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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 the low numbers, our time together touched a variety of our most important issues, and participants had plenty of questions to fill the time :). After our Territorial Acknowledgement, each candidate began by telling us a bit about themselves and why they thought that they…
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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 others, and engage in respectful conversations about the issues most important to them. Our complex governance has resulted in confusion about who does what as well as too many areas of either gaps, overlap, or duplication. ASK Salt Spring is an attempt to bridge silos by providing…
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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 asking Adam to tell us what excites and delights him, we learned about the joy of his reconnection to the sea. He spoke with pleasure of his Day of Truth and Reconciliation spent with his father fishing and rekindling that long tradition of a deep connection to…
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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 the stage by reminding us of the significant groundwork TSS laid between 2019 and 2021 with the Climate Action Plan 2.0 (CAP). Mary underscored the importance of more than just having a plan; it’s about putting it into practice and assessing its real impact. Bryan Young…
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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. After our Territorial Acknowledgement, we learned a bit about Owen’s scope of responsibility as our Roads Area Manager. While we all believe that Salt Spring should be his most important responsibility, we learned that he coordinates MoTI initiatives for a large area, including all the…
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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 at the Library, Community Gospel Chapel, and a Saanich location 🙁https://www.crd.bc.ca/about/how-we-are-governed/elections-other-voting/how-and-where-to-vote). Candidates Islands Trust for our local election are: If you would like to see the nomination documents and some biographies of our Islands Trust candidates, please see: (https://islandstrust.bc.ca/about-us/governance/2022-local-election/).(Note: While only five of the seven…
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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 three candidates plan to be at ASK Salt Spring Friday, October 14, 11-1. We will gather in the United Church Meadow if weather permits. If a wet weather location is needed, see asksaltspring.com for location) After our Territorial Acknowledgement, we began our conversation by asking candidates why they would…
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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 he has received about BC Ferries. After several pandemic-challenged summers when BC Ferries ran below capacity, this summer has overwhelmed the system. Unable to maintain needed staffing levels, this summer was marked by the chaos caused by late and canceled sailings across the Southern Gulf…
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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) to provide home ownership for 30 families. On their ten acres, they will build 30 small homes, approximately 400 square feet for a one bedroom, 600 square feet for a two bedroom, and 800 square feet for a three bedroom, with selling prices estimated at…
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How Can Trust in Islands Trust be Rekindled?
August 19, 2022: Only eight joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering welcoming Laura Patrick, one of our Salt Spring Island Local Trustees for the Islands Trust. While the circle was small, the low numbers allowed a casual, but very rich, conversation. During her Territorial Acknowledgment, Laura spoke of the journey of Reconciliation, reminding us that Reconciliation begins with a personal journey. The conversation about personal journeys prompted a participant to admit with sadness of long-held stereotypes and deep-seated racism, which unconsciously colours so many of our perceptions. Laura knows there is much work to be done to build trusting relationships and to make…