By GARY HOLMAN
SSI Electoral Area director, and
EARL ROOK
SSILCC chair
The Capital Regional District (CRD) and Salt Spring Local Community Commission (LCC) were busy in 2024.
The LCC capped off its first full year of operation by releasing its 2024-2027 strategic plan outlining its primary objectives for its delegated services. The electoral area director, who sits on the LCC and represents Salt Spring Island (SSI) at the CRD Board, works with the LCC on these objectives, and on regional, inter-agency and advocacy issues of importance to Salt Spring.
The LCC and CRD director continue to broaden engagement with other agencies and organizations, including Islands Trust, North Salt Spring Waterworks District (NSSWD), Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue (SSIFR) and the Southern Gulf Islands Tourism Partnership (SGITP). The LCC is also working with the CRD director in reviewing and making recommendations to the CRD Board regarding such matters as CRD bylaw enforcement impacts on agriculture and expansion of LCC authority.
Housing is Salt Spring’s top economic priority. The LCC, which convened two related public and stakeholder meetings in 2024, is taking the lead in developing an integrated housing strategy for SSI in collaboration with the Trust, NSSWD and other local organizations. The LCC is also working with CRD Housing, which is establishing another regional housing fund, as well as a Rural Housing Program (with support from the SGITP) initially aimed at Salt Spring and Southern Gulf Islands electoral areas.
The CRD has been involved with three affordable housing projects (Drake Road supported housing, Bittancourt health-worker housing, Dean Road boarding house), totalling over 60 units of affordable housing to be completed in 2025. The LCC recently leased the former Phoenix School property from School District 64, and has just approved a winter warming space there for the underhoused. This property can provide additional affordable rental space for important services and future possibilities for affordable housing.
The LCC is supporting the housing strategy through its economic development service, which also funds the Housing Now landlord-tenant matching program on SSI. Other LCC economic development initiatives include funding for the SSI Chamber’s information centre and the Farmland Trust’s Grow Local initiative. The Root food processing-storage facility and commercial-scale composter located at the Burgoyne Community Farm, both supported historically by CRD gas tax contributions, are now operating. In 2025, voters in the CRD will be asked to approve a new “Regional Foodland” service intended to facilitate farming on public lands.
The LCC grants-in-aid program for local community groups also provides socio-economic benefits in a number of sectors, including agriculture, the arts and social services. The LCC is proposing to increase the requisition for both of these important services in its 2025 budget.
Transit service on SSI has been maintained despite the ridership and revenue impacts of COVID. Since ridership has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, the LCC is considering a major service improvement on the Fulford-Ganges route for 2026, subject to provincial funding. The LCC will be consulting with the public next year on the significant increase in the transit requisition that would also be required.
In anticipation of fleet expansion on SSI and BC Transit’s commitment to electrify its fleet, the LCC is planning to co-locate transit bus storage and charging with a new parks maintenance facility on its Kanaka Road property. Work continues on expanding the number of bus shelters along island routes.
Transportation is front and centre with work on the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MoTT) $23-million repaving of Ganges Hill negotiated by the CRD and former SSI Transportation Commission. The project will be disruptive until completed next year, but the much wider shoulder lanes will greatly improve pedestrian and cycling safety. The LCC is proceeding with another sidewalk and cycle lane improvement on Rainbow Road while beginning work on the Active Transportation Management Plan for downtown Ganges, including consideration of parking impacts and options.
The LCC is advocating to MoTT on issues such as speed limits and road maintenance, and is working with stakeholders on the Salish Sea Trail, including Island Pathways, which has been instrumental in furthering CRD active transportation initiatives. For the first time, CRD Parks has approved funding for design and construction of the Vesuvius-Central portion of the Salish Trail over the next several years. CRD voters will be asked in 2025 to approve a new regional transportation service.
Parks and recreation, the largest LCC service, completed renewal of the Centennial Park market court and devolved management responsibility for the Saturday Market to the SSI Saturday Market Society. Improvements were also made to the SIMS facility and programs.
After extensive public consultation, the Portlock Park Master Plan was completed. Funding for Sunday pool openings was reinstated. With voter approval, a major expenditure to repair the pool building envelope is planned for 2025. Consultation with First Nations and the public continues on a management plan for the new Mount Maxwell Community Park. The LCC will also be seeking input on the re-purposing of the Ganges fire hall site. An announcement regarding the proposed Ganges Harbourwalk will also be made next year.
The LCC is working to identify the best option for de-watering our liquid waste on island to reduce costly off-island trucking. This service has been amended to include organics, allowing support of the composter at the Burgoyne Valley Community Farm. Provincial funding was also secured to increase capacity of the Ganges sewer system.
The CRD Emergency Program is working with all of its partners, particularly SSIFR, in preparing for extreme events. As previously, the CRD has secured provincial FireSmart funding for 2025 and 2026, a portion of which is allocated to SSIFR for initiatives on SSI such as property fire safety assessments and chipping. Opportunities for including invasives in the chipping program will be explored. In a related matter, CRD voters will be asked to approve a new regional service to better manage invasives and protect biodiversity.
SSIFR is now constructing our new, post-disaster fire hall with the assistance of a $1-million gas tax grant from the CRD. Our community’s resilience will also be enhanced by the just opened emergency room at Lady Minto Hospital, funded largely by generous donors to the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation, as well as $3.7 million from the Capital Regional Hospital District.
As detailed in a previous Driftwood article, the proposed CRD requisition increase for 2025 is about 13 per cent. This budget is particularly difficult due to unavoidable costs such as inflation and the reverberating impacts of COVID, but also the need to preserve existing services and aging assets. Comments on the provisional budget can be made up until the LCC public meeting of Jan. 30 at saltspring@crd.bc.ca.