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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…
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CRD Candidates, Kylie Coates and Gary Holman, Square Off on Issues: Housing, Water, and an LCC
August 12, 2022: A total of 16 came for all or part of this ASK Salt Spring gathering that welcomed our two declared candidates in the October 15, 2022 local election for CRD Electoral Director, current Director, Gary Holman, and Kylie Coates. After our Territorial Acknowledgement, each candidate began by telling us a bit about themselves. We learned that Kylie is a fourth generation Gulf Islander and third generation Salt Springer, with great-grandparents who arrived on Mayne Island in 1919. While his roots are deep on Salt Spring, he also continues to have family connections throughout the Gulf Islands and, when speaking of our challenges, he told…
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Alarming Cracks in our Mental Health Systems – and Caring Peer Support Workers Seeking to Fill Them
August 5, 2022: While we began with a very small circle of participants, during our time together, a total of 15 joined our conversation about mental health in our community. Always seeking to attract youth and young families to these ASK Salt Springgatherings, we hit the jackpot with our 16th – and youngest yet guest – infant Benjamin brought smiles to all of us. After our Territorial Acknowledgement we welcomed our special guests, David Norget, Willie MacPherson, and Sherman I. Sherwood .ksc to discuss mental health in our community. They were joined by Shae Houston, a Community Services caseworker focused on youth…
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Welcoming Our Chamber to the Conversation About Salt Spring’s Most Important Issues
July 29, 2022: Eleven joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering in the United Church Meadow, welcoming our Chamber’s new Operations Manager, Alexander Fischer-Jean, and its president, Darryl Martin. After our Territorial Acknowledgement questions began, resulting in a rich conversation focused on our local businesses – their challenges and successes. (For all you ever wanted to know about our Chamber of Commerce, see: https://www.saltspringchamber.com). President Darryl Martin reminded us that business means something different on Salt Spring: Not large corporations, our businesses are almost entirely locally-owned – they are our neighbours. While small and local, they are also very vulnerable to disturbing supply challenges and…
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Culverts 101 and Other Road Maintenance Challenges
July 22, 2022: Only 11 joined our conversation about roads maintenance at this ASK Salt Spring gathering in the United Church Meadow. A rich and interesting conversation, the low number of participants might lead one to believe that Salt Springers are quite content with the maintenance of our roads. And, listening to this ASK Salt Spring conversation, this supposition was supported: Despite some difficult questions, our time together in the Meadow on this lovely summer Friday was clearly marked by acknowledgement for the good job our road maintenance contractor, Emcon, is doing. After our Territorial Acknowledgement, Emcon Operations Manager, Andrew Gaetz, began by telling us…