The Best of Salt Spring Island 2016

Best the

AUGUST 2016

Places...

People...

Ideas!

inside THE

BEST

SALT SPRING HAS TO OFFER!

DgiM

Driftwood gulf Islands Media

of SALT SPRING ISLAND

For the

HOSPITALITY & DINING p r S i t n l g Island on Sa

Join us for a memorable fine dining experience with chef Marcel Kauer. Enjoy his award-winning creations showcasing the freshest of locally-sourced ingredients, prepared in a world-class culinary style.

Try our cosy, casual dining alternative - The Bistro - a comfortable, relaxed setting featuring our chef-inspired menu.

Relax on our patio for cocktails and appetizers daily while drinking in one of the Island’s best harbour views. Hours 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. daily.

250-537-2362 • 1-800-661-0255 • 160 Upper Ganges Road, Salt Spring Island • hastingshouse.com AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

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THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

F I F T H A N N U A L B E S T O F S A LT S P R I N G I S L A N D

While working on a special Driftwood publication, I often experience a moment where its defining character bursts through the mish-mashy brush pile of words, photos, concepts and details.

F

For this version of the Best of Salt Spring Island, it was a quote from a Q&A we did with three Gulf Islands Secondary School teachers: “You’d be surprised to learn that even on Salt Spring, a few guys dressed as animals and carrying musical instruments can still draw attention to r ito ed ns blicatio themselves.”

Driftwood pu When I read that sentence, I thought, “Yes, it’s true. It takes a serious spectacle to turn the heads of people who’ve lived here for awhile.”

We are the land of “wear, do and say whatever,” where the practice of judging others for the way they express themselves tends to fade as the years go by.

That said, in recent months, attention has been grabbed by human appendages showing up in a “sinkhole” in the middle of town, a troupe of young circus performers and a can buoy mural painter, some of the subjects that made it into the story

Gail Sjuberg

the

FINDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

side of the Best of Salt Spring Island 2016. We also highlight some of the everyday things that make our island so special: the volunteerism, school activities and environmental achievements.

Advertisers get to express themselves freely in these pages as well, with original ad designs that make their messages shine.

Something new for this year is the use of embedded website and video links in the digital version of this publication. (All of our special publications can be viewed online in PDF format via our www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com website; just click on “Publications.”)

As we began compiling our “best-of” items this year, I noticed we had video content for some of them and website links for many stories. So, as you peruse this edition of the Best of Salt Spring Island, be on the lookout for indications that video and web extras are available online. Web links are underlined and a videocamera icon accompanies some pieces.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed making it for you!

the

Spring Island on Salt

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Salt Spring Island, B.C. www.facebook.com/mondotradingcompany AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD www.facebook.com/mondotradingcompany

250.931.2553

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“Thank you for making the sale of our house go so smoothly!”

3

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

the

SERVICE, SELECTION AND VALUE

The BEST Service

Spring Island on Salt The BEST Value

As our customer you should expect answers and understanding from our knowledgeable staff. Familiar, friendly faces that deliver extensive personal service as well as on site measuring and project collaboration when needed.

We shop for the BEST QUALITY and the BEST PRICE and pass this on to our customers. We are also always on the lookout for mill clearances and deals! From paint to lumber, windows to doors and more!

The BEST Selection

Our commitment to you is that you receive these standards every time you come through our doors… if you didn’t, then we want to hear from you.

With our recent renovation and store expansion, we have added many new product lines based on our customers’ needs right here on Salt Spring.

Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Awards: • 2014 Business of the Year • 2006 Business of the Year • Building Supply Industry Association British Columbia Award • 2009 Finishing Store of the Year

Windsor Plywood Store of the Year winner in the chain of stores across Canada and the US: • 2003 Store of the Year • 1996 Store of the Year • 1993 Store of the Year • 1990 Store of the Year • 1989 Store/Entrepreneur of the Year • 1979 Most Improved Store along the Windsor Chain

Advertising and Promotion Award among the Windsor Chain across Canada and the US: • Winner 2000 Advertising and Promotion Award • Winner 1994 Advertising and Promotion Award

166 RAINBOW ROAD PH: 250-537-5564 FAX: 250-537-1207 www.windsorssi.com • general@windsorssi.com Neighbours helping neighbours...build their dreams

OPEN MON-FRI 7 AM - 5:30 PM / SAT 8 AM - 5:30 PM / SUN & HOLIDAYS 9 AM TO 3 PM

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

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THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

contents Amber Ogilvie, PUBLISHER

A peek at the best of Salt Spring Island 9 Purple pride

26 Sinkhole saga

14 Having an impact

37 Just snap it!

Island bird recovery program soars with success.

aogilvie@gulfislandsdriftwood.com

Gail Sjuberg, Managing Editor news@gulfislandsdriftwood.com

Lorraine Sullivan, PRoduction manager

Salt Spring’s EV car group just keeps on growing.

production@gulfislandsdriftwood.com

Editorial: Sean McIntyre, Elizabeth Nolan Front office: James Burton, Johanna Walkner Advertising: Elena Dunn, Jennifer Lannan, Dan Ureta, Fiona Foster

DgiM

DriftwooD gulf islanDs MeDia

17 All together

26

328 Lower Ganges Rd., Salt Spring Island, B.C. V8K 2V3 PH: 250-537-9933 | FX: 250-537-2613 Toll Free: 1-877-537-9934 driftwood@gulfislandsdriftwood.com www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday

the

A 2016 Salt Spring Pride Festival preview.

A short history of the torrent that would not be tamed.

Advice from a Salt Spring Photography Club expert.

37

20 Land of art

Artists take it outside at ArtCraft and The Point.

14

28 Have no fear

Toastmasters group helps people untie their tongues.

the

COOKING APPLES

MAN FOR THE JOB Spring Island on Salt

DgiM

Spring Island on Salt

SAM ANDERSON APPLIANCE REPAIR

Come into the store and I’ll give you my pastry recipe!!

• Prompt, Reliable & Professional Service • Factory Authorized Warranty Technician for all Makes & Models • Hot Water Tank & Appliance Installation • Licensed Refrigeration • Fully Insured & Security Screened • Kenmore Service Technician EMERGENCY SERVICE 124 Lawnhill Drive, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 1M9

FINE COOKWARE & ACCESSORIES 140 FULFORD-GANGES RD. 250-537-5882 AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

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250-537-5268 samander@telus.net

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best Treat

Bee’s Knees

The

Ron Pither has been a Gulf Islands icon for decades.

A merchant farmer and co-founder of organizations such as the Ometepe-Gulf Islands Friendship Association and the Mad Farmer Liberation Front, inventor of the bicycle wheel-hoe and promoter of important causes like uniting Gulf Islands communities — economically and culturally — Pither has his fingers in all kinds of soil and ventures.

Pither is a fantastic farmer but he also keeps bees and, as such, has access to pollen from the knees of busy bees, which he is happy to share when the spirit moves him and he has all of the necessary accoutrements on hand.

the

Ron’s Bee’s Knees Treat 1. Slice up one freshly harvested Salt Spring Island cucumber.

2. Sprinkle each slice with Ron’s bee knee pollen.

3. Drizzle each slice with local honey.

When it comes to healthy, local eating, it’s the bee’s knees!

Photo by GAIL SJUBERG

Ron Pither with his tray of Bee’s Knees Treat items.

RENOVATIONS, ADDITIONS AND DESIGN WORK

the

NATUROPATHIC CARE Spring Island on Salt

Spring Island on Salt

The Best Natural Path to Health

The Best Natural Path toIsland HealthNatural Health Naturopathic Medical Clinic

Dr. Patrick Callas Doris Neufeld Island Natural Health Registered Massage Therapist Naturopathic Physician Christin Boyd Naturopathic Medical Clinic Naturopathic Medical Clinic Bowen Technique Practitioner & Level 3 Reiki Practitioner

To make an appointment with our Health Team, call:

Dr. Patrick Callas

Dr.250-537-0035 Brad Dunstan

Dr. Patrick Callas Neufeld Naturopathic Physician DorisNaturopathic Physician Registered Massage Therapist NaturopathicAmber Physician Registered Massage Therapist Wood, R.Ac Danielle Power Registered AcupunctureBoyd Registered Biodynamic Christin and Functional Medicine Craniosacral Therapist and Bowen Practitioner Bowen Technique Technique Practitioner Practitioner & & Level Level 33 Reiki ReikiCertifi Practitioner ed Massage Christin Boyd

Mountain Star Ventures Inc. has been building and renovating homes on Salt Spring Island for over 20 yrs. We work closely with our clients to design, budget and execute building programs tailored to your needs. Our clients vision and desires are always respected and we will combine our experience to produce results that will be beyond your expectations.

Contact us today to schedule a meeting to discuss your ideas. Regardless of the size of your project we would be honored to work with you through this very exciting process.

Rene Van Hullebush c 250 538-8339 mtnstarventures@hotmail.com

To make an Bowen appointment with our Health Team, call: Technique, Massage Laura Malcolm Nutritionist and 250-537-0035 Holistic Health Coaching

and Reiki Practitioner

Dr. Adella Gerry

Mountain Star Ventures Inc.

Naturopathic Physician

To make an appointment with our Health Team, call:

250-537-0035 AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

DESIGN

6

★

BUILD

★

R E N O VAT E

★

M A I N TA I N

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best The

School Song

for the

VISION

We Are Home

Spring Island on Salt

Salt Spring Elementary School Song By music teacher Whitney Walker

There’s an island, Salt Spring Island, ‘mid the blue Salish Sea, Where we live and learn together, It’s a peaceful community.

As we gather every morning, Seeds of learning are sown, We are Salt Spring Elementary, We are home.

From the smallest to the tallest, We are one big family, We will care for one another, As we learn in harmony, harmony, harmony . . .

be sure to have regular eye exams with:

Doesn’t matter where we’ve come from, We don’t stand here alone, We are Salt Spring Elementary, We are home.

Dr. Andrea N.Varju* Optometrist #108-150 Fulford-Ganges Rd., Creekhouse Building 250-537-4356 • www.saltspringeyecare.com

Doesn’t matter where we’ve come from, We don’t stand here alone, We are Salt Spring Elementary . . . we are home.

*Optometric Corporation

BOUNTY FOR BODACIOUS BOOK WORMS

the

on Salt Spring Island

Eat, sleep, read... life is simple!

Photo by Gail Sjuberg

Some Salt Spring Elementary School students sing their school song for Salt Spring Literacy volunteers who helped SSE children with reading in the last school year.

❝

Salt Spring Elementary has been working to achieve a strong sense of ‘family,’ and that was the inspiration for the words to the song. I wanted to write a song that the whole school could sing together that would celebrate the cohesiveness that we have accomplished.

I hope it has done that!

See Facebook page for a video ta ethe gatoof Driftwood’s oediv detaler eeS moof c.dothe owtfirsong dsdnalsfilbeing ug.www performed.

AUGUST THE BEST OF 2016 SALT | GULF SPRING ISLANDS ISLAND DRIFTWOOD

yrots siht ot tnemmoc ruoy tsoP

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK PH: 250-537-2812 | FAX: 250-537-1926 eaat, E t, psl e rreeaa p, .. .

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❞

• Books for everybody • Great guides, Fabulous fiction • 1000s of magazine titles • Art supplies & Stationery • E-mail, internet, fax service • Games, Puzzles & Toys

isis iffee plee impl ssim

Lli

From the composer, Whitney Walker:

Salt Spring Books

Salt Spring Books 7 7

104 McPhillips Avenue, Ganges GULF ISLANDS THE DRIFTWOOD BEST OF SALT|SPRING AUGUST ISLAND 2016

Place to See Best Democracy in Action The

If you’re looking for places that take their voting seriously, look no further than the federal Saanich-Gulf Islands electoral riding.

Salt Spring residents found a new place to socialize over 2015’s Thanksgiving long weekend: in the line-ups at the island’s two advance polling stations for the federal election.

Voter turnout overall throughout the riding ended up as the fifth highest in the country, while Saanich-Gulf Islands topped all of B.C.’s constituencies with an impressive 79.4 per cent. That compared to 68.5 per cent turnout nationwide and 70.4 per cent across the province.

The Saanich-Gulf Islands riding was also near the top nationwide in the 2011 federal election at 75 per cent, coming just behind PEI’s highest ranked turnouts (and compared to a national average of 61.1 per cent). It was also the B.C. riding with the highest turnout.

Photos by elizabeth nolaN

From top, Sonia Langer holds both a federal election voting card and a Salt Spring National Art Prize people’s choice ballot; 2015 election voters line up at ArtSpring.

the

HEAR, HEAR

CALL TODAY to find out why people are choosing Act Hearing for their hearing care. You’ll want to tell your friends too!

Spring Island on Salt IN GANGES TUESDAYS • Salt Spring’s only Registered Audiologist • 90 day trial on hearing devices • Comprehensive hearing assessements • VAC health identification cards accepted • Part of the WorkSafeBC provider network • Independently and locally owned

1-855-537-4228(4ACT) LowertoGanges Road (Gulf Clinic) • Free Hearing Screenings CALL241 TODAY find out www.acthearing.ca • 90 day trial on hearing devices why people are choosing • Complete thorough hearing assessments Act Hearing for their Leslie Peterson, M.A., Aud (C), R.AuD, Gwen Burton B.Ed., VAC health identification cards accepted • Instrument Registered Audiologist/Owner Registered Hearing hearing care. You’ll want Practitioner with 27 years of experience the WorksafeBC provider network • Part to tell your friends too!

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

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THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best Endangered The

Species Recovery Effort Since 1985, when just 10 nesting pairs of the western purple martin survived in British Columbia, volunteer nesting box programs have helped bring numbers back to an astounding 1,150 pairs in 2015.

The Salt Spring Purple Martin Recovery Project recently joined the game, linking local grassroots action to the provincial BC Purple Martin Stewardship and Recovery Program.

Purple martins formerly nested in natural cavities or those made by woodpeckers in snags near or over the water.

Human activities such as logging, development, fire safety measures and creosote treatment on marine pilings cleared out those potential sites, leading to the birds’ rapid decline.

The coastal population’s turn-around started with a nesting box program launched in Puget Sound in 1975, followed by another in Cowichan Bay in 1986, which then spread throughout the Georgia Basin.

Peter McAllister of Salt Spring Ocean Stewards, Nieke Visser of the Salt Spring Trail and Nature Club and a couple of other local birders started the Salt Spring Purple Martin Recovery Project in the spring of 2016, formalizing a looser volunteer effort started by a pair of biologists around a

the

Photo by elizabeth nolAN

Purple martin sits on a nest box near Long Harbour. decade ago. Numbered wooden boxes can now be seen on numerous wharf piers and ferry terminals, with happy martin pairs swooping in and out of the small entry holes to catch insects and feed their young.

New boxes installed in April were soon colonized by returning juveniles; at least 40 nesting pairs were counted in May, which could produce 120 successful fledglings flying to winter feeding grounds in South America this fall.

Good places to spot the birds in action this summer — or if very lucky, their mass migration in September — are Fernwood Dock, the Fulford ferry terminal and the head of Long Harbour.

See the www.saveourmartins.org website for more information.

VEHICLE FOR THE ROADS Spring Island on Salt

With more safety, performance, and comfort than ever before, it’s easy for the new and improved 2017 Subaru Forester to make friends. And now with heated seats available in the front and rear, it’ll be hard to keep them out.

Learn more at subaru.ca/forester. *MSRP of $25,995 on 2017 Forester 2.5i Base Model. MSRP excludes Freight & PDI of $1,675. Taxes, license, registration and insurance are extra. $0 security deposit. Model shown is 2017 Forester 2.0XT Limited with technology package with an MSRP of $39,495. Dealers may sell for less or may have to order or trade. Vehicle shown solely for purposes of illustration, and may not be equipped exactly as shown. See your local Subaru dealer for complete program details. *See Owner’s Manual for complete details on system operation and limitations. Forester and Subaru are registered trademarks.

WELL- EQUIPPED FROM $25,995*

A MAN’S BEST FRIEND’S NEW BEST FRIEND.

A MAN’S BEST FRIEND’S

SAUNDERSNEW BEST FRIEND. SUBARU DL#5032

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AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

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THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best The

Way to Feel Patriotic

More recent arrivals to Salt Spring Island might not know that the island has a flag.

Way back in 2001, a group of islanders felt compelled to give the island its own flag, loosely related to a fomenting independence movement.

But how does one come up with an original flag design? Have a contest, of course.

The Salt Spring Island Monetary Foundation, originators of Salt Spring Dollars, organized the event, which saw 131 entries received, including many from island youth.

Winners of the $1,000 first prize were Don and Donna Carlson, and Larry Andrews.

In their design, the green part stands for the environment and trees,

the

driftwood file photo by derrick lundy

From September 2001: From left, Don Monteith (then of the Salt Spring Island Monetary Foundation) and Donna and Don Carlson, two of the flag design winners. blue for water, a red maple leaf for the island’s Canadian heritage and white for the pure spirit of islanders.

Flags can be purchased from Mouat’s Old Salty and The Flag Shop in Victoria.

KEPT SECRET

the

PLACE FOR SENIOR LIVING Spring Island on Salt

Spring Island on Salt

Treasures of the Hear� An Oasis of Peace & Beaut� Nestled Bet�een the Source & Ganges Stationer�

It’s a place where one can come to Quiet your Mind & Nurture your Soul, as well as experience Wonder and Magic amongst:

. Inspired Finds from Around the World

. Crystals Galore . Exquisite Jewelery . Sacred Statues . Books & Oracle Decks . And Much, Much More!

A project of the Gulf Islands Seniors’ Residence Association

Come in & Enjoy the Ambiance!

121 ATKINS ROAD 250 538 1995 AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

164 Fulford-Ganges Rd 10

~ www.treasuresoftheheart.ca THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

FIND the

PLACE TO GROW YOUR FAMILY...

photo by elizabeth nolan

Bittancourt House Museum, where island history is preserved.

Spring Island on Salt Simplify Your Buying Adventure

Best Insight The

“I love this community and have lived and breathed it for 38 years. Is this your time to make that move? Are you ready to manifest the property of your dreams?” ~ Give me a call!

into Pioneer Past

The Salt Spring Farmers Heritage Foundation has just introduced a valuable new resource with the book Farms, Farmers, Farming by Mort Stratton chronicling the first 80 years of agriculture on Salt Spring.

Adding to the rich descriptions first found in a paper that Stratton published in 1991, the book presents a well-rounded picture of the times with plenty of historical photographs, plus thorough indexing by local historian Usha Rautenbach. Stratton (who died in 2010) covers local farming activity from the first homesteads granted in 1859 through to the Great Depression of the 1930s, with a postscript on the decline in farming after World War II. “If ever there were ‘good old days’ on Salt Spring it was in the years from about 1885 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914,” Stratton explains. “But it was not to last.”

Stratton collected information from many primary sources during his research, including some generally interesting tidbits that don’t seem to be available elsewhere. Readers will learn how pioneers overcame hardships of the early days such as panthers, wolves, bears and “Indian” marauders to make Salt Spring one of the first, and best producing, agricultural communities in the province.

Apples, strawberries and other produce were key exports in the late 1800s. Stratton records that one of the island’s most successful orchardists, W.E. Scott, was Deputy Minister of Agriculture for British Columbia from 1910 to 1916.

“We can grow, in our glorious province, the finest fruit in the world,” Scott wrote of Salt Spring at the time.

During the 1910s, dairy farming became prominent with the establishment of the Ganges creamery.

Stratton’s research also outlines how the island’s character changed, profoundly and for good, after the two world wars.

“What emerged was vibrant and exciting but very different — it was no longer the semi-isolated rural farm community of the years preceding,” he observes.

Farms, Farmers, Farming launched at Heritage Day at the Salt Spring Farmers’ Institute in July 2016 and can be purchased at Salt Spring Books and Black Sheep Books.

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

KERRY CHALMERS 250.537.5553

www.saltspring-realestate.com kerryjchalmers@gmail.com

the

VIEW MENU FUN!

Spring Island on Salt

Join us!

124A Upper Ganges Road 250.537.5559 www.mobyspub.ca 11

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Some things to find on the mural: • The late Herk Roland’s fishboat the Salty Isle.

• The late Gene Bellavance’s float plane.

• The former Ganges Coast Guard cutter Skua.

• Salt Spring’s Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue inflatable boat.

• An oystercatcher.

• Lancet fish (a rare sight. One was found near Pender Island).

• Octopus.

• Salmon.

• River otter.

• Orcas.

ural is a The buoy & amme stop!

Pokémon g

photo by gail sjuberg

Amarah Gabriel puts finishing touches on the can buoy mural.

Best Mural Makeover The

Sixteen years ago, Amarah Gabriel and Timothy Hume painted a marine-theme mural on a Delta 10 can buoy that was brought to Salt Spring from its former spot at the mouth of the Skeena River on B.C.’s north coast.

While it had been touched up in the past, this year the Harbour Authority of Salt Spring Island asked Gabriel to give it a full makeover.

“I’m trying to make it more colourful,” Gabriel said from her scaffolding perch one sunny July day.

The hefty cylindrical body of the former navigational aid depicts local waters and islands, and marine life seen above the water’s surface, such as orca whales, river otters and sea birds, as well as boats and planes.

The bottom of the structure illustrates sub-surface life, with a diver, various fish and other critters spotted.

She’s used a high-gloss rustcoat paint recommended

by Gloria at Mouat’s Home Hardware, which seemed to do the trick.

At the same time, the Harbour Authority completed an adjacent maritime-themed bench, with crab and

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

12

crow metal work coincidentally painted the same turquoise blue Gabriel had chosen for part of the mural.

Gabriel, who did the butterfly mural on the wall by the Island Savings parking lot, and a Salt Spring flora and fauna-themed mural inside Greenwoods, would love to see more painted surfaces in Ganges, without turning the village into Chemainus, which T: FUN FAC riel is a member of promotes ab Amarah G r Royal Canadian its historye te tion themed the volun escue, Sta o R & h rc a e rs ag murals as a Marine S roup. Yea g ) g n ri p aign to tourist attrac25 (Salt S ing camp is ra d n fu table tion. she led a -hull infla id g ri e th “I like corps. purchase e auxiliary up th y b d communitye ro vessel us rts, the g based art,” r her effo u o h n o ra h a o T at the Am she said. ed the bo

nam Gabriel.

THE

BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Promoters Best of Green Business The

Photo by sean mcintyre

From left, nine of the 14 chamber board members for 2016: Murray Nurse, Maggie Allison, Teile McDonald, Dale Schweighardt, Leslie Cheeseman, Philip Reece, Li Read, Peter Lloyd-Jones and Jeremy Milsom.

Meet Your 2016 SSI Chamber of Commerce Board

This spring, Salt Spring Island celebrated a notable first when the Chamber of Commerce and visitor centre became the first in the country to achieve Green Tourism Canada certification.

What does that mean?

The chamber completed the application and worked with Green Tourism Canada to achieve its “silver” certification. Examples of required action included: • Using recycled products • Installing energy-efficient lighting • Doing carbon offsetting for visitor brochure printing • Using environmentally sounds cleaning products “We are proud to be working within this program to show our commitment to environ- mental sustainability and to promote Salt Spring Island’s reputation as an eco-friendly destination where business and nature work together in harmony.”

— Janet Clouston, executive director, SSI Chamber of Commerce

Executive committee members are Li Read, president; John Cade, vice-president; Jeremy Milsom, vice-president, communications chair; Teile McDonald, treasurer; Matt Steffich, membership chair; Cornelia Krikke, finance committee chair; Murray Nurse, board secretary.

Directors are Maggie Allison, Peter Lloyd-Jones, Philip Reece, Ian Clement, Dale Schweighardt, Leslie Cheeseman and Uta Nagel.

KUDOS! “They are literally ‘walking the talk’ by focusing on their sustainability performance, and have taken a leadership role for other businesses on the island to follow, helping to boost sustainable tourism on Salt Spring Island.”

— LINDSAY EASON, program director, Green Tourism Canada

THE

PLACE TO FIND INFORMATION

Spring Island on Salt

GULFISLANDS ISLANDS GULF TOURISM.COM TOURISM.COM 2014 2014 SaltAD SpringTO Island's Visitor Information Centre and bus stop on Lower Ganges Road in Ganges.

AD TO PROOF PROOF AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD 24 response 24hour hour response required required Here Hereisisa low-res a low-res pdf ofpdf yourofadyour ad for forproofing proofing via email. via email.

AAhigh highres.res. version version will bewill usedbe in printing. used in printing.

gail sjuberg photo

The Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce was Canada’s first Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Centre to become accredited members of Green Tourism Canada. We are proud to be committed to environmental sustainability and to promote Salt Spring Island’s reputation as an eco-friendly destination.

13

chamber@saltspringchamber.com www.saltspringchamber.com THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best The

Way to Reduce Personal Carbon Emissions

By JIM STANDEN Salt Spring EV Registrar

photo by gail sjuberg

Salt Spring EV registrar Jim Standen with his Nissan Leaf.

the

According to the 2011 Salt Spring Island Climate Action Plan, transportation is the island’s biggest personal contributor to carbon emissions.

And to that I say that driving an electric vehicle (EV) or bike is the best way to reduce our personal carbon emissions.

Assuming you need a car, as many of us on Salt Spring do, then by purchasing or leasing an EV, the carbon created by your transportation needs literally falls off the cliff.

Consider the oil industry. Search for oil (carbon intensive), mine it (carbon and water intensive), create and maintain pipeline networks (carbon intensive), transport it to other areas for refining (carbon intensive and environmentally very risky). Ship it back to Canada and then distribute it across North America and to gas stations (carbon intensive). Put it into your internal combustion engine and burn it up (as carbon intensive as it gets). All of the above carbon is now in the atmosphere, at least for awhile.

WAY TO EXPLORE OUR ISLAND

JOB DONE RIGHT AND SAFELY

the

Spring Island on Salt

Spring Island on Salt Ross Walker and Corey Johnson PH:

250.537.9710

FAX:

250.537.1725

Island Marine

Construction Services Ltd.

• Foreshore applications • Development permits • First Nations consultation • Marine biology consultation • Salvage & demolition

In Ganges Harbour

#2- 156 Alders Ave., Saltspring Island BC V8K 2K5 250 537 9710 ext 3 . fax 250 537 1725 Toll Free 1 855 437 9710 ext 3 . International 011.250.537.9710 info@islandmarine.ca www.islandmarine.ca

Marine Mobile Service, Sales, Parts & Accessories

161 Lower Ganges Road 250-930-BOAT (2628) AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

• Dock design & construction • Slope stabilization • Mobile and shop welding • Moorings

14

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Consider the electric option. Well over 92 per cent of B.C.’s electricity is generated by eco-friendly hydro (dams) and the goal is to be 100 per cent. Hydro is the lowest carbon form of “abundant” electricity generation and the infrastructure is pretty much in place.

Transportation is in a network of existing wires. It renews with every rainfall. Electricity is everywhere. It is reliable and inexpensive.

photo by JEN MACLELLAN

Red flanks white at the 2016 Canada Day electric vehicle display.

Does driving an electric car make a difference?

Salt Spring EV Numbers • As of Aug. 1, 2016, Salt Spring Island has 80 electric vehicles driven by residents.

• That’s an amazing 15 times the national average in Canada.

• But the goal is to have 150 EVs here by Canada’s 150th birthday on July 1, 2017.

• Will we make it? We’ll have to wait and see!

Charge ‘em Up Salt Spring has seven public charging wands for electric vehicles. They’re at ArtSpring (2), Island Savings, Moby’s Pub (1 regular, 1 for Teslas), Country Grocer and Fernwood Road Cafe.

Need more info? Email Jim Standen at jstanden@ucalgary.ca, phone him at 250-537-5646 or see the www.transitionsaltspring.ning.com website.

Local Environmental Impact Salt Spring’s EV fleet has: • Reduced GHG emissions by 275 tonnes+ per year • Reduced fuel needs by 85,000+ litres of fuel per year • Reduced need for 2.5 fuel delivery trucks (Thanks to EV team statistician Ron Mackenzie for those numbers.)

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Internationally famous musicians, dancers and theatre performers are regularly found on the ArtSpring stage, all for a ticket price lower than $30. Facility rental rates for local artists are also significantly less expensive than many other B.C. arts centres.

“Naturally we all want to maintain that kind of affordability, but ticket sales comprise less than 30 per cent of the revenue required to operate ArtSpring, and operating costs continue to climb year after year,” volunteer fundraiser Jane McCoy explained earlier this year.

Local access to the arts would not be as assured without Treasure Fair, the annual ArtSpring fundraiser that contributes $50,000-plus towards operational and maintenance costs. And year after year, community members support the venture by donating incredibly highquality goods and services and then turning around to bid for others through silent and live auctions.

Treasure Fair performs a valuable and dual service by recycling pre-loved items such as fine china, antique armoires and artworks to new owners. Those who are interested in avoiding the trappings of more “stuff” can always bid on the many experience packages instead, with items ranging from kayak tours and music lessons to exotic holiday retreats.

• Other island organizations that provide double service by raising money for community needs while reducing the amount of new stuff being bought and sold include the Lions Garage Sale, Lady Minto Thrift Shop and Transitions Thrift Store.

The Salt Spring Lions were named one of the top five fundraisers among more than 450 Lions Club chapters in B.C., Washington and Idaho for 2014-15, donating about $120,000 back to community needs. The Lady Minto Hospital Auxiliary Society donated $152,258 to Lady Minto Hospital and Greenwoods/Braehaven Elder Care Society in 2015 for equipment and therapy programs, most of which was raised through the thrift shop.

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Way to Best Fight Bigotry The

Salt Spring’s annual Pride festival is a colourful celebration of difference spearheaded by GLOSSI for the LGBTQ+ community.

Islanders of all stripes love a good party, and the parade in particular has been known to host just as many “allies” as members of the core community. In addition to the parade, a range of weekend activities take place, and in the past have included a dance, panel discussions, a variety night and a Sunday picnic, making it the biggest Pride festival in B.C. outside Vancouver and Victoria.

While celebration is one aspect, at their roots the events taking place over the second weekend of September ask participants to think about how people outside the heterosexual “norm” have been harmed in the past, the emotional and physical dangers they still face and the challenges everyone must embrace to create a more just society for the future.

This year’s parade will be dedicated to the victims of the nightclub mass shooting in Orlando, Fla. GLOSSI’s past and current presidents Bill Turner and Anna Warje have invited everyone to march with the group to show their solidarity and stand in unity against hatred.

Photo by JEN MACLELLAN

Scene from the 2015 Salt Spring Pride Parade.

“What our Pride collective hopes to create this year is the loudest, grandest, most inclusive, proudest and most powerful celebration ever, in which all of us join hands and hearts so we can demonstrate to the perpetrators of such hatred that we will not be cowed or silenced by their despicable acts of violence,” Turner and Warje have stated.

Pride weekend runs Sept. 9 to 11, with the parade set for Saturday, Sept. 10.

This year’s theme is: Out! Rage! Us!

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Exposure to Professional Dance

ArtSpring’s line-up for four consecutive weeks in August includes a different visiting dance company from Vancouver every week, each of whom will offer community workshops along with a performance during creative residencies hosted by the island arts centre.

Participants include: Out Innerspace, who did a workshop on Aug. 9 and will show a rough cut of their new piece on Aug. 15; Tara Cheyenne, who gave a four-session workshop starting Aug. 16 and a new work preview on Aug. 20; Shay Kuebler, who offers a workshop on Aug. 24 and a performance preview on Aug. 27; andJennifer Mascall of MascallDance, offering a five-day workshop called Dance & Impulse beginning on Aug. 29 and a rough cut of the new work on Sept. 6.

All rough cut events can be viewed by donation. Registration for workshops is through the ArtSpring ticket centre.

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

In conjunction with the residencies, local dancer Kristen Lewis will host public Dance Talks with participating artists at the Salt Spring Public Library. Upcoming offerings are Shay Kuebler on Monday, Aug. 22 and Jennifer Mascall on Monday, Aug. 29.

Talks take place from 5 to 6 p.m.

A trailer for Kuebler’s Karoshi piece, which wasSeeperformed related video footage at www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com at ArtSpring in 2014, gives an idea of the physicality and dynamism of his art.

Photos courtesy shay kuebler Post your comment to this story

Scenes from workonline byat Shay Kuebler’s www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com Telemetry performane piece and workshops.

18

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best The

Photos above and at left by JEN MACLELLAN ; photo at right by elizabeth nolan

Clockwise from top left: orca whale; great blue heron; and a river otter sneaking a drink from a dinghy.

Marine Wildlife Show

and ospreys swooping down to catch prey sighted from their nearby perch and nesting platform provided by Island Marine Construction.

Whale sightings are rare but possible: locals and visitors alike were thrilled to see a pod of hunting orcas enter the inner harbour in 2012, and a decade earlier viewers were astounded to see four orcas attack a minke whale in the same location.

The most densely packed harbour on Salt Spring might not seem like the best place to enjoy wildlife, but guess again. Even with the multiple boats moored at several commercial marinas, the sailing club and two public wharfs, marine birds and mammals manage to coexist, apparently quite happily.

A wander down to Centennial Park or the area near Kanaka Wharf can easily turn into an otter-watching break, with the playful critters running through slips, playing in dinghys, and on at least one memorable occasion, conducting a mating dance on the sand bar in front of an awed crowd at The Local pub.

The sand bar and the tombolo connecting Grace Point to Grace Islet at low tide are both good places to watch great blue herons as they fish. Bird watchers can also see eagles,

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Best art outside The

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The Mahon Hall environs offer a full sensory experience during the summer months, with whiffs of gourmet coffee, the sounds of a community piano installation and the cool breeze coming off the harbour to tickle the skin.

With the ArtCraft annual show and sale taking place inside the hall, one might think that “sight” is the lesser sense to be enjoyed in the parking lot and boulevard area, but this is not the case. Along with more permanent sculptural pieces, the second season of LandArt @ ArtCraft means visual expression is to be found all over the place — wrapped around towering fir trees, nestled between the parking area and the hall and on the exterior walls.

• Melanie Thompson’s Necklaces for a New World is a gorgeous sculptural wall piece constructed of rings of “flotsam and jetsam” in various sizes. Materials include large cedar bark lozenges, sticks and painted plastic buoys.

Photo by elizabeth nolan

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• Diana Lynn Thompson’s Groundwork might be overlooked at first, positioned on the ground near the hall’s main entrance ramp.

Her beautifully meticulous take on geological strata comprises layers Photo by Gail Sjuberg of stones, brick, coloured beach glass and bark between separating borders of island shale. Everything in the work either comes from Salt Spring or was found there. The human impact is clearly evident: Thompson includes one stratum of wine corks, for example, and layers others with little bits of forgotten plastic.

As her artist statement asks: “Where are we? What is beneath the tarmac, the brick, the boards and gravel? This was once a field, a forest, before that a glaciated rock. And the rock itself is striated, laid down.

It was pushed and pummelled over millions of years. Now we can find stories that stretch as far as we can follow.”

Over the summer, as Groundwork inhabits the corner, Thompson expects the work will accumulate sand, seeds and leaves, and become a home for thousands of tiny mosses, annelids and insects, thereby continuing the story.

• Fibre artist Laura Keil draws attention to two of the largest remaining trees in Ganges by hugging them in giant knitted sweater vests.

The wool embellishes and celebrates the tree, with fibres entwined through community collaboration.

Photo by elizabeth nolan

* Also taking art outside this summer is The Point Gallery off Beaver Point Road. (See photo at top of Page 20.) Anna Gustafson’s installation Snow Fence invites visitors to walk a double spiral constructed of iconic winter fencing material as a journey of exploration and discovery. Each of the two entrances leads to the centre, “which is neither a goal nor destination but a turning point on the journey.”

Dance performances created by local artists will be set in and around the piece on Sunday, Aug. 28 beginning at 4:45 p.m.

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Photo by sean mcintyre

Jordon Kitchen and Max Temmel with GISS salad towers.

School grounds are one of the only types of development that receive full community support as warranting non-farm use of precious agricultural lands, but at the same time, the people responsible for overseeing tough decisions about agricultural lands want them put to the best use possible.

Salt Spring Local Trust Committee’s Agricultural Advisory Planning Commission recently praised School District 64 for the way it’s bringing food production back to ALR lands through the cafeteria program at Gulf Islands Secondary School.

Headed by chef Mark Kilner, the cafeteria program has become a community leader in farm-to-table eating.

Teachers and students raise vegetables on site both hydroponically and in a greenhouse. An aquaponics system introduced last year brought fish into the mix, with waste material fertilizing yet more plants and the fish themselves becoming part of the menu. Extra produce goes to stocking the program’s innovative business program: the Salt Spring Salads food cart is parked behind the school board office and just across the parking lot from Mahon Hall, a former home of Salt Spring’s annual fall fair.

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Chef Mark Kilner’s Dreams for the GISS Property: • Fruit tree orchard • Chickens • Pigs!

Photo above by sean mcintyrE; Photo at right by elizabeth nolan

From top: Tilapia grown in GISS aquaponics program; Salt Spring Salads truck.

See the online version of this publication or www. gulfislandsdriftwood.com for a video about GISS’ new salad towers being ta egatused oof oedivto detaler eeS hydroponically moc.doowtfirdsdnalsfilug.wwwChef Mark Kilner grow lettuce.

Tasty Products Already Available at the School: • In-house smoked fish and bacon • Baked goods • Fresh vegetables

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THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best New School Program The

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alt Spring Island Middle School completed the first year of its Tsunami Circus program in June, attracting students from all grades, social groups and abilities to join in creating a spectacular experience with confidence.

The circus program includes middle school students from grades 6 to 8 as well as a few younger kids related to staff. They spent the past school year learning things like aerial silks and trapeze, unicycle riding, juggling, tumbling and more. Participants can join the extramural club or take a sample dose as an explorations class.

“What I love about the circus is there’s a real diverse group of people, a cross section of those who have never done anything physical, to real athletes,” program director Tiffany Wightman told the Driftwood in April. “Of course we have the gymnasts and dancers, but we also have those who have never done anything active before and now want to do this.”

It took a year and a half of hard work to get the program up and running, after Australia’s Cirkus Surreal school group visited School District 64 in the spring of 2014 and sparked plans for a home-grown offering. Endless fundraising efforts and a generous offer from Victoria Mihalyi of Flying Dreams Studio helped secure the initial equipment, such as rigging, silks and thick mats.

Wightman has put in countless coaching hours to make the program possible, and has also received coaching support from gifted community volunteers and others working through teacher-in-the-classroom grants.

Wightman’s partner Ben Velthuizen has donated his off-time hours to rigging, lighting, equipment sourcing and other tasks, while SD64’s facilities crew has been an invaluable part of the team.

Tsunami Circus gave its first delightful public appearance during Cirkus Surreal’s return visit this spring, and launched an even more ambitious end-of-year show in June. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish as the program matures.

A video clip from the June 2016 show by Zandra Stratford can be See related video footage at seen via thewww.gulfislandsdriftwood.com online version of this publication or the Tsunami Circus Facebook page.

Photos by JEN MACLELLAN

Scenes from the Tsunami Circus yearend show in June.

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

24

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Post your comment to this story online at www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com

Best The

The sound of an airplane flying overhead has always triggered an instinctive response in Alan Dennis to look skyward.

“I love everything about airplanes,” he said.

Dennis has been in the pilot’s chair of the Salt Spring Radio Control Flyers since the group officially formed in 2008. During that time, he and a devoted group of model airplane enthusiasts have accumulated countless hours of flying hours in planes and helicopters large and small.

The club meets at a pint-sized airstrip along Sunset Drive on Saturdays when the weather is kind. Too much wind or too much precipitation can keep the flyers grounded indefinitely for fear of a significant crash, something that’s best avoided given that quality RC flying machines start at about $250.

Way to Reach New Heights Salt Spring Radio Control Flyers Motto: ‘Take-off is optional, landing is mandatory’

Photos courtesy www.ssircf.ca

Planes flown by Salt Spring Radio Control Flyers club members.

The club accepts new members and is always eager to introduce pilots who are still wet behind the ears to the finer points of the hobby.

“It’s a good place to learn,” Dennis said.

The group has even welcomed off-island visitors who’ve brought their planes over to fly Salt Spring’s friendly skies. For more info, visit www.ssircf.ca.

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THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Photo by ELIZABETH NOLAN

A scene from April of 2013, with Island Escapades coowner Jack Rosen wondering if the Ganges Hill water flow can accommodate his kayak.

Best Island Infrastructure Joke The

Feb. 2014: Water leakage and the “sinkhole” returns with a vengeance. On the bright side, the top of the hill torrent problem appears to be fixed.

March 2014: MoTI claims previous year’s repair improved the situation and installs a “bump” warning sign at the bottom of Ganges Hill.

Aug. 2014: More work undertaken.

April 2015: Water continues to blurk from the sinkhole.

MoTI states: “Ministry and Mainroad staff are working to identify any further contributing factors to the pavement deformity and will be developing a plan to mitigate the cause in the coming months.”

Aug. 2015: New culvert installed in the area.

Nov. 2015: Water continues to pour out of the hole and down Fulford-Ganges Road. A major rainstorm results in visible sinking and crumbling. Pylons and yellow tape are installed at the site. Sandbags are placed at the corner of Fulford-Ganges Road and Seaview Avenue. Business owners are regularly seen removing accumulated muck and gravel. After that, the fun begins: Rubber ducks take up temporary residence in the water-filled hole. A Christmas tree arrives on the spot, as does a sarcastic sign.

May 2016: MoTI says it’s mapping the hydraulic patterns in the area to help finalize a work plan.

July 2016: Pranksters install a pair legs at the site, making it look as if someone has fallen into the hole and is stuck there.

Aug. 2016: More work is done at the site.

After completion of the Bishop’s Walk/Bishop’s Green residential developments in 2007, water began pouring down Ganges Hill from the Drake Road intersection. Once that problem was finally addressed by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, water began seeping from beneath the pavement at the bottom of the hill, creating the infamous “Ganges Sinkhole.”

We waded through the Driftwood archives to piece together the following Sinkhole Saga.

Jan. 2008: in front of what was then the Teddy Bear’s Takeout and the Harbour Low Cost.

At the time, Greg Galpin, former MoTI area manager, said: “We don’t know where the water is coming from, but if worse comes to worse we’ll have to fix it because it’s our road.”

• Fast forward to December of 2012: Despite continued road “blurking,”MoTI claims it has fixed the problem and says drainage issues could be addressed if CRD-initiated roadwidening or bike lane installation occurs.

April 2013: MOTI installs a weeping drain intended to carry water into a storm pipe that runs to Ganges Creek after intense public pressure to do something about both water gushing down Ganges Hill and out of the hole at the bottom. A depression at the bottom of the hill is patched.

Nov. 2013: Drainage ditch created on southeast side of the road.

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

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THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

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Now, the island awaits the winter rains to see if this waterlogged saga continues or if we must find something else complain and make byfun of! that voted for them.

I would like to propose one to simple idea for Canada.about I’m had been pre-approved the citizens proposing this idea now at the beginning of another fed- But today, in 2015, we see that these policies actually don’t eral election so that digital Canadians who embrace theof ideathis can get implemented. These policies or campaign promises are See the version publication get involved during the election campaign. not binding on the people we elect. Once in parliament I suggest that Canada return toclip a time when there were leaking they can choose to ignore for a short video ofSee water from related video footage at their promises and do whatever no political parties in Canada. I suggest that Canadians they want. Here is where the concept of “hidden agendemand the abolition of political parties. I suggest that das” is destroying our original design for a parliamentary the hole during a sunny day in April of 2015 www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com like-minded citizens demand that each candidate running democracy. Here is where the cynical back-room boys of in their ridings to this concept now and that they the political parties are advising their candidates to “tell and one agree of this summer’s repair work. make their commitment to refuse to be controlled by the the people what they want to hear” so that they can be management of any political party.

Why? There is no constitutional requirement for AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS political parties in Canada. The original concept of parliamentary democracy in Canada was that each riding would elect their “best” representative to then go to Ottawa and once there to join with their other elected members of parliament to choose a prime minister. This person could then choose other elected members to form a government that would pass

Once elected, they can change their I for one am tired elected. minds.

I for one am tired of being manipulated by

27 of DRIFTWOOD being the back-room boys of the political parties. So solution is to make them illegal. Let’s go manipulated by my back to a system that elects the best person from each riding to represent the people of the the back-room riding in our parliament. Our representative could be chosen as the prime minister and her boys of the government could govern with a conscience political parties. knowing that they must answer to the people

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Way to Best Overcome a Fear of The

Public Speaking

Photo courtesy salt spring toastmasters

Salt Spring Toastmasters gathering at a member’s home.

Members can also speak at length on prepared topics and are encouraged to enter regional competitions.

Spectators keep a close eye for distracting gestures and a keen ear tuned for inopportune “ums, errs and uhhs.” It’s by calling out such habits (many of which often go unnoticed by the speaker) that eureka moments are achieved.

During a digital age in which communication constantly occurs at fibre-optic speeds, Patrick said, learning to speak with confidence has never been more important. Having a way with words and an ability to interject witticisms at opportune moments can be a game changer socially and professionally.

“You never know when you’ll need to be prepared to talk,” Patrick said. “You could run into somebody very important in an elevator or need to impress people during a job interview. Whatever the situation, the point is to think quickly on your feet and have confidence.”

Fear of public speaking consistently ranks among people’s greatest fears, right up there with the fear of flying, a fear of heights, fear of the dark and fear of failure.

A Salt Spring group has met regularly each Monday evening to help people overcome their fear of speaking in front of a crowd for more than 20 years. According to Laura Patrick, treasurer of the island’s Toastmasters group, the hardest part is often taking that first step through the door.

“So many people are very glad when they finally do come and are relieved when they realize it’s not that bad,” she said.

Toastmasters evenings include activities like 30-second introductions to two- or three-minute “table-top” exercises, where participants are assigned random topics on which to pontificate.

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THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best The

Clean Marine BC Facility

R

ecreational boating and environmental sustainability don’t often appear in the same sentence, but that’s not the case for the Salt Spring Island Sailing Club.

In April of 2016, the club was certified by the Georgia Strait Alliance’s award-winning Clean Marine BC program, making it the first boating facility in the Southern Gulf Islands to be recognized for its commitment to environmentally sustainable operations.

Clean Marine BC is a voluntary eco-certification program that demonstrates a commitment to environmental best practices by yacht clubs, marinas, harbour authorities and boatyards that reduce and/or eliminate contaminants from entering our waters.

❝

We are a cooperative sailing organization, and our membership values not only fostering and promoting interest in cruising and sailing but encouraging the responsible management and use of our waters.

Photo contributed

Salt Spring Island Sailing Club member Julie van Soeren, left, and Karen Laidlaw, fleet captain of cruising, proudly display a sign designating their club as a Clean Marine BC eco-rated marina.

❞

Did You Know?

— Eric van Soeren past commodore of the SSISC

Clean Marine BC Policy • Eliminate the release of contaminants to the water column, both directly and indirectly.

• Minimize the release of pollutants to the atmosphere.

• Avoid contamination of the ground.

• Adopt waste reduction, reuse and recycling strategies.

• Optimize energy and water conservation.

• Promote good environmental practices to all parties.

• Abide by and, where possible, exceed the requirements of all relevant legislation.

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

29

• The Salt Spring Island Sailing Club is only the 23rd facility — among yacht clubs, marinas, boatyards and harbour authority docks — to get Clean Marine BC certification.

Approximately 700,000 recreational boaters ply B.C. waters, many of them in the southern coast region.

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best Way to Celebrate The

W

a School’s Anniversary

hen Salt Spring Elementary completed its 75th anniversary this year, staff, students and volunteers made sure everyone was invited.

The school hosted a year’s worth of activities to honour people from the school’s past, including a film project, several openhouse events and a silver jubilee assembly held on the last full day of the school year.

“Salt Spring Elementary is currently a school of about 185 students in kindergarten to Grade 5,” school principal Shelly Johnson told a crowd of several hundred people who gathered for the event. “Although some kids walk or ride their bikes, most kids come to school by bus or car. We no longer use much chalk or slate, and kids now complete their projects on computers or iPads.”

There has been much change over Salt Spring Elementary’s history and some more to come.

Jenny McClean, a Salt Spring elementary graduate, was one of the coordinators who got festivities rolling. She and colleague Shawn Stevens spent nearly a year researching the school’s past by digging through archival material and interviewing students and teachers from the past and present.

She said the project revealed the relatively hard times students

n Cade

m

the

faced in the early days of education on Salt Spring. For example, they were expected to carry wood, haul water and shovel snow when the need arose. Classrooms were crowded with students in multiple grades, and missing the bus often meant a long walk home.

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At left: Salt Spring Elementary School principal Shelly Johnson addresses a crowd at the final event of the school’s 75th anniversary celebration.

(Photo by sean mcintyre)

At right: Historical school photo displays.

Below: Consolidated School class photos from 1958, and 1951-52.

“There are so many experiences in there,” McClean said of the school’s 75 years. “Everybody used to go there, so students got the chance to see everybody. It was a very energetic place.”

See the Salt Spring Archives for a whole section about the school’s history.

The section includes a link to a slideshow presentation given by Bob McWhirter, a retired Gulf Islands School District 64 teacher and administrator, about the school’s See related video footage at history to the www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com Salt Spring Historical Society last year.

Post your comment to this story online at www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

31

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best Message to Grads The

It’s traditional for high school graduating class ceremonies to receive addresses from all and sundry, including teacher/staff representatives.

But the Gulf Islands Secondary School Class of 2016 got way more than they expected when they chose Ray Colleran, Dean Crouse and Jason Donaldson as teacher reps for the occasion. The trio put together a hilarious and poignant music video featuring an original song and some seriously silly footage and let it roll on the big screen in the GISS gym and later online.

we pulled the tails of Colleran, Crouse and Donaldson in order to get the inside scoop on this cool projecT.

PhotoS COURTESY LEMUR, SKUNK AND HEDGEHOG

DW: How did you come up with the idea of conveying your message to the grad class in a video format?

CCD: The three of us also play as a band, The DryLand Trainers, so when we talked about what we wanted to do for the grads, something musical seemed like the

From left, Ray Colleran (Hedgehog), Dean Crouse (Skunk) and Jason Donaldson (Lemur).

Plus: Various scenes from the But Wait, There’s More! video are in the negative strip slots.

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

32

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

perfect fit. We also liked the idea of leveling up the magnitude of what we could present to them by producing it in advance, with the added bonus of avoiding getting up and talking at the graduation ceremony. They get to hear us talk plenty in the regular season.

But wait, there’s more . . . .

DW: Approximately how long did it take you to complete the different parts, from writing the song to filming to editing?

CCD: We put together a four week schedule: a week to write the song, a week to learn the song, a week to record it and get our video footage and then a week to edit it.

DW: What was the most challenging part?

CCD: Not letting the pictures of us in animal onesies leak onto social media before the ceremony.

DW: What part made you laugh the most?

CCD: Letting pictures of us in animal onesies leak onto social media a week before the ceremony. #whoworeitbetter DW: Any outtake stories you care to share?

CCD: Shooting the footage on the island in front of the fire hall attracted some curiosity. You’d be surprised to learn that even on Salt Spring, a few guys dressed as animals and carrying musical instruments can still draw attention to themselves. Also, to keep on schedule, Dean made the three-point throw on his first try.

DW: Did the students know what you were up to?

CCD: We tried to keep it from them, and we were successful for the most part; they knew we were up to something. We recorded a group of about 40 grads chanting a chorus of “But wait, there’s more!”, all baffled as to why they were doing so.

And for anyone who hasn’t yet seen the video, it can be found on YouTube by searching “But Wait, There’s More!” and looking for the guys in the animal onesies. The link can also be found on the DryLand Trainers’ Facebook page.

the

See related video footage at www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com

Post your comment to this story online at www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com

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CHOICE TO RECYCLE EVERYTHING FROM TIN CANS TO THE KITCHEN SINK! p r S i ng Island on Salt

Salt Spring Island

Recycling Depot

Operated by the SSI Community Services Society

Best Place to Get Your Winter The

S

Salt Spring Island Recycling Depot Accepted Materials Recycling

• All beverage containers (tin, glass,Salt plastic,Spring tetra, milk The BEST “Award Winning” Island Recycling cartons, gable top cartons) along with the BEST recycled Depot.

Fully Licensed…

• Cardboard, pizza boxes, boxboard Book & Magazine Exchange • Corks

Reading Supply

•

• Paper, newsprint, magazines • Large appliances • • All beverage containers (tin,coolers, glass, The Salt Spring Island recycling Fridges, freezers, water air conditioners - $25filmdepot • Plastic bags, tetra, milk cartons, gable top • plastic, Paper, newsprint, magazines • Plasticoptions containers and lids offers extensive recycling • cartons) Plastic bags, film, yolks • Scrap metal • • Cardboard containers and toPlastic residents oflidsthe Salt• Large Spring Island appliances • • CorksScrap metal • Small appliances Small appliances Electoral Area, and encourages • • Electronics • Styrofoam • Styrofoam • • Glass bottles andfoil jarsincluding tourists, and boaters Tin cans and everyone • Tin cans and foil • • Fridges, coolers, Tiresfreezers, (vehicle water and bicycle) • Tires (vehicle and bicycle) toconditioners recycle with – $25 fee us.

• air Wooden shakes • Wooden shakes

alt Spring bibliophiles are gearing up for Salt Spring Literacy’s 10th annual Giant Book Sale.

The event was initiated in 2007 as a fundraiser for the former Salt Spring Community Education Society. In that first year, the event was called the Bag-a-Book Sale, with donations dropped off on the Wednesday and Thursday before the lone Saturday sale date at the Meaden Hall venue.

Since then it has transformed into a six-month undertaking, as books are generally collected from June through October in bins set out at the island’s three financial institutions and the Rock Salt Restaurant & Cafe in Fulford.

After Community Ed decided to wind down its activities and transform itself, it gifted the sale to the Salt Spring Literacy Society in 2012.

Last year the book sale grossed $20,000 for Salt Spring Literacy, while a new and crazily popular fundraiser held at the same time and place — Jewels for Literacy — raised more than $4,500.

The sale is island famous for its 25,000-plus quality books displayed in 40 categories, and as the place to share finds and stories with other book lovers, friends and family members.

Household Hazardous Waste HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE -by ALWAYS ACCEPTED Our core funding is provided the Capital Regional

for(automotive, the recycling of residential paper, cardboard • District Batteries marine) • Ink and toner cartridges WE ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING: (household and rechargeable) • Paint materials, the andBatteries containers.

Inmarine) addition to these • • Batteries (automotive, Cell phones solvents and flammable • • Batteries (householdaand depot accepts wide variety of• Pesticides, items for recycling as • rechargeable) CFL bulbs and fluorescent tubes liquids (gasoline) well as some household hazardous wastes, a complete • Ink and toner cartridges • Smoke detectors and carbon • Digital cameras Paint monoxide alarms listphones of materials accepted is shown on the reverse.

• • Cell Pesticides, and flammable liquids (gasoline) • • CFL bulbs and flsolvents uorescent tubes, • as well Smoke and carbon as alldetectors bulbs & light fixturesmonoxide alarms ALL THIS AT THE BEST PRICE…FREE! (except $25 freon removal fee) Tuesday – Saturday Contact Us 10Contact am – 5 pmUs Phone: (250) 537-1200 349 Rainbow Phone: (250)Road 537-1200 Web: www.saltspringcommunityservices.ca/recycling Web: www.saltspringcommunityservices.ca/recycling Email: recycling@saltspring.com

See a video clip of the 2015 sale site See related video footage at and the morning line-up via our online version www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com of this publication.

Email: recycling@saltspring.com Mailing Address: c/o Salt Spring Island Community Services 349 Rainbow Road 268 Fulford-Ganges Rd SaltIsland Spring Island Salt Spring BC V8K 2K6

Depot Location

2016 Giant Book Sale + Jewels for Literacy Fri., Sat., Sun., Nov. 18-20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. your comment to this story Salt Spring Farmers’Post Institute online at www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com Preview Night for Salt Spring Literacy Society members on Thurs., Nov. 17

Depot Hours

10.00am - 5.00pm Tuesday to Saturday (NOT OPEN statutory holidays CRD Recycling Hotline: 1-800-663-4425 and long weekends) For 3R information visit www.myrecyclopedia.ca

(Memberships can be purchased at the door) AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

Electronics

ACCEPTED MATERIALS • Glass bottles and jars

35

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

“Tai chi is also considered a form of meditation; it helps to quiet the mind.”

— DAVID HONOUR, Taoist Tai Chi Society

Best way to The

There’s no better evidence that slow and steady wins the race than the ancient Chinese martial art of tai chi. The practice’s smooth, measured movements have restored mind and body for millions for millennia.

David Honour, a local instructor with the Taoist Tai Chi Society, helps Salt Springers of all abilities to recalibrate several days a week at classes held at All Saints By-the-Sea Anglican Church overlooking Ganges Harbour.

It never takes long, even for the most skeptical of newcomers, to feel tai chi’s benefits on mind and body, he said.

“Even at the beginner level, you’re learning how to focus attention on one specific thing and quiet the internal dialogue,” Honour said. “Tai chi is also considered a form of meditation; it helps to quiet the mind.”

A typical tai chi set consists of a repertoire of 108 movements. Each is designed to highlight a specific part of the body. By gaining awareness of how each part of the body Monday, Sept. 12 from relates to the whole, tai chi offers practical lessons that can be equally applied by people at work in the garden or stuck 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the office.

All Saints By-the-Sea After only a few weeks, Honour said, new participants are amazed by some of the changes they experience.

New beginners’ classes Because of its relatively low-impact nature, many seniors start are drawn to tai chi as a way to stay active and prevent injuSept. 15 (10:30 a.m.) ries. Honour said daily practice every morning can be a great way to promote blood flow, awareness and better balance. and Sept. 19 (6:30 p.m.)

“People say they are more confident than they were before starting,” he said. “It’s something we can all do, but practising on a regular basis really does help.”

A Taoist Tai Chi video The curious are welcome to drop by to watch or participate is available on YouTube. in any of the group’s beginner classes, which are held at least ta egatoof oediv detaler eeStwice a week. moc.doowtfirdsdnalsfilug.www For further schedule information, contact Honour at saltspringisland@taoist.org or 250-537-1871.

Find Balance Taoist Tai Chi Salt Spring Open House

Photo above by JEN MACLELLAN; photo at top by sean mcintyre

Above: David Honour gives a tai chi demo with others at the Blossom Festival.

At top: A local Taoist Tai Chi Society class.

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

36

yrots siht ot tnemmoc ruoy tsoP

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

to Snap BesttheWay Perfect Pic The

Rule number one for any photographer, regardless of experience level, is simple: always carry a camera.

“If you don’t have a camera, you’ll never get the shot,” said Wendy Rosier, president of the Salt Spring Photography Club. “Never leave home without it.”

As long as a camera is in tow, Salt Spring is rife with photographic opportunities for landscape, street photography and wildlife shots.

Rosier said she has taken some of her best shots during the flattering hues that pop up around the “golden hours” at sunrise and before sunset.

Since knowing when to show up isn’t too useful without a destination, Rosier suggests people continually be receptive to scenes that speak to them.

“Just get in your car and drive, or get in a kayak and look at things from water level,” she said. “All of the roads on Salt Spring have something to offer at different times of the day . . . Get out there and take a look.”

Though one of her favourite photographic vantage points is in her backyard, which overlooks Fulford Harbour and Mount Tuam, Rosier loves to explore new parts of the island for scenic spots. Fernwood Dock and Beddis Beach are ideal for early risers and Vesuvius is great for evening captures, she added.

Photo courtesy wendy rosier

SS Photography Club president Wendy Rosier.

Rosier is always on the lookout for rustic split-rail fences that snake along the roadside and colour bursts offered by blooming lavender fields or other flowers.

Sometimes she finds what she’s looking for.

On other occasions she discovers something entirely unforeseen.

“It’s about being aware,” she said. “The more you look through the lens, the more closely you will see.”

the

Join the Club!

• Casual coffee discussions take place on Mondays at 10 a.m. at the Salt Spring Inn restaurant.

• Visit the website for more info.

http://ssphotog.ca/

PLACE TO GET CONNECTED Spring Island on Salt

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342 Lower Ganges Road | Salt Spring Island 250-537-8371

cell phones, satellite, landlines, accessories AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

37

THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND

Best The

Way to Give Back to the

Community

o

Way to Best Commemorate The

an Island Icon

Photo courtesy VCR

From left, Moya Doherty, Debbie Cade, Alicia Herbert and Donna Robinson receive “It’s Coffee Time” coffee coupons at a volunteer appreciation event put on by Volunteer and Community Resources. The coupons were donated by four local businesses.

On Jan. 29, 2016, Arvid Chalmers died suddenly from cardiac arrest after a musical performance while at his winter home in Mexico.

Salt Springers collectively mourned the long-time resident, who was a realtor, musician and actor, most famously known for comedy routines done with his cohort Sid Filkow.

When the 2016 version of the Salt Spring Lions Directory came out, observant people were delighted to see their beloved friend smiling at them from the crowd in a photo of a Saturday Market throng.

Gayle LeBlanc, the editor of the Lions Directory, explains how he got there.

“We were going to press, so it was a very last-minute thing, but I knew I wanted to do something for Arvid in the book as he had been an advertiser for over 40 years and also a friend.”

LeBlanc realized that any sort of tribute needed to be tactful and discreet, as many great community members die each year, but Arvid was of course unique.

“I looked at the pictures I had of him and this just seemed to be perfect — a small face in the crowd — as I am sure he is smiling down on us.”

LeBlanc and the Lions received a huge response to the insertion of Arvid’s photo.

“It is surprising how many people saw it right away,” adds LeBlanc.

If you find yourself missing that classic Arvid See related video footage at humour, Dave Vollrath of Living Water Media www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com Services has posted some classics online.

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

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Whether you’ve got a passion for youth, healthcare, the elderly, environment, agriculture, history or arts and entertainment, Salt Spring has the best selection of volunteer opportunities for people keen to make a difference.

According to Salt Spring’s Volunteer and Community Resources, volunteers live longer, more fulfilling lives. Volunteers enjoy helping others, can explore new and exciting career options, and meet new people who may share common interests.

One of the few tough parts about volunteering is knowing where to start, but VCR’s comprehensive website offers tips and inspiration for anyone wishing to offer their time.

The website (www.vcrsaltspring.org) provides some background about what to look for when it comes to volunteering opportunities and offers a lengthy list of available positions. Scroll through the website to scan dozens of calls for volunteers by community groups large and small.

The VCR group also helps organizations connect with skilled volunteers and strives to promote organizational development throughout the non-profit sector.

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EYE FOR ART Spring Island on Salt

THE

Visionary of Gallery 8 Forthcoming Exhibition

“THE GROUND BETWEEN” Featuring Donna J Hall, Daniel Tibbits, & Janis Woode Opening Reception on Friday September 2nd at 5pm to 8pm The exhibition runs Sept. 2nd, 2016 through Sept. 20th MEET WORLD-TRAVELLING ENGINEER RAZALI D. MAY: ART GALLERY OWNER Gallery 8 represents many of the finest Gulf Islands artists, both established and emerging.

The Salt Spring Art Gallery’s collection of art, in a broad range of media, showcases the dynamic and innovative work of these accomplished artists.

Each year our artists offer the highest quality of artwork while continuing to explore fresh ideas and ways of expressing themselves.

“The secret of success is to know who you are and believe in yourself.”

3104-115 Fulford-Ganges Rd. Grace Point Square Salt Spring Island BC V8K 2T9 TEL/FAX: 250-537-8822 TOLL FREE: 1-866-537-8822 art@gallery8saltspring.com

www.gallery8saltspring.com Open 7 days a week year-round (except Christmas and New Year’s Day) AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

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AT SUPPORTING YOUR SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE

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Spring Island on Salt

100% fresh Salt Spring produce reasonably priced groceries all Canadian products no recycling needed! zero home waste

AUGUST 2016 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD

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THE BEST OF SALT SPRING ISLAND