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Salt Spring Island RCMP Provide 1st Quarter Statistics for 2023

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Salt Spring Island RCMP Provide 1st Quarter Statistics for 2023

SUBMITTED BY SSI RCMP

As of March 31 2023, Salt Spring Island RCMP responded to 570 calls for service in the first three months of this year. During this time, SSI RCMP issued 474 violation tickets and warnings for traffic-related offences and arrested 20 impaired drivers (more than one per week during this period) for driving impaired by either alcohol or drug. An additional 21 drivers were stopped, charged and their vehicles towed for failing to have valid insurance while driving. Other calls during this period included nine firearms reports, six sexual assaults and 57 mental-health related files.

Traffic safety continues to be a concern for both residents and police on Salt Spring: impaired driving, speeding, speeding through school zones or playground zones, failing to stop at stop signs, driving with no insurance and defective personal vehicles/commercial vehicles – all these types of traffic violations will continue to be a focus of Salt Spring RCMP in the year to come. Some drivers attempted to flee from police during traffic stops in this first quarter. All drivers were located and additional charges were laid.

Police conducted 323 foot patrols (more than three foot patrols per day and in addition to the 570 calls for service) of various areas of Salt Spring. Police will continue to increase enforcement in areas such as Centennial Park, Propane Beach and Grace Point during the summer months. More than 120 licensed premises checks (bar walks) were conducted with police ensuring bar/restaurant safety and discussing the importance of not serving intoxicated patrons from both a safety and liability standpoint.

Salt Spring RCMP had various community engagements, including an ASK Salt Spring event and a Gulf Islands Secondary School Law Class presentation. In the upcoming year, Salt Spring RCMP intend to assist various local and government organizations with the enforcement of laws in Ganges Harbour.

Some of the calls for the first quarter are detailed below:

January:

• Police responded to a request to check on a missing friend; the friend was found to be at home and not feeling well.

• Police were called for a “toxic” fire at someone’s residence and upon finding the property owner, asked for his identification; after he refused to provide ID, police conducted checks on the male and then issued him a violation ticket for failing to identify himself under the Wildfire Act.

• After receiving a call regarding an elderly female being starved and held against her will by family, police conducted an investigation: the female was unable to leave the residence due to a recent injury and food and care was being provided.

• A male tried to flee from police during a traffic stop; the male was located shortly thereafter and multiple violation tickets issued and a review of his driver’s licence was requested from ICBC.

• Police responded for an attempted suicide by overdose; the male was subsequently transported by EHS to hospital.

• Police arrested a female for impaired driving by drug after stopping a vehicle and conducting drug and alcohol testing; violation tickets were issued and her vehicle was impounded.

• SSI RCMP assisted Richmond RCMP with their attempts to locate a missing female.

• SSI RCMP and SSI Search & Rescue located a lost hiker in Ruckle Park.

• Police were notified of a local male who, after sending nude pictures of himself to an online “friend,” was then extorted for money; direction was provided by police for online protection and future safety.

• Police were called to an assault in progress where a male was attacking people and property with a machete; upon arrival, a police officer was assaulted by the male with a steel pipe – the male was subsequently taken into custody with multiple charges being approved by Crown.

• SSI RCMP responded to a report of a driver who drove into the ocean near Bader’s Beach; the vehicle was eventually removed from the ocean after the high and low tides, and charges were recommended to Crown.

• Illicit drugs were seized during a traffic stop.

February:

• Police were advised of people from Ganges Harbour trespassing and using people’s gardens on land as a lavatory; the identities of the suspects is still being sought.

• After a male was aggressive and threatening to an employee at a local business, police were contacted; a ban and a trespass notice was issued to the male with directions for him not to return.

• On Feb. 19, a variety of unrelated calls were received by police that included, but were not limited to, 1) a vehicle collision, 2) a suicidal male, 3) an abandoned vehicle near Vesuvius, 4) loose sheep on the roadway, 5) a report of gunshots, 6) a car rear window smashed by a male, 7) a theft of drugs, and 8) a screaming female kicking holes in the walls of her house.

• SSI RCMP were called to a male trespassing on private property; after refusing to leave, the male was subsequently detained and was pepper sprayed when he became aggressive ; charges have been recommended to Crown.

• Two impaired drivers were found by police in the same evening; both drivers were charged and their vehicles impounded.

• SSI RCMP were called to a report of multiple trees down across a roadway during a snowstorm; police attended and thanks to the kindness of neighbours with flood lights and chainsaws, the trees were quickly bucked and the road was made safe for travel.

March:

• Police responded to a suicidal female who was cutting her arms and throat; the female was apprehended and transported to Lady Minto Hospital for assessment.

• A local driver was served their driving prohibition documents by SSI RCMP after being caught driving without a licence.

• SSI RCMP were contacted to help solve a child custody dispute; the situation was mediated with recommendations to get a child custody order for future clarification.

• Two impaired drivers were caught by police on the same day; charges were issued and vehicles were impounded.

• Police were asked to assist another agency in investigating a bestiality file on Salt Spring Island; the investigation was completed.

• A male was arrested for assault after a bar fight in Ganges.

• A child pornography investigation is currently underway by SSI RCMP for an incident on Salt Spring.

• Police were called after a male threatened to pour gasoline on himself and set himself on fire; the male was found with burnt clothes and he was subsequently cared for by police.

The RCMP is recognizing May 23, 2023 as the 150th anniversary of the RCMP as Canada’s national police force. For Salt Spring Island citizenry, this detachment thanks you for your continued support of our detachment and our organization as we continue to strive to “Maintain the Right” and protect our community.

Isabella Point Road rehab project finished

Robb Magley
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Isabella Point Road rehab project finished

Isabella Point Road construction work is “substantially completed,” according to a statement from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, with finishing touches continuing in the coming weeks. The construction team completed paving on May 2 and roadside barrier installation on May 4. 

Officials said people had been supportive of the work done and seem happy with roadway improvements. The ministry said construction crews made every effort to minimize the impact on the local community to stabilize the roadway, recognizing it as the only access for approximately 350 residents. 

“The construction team successfully stabilized the slope below the roadway to be more resilient against future extreme weather events,” according to the statement. “Drainage improvements have been installed to direct water off the road surface. An additional drainage review is underway and there is potential for more climate resiliency improvements for summer 2024 at other locations along Isabella Point Road.” 

Ministry officials also said crews had reached out to local drivers to let them know construction had been completed. In addition, the changeable message signs and construction signage were taken down as heavy equipment departed.

The reconstruction project began last summer to repair a section of road and bank damaged in a major November 2021 flood. 

Windsor Plywood expands local ownership group

Gail Sjuberg
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Windsor Plywood expands local ownership group

Windsor Plywood announced this week that Jess Harkema and Adam Geddes have joined the business’ ownership group of Mike Stefancsik, Ken Marr and Gordon McEwan, ensuring local control and a seamless transition to the future.

Both Harkema and Geddes have been in leadership roles with Windsor on Salt Spring Island for the past two years, and helped ensure the company survived and thrived after the devastating fire of June 2021.

“They have really shown very effective leadership in our company, and their capacity to learn and pick things up has been phenomenal,” Marr said last week. “And they just seemed like an ideal fit for the Windsor system.”

Geddes came to Windsor Plywood with 15-plus years of experience in the hardware and building supply industry, starting his career with Home Hardware and then Dick’s Lumber on the Lower Mainland.

Harkema comes from a business background both in education and from having owned her own business. In 2019, she returned to Salt Spring, where she was born and raised, for her previous role as Chamber of Commerce executive director. She joined Windsor Plywood in 2021, where she has been learning the industry and business inside and out since then.

“We’re very excited for the future, because it’s been very important and weighing very heavily on Mike and I that we depart this business leaving our community in good shape,” said Marr, adding that they have had opportunities to sell to a big-box chain company, but did not want to take that route.

Stefancsik said staff and customers won’t see any changes at Windsor because Geddes and Harkema understand the workplace culture he and Marr have created over the past 23 years.

“The way we empower our staff and the way we deal with our customers; how that works is important to us,” Stefancsik said, “and these two completely get it.”

“I think the fire and our recovery bonded us as a team,” observed Marr, noting that everyone had to trust each other and just dive in to take care of the tasks in front of them. “There are certain jobs that need to be done. They’re not all pleasant, but they have to be done, and it was a great bonding experience.”

Harkema agreed.

Despite the obvious challenges of setting up in a temporary home on Rainbow Road and shifting some activities to the company’s Beddis Road yard, the team barely missed a beat in serving their customers.

“We had an extremely successful summer working out of really unfortunate conditions [in 2021],” said Harkema, “and then we’ve continued that momentum through to today.”

Geddes, who moved to Salt Spring with his wife just before the onset of the pandemic in 2020, stresses the importance of the business’ community focus.

“Jess and I both feel strongly that community is important. And it’s nice to see a Salt Spring business stay local, and allow us the flexibility to grow with the community and what it needs.”

And how’s the replacement building project coming along?

“We believe we are in the final legs of the [Islands Trust] development permit phase,” said Marr. Acquiring a building permit is the next step, but no problems are anticipated, he said.

Windsor Plywood Salt Spring opened in 1976 and moved to the current Rainbow Road site in 1985. Marr, Stefancsik and McEwan began their business partnership and purchased the business in 2000, and in 2019 Windsor Plywood expanded their operation to include the Beddis yard. Over the years, Windsor Plywood Salt Spring has received many business awards, including Store of the Year among 60 other Windsor outlets five times over, and was named Business of the Year through the Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce on two occasions.

Viewpoint: Listen to the old-timers

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Viewpoint: Listen to the old-timers

By MIKE STACEY

I have been looking through my Victoria phone book dated 1940. There is a small section for Ganges; Miss FM Aitkens was the local agent. Phones were generally usable between 7 a.m. and midnight.

There were also instructions for using the new dial telephones, which I found riveting. Running through the names I was amazed by how many were still here 25 years later when I showed up, and remain here to this day. Akerman, Beech, Bond, Caldwell, Cunningham, Hepburn, Howard, Layard, Lee, Mouat, Murakami, Patterson, Ruckle (the Ruckle property was always open for the use of everyone, long before the family gave it to the province as a park, probably the most generous act to occur on the island since it rose out of the salt chuck), Toynbee, Wood, to name a few.

Those were the days when logging, hunting and fishing were not yet sins but rather a way to keep the family fed. Loggers wore their caulk boots into the Harbour House beer parlour. The wood plank floor was a sight to behold. I often wonder what would have happened if some poor fool had wandered in sporting a man-bun.

Not in the book were others who I think were here in the ‘40s, but phoneless, but definitely present in the ‘60s when I came to the island. Marcotte, Byron (not commonly known is the fact that all male Byron babies are capable of operating a backhoe from the moment of birth . . . fascinating!), Cudmore, Reynolds and so many more . . . all still here.

Now we have another election on the horizon and some of these names are appearing on signs. “They want to clearcut Salt Spring!” some people say. Really? I highly doubt this. Even if they wanted to, how the hell could they do it? But this sort of crap makes great propaganda when a valid argument is not ready to hand. It’s a Trump thing; tell a lie often enough and it soon becomes an “alternate fact,” well on its way to becoming the truth in the eyes of those who want it to be true.

I hate to break it to you, folks, but these are the working people, the ones who keep the wheels turning. To me they represent a giant step back to a time when common sense was much more common, before so many other people came to save us from ourselves.

Jamie Harris has been ruffling feathers as an islands trustee, so he’s obviously on the right track. The focus of the four on the red posters is what is good for everyone, especially the workers who can’t find a place for their family members to live. Many have already left the island, leaving businesses short-handed and unable to keep up to demand.

I can picture some upper-crust resident rising in the middle of the night: “EGAD! My toilet is faulty! My kingdom for a plumber!” Sadly, there could be no plumbers left on Salt Spring. He would have to get one coming from the city, assuming a ferry crew was available.

A little accountability is a wonderful thing. The Local Community Commission with the right people might be the cure for what ails us. With the wrong people, another potential logjam. Listen to the old-timers.

Elektra Women’s Choir closes ArtSpring Presents season

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Elektra Women’s Choir closes ArtSpring Presents season

By KIRSTEN BOLTON

For ArtSpring

A beautiful close to the ArtSpring Presents 2022/23 season comes in the ethereal form of the Elektra Women’s Choir on the afternoon of Sunday, May 28.

Founded in Vancouver in 1987, Elektra has long been a leader among women’s choirs. Under the direction of artistic director and renowned choral conductor Morna Edmundson, over 200 singers whose ages have ranged from 17 to 79 have been members of this national prize-winning ensemble.

The 45-voice choir is known for its adventurous programming, seeking out music written specifically for women and frequently commissioning new works.

“Our mandate is to inspire and lead in the choral art form through excellence in performance and the creation, exploration and celebration of women’s repertoire,” explains Edmundson.

For its performance at ArtSpring, the choir will take audience members through a poetic program including the music of Edvard Grieg and a Shakespearian interpretation of text from As You Like It set to music by piano accompanist Stephen Smith.

Starting the concert will be Elektra’s June 2022 release of Snewíyalh tl’a Staḵw (Teachings of the Water), with a score commissioned from Canadian composer T. Patrick Carrabré. This three-year-long collaborative project with Coast Salish First Nations was conceived by co-curator and ethnomusicologist Jeanette Gallant and is a musical exploration of water teachings in First Nations cultures.

Also being presented is Elektra’s most ambitious commissioning project to date: The Lost Words: A Spell Book. Ten Canadian composers were sent two spells each from the bestselling book celebrating nature, children and language by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. Elektra takes on The Bird Suite, compositions under such enchanting names as Wren, Raven, Kingfisher and Lark.

In 2010 and again in 2017 the choir took first place in the Equal Voices – women’s category of the National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs. Prior to 2010, the choir was awarded first prize for women’s choirs in four consecutive rounds of the biennial CBC National Choral Competition, as well as several major prizes for contemporary music performance.

While this performance ends the official ArtSpring Presents season for this year, summer will still see concerts, festivals, a theatre camp and the always popular Treasure Fair. The 2023/24 season will be announced early September.

Thank you to Regan Hunt, and Mark and Debbi Toole for sponsoring this performance.

Tickets for the May 28 show, which begins at 2:30 p.m., are on sale at tickets.artspring.ca.

Editorial: Get prepared with emergency info

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: Get prepared with emergency info

This past weekend’s unusually warm temperatures, plus the early-season wildfires in B.C. and Alberta, are reminding us that now is the time to get prepared in case wildfire strikes our islands.

Emergency Preparedness Week ran last week, with the Salt Spring Emergency Program providing some key messages about how people can best be prepared in the case of natural disasters. Those include joining the Capital Regional District’s Public Alert Notification System, connecting with one’s neighbourhood POD program (or becoming a volunteer), making an emergency plan and building an emergency supplies kit.

Next week, on Thursday, May 25, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. everyone can join a virtual community roundtable for a discussion titled Salt Spring Island On Fire, where the island’s wildfire threat level is the topic. People can sign up via crd.bc.ca/ssi-emergency.

The FireSmart program is another important part of emergency preparedness. Property owners are encouraged to take advantage of a free service provided by Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue, where fire-safety tips are offered to help reduce wildfire damage to one’s home.

People can learn more about FireSmart directly from the fire department, or by attending the Saturday, May 27 Emergency Preparedness Fair at the Ganges Fire Hall, where personnel from the Salt Spring Island Emergency Program and other services will also be in attendance from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Yet another emergency preparedness-related event is Transition Salt Spring’s June 1 webinar with forest ecologist Erik Piikkila about the importance of healthy forests in preventing wildfire and windstorm damage, as well as a June 4 walk led by Piikkila. An article on page 16 of this issue revisits the devastating December 2018 windstorm and includes Piikkila’s perspective on how damage from future storms or wildfires can be reduced.

Safe Boating Awareness Week provides another opportunity to learn about reducing one’s chance of experiencing life-changing catastrophes. Check out the Canadian Safe Boating Council website at csbc.ca or connect with the Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue Station 25 group, whose volunteers are saluted in this week’s issue of the paper, at rcmsar25.com.

Bandemonium presents ‘From Bach to the Beatles’

Robb Magley
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Bandemonium presents ‘From Bach to the Beatles’

Being asked to lead any band is an honour — and getting invited to conduct one with three decades of history on Salt Spring? Ben McConchie practically leapt from his chair on South Pender. 

The call came from Bandemonium Music Society co-founder Derrick Milton, said McConchie. And he jumped. 

“To be able to conduct Bandemonium?” said McConchie, laughing. “I was like, yes! I’ll take the ferries, I’ll take the boat, I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen.” 

That was back in January; this coming Sunday, McConchie debuts as musical director for the Bandemonium Concert Band at a Fulford Hall performance titled From Bach to the Beatles: a Magical Mystery Tour of History’s Greatest Hits. It’s an accessible program, he said, with selections even casual music lovers may find familiar. 

“We’re playing Bach, we’re playing a Mozart concerto,” said McConchie. “We’re playing some West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. We’re doing a chronological retrospective — where we were, where we are, where we’re going — over 400 years of orchestral music.” 

From Bach to the Beatles also showcases the high level of musicianship that powers Bandemonium. And for a non-audition band — anyone is welcome — there’s a lot of talent packed in. 

“I’ve had to do my homework and improve as a conductor, you know — get my chops together,” he chuckled. “I mean there are some incredible professional musicians there. But everyone is super chill, and funny — we’ve spent a lot of rehearsal time laughing.” 

Sunday’s show begins at 2 p.m. Advance tickets are available at Mondo Trading in Ganges or can be purchased at the door. 

CRD to change Hartland landfill fee structure

Robb Magley
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CRD to change Hartland landfill fee structure

It’s going to get cheaper to dispose of sorted refuse — and more expensive not to — as several proposed changes come into effect in the Capital Regional District (CRD) next year. 

The CRD Board voted May 10 to approve several changes in waste collection policies for 2024, meant to divert material from the active face of the Hartland Landfill as it approaches capacity. Currently, according to CRD parks and environmental services general manager Larisa Hutcheson, more than 400 kilograms of waste per person, per year is disposed of at the landfill — far above the district’s sustainability target of 250 kilograms by 2030. 

“So we need to go from 400 kilograms per person a year to 250,” said Hutcheson. “Getting to our goal will necessitate a number of policy adjustments that make a real impact on residents’ behaviour, in terms of how they deal with various waste streams.” 

Among those adjustments is a proposed shift in how wood products, carpet and asphalt shingles are accepted at the facility — and subsequently diverted from the landfill itself. To incentivize residents and businesses to separate these materials beforehand, tipping fees for unsorted trash will rise — and the per-tonne rate for the material the CRD wants to divert will be reduced. 

These separated materials could still be brought to Hartland, where they would be transferred offsite and processed through contracts with the private sector.  

“Staff are confident there are opportunities for these materials to be reused, or recycled,” said Hutcheson.  

The CRD said it expects to divert 27,500 tonnes of wood, 9,000 tonnes of asphalt shingles and 4,000 tonnes of carpet and underlay each year. “General” or unsorted waste rates will rise from $110 to $150 per tonne under the current plan, with fees for renovation or demolition waste that contained recyclable materials jumping to $300 per tonne.  

Treated wood products, asphalt shingles, carpet and underlay will be accepted at $110 per tonne, and untreated “clean” wood products will cost $80 per tonne to leave at Hartland. Salvaged wood — clean, unpainted and nail-free dimensional lumber over four feet in length — will be accepted free of charge. 

Private or municipal general refuse haulers who collect from residential, commercial or institutional sources — and who attest to having a program in place to ensure organics and recyclable materials aren’t going into the stream — will also see fee increases, but smaller and more gradual. Those services will pay $125 per tonne in 2024 and $135 per tonne in 2025.  

The CRD Board also approved implementing a graduated bylaw ticket structure with higher fines for more serious infractions and/or repeated infractions. 

“Currently we have fines in the order of $50 to $100; we’re proposing $100 to $500,” said Hutcheson. “There are a number of directors that felt that might not be high enough to really effect behaviour change, or that it would just be incorporated into the cost of doing business.” 

Staff will bring back a specific report on fine structure this summer, added Hutcheson, to be integrated into bylaw specifics in the fall. 

Student ‘Genius Hour’ projects shared at Fulford School

Robb Magley
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Student ‘Genius Hour’ projects shared at Fulford School

A student-led “Showcase of Learning” at Salt Spring Island’s Fulford School was the capstone of a months-long “Genius Hour” project — a skills-building learning experience that offered a lot of freedom for Grade 6 and 7 participants. 

Fulford educators Geoff Fast and Samantha Creech set aside time twice each week for students to pursue their own interests, passions and curiosity through the self-directed project. “Genius Hour” is meant to give students time from their normal structured learning to explore things that interest them. 

“We kind of joked that it was a ‘Genius 45 minutes’,” laughed Creech, “since we did 45-minute blocks.” 

Each project started with students choosing an essential question that couldn’t be answered simply — on any topic at all, so long as it engaged them. And with little prompting, according to Creech, the students launched into learning the answers and designing a way to present them to their peers and families. 

“You’re used to planning a lesson, delivering the lesson and having kids check in for understanding,” said Creech. “But once we modelled the process for them, they just took off.” 

Students examined questions such as what role shrimp play in the Salish Sea ecosystem, or how many island families Jeff Bezos could support with his wealth, or what’s involved in maintaining a successful moss terrarium. Once they had answers, they chose how to deliver them — and again, according to Creech, they had a lot of leeway. 

“Some felt they were better at public speaking, standing at the front and giving a speech,” said Creech. “Others made models, or did performances. I think it surprised them that there were so many ways learning could legitimately be shown — it doesn’t just have to be an essay or a report.” 

Creech said part of the program aimed to instill the notion that learning doesn’t necessarily require someone directing them — and that there was inherent value in seeking understanding outside of formal educational structure. 

“Hopefully it shows that learning is a lifelong process for them,” said Creech. “We don’t just graduate school and stop. You can keep pursuing things and be interested in new knowledge.” 

What the students had to say . . .

Rex Strem, Grade 7  

“I would say Genius Hour is a good project for the class because you can choose your own topic, so it can be something you’re passionate about that you get to share with the school.”  

Maia Duquette, Grade 7  

“I liked getting to learn on my own and choosing where we worked . . . I think people were really engaged in learning about my project.”  

What is the benefit of Genius Hour? “It gives students a chance to see how learning individually works for them.”  

Beatrice Lacarte, Grade 7  

What was the value of Genius Hour for you? “I found the ability to learn by yourself without a guide and where you’re supposed to be opened up a lot of creativity.”  

Cameron Kalf, Grade 6  

“I really liked the research and learning part. It was fun to work on projects that could be about anything, and it felt like I had a lot more freedom with my time and choice of what I do in my time.”    

“I think you learn a lot and learn how to present your ideas in your own words, and show what you learned and how important it is to you.” 

ZANELLO, James (Iames)

Driftwood Obituary
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ZANELLO, James (Iames)

November 27, 1929 – May 20, 2023

Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

James Zanello, 93, born in Treviso, Italy passed away peacefully on May 20, 2023.

James was predeceased by his parents Giulio Zanello and Alba Covre, and his brother Eugenio Zanello.

James is survived by his loving wife of 62 years Inge-Lore, his brother Enrico, his four children and their spouses (Erika, Sara and Otello, James Jr. and Yvonne, Enio and Nadeane) and 11 grandchildren (David & Kevin, Matteo, Angelica & Sabrina, Andrew, Adam, Curtis & Kristen, Rebecca & Laura).

James immigrated to Canada in 1952 seeking greater opportunities.

In 1983-84 James & Inge built their home in Salt Spring Island before moving permanently to the island in 1985 upon retirement.

In loving memory of James, a devoted father and grandpa/nonno, whose passions for gardening, cooking, winemaking, and storytelling knew no bounds. His green thumb created vibrant landscapes, his culinary skills delighted all those present. James’s love and guidance touched the lives of his family, leaving cherished memories and a lasting legacy. May his spirit continue to inspire and his stories echo in our hearts as we bid farewell to a truly remarkable man. Rest in eternal peace.

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