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Islands Trust reveals shift on mandate

Robb Magley
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Islands Trust reveals shift on mandate

Details of a closed meeting held by the Islands Trust Council (ITC) last month have begun to emerge and may telegraph a shift in that body’s priorities. 

The most recent ITC meeting, held on North Pender Island Sept. 26-28, kicked off with a two-hour-long session held in-camera — the first order of business for the land use authority’s three-day quarterly meeting. Upon returning to public view, ITC chair and Thetis Island trustee Peter Luckham disclosed the group had enjoyed a “lengthy discussion” about the interpretation of Section 3 of the Islands Trust Act — commonly referred to as the “object” or “mandate” of that body. 

That section instructs the Islands Trust to “preserve and protect the Trust Area and its unique amenities and environment for the benefit of the residents of the Trust Area and of British Columbia generally, in cooperation with municipalities, regional districts, improvement districts, First Nations, other persons and organizations and the government of British Columbia.” 

Luckham on Sept. 26 did not reveal the result of that discussion, saying only that ITC had “come to a conclusion” of how it wished to interpret Section 3 going forward, and that public release of that information and the interpretation ITC agreed upon would be forthcoming “in the near future.” 

So as a draft version of the unofficial “highlights” of that meeting was posted as part of the Trust’s Executive Committee meeting agenda packet for Wednesday, Oct. 11, observers got their first look at what was discussed. In the closed session, according to that draft highlight document, ITC considered legal opinions regarding that portion of the Islands Trust Act — and apparently reached consensus that the definition of “unique amenities” may include “housing, livelihoods, infrastructure and tourism” — seemingly the most explicit recognition yet of this ITC’s belief that its mandate extends well beyond the natural environment.  

Communication on the issue has been unofficial and scant; in several public settings leading up to the ITC meeting, trustees had alluded to such discussions taking place and a possible new direction — and a post on social media had suggested at least one trustee had shared this new interpretation previous to the release of the draft highlights document. But an official public statement had not been made before the release of this agenda packet — which included a new link to an official “rise and report” consensus document, dated the day of the closed meeting. 

“There has been some debate in the past about the meaning of unique amenities,” according to that report. “Trust Council’s view is that unique amenities are broad-ranging and may include issues such as, but not limited to, housing, livelihoods, infrastructure and tourism.” 

“However,” it continues, “land use planning in the Trust Area must always include a focus on preserving and protecting the environment and communities of both local Trust areas and the Trust Area generally and, in a manner consistent with Reconciliation. In any given decision-making situation, there must be recognition of the importance of each of the essential elements and where there is competition between those elements there must be a careful and reasoned balancing of the importance of preserving and protecting the Trust Area, and its unique amenities and environment.” 

The closed meeting, according to the report, summarized all previous legal opinions on the mandate, addressing what it called a “deep division amongst both trustees and constituents” on its meaning and implementation; the effort was a priority of the Trust’s current Governance Committee, appointed in December 2022. That committee also has been the driving force behind the creation of a strategic plan for the Trust, an effort “championed by a sub-committee of the Financial Planning Committee which has been endorsed and encouraged by the Governance Committee, and will be subject to separate and future discussions.” 

Recordings or official minutes of the September ITC meeting have yet to be posted; ITC’s consensus statement can be read online here.

Oktopus set to thrill at Oct. 18 concert

Contributed Article
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Oktopus set to thrill at Oct. 18 concert

By KIRSTEN BOLTON

FOR ARTSPRING

With a name like Oktopus, it comes as no surprise this award-winning Montreal-based world music ensemble consists of eight virtuoso musicians. The tentacles extend to the clarinet, bass trombone, flute, tenor trombone, piano, drums and percussions, trumpet and violin.

What might surprise is the “k” in Oktopus is a nod to klezmer, the musical heritage of Eastern European Jews and the style to which the group is primarily devoted. Combined with components of classical, Quebecois, and jazz and Balkan accents, its novel approach has put the eclectic octet on the map with over 250 performances at home and abroad. Oktopus performs at ArtSpring for the first time Wednesday, Oct. 18, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

In their tours, the musicians have become known for their festive, high-energy shows, occasionally melancholic and profound, but always sprinkled with humour and multicultural storytelling, where original compositions and finely crafted arrangements compete with tangents of spirited improvisation. Although their live performances invariably have audiences dancing in the aisles, the band’s recorded output is also hailed by fans and critics alike.

Oktopus recorded its third CD, Créature, last year and was nominated for Best Instrumental Music Group at the Canadian Folk Music Awards as well as earning an Album of the Year: World Music nomination for an Opus Prize.

Described as “an absolute blast” by RateYourMusic, the rollicking Oktopus guarantees a night of uninhibited musical delight. There will be a talkback with the artists after the show.

Tickets are available through ArtSpring here.

Women’s History Month event on tap

Gail Sjuberg
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Women’s History Month event on tap

October is Canadian Women’s History Month and this year it’s being celebrated on Salt Spring Island with a fun and inspiring event.

Women’s history is a passion for Salt Spring Public Library information technician Sophia vom Bauer Jackson, who had a vision for the library to bring together a diverse group of female presenters for an afternoon in the library’s program room. The result is Canadian Women’s History Month – Sharing Stories in Words and Songs, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m.

Vom Bauer Jackson notes that it was less than 100 years ago — on Oct. 18, 1929 — that women were declared “persons” in Canada, and then only the case for Caucasian women.

Saturday’s event will feature six individuals and groups: Penelakut Elder Jillian Harris, Molly Akerman, Briony Penn, and members of the Japanese Garden Society of Salt Spring Island, Raging Grannies and Women of Note choir.

“Each person or group will have 15 to 20 minutes for a presentation, and each of them has something really interesting to present,” said vom Bauer Jackson.

Harris, a former chief of the Penelakut Tribe, will talk about the Women of Courage project — sponsored by the ecumenical justice group Kairos she has been involved with.

Akerman, who grew up on Salt Spring and is taking Indigenous studies at university, will talk about how women bond and support each other when they are in need.

Penn’s subject is women in academia and First Nations working to protect forests.

While the Salt Spring Raging Grannies are not presently active, said vom Bauer Jackson, they will celebrate past activities.

The Women of Note ensemble will, not surprisingly, sing their story.

Japanese Garden Society members will talk about the experiences of the Japanese women who came to Canada and Salt Spring.

An intermission will provide an opportunity for people to circulate in the room and make new connections.

“I want women to connect with each other,” said vom Bauer Jackson. “I want them to be encouraged, inspired by all the women around us . . . They do all these things and make it all work and try their best to make the world a little bit better. I want to inspire that kind of spirit.”

‘Listening tour’ follows climate action report card

Robb Magley
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‘Listening tour’ follows climate action report card

Transition Salt Spring (TSS) has taken its show on the road, so to speak, sharing results from the group’s latest findings in the form of the Salt Spring Island Climate Action Report Card 2023 — a presentation, certainly, but also importantly a listening tour, according to TSS chair Bryan Young.  

Young and TSS brought the report card to ASK Salt Spring late last month, as an update on progress toward goals set previously with the Salt Spring Island Climate Action Plan 2.0. They’ve met with various local officials individually since, Young said,  and will be presenting to the Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee at its Oct. 12 meeting. They have also set a roundtable for community service organizations on Oct. 17.  

These programs include a briefing, but are really designed to construct shared priorities, Young said — asking members of each group what goals they have that overlap with matters in the report card, and how TSS can support them.  

“It’s a listening position,” said Young, “with a mind to say, ‘OK, which priorities are we going to agree on together?’ Then we take those messages to our next set of conversations with our local elected officials and tell them this is the consensus that came out.” 

Among the first messages policy-makers and other readers will find is this: overall there’s been a good start, but we need to do more, and soon.  

“Not enough is happening,” said Young, pointing to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasts and climate events over the past few years. “All of the lights on the dashboard are flashing amber, or worse.” 

According to the report card, Salt Spring is “not on track” to meet either targeted emission reductions nor climate change adaptation goals set out in 2021 for 2030 — despite what it called “notable progress” in several areas. For example, transportation pollution reduction goals are being advanced through local and regional efforts on bike lanes and electrification, but targets for reducing single-person vehicle trips remain out of reach.  

Setting targets for broad goals — involving similarly broad topics, like food security or infrastructure hardening — can feel overwhelming for individuals and even large organizations, Young said, but the group’s granular information trove of policy and programs can help groups dial into specific action. 

“We have a climate action policy and programs database we’re using,” said Young. “It’s nimble; we’re able to show people a slice of that database, ask officials where they are on things that are in their work plan, and show places we can help.” 

That offer of help is part of TSS’s emphasis on going beyond mere criticism — to not just point out where something is falling short but to come up with ideas to improve things. 

“No opposition without proposition,” chuckled Young. “We cannot afford to just be critical at this point. I think it behooves anybody who opposes something to be also proposing a solution at the same time.” 

Young puts climate change adaptation for infrastructure and ecosystems at the top of the list, he said — pointing to recent conversations with staff at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure that yielded new ideas on diverting roadway water runoff in more natural ways that protect Salt Spring’s drinking water as much as road surfaces. But there’s an economic angle to the work as well, he said — often surprising critics. 

“This is about being shrewd, creating economic opportunities for islanders to do things with forests and watersheds to help make them more resilient,” said Young. “There’s a lot of appetite from the public to know more, but we still need to have some deeper conversations.” 

Climate change is obviously a problem much bigger than Salt Spring, Young said, but he emphasized it’s going to be local people and organizations who ultimately protect their own communities — and it’s conversations that bring people together that need to be encouraged, he added, not the ones that drive us apart. 

“We don’t have time anymore to be fighting each other,” said Young. “We need to be reaching across divisions, and having real conversations about how we can help each other. We cannot afford to orphan any voices in our community.” 

“Everything we do to adapt ourselves and reduce emissions helps make it easier for my son, my daughter and future families living on this island,” continued Young. “The slower we act, the more difficult it’s going to be. We need to be strong with each other right now.” 

The Climate Action Report Card can be read online at transitionsaltspring.com. 

Editorial: More climate work to do

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: More climate work to do

Transition Salt Spring (TSS) recently issued its first climate action report card for the island.

It enumerates actions seen in key areas of the TSS Climate Action Plan 2.0, which came out in 2021, noting some areas of tangible progress and others where “the student” needs to make more effort. TSS notes that while impactful work has been done in a number of areas, “like transportation electrification, forest stewardship, and food and agriculture, it is clear that we are not ready for the multiplying threats that come with the accelerating impacts of climate change.”

Every needed change costs money, of course. While most people don’t like the thought of taxes going up for just about any purpose, transitioning a fleet used by a local government service to electric power is a worthwhile use of taxpayers’ funds. Any government body that uses vehicles to function should be purchasing ones powered by electricity rather than gasoline or diesel fuels. In the case of the CRD, and our local school board when it comes to buying electric buses, decision-makers have rightly chosen electric, despite the higher cost to us.

TSS also handles rebate programs to encourage people to add a water storage system to their property and to install a heat pump or an ultra-efficient wood stove. Making those kinds of changes are just one of the things the TSS report card touts as possible for individuals to do in order to combat and adapt to climate change.

But some areas require much more than individual or local government action. It’s clear from the TSS-led Climate Adaptation Research Lab project in the Maxwell Lake watershed and the recently released CRD Electoral Area Wildfire Exposure Maps that some parts of the island are at high risk of devastation by wildfire. TSS frequently mentions how human resources are needed to remove fallen trees and branches that create forest fire fuel, and take other alteration measures, but who would fund those actions — which need to be undertaken on private property in many cases to be fully effective — is a huge question to be answered.

That kind of change requires far more commitment and resources than the purchase of an electric truck for park maintenance activities, but that higher level is what we must support in order to minimize and adapt to the inevitable onslaught of climate change.

CHYZ, Paul William

Driftwood Obituary
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CHYZ, Paul William

July 13, 1948 – Sept 30, 2023

For the past two months Paul had been battling a brain tumor and had undergone 3 surgeries. Sadly at the age of 75 he was defeated. He passed away peacefully Sept 30 at Vancouver General Hospital.


He was born and grew up in Montreal, and moved to BC in 1970. He lived in Victoria for many years, then moved to Saltspring Island 30 years ago, where he enjoyed a simple life with his music, his garden and his friends.


He leaves behind his sisters Vera, Julie and Nina, brother Frank, four nephews and many friends.


At his request, there will be no service. He will be missed deeply by all who knew him, and never forgotten.

Revised Bylaw 530 back for consideration

Robb Magley
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Revised Bylaw 530 back for consideration

As Salt Spring’s Local Trust Committee (LTC) prepares for its October meeting this week, Bylaw 530 is on its plate once again, bringing the potential legalization of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) into renewed focus — and it’s anybody’s guess how trustees will proceed. 

Bylaw 530 seeks to increase Salt Spring’s housing stock by changing zoning regulations to permit ADUs on a number of properties across the island. An ADU is defined as a distinct and separate unit from a principal dwelling structure, with its own cooking and washroom facilities and its own entrance. The most recent version of Bylaw 530 would add ADUs as a permitted use in limited and specific zoned areas. 

Back in June, staff were given wide-ranging direction from trustees — including a request to “identify options for further amendments” to the proposed bylaw that take into account both the multitudinous feedback garnered from several public events and further information gleaned from staff research.  

The result is a late 26-page addendum to the Thursday, Oct. 12 meeting agenda. Planners have returned with a number of recommendations and comments.

While the previously considered version of Bylaw 530 would “rezone 5,002 properties” to allow for a secondary suite or ADU, according to the report, zoning is merely the “land use” portion of a long list of requirements to actually build one. 

“Those units may still be subject to siting requirements, building permitting, and risk management measures if constructed in hazard lands or environmentally sensitive lands,” reads the report.

Further, staff consultation with legal counsel seems to indicate there are potential legal pitfalls, noting it is “unclear [whether] the actions of advancing proposed Bylaw 530 would be vulnerable to court challenge.” 

With these findings — alongside what Tsawout First Nation representatives regard as “conversations … not comprising engagement or consultation,” according to the report — staff are recommending a “blended” approach to the bylaw. That would include options to reduce the scope of effects by shrinking the number of parcels affected, with staff proposing several ways to accomplish that, including changing what criteria are used to decide which properties are subject to the bylaw, as well as considering a “spot rezoning” structure for the plan, where site-specific applications could be considered one at a time. 

Regardless of how the LTC decides to proceed, staff are recommending the bylaw be referred to the Islands Trust Executive Committee for comment — likely to test the waters for whether that body would in fact approve it — and have those comments brought back to a later LTC meeting for consideration. The LTC meets at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, at SD64’s Learning Hub conference room, 122 Rainbow Rd. in the lower level of the former middle school. Bylaw 530 is currently on the agenda for 2 p.m.

MLA Column: Elected officials need to bring ideas to the table

Contributed Article
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MLA Column: Elected officials need to bring ideas to the table

By Adam Olsen

MLA, Saanich North and the Islands

As the next legislative session opens, the political landscape has changed with the emergence of the BC Conservatives as an official party in the Legislative Assembly. However, many of the issues remain, and are lacking substantive solutions.

This summer has been another season of extremes in British Columbia, exposing the real threat of the climate crisis. Severe drought has set in across the province, and 2023 set the record as the most active and destructive wildfire season in the history of the province, pushing the capacity of our services, and the patience of British Columbians to the limit.

At the same time the social fabric we have relied on for decades is stretched to the breaking point.

The chronic lack of primary health care continues. The Saanich Peninsula Hospital emergency room has been forced to close overnight indefinitely because of a lack of doctors, and regional surgical units are shuttered. Gulf Islands health-care societies and paramedic services are pushed to meet the demands of growing populations.

Housing remains a primary concern in communities across Saanich North and the Islands. Purchase prices have dramatically increased in recent months and the cost to rent is unsustainably consuming people’s budgets. Inflationary pressures have both renters and their landlords coming to my constituency office seeking relief. Since 2016, more than 12,000 British Columbians have died from a poisoned illicit drug supply (six British Columbians per day). While the province has pursued decriminalization and safe supply policies in an effort to reduce the number of deaths, they’ve failed to provide safe, supervised consumption sites, meaning vulnerable people are pushed further to the margins.

As the summer progressed, we heard from the provincial government that the solutions to these problems would be coming in the fall 2023 session. With a short six-week session I am preparing for an incredibly busy sprint through critically important policy changes.

Too often governments focus on the symptoms, reluctant to address the interconnectedness of the issues we face. The connection points between our concurrent crises are complex and interwoven; however, in identifying and responding to these interconnections we will develop more comprehensive and sustainable solutions.

If we increase housing supply how does that impact our overwhelmed health-care system, and if we don’t find adequate safe housing, then how are we preparing our social services to deal with growing numbers of unhoused, isolated, lonely people? How does that impact the public education system in our communities?

While the fracturing of the BC United Caucus reflects the breadth of political ideas and philosophies in our province, we are all connected to the same governing institutions, province and community. Instead of focusing on how we can politically destroy each other, elected officials need to be bringing our ideas and philosophies to the table to improve the outcomes for our constituents.

With the next provincial election one year away, I am sure all the political parties will be eager to demonstrate the unique ideas they have for governing British Columbia, and to drive the wedge deeper. However, what we need is leadership that values differences of opinion, embraces them and that does the hard work of building a resilient consensus across the political and cultural diversity in B.C.

Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival visits island

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Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival visits island

BY KIRSTEN BOLTON

FOR ARTSPRING

Since 1976, the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival has been an international industry leader in showcasing outstanding adventure, exploration and mountain culture speakers, films, books and photographs. Each year, the festival attracts more than 400 entries from around the world.

Following the nine-day fall festival in Banff, its annual World Tour reaches more than 40 countries on seven continents, making it the largest adventure film tour on the planet. Now for the first time on Sunday, Oct. 15, ArtSpring presents a curated line-up of some of the top award-winning films and audience favourites from the 2022/2023 festival — and two of the eight films are stories from Southern Vancouver Island and North Vancouver. The event runs from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

With stunning cinematography and gripping storytelling, films range from the daring self-exploratory solo journeys of climbers, skiers and adventurers, to communities coming together to protect natural spaces, to films that celebrate — after two years of isolation — we can get out and have some good clean fun in the wild.

Two B.C.-based films to anticipate include Before They Fall, a decades-long battle to protect old-growth forest that escalates when conservation groups, First Nations, scientists and land defenders block a logging company from accessing the last unprotected watershed on southern Vancouver Island.

For some feel-good motivation, there’s North Shore Betty, which is about Betty Birrell who picked up mountain biking at age 45 and continues the sport in the misty forests above North Vancouver, after a career as a mountaineer and professional windsurfer. Three decades later, she’s still hitting the trails and proving you’re never too old!

The Sunday event, which includes an intermission, will be heightened by door prizes, including a three-day trip to Lake Louise and a generous offer from sponsor Mouat’s Home Hardware to all ticket holders. ArtSpring has partnered to support Salt Spring Island’s Search and Rescue, who will be present with information tables and providing tours of its brand new state-of-the-art command vehicle.

ArtSpring’s executive and artistic director Howard Jang had first-hand knowledge of the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival from his time working there.

“I knew it offered a phenomenal and lasting experience to audiences, and I couldn’t wait to share that with our community,” said Jang.

Film Descriptions

Alta – 2022, Switzerland, 5 mins | A team of high-performance riders travels to Alta, Utah for a spring freeskiing session that delivers all styles and conditions of skiing.

REEL ROCK 16: Bridge Boys – 2022, USA, 28 mins | A horizontal big-wall adventure on the longest, most ridiculous crack climb ever attempted.

Continuum – 2021, Canada, 2 mins | Everything is connected. Each ride is an extension of the one before and each re-entry is a transition to the next launch. Each experience builds towards a flow state of endless progression.

Before They Fall – 2021, Canada, 40 mins | See description in story.

A Baffin Vacation – 2022, Canada, 12 mins | Erik Boomer and Sarah McNair-Landry set off on a 45-day expedition through Baffin Island in search of stunning cliffs to climb and unexplored rivers to kayak.

Wood Hood – 2021, USA, 16 mins | DeVaughn (15) from New York City craves a “quiet place” to escape the chaos of his home, the city and kids that steal from him. On a weekend-long group camping trip, we witness the joy and growth that is possible when kids have an opportunity to find that “quiet place.”

Doo Sar – A Karakoram Ski Expedition Film – 2021, Poland, 20 mins | Andrzej Bargiel and Jedrek Baranowski set off to the Karakoram for an adventure full of passion and love that has them freeriding at over 6,000 meters about sea level.

North Shore Betty – 2021, USA & Canada, 12 mins | See description in story.

Tickets are available through ArtSpring here.

Hard work pays off for young Opti-class sailors

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Hard work pays off for young Opti-class sailors

BY TIMOTHY HARVEY

Special to the Driftwood

The Salt Spring Island Sailing Club (SSISC) had a weekend of unprecedented success at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club’s (RVYC) Fall Dinghies Regatta on Sept. 23-24.

A contingent of five young Opti class sailors aged 10 to 12 attending their first organized competition placed high in unscored races in a field of 24 first-time competitors. Meanwhile, SSISC’s pair of two-person 420 crews placed first and fourth overall out of nine crews representing Victoria, Comox and Salt Spring Island. Izzi Pugh Aucoin, 13, and Reuben Sol, 14, put on an impressive demonstration of skill and consistency to earn first place honours, competing in 10 races over two days in the variable winds of Cadboro Bay.

Also representing SSISC, Malikaa Clement, 13, and Vincent Von Rueckmann, 17, placed a satisfying fourth place in their first appearance at the region’s major annual dinghy regatta. It was Pugh Aucoin and Sol’s second appearance at the Fall Dinghies Regatta, where they sailed to an eighth-place finish in 2022.

“We had a much better year this year,” reported Pugh Aucoin, as she packed her gear prior to the awards ceremony.

She and Sol won both days of competition, finishing six of 10 races in the lead position. Clement and Von Ruekmann managed a series of high-placed finishes, allowing them to edge out the Comox Bay Sailing Club crew for fourth place. A total of six crews fielded by the RVYC placed second, third and sixth to ninth place overall.

“Our 420 team this year have been working hard to hone their skills, such as trapeze and spinnaker, which have greatly improved,” said SSISC sailing team coach Finley Valentine-Ward. “They have progressed more than I ever could have imagined since last year. The Fall Dinghies Regatta was a great way for them to prove to their coaches and to themselves that all their hard work meant something. Reuben and Izzy achieving a phenomenal first place, and Vincent and Malikaa in fourth all blew our expectations out of the water. It was amazing to see those once-little kids we taught now succeeding at such a high level.”

The strong showing of Salt Spring’s youth sailors against the region’s top competition is a testament to strong coaching of the SSISC Sailing School. Today’s coaches are past racers, and the current 420 crews also serve as junior coaches to help introduce younger sailors to the sport.

The Fall Dinghies Regatta featured approximately 150 registrants across all sailboat classes and a dozen motorized support and coach vessels. It was a weekend that thrilled participants and spectators alike. As the speedy 29er class sailboats streaked across waves in higher winds outside Cadboro Bay, the 4.2-metre 420s and even smaller solo-crewed Optis provided lively entertainment for spectators clustered on the shoreline or afloat in the bay. There were moments of quiet anticipation as dozens of dinghies gathered in position behind an invisible starting line, and moments of high drama as sailboats jostled one another and, in one case, capsized.

“We learned so much this weekend,” said James Harvey, one of the Opti skippers taking part in his first regatta.

For the more seasoned racers, it was a chance to learn how much they are capable of achieving. For the crews, coaches and parents in attendance from Vancouver, West Vancouver, Comox and Victoria, it was also an opportunity take notice that Salt Spring Island’s volunteer-run program now contributes some of the most skilled and enthusiastic racers in B.C.’s youth sailing community.

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