funding for housing projects, he is advocating tenaciously to ensure that projects that had applied to this funding stream are at the top of the list when funding resumes. 
2. Rob is also arranging meetings between BC Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Christine Boyle, and housing proponents in his riding whose applications were not funded due to this unanticipated pause. He is hopeful that an up close and personal time with disappointed housing applicants will help get these important projects funded as soon as possible. 
3. Rob is continuing conversations with Minister Boyle about the efficiency and expediency of Residential Tenancy Branch resolutions, impacting both landlords and tenants. He has hopes of establishing a more effective Salt Spring solution. 
4. Rob is also advocating tenaciously to make sure that housing decisions are not made solely on the efficiencies of scale possible in urban areas but also take into account the needs of smaller communities like Salt Spring. 

A participant asked about the proposed 50-unit recreational vehicle (rv) park on Beddis. Another asked about the proposed 190 units on the Fulford-Ganges Country Grocer-owned property. While opinions about these two projects revealed a wide range of perspectives, we were reminded that no full application for either of these projects has been received by the Island Trust and that, despite our opinions, we simply do not have ample details just yet. 

A lively debate followed about the definition of “affordable housing,” with some asserting strongly that the Official Community Plan (OCP) allows, at the upper end, a hefty income (and monthly rent or mortgage) while remaining eligible for affordable housing. Others asserted that many home  seekers are missed as a result of an emphasis on “affordable housing.” They assert that the “missing middle,’ those with adequate incomes, cannot find homes to either rent or buy. They believe that these adequate-income home seekers are being ignored due to the focus on affordable housing.

While this difference of opinion was not resolved, there was agreement that there is a large amount of under-utilized housing on Salt Spring. A recent study showed that an estimated 1,600 Salt Springers live in a home alone, indicating significant underutilized space. It is likely that many of these single-occupant home owners are seniors, living in homes too big and hard for them to maintain. These seniors, especially those adamant about staying on Salt Spring, face limited options. Selling and moving to a smaller, less isolated, home is an option for some. Unfortunately, the number of these small, centrally-located homes is likely to be insufficient given the predicted number of seniors who will need to downsize in the next decade. Some are looking closely at our local co-housing initiative ( https://asksaltspring.com/2025/11/21/interested-in-learning-more-about-co-housing-on-salt-spring/), while others are seeking information about Housing NOW (https://asksaltspring.com/2026/02/27/will-salt-spring-be-a-housing-now-success-story/). 

While one size does not fit all for our seniors, there was agreement among participants at this ASK Salt Spring gathering that supporting seniors to age on Salt Spring is a big issue (https://asksaltspring.com/2026/07/31/want-to-age-at-home-lots-to-learn/). Its solution may also hold the opportunity for better utilization for our currently under-utilized housing stock. As this conversation was coming to an end, Rob invited us to a conversation, “Aging in the RIGHT Place,” at Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney this Thursday, September 10, from 1-3. He noted that there will be a video for those unable to attend.

As we prepared to leave, Rob summarized his areas of focus for the upcoming legislative session. While he will always be open to new initiatives and issues raised by us, his constituents, the Government sets the legislative agenda, so he expects his focus to include: 

1. Continuing priority given to First Nations issues, including threats to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), discussion of treaties, and further exploration of the Cowichan Decision. 
2. Amendments to the Mental Health Act concerning consent issues and the Mineral Tenure Act.
3. Ongoing discussion of the Infrastructure Project Act.
4. Rob will also be focusing on the Committee established to develop a Code of Conduct for MLAs. Surprised there is not already one in place, he is disconcerted by MLA racist rhetoric both in and out of the Legislature. As a symbol of British Columbia’s rule of law, Rob believes that MLAs must improve the tone of their debate and increase the level of respect exhibited. 

Our time over for this gathering, Rob dashed to catch his ferry home, but not before appreciating that, with so many opinions, he did far more listening that talking, just the way he likes it! We thanked Rob for his knowledge, deep care for the issues of his constituents, honesty about challenges facing BC, and tenacity/courage to make a difference. . . three months left to reduce the Lower Ganges speed limit :)! (Thanks, Rob!)  

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 Rob and his Team.