Author: Gayle Baker

• Election 2022 Behind Us. . . .Where to From Here?

   October 21, 2022: A different gathering, we did not welcome any guests this week as our scheduled guest, Trustee Laura Patrick, was on a well-earned holiday. Despite missing Islands Trust input, this ASK Salt Spring gathering resulted in a rich conversation about the recent local election and our hopes for Salt Spring’s next four years.  After our Territorial…

• HarbourWalk and Better BC Ferries Service. . . Progress in the Near Future? 

  October 14, 2022: Only 11 came to this ASK Salt Spring gathering welcoming all three CRD candidates, Jesse Brown, Kylie Coates, and incumbent Gary Holman. Was it our new location? Maybe the lovely sunny day was too tempting for too many? Or – had folks already decided how to cast their vote for our next Electoral Director?  Despite…

• ASK Salt Spring: A Year in Retrospect 

  October 7, 2022: Why: ASK Salt Spring, born with a big bang of a party on October 4, 2019, is now beginning its third year of weekly gatherings. Born from the clear frustrations experienced by too many when seeking answers to even simple questions, its mission is to give Islanders the opportunity to ask questions, listen to those of…

• Is MLA Adam Olsen Right – Is the Province Ignoring Salt Spring?

  October 7, 2022: While 11:00 came with very few gathered in our new location – the Lobby of the Middle School – to welcome MLA Adam Olsen and his able staff, Laura Parker and Emily Bishop, soon 17 had arrived to ask Adam questions and discuss the issues most important to them.  When we began by…

• Climate Action Report 2023: A Wake-Up Call for Salt Spring

   October 3, 2023: In our recent ASK Salt Spring gathering, 16 community members welcomed Transition Salt Spring (TSS) volunteers Bryan Young (Chair) and Mary Ackenhusen, who shared their findings on the Salt Spring Island Climate Action Report Card 2023/24. Their insights shed light on our community’s critical challenges regarding climate change. Mary Ackenhusen began by welcoming everyone and setting…

• Roads 101 – a Conversation with our Ministry Area Manager

  September 23, 2022: Fourteen gathered in the United Church Meadow (for the last time: see below for news of our new location!) to welcome our Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) Area Manager, Owen Page. Although he has only been our Area Manager since this spring, he offered us a wealth of information at this ASK Salt Spring gathering. …

• Five Candidates’ Solutions for Weighty Islands Trust Issues

  September 16, 2022: Twenty-five, including five of the seven candidates for Salt Spring’s two Islands Trustee positions, gathered in the United Church Meadow to discuss the Islands Trust and candidates’ plans if they are elected. (Note: Election day is Saturday, October 15, but you also have two advanced polling opportunities on Wednesday, October 5 and 12, 8-8…

• Dramatically Different Perspectives from CRD Candidates Gary Holman and Kylie Coates 

  September 9, 2022: Fifteen joined us for all or part of this ASK Salt Spring conversation with Kylie Coates and Gary Holman, two of the three candidates for CRD Director in our October 15 local election. (Jesse Brown had also just declared as a CRD candidate, but, due to a prior commitment, was unable to join us. All…

• Huge Provincial Challenges, but Closer to Home, Adam Asks “Is our Local Governance Working for Us?”

  September 2, 2022: After our Territorial Acknowledgement, a circle of 16 who stayed for all or part of the conversation welcomed our MLA, Adam Olsen, and his staff, Constituent Advocates William Kelly, and Laura Parker, to this ASK Salt Spring gathering. When asked what was on his mind, Adam began by telling us about the mountain of complaints…

• Bleak News for Workers Seeking Housing on Salt Spring. . .with Some Hope as Well

  August 26, 2022: Sixteen joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering for fascinating discussion of Workforce Housing led by special guests Tami and Fernando dos Santos and Rhonan Heitzmann. After our Territorial Acknowledgement, they began by speaking about their challenges and successes addressing Salt Spring’s dearth of worker housing.  Fernando and Tami have established the not-for-profit Dragonfly Commons (https://dragonflycommons.com)…