Author: Gayle Baker

• Chuan Volunteers Celebrate Opening of The Hearth

    Twenty joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering welcoming the Chuan Society. After a heartfelt Territorial Acknowledgement, we began our conversation by learning about the Chuan Society:https://www.facebook.com/chuansociety/. A recent ASK Salt Spring guest, you may want to reread that report: https://saltspringexchange.com/2024/07/03/ask-salt-spring-welcomes-the-chuan-society/).  The Chuan Society was founded in 2017 to address access and equity barriers through collective action. “Chuan” is a corruption of…

• Learning Lots About Our Lady Minto Hospital and New ER

  November 29 Twelve joined us for all or part of the time for this ASK Salt Spring gathering that welcomed Erin Price-Lindstrom, Site Director of Lady Minto Hospital (LMH). After Erin’s Territorial Acknowledgement, she was asked what “excited and delighted” her. Since it had been nearly two years since she last joined us in early…

• The Joys of Local Community Media

  Twelve joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome our local media. Joining us were Colin How and Leslie Ash, new owners of the Salt Spring Exchange; Gail Sjuberg, Gulf Islands Driftwood editor; and Damian Inwood, President of our soon-to-be-live local radio station, CHiR.fm. After our Territorial Acknowledgement offered by Damian, we asked each of our guests what “excited and delighted” them. Damian began…

• Welcoming Copper Kettle/Wagon Wheel’s Cherie – a Local Heroine!

  November 15 Nine joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome Cherie Geauvreau, the heart and soul of the Copper Kettle/Wagon Wheel team. After offering a loving Penelakut greeting as our Territorial Acknowledgement, we began learning about the work of the Copper Kettle/Wagon Wheel Housing Society (https://saltspringexchange.com/2016/07/19/copper-kettle-cooks-for-a-community-cause/).  When asked what “excited and delighted” her, Cherie did not…

• Trials and Triumphs of our Road Maintenance

  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…

• Welcoming Penelakut Councillor Kurt to Discuss a Reconciled Salt Spring

  November 1 Fourteen joined us for a conversation with Penelakut ((https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Penelkut&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) Councillor Kurt Irwin, his uncles Ken and Chuck, and Archive volunteer managers Christina Marshall and Ceridwen Ross Collins. A unique and fun ASK Salt Spring, all seemed to enjoy a fascinating glimpse at our past as well as a future Salt Spring rich with…

• Learning All About the Southern Gulf Islands Tourism Partnership

  October 25 Ten came to this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome the new Executive Director of the Southern Gulf Islands Tourism Partnership, Jamie Sterling. After her Territorial Acknowledgement, she told us that she was “excited and delighted” as well as being a bit shocked to know that, after recently adopting a senior rescue cat,…

• What is Functional Zero Homelessness?

  October 18 Nine joined this ASK Salt Spring conversation with the Alliance to End Homelessness in the Capital Region CEO Sylvia Ceacero and Michelle Vanchu-Orosco, Director of Research and Data Analysis. This organisation (https://victoriahomelessness.ca/) was established in 2007 by the mayor of Victoria and other local leaders. Its mission is to arrive at functional-zero homelessness by…

• Budget Talk: Welcoming Local Commissioners Ben and Earl

  October 11 October 11 With only a few gathering to welcome Local Community Commissioners Ben Corno and Earl Rook, this ASK Salt Spring conversation was casual. This informal format allowed participants to get to know these two Local Commissioners, better understanding their perspectives on a wide range of issues.  Chair Earl Rook offered us our…

• Getting to Know All Four of our MLA Candidates

  October 4 We had four very special guests at this ASK Salt Spring gathering – all of our MLA candidates (in alphabetical order):  Rob Botterell (Green): vote.botterell.ca,  David Busch (Conservative): https://www.conservativebc.ca/busch, Amy Haysom (Independent): https://www.aimforamy.ca/, and Sarah Riddell (NDP): https://sarahriddell.bcndp.ca/. Need to learn more? These candidates will be debating this Wednesday, October 9, 5:00-6:30 at…