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Learning About Neurodivergence. Support, and Inclusion
June 20 Fourteen joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome Amanda Myers of GIFTS, Gulf Islands Families Together Society, and Anna Vineyard of The Diverse Village. While different, with GIFTS (https://www.gulfislandgifts.com/) a charity serving Salt Spring families for over a quarter of a century and The Diverse Village (https://thediversevillage.ca/) a newly established nonprofit, they have partnered to fill significant gaps, bringing support, inclusion, and belonging to the neurodivergent ((https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23154-neurodivergent) children, youth, and adults of our community. Amanda offered a moving acknowledgement, sharing some of her Indigenous personal and family history while also reminding us that, in First Nations communities, this…
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Navigating Those Difficult Conversations With Family and Loved Ones
NOTE: This addition to the June 6 ASK Salt Spring Report requested by a participant: “When asked if he would be willing to seek a meeting with the Minister of Health that would also include Gary Holman to discuss the $50 million taken out of the Island Health budget for a new long term care facility on Salt Spring, Rob agreed to put it on his strategy list in September.” June 13: Nine joined us to welcome Laura Dafoe and Jessica Terezakis for thisRestorative Justice/ASK Salt Spring gathering to discuss what works (and does not work) when encountering divisive issues among…
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MLA Rob Botterell Speaks Out About Some Concerning Legislation
Eighteen came to this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome MLA Rob Botterell and his associate Theresa Coles. After he offered our Land Acknowledgement, Rob shared that he was “excited and delighted” to have completed the annual spring work on his boat. She is now ready to take him on his summer of sailing, hopefully bringing him from his Pender home to his next ASK Salt Spring time with us July 4. With the Legislative session over, he also spoke briefly about a busy summer with a dizzying number of important committees, including his work on Democratic Reform, the review of Clean BC, the…
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Neighbours Feeding Neighbours with Locally Produced Food
Although the group welcoming Heather to learn more about Neighbours Feeding Neighbours was small, the conversation was both multifaceted as well as fascinating. After Heather offered our land acknowledgement and told us of her “excitement and delight” with our long days, needed rain, and her verdant garden, offering her both satisfaction and challenges, we began to learn about this exciting project. Neighbours Feeding Neighbours is a 20-month pilot project of the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust and funded by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (https://iafbc.ca/). While this funding is slated to end this winter, hopes are that some key initiatives identified by this…
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Welcoming Local Commissioners Brian and Gary
Thirteen came to this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome Local Community Commissioners Brian Webster and Gary Holman, also our Electoral Area Director. Beautifully facilitated by Grant Fredrickson with notes provided by Julie Thomson (thanks, team!, the conversation focused on healthcare, housing, and transportation. After Gary offered our Land Acknowledgement, our guests were asked what “excited and delighted” them. Brian, introducing himself as both a farmer and elected member of the Local Community Commission (LCC), began by expressing his delight that we are about a week away from the paving of a section of the Ganges Hill project. Brian also mentioned…
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Welcoming MLA Rob Botterell
Twenty-three joined for all or part of this ASK Salt Spring discussion with MLA Rob Botterell. Changing things up a bit, Ron Cooke, the facilitator sitting in for Gayle Baker, asked Rob what concerns him. Rob answered that this week in the Legislature the government introduced legislation to streamline approvals for projects, the environmental assessment process, and infrastructure projects. Rob thought this wasn’t a bad thing, but as the “devil is in the details”, he is concerned that the Green Caucus will have sufficient time to thoroughly examine the legislation and ensure it is not an over-reach. With this said,…
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Getting to Know MLA Rob Botterell Better
Before welcoming MLA Rob Botterell to ASK Salt Spring this Friday, May 2, 11-1, SIMS classroom, we thought it would be fun to learn more about what “excites and delights” him personally as well as professionally. Rob grew up in Oak Bay, playing the alto saxophone in the high-school band and spending much of his free time sailing. When he graduated from high school in 1973, he headed off to UBC to study Economics and Political Science, eventually also receiving his MBA there. Idyllic as his childhood may sound, he recalls with a chuckle telling his lawyer mother when he…
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The Power of Gratitude in Challenging Times
April 11 Eleven joined this Restorative Justice conversation to explore the benefits of gratitude when facing conflict in our lives. Leading us in this conversation were Program Coordinator, Jessica Terezakis, longtime volunteer and Restorative Justice Salt Spring Island Board member, Laura Dafoe, and new volunteer, Fig, bringing her rich experiences with nonviolent communication and community activism. After a Land Acknowledgement, during which we were reminded that Restorative Justice principles are grounded in Indigenous circle practices throughout the world, we began our exploration of the power of gratitude in challenging times. We began, as we do each second Friday of the…
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Welcoming MLA Rob Botterell
April 4 Twenty-two joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome MLA Rob Botterell and Julie Luna. He began his time with us this month acknowledging his appreciation for being able to live and work on this beautiful land, the unceded territory of 14 Indigenous groups. He spoke of his dismay with the recent display of prejudice by MLA Dallas Brodie. While he recognizes importance of freedom of speech, he believes so strongly that we should stand up and confront racist rhetoric that he will be bringing a motion to the legislature to censor MLA Brodie. While he understands that it may…