BY GARY HOLMAN
As I stated during the 2022 election, this will be my last term as Capital Regional District (CRD) director.
My main motivation has been to demonstrate that our rural form of governance can work. While much needs to be done, the last two terms have seen an unprecedented level of investment in essential infrastructure, services and amenities on Salt Spring Island. CRD played a direct or indirect role in many of these investments, in partnership with other agencies and our capable community groups, foundations, and improvement districts.
Over 140 units of affordable housing were built and permanent funding established for a year-round shelter. The former middle school and Phoenix school site were secured by CRD for community use. A new Lady Minto emergency room and fire hall were constructed, and the Ganges fire hall transferred to CRD for community use.
Continued upgrades to the Ganges sewer system will serve new, affordable housing projects in our main village. The Maliview sewage treatment plant is being rebuilt. The CRD Board just renewed a five-year contract with Island Community Services (ICS) to continue operating our recycling depot at no cost to local taxpayers. Salt Spring’s first commercial scale composting facility is now operating.
Several kilometres of pathways were constructed around Ganges, the Ganges Active Transportation Plan completed, and Ganges Hill repaved with upgraded pedestrian, cycling and stormwater infrastructure. The CRD Regional Trail feasibility study was completed, and funding allocated in CRD capital plans for design and construction. Transit service was improved despite Covid, a new bus maintenance centre was funded and new bus shelters completed.
Critical maintenance at the Rainbow Road pool was completed and new shared daycare and recreation spaces created there. Centennial Park facilities and plaza were upgraded, and a new dinghy dock at Rotary Park built. Funding is in place to build a new ball field, and master plans for Portlock and Rainbow Road parks were completed. Land for the Mount Maxwell Community Park and new waterfront access in Fulford Harbour was secured.
We also improved local governance. The Local Community Commission (LCC), which I promised to establish in the 2022 election, has broadened elected representation, enhanced transparency and accountability and consolidated delivery of most local services.
I remain personally concerned about challenges to the Trust mandate to preserve and protect our unique natural environment and rural landscape. In part, this challenge is driven by a housing crisis, the root causes of which (senior government inaction, rapidly escalating land and construction costs, and the commodification of housing) have little to do with our official community plan or Trust policies. In fact, many existing policies, now under review, are essential to create truly affordable housing for local residents while protecting our forests, drinking water sources and agricultural land, while making best use of our very limited infrastructure capacity.
We’ve seen the unnecessary divisiveness of Bylaw 530, a misguided request for inclusion in the province’s Bill 44 that would quadruple market housing on Salt Spring, and abandonment of the Ganges Local Area Plan and our longstanding inter-agency Watershed Protection Alliance.
The province, First Nations, over 30 previous Islands Trust trustees, conservation advocates and the former legal counsel for the Trust have all expressed concerns about the Trust mandate and some recent actions. For the first time, a local trustee is openly calling for Salt Spring to leave the Trust. Taken together, the Trust appears to be facing an existential threat that could be heightened under a different provincial government.
I will work as CRD director until the end of this term to help further community goals. But I cannot stand by during a time when the Trust and its unique mandate are so threatened. I will be putting my name forward as an Islands Trust candidate in the 2026 election to help continue demonstrating that Salt Spring’s social and economic goals can be achieved in partnership with other agencies and using the policy tools already existing in our OCP.