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NSSWD election: FitzZaland, Lam win seats

Robb Magley
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NSSWD election: FitzZaland, Lam win seats

With a record number of votes cast, newcomers Elizabeth FitzZaland and Steve Lam have been elected to serve on the North Salt Spring Waterworks District (NSSWD) board of trustees. 

The results were announced during NSSWD’s Annual General Meeting held Thursday, April 27 at Community Gospel Chapel. Financial officer Tammy Lannan told attendees FitzZaland received 643 votes, and Lam 428; Leigh Large received 337 votes and incumbent Gary Gagne received 331. 

Gagne thanked voters and the board, saying he was optimistic for the water district’s future. 

“It’s been an honour to participate in this organization, and to see it flourishing today with new staff,” said Gagne. “I’m happy to see the ‘new blood’ on the board, and I’m really excited for the organization going forward.” 

Of the 965 total votes cast — a record turnout, board chair Sandra Ungerson noted — 917 of them were mail-in ballots, with just 48 in-person. Lannan said there were 41 “spoiled” or rejected ballots, including ballots that chose more than two candidates, did not have a name, witness or signatures included, or a ballot from an otherwise disqualified voter (e.g. ratepayers with outstanding money owed to the district for more than a year). 

“I’m excited about our two new board members,” Ungerson told attendees, as she thanked everyone who voted. “The plans we have for this coming year are ambitious, science-based, and driven by the best possible work that every one of us can do to deliver what the ratepayers ask from us.” 

Feds reactivate measures to protect southern resident killer whales

Robb Magley
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Feds reactivate measures to protect southern resident killer whales

For the fifth year in a row, federal authorities are implementing restrictions to protect southern resident killer whales (SRKW) on the west coast, including a return of salmon fishery closures and the establishment of two interim “sanctuary zones” in the Southern Gulf Islands. 

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced the action alongside a host of measures Wednesday, April 26, intended to help “protect and restore” the critically endangered whales’ population.  

Effective immediately, Transport Canada said it is reinstating avoidance distance requirements — and vessels will be required to stay at least 400 metres from all killer whales in Southern British Columbia coastal waters from Campbell River around to Ucluelet, including Barkley and Howe Sound. The measure is in effect until May 31, 2024. If killer whales approach any vessel, boaters are required to put their engine in neutral and wait for the animals to pass. 

For 2023, the Southern Gulf Islands fishery closure for commercial and recreational salmon will be in effect from the first confirmed SRKW presence in the area, and extends from now to Nov. 30 — a month later than last year, according to Transport Canada, to recognize that whales are being reported in the Salish Sea in greater numbers later in the fall. Monitoring of the area will begin on May 1.  

In addition, starting June 1, two interim sanctuary zones off Pender and Saturna islands will prohibit all vessel traffic until Nov. 30, subject to exceptions for emergency situations and Indigenous vessels. A 20-metre corridor next to the shoreline will allow kayakers and other paddlers to safely transit through these zones, although if a killer whale is in the sanctuary at the time, paddlers must remain 400 metres away from the whales. 

The agency also said an agreement had been reached with B.C. whale watching and ecotourism industry partners to “abstain from offering or promoting” tours for viewing southern resident killer whales. 

For more information about marine mammal regulations or to report violations, visit bewhalewise.org.

Salt Spring Singers celebrate 50th anniversary with Broadway Gold

Gail Sjuberg
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Salt Spring Singers celebrate 50th anniversary with Broadway Gold

A group that has been an island entity for half a century is set to mark that milestone with an extra special concert next weekend. Broadway Gold: Celebrating 50 Years of Salt Spring Singers runs Saturday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 7 at 2 p.m. at ArtSpring.

Choir director Don Conley said in deciding on a theme for the 50th anniversary, it seemed that some of the most popular concerts that occurred in the past had to do with either film or Broadway music.

“So we went that route,” he said, with selections from musicals spanning from the 1920s through the 20th century, and a stage decorated like a Broadway-style theatre.

Most audience members will be familiar with the music, Conley said, with well-known pieces from shows like South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom of the Opera, Camelot, Oklahoma and My Fair Lady. Four medleys are included, celebrating the genius of George Gershwin, Lerner and Loewe, Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story) and the Wizard of Oz.

“Choir members are really getting into the Wizard of Oz medley because we’re doing ‘character portraying’ throughout,” said Conley of his choir. “We have a Tin Woodman and a Cowardly Lion and a Scarecrow. They’re acting those things out and when they’re Munchkins they use Munchkin-type voices to sing. It’s quite entertaining, fun and comical.”

He also said the group was having a lot of fun with the music from West Side Story, and is enjoying the challenge of Send in the Clowns, a Stephen Sondheim piece from A Little Night Music.

“This is one of the ones that they like the best, even though it’s really challenging.”

“I think the joy factor is pretty big for the choir members and I’m sure it will be for the audience,” he said.

Tickets are available through ArtSpring.

CRD director responds to Fulford Water Service Commissioners

Contributed Article
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CRD director responds to Fulford Water Service Commissioners

BY GARY HOLMAN

SALT SPRING CRD DIRECTOR

At their April 14 meeting, Fulford Water Service commissioners vented their frustrations about CRD. Unfortunately, the commission didn’t come to grips with the only item on the agenda: an options report about how best to replace 4.1 kilometres of 50-year-old asbestos-cement (AC) water supply and distribution pipe.

The commission approved the funding and project charter for the study at their Oct. 3, 2022 meeting. They had wanted to meet with the consultant prior to initiating the study, but the options assessed in the draft report would have served as a reasonable basis for discussion about the way forward.

Commissioners objected to any mention of fire flows or the implications of including the Vortex development in the service area. As noted by CRD staff in the meeting, the incremental costs of this additional information, which Fulford ratepayers and the commission need to understand, were very minor. Commissioner suggestions for “dynamic or destructive testing” was not recommended by the consultant, and was explicitly excluded in the approved project charter, because it is not considered a best practice. Complaints that the report included water meter installation were again somewhat puzzling, given they were included in the approved project charter.

Commissioners also questioned the report recommendation that replacement of the raw water supply line from Weston Lake, with no leak history, was a top priority. A valid question, but further discussion would have clarified the rationale – that if the main supply line ruptures, the entire Fulford water system would be shut down, unlike less disruptive distribution system breaks.

In his Driftwood letter, resigning commissioner Tony Maude claims the draft study recommends replacing both the 4.1 km of old AC lines, as well as the more recently installed 2.2 km of PVC pipe. This is not true. These PVC lines, along with a DAF water treatment plant (built a decade before North Salt Spring Waterworks’ new facility), were installed when Fulford converted to a CRD utility, supported by almost $1 million in infrastructure funding.

It’s true that one section of PVC pipe was undersized, and due to delays in remedying this, as well as escalating costs, meters intended for installation were apparently sold. The pipe installation error undoubtedly impacted affected properties, but not a four-year-long boil water advisory, as the commissioner claims.

This commissioner also provided unsubstantiated cost estimates for the above problems, but even if they were accepted at face value, the original infrastructure grant (in 2023 dollars, accounting for construction cost inflation) and subsequent gas tax contributions to the Fulford water service have far outweighed these costs. Parcel taxes and fixed user charges are not $200 per month claimed by this commissioner. They actually amount to a still considerable $160 per month (including transfers to reserves) but Fulford ratepayers would be paying at least $100 per month more without these grants. By 2027, Fulford Water will also be debt free, partly offsetting new borrowing costs that will eventually be required for water mains replacement.

There is no question that replacement of old asbestos-cement water lines at an ultimate cost of millions of dollars is a serious concern, but it is not unique to the Fulford water service. A number of other water districts on Salt Spring have the same problem, including Salt Spring’s single largest water purveyor. Dealing with such significant liabilities is a stressful exercise. CRD can do a better job of communicating with commissioners and ratepayers, and the CRD director must help ensure this. But this inherited nettle must eventually be grasped. At such a crucial time, shooting the messenger is unproductive, and taking your ball and going home even less so.

Salt Spring Solutions releases comprehensive housing action plan

Robb Magley
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Salt Spring Solutions releases comprehensive housing action plan

For anyone interested in housing on Salt Spring Island, a local group’s year-long project needs to be on their must-read list. 

Salt Spring Solutions’ (SSS) just-released Homes for Islanders – An Integrated Framework for Housing Solutions on Salt Spring Island is more than just another report on the island’s housing crisis, according to board member and group co-founder Elizabeth FitzZaland; it may help chart a path around the “institutional paralysis” organizations attempting to solve the problem have experienced. 

“What we came to realize is that organizations like the Islands Trust and the Capital Regional District were talking about housing, but not necessarily to or with each other, or in reference to previous work within their own organizations,” said FitzZaland in a press release. “Countless reports have been written on housing, however, none of them has sufficiently stepped out of their organizational silos to consider the big picture, or to address the need for inter-agency cooperation and problem-solving on housing.” 

Homes for Islanders sets out to cement the fragmented nature of island governance — and what SSS characterizes as a “lack of coordination and collaboration” between government organizations — by re-examining the immense amount of work island groups have already done in identifying needs and suggesting solutions, then setting out tangible steps forward — and assigning them to the specific groups with the authority and capacity to take them on.  

“Our framework pulls together and articulates the various threads of responsibility, and advocates for housing solutions that have been implemented with success in other rural communities,” said FitzZaland. “These are the actions we can focus on right now and work on collaboratively to change things for the better. We’re inviting elected officials and staff from all the relevant organizations to roll up their sleeves and talk together with us about these key strategies.” 

As readers digest the report, SSS said they are engaging in dialogue with stakeholders over the summer, with plans for a wider public engagement in the fall. To dive in, visit saltspringsolutions.com.

Brinkworthy Road acreage bought for potential housing, farming activities

Robb Magley
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Brinkworthy Road acreage bought for potential housing, farming activities

A Salt Spring organization with a history in affordable housing has purchased a centrally located piece of land — one not currently permitted for that type of project, but with “great potential,” according to organizers. 

Island Community Services (ICS), formerly known as Salt Spring Island Community Services, announced April 12 that it had completed purchase of 131 Brinkworthy Road, a 10.85-acre parcel fronting both Brinkworthy and Lower Ganges roads. Currently, the property holds a two-bedroom manufactured home and a 300-square-foot studio, along with a barn and shed; but ICS executive director Rob Grant said the land’s possibilities were too great to let pass by. 

“This was an opportunity to acquire a perfectly located parcel of land with great potential,” said Grant. “The intention is not to do anything quickly, but to take our time in consultation, planning and evaluation of all of the current options and priorities.” 

Those options currently are limited; the parcel is zoned for residential use under Salt Spring’s land use bylaw. It is also designated as Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) property, a provincial land use zone where agriculture is the priority use and non-agricultural uses are restricted. But Grant said the land’s current home — and hay fields — could be a jumping-off point for a larger use for island residents.

“We recognize the potential to increase both the housing and agricultural use of the property to the benefit of the community,” said Grant, pointing to ICS’s “strong history” in housing with projects such as the 24-unit Salt Spring Commons, which opened in 2021, and the 27-unit Murakami Gardens complex, which opened in 2008. Grant also noted ICS had been involved with growing and distributing food on Salt Spring, through the development of Harvest Farm and Food Programs. 

“There are exciting possibilities [at this property] in combining affordable housing and food production,” he said. 

Just a handful of property owners have successfully applied to the Agricultural Land Commission for non-farm use of ALR parcels on Salt Spring, according to provincial records, with around one approval per year since 2017 — although the uses tended to be relatively minor structures, such as the open-sided cover at the golf course driving range in 2020, or tightly connected to farm use, such as an expanded use of Ruckle Farm worker accommodations in 2019. 

ICS is beginning a planning process that will include community consultation, according to Grant, as well as an exploration of ALR options. 

In Response to Booth Column: drier days to come

Contributed Article
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In Response to Booth Column: drier days to come

By MARIANNE HOBBES

Wow! Eric Booth sure dazzled us with lots of figures and formulae in his “WHU series: water talks” Viewpoint column last week. It would be very instructive to know the sources for his data.

Mr. Booth’s statement that “there is a massive available water supply on the island” is countered by a 2019 report by the CBC which stated “for years drought and freshwater shortages have plagued Salt Spring Island.”

Whether you believe in climate change or not, simply referring to rainfall/snow melt information readily available on the CHEK News website shows that this area (southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands) has definitely suffered from droughts that start earlier and last longer, without strong winter rains or snowfall.

This impacts lakes, rivers and aquifers as they can be depleted. The National Geographic website states that all of the above require rain and snow melt to “recharge” and these “can be depleted if the amount of water drawn exceeds the source’s ability to recharge.”

An aquifer is a source of groundwater but water obtained from it is not necessarily potable and supply may not be reliable or long-lasting. Not all groundwater from an aquifer is safe. For example, there is a history of arsenic in well water on the island. Currently, as Health Canada fine-tunes its guidelines about potable water, manganese levels challenge the Cedar Lane Water District, with a need for remediation measures. 

Mr. Booth seems to think that Lake Maxwell appears to be in good shape. Perhaps this has less to do with the water cycle than the good stewardship of North Salt Spring Waterworks management over the decades. 

We are about to enter an El Nino weather event. The projections for all of B.C. strongly indicate that the province will be in for very hot, dry weather. CRD and NSSWD will be introducing stringent measures to reduce water usage in the districts they manage, to ensure sufficient water is available for basic needs. (While focusing on household water needs, Mr. Booth fails to mention water consumption used in agriculture, livestock maintenance, business and services such as hospitals, schools and police/fire departments. He also omits the impact of tourism on the island’s water draw during the driest months.)

We seem to be at a crossroads: if we love the island and hope to see its natural areas preserved for the future, we must think very carefully. Mr. Booth appears to be advocating greatly increased development when our resources — and particularly water — will not support it.

The writer is a Cedar Lane resident.

Nobody Asked Me But: Top terrifying dreams for all of us

Shilo Zylbergold
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Nobody Asked Me But: Top terrifying dreams for all of us

Okay. You’re about to write a final examination, but you can’t find the exam room. Or, you found the right room but realize that you studied all night for your history final and the exam in front of you is for algebra. Or, you’ve got the right room and the correct subject, but the exam date was yesterday.

You start to panic and break out in a cold sweat. You feel like you are about to pass out. Then you suddenly become aware of something. You don’t have an exam to write; you’ve been out of school for over 30 years. Letting out a gasp of relief, you realize it was all just a dream.

Dreaming yourself back in school and being completely unprepared is a particularly common recurring anxiety dream. Although these dreams occur most often in the first year or two after school is no longer in the picture, they can still pop up occasionally and haunt the pathetic dreamer for decades later.

Oneirology is the name given to the study of dreams and their interpretations. Even though many people deny that they dream, the truth is that everybody dreams. In fact, the average person spends about two hours each night dreaming, but most forget their dreams as soon as they awake. Dreams can come in many shapes and sizes but about 65 per cent are based on the awake experiences of the dreamer.

If you dream about a train about to enter a tunnel in the side of a mountain, you are probably having a sexual dream. If your dream has you stuck in the tube of an MRI body scanner, it’s most likely something else. Sigmund Freud, a psychology icon, thought that all dreams were sexual in nature and all symbols were phallic. He interpreted dreams as reflections of hidden anxieties. It’s hard to give Freud’s theories much credence these days. He probably would have interpreted a wet dish rag hanging off a sagging clothesline as a denial of adulterous cravings.

Dreams are generally separated into five classifications, although some dreams belong to more than one category. The first of these are recurring dreams. These are often caused by ongoing unresolved issues. The aforementioned “back in school” dream is an example of this type. Another is being stuck in the dish pit with the scorched pots and pans piling up faster than you can wash them. If this dream doesn’t resolve, it might be time to see a shrink. On the other hand, you might try clearing away the stack of dirty dishes covering every square inch of your kitchen counters.

Daydreams make up another grouping of dreams. These occur when you think you are awake but part of your brain has fallen asleep while other parts are functioning normally. There are some of us who spent all of our school lives in this state.

A third type of dream is a false awakening. Here you feel like you have woken up and are back to your normal consciousness, but instead you are still in your dream. These usually occur during REM sleep when your brain activity increases and your dreams are the most vivid. These kinds of dreams can be quite dangerous, especially if you feel that this would be a good time to go to the bathroom.

Another category of dreams is the lucid dream. This is when the dreamer realizes that it’s only a dream, but chooses to stay in the dream. A special kind of lucid dream is a directed dream where the dreamer tries to take control of the direction the dream is going. The Vancouver Canucks have won many a Stanley Cup in my directed lucid dreams.

Nightmares make up the last of the five categories of dreams. Everybody knows about nightmares and there are people who cannot fall asleep because of their fear of these kinds of terrifying dreams. The one that scares me the most is when I’m stuck in the dish pit of the Titanic after having studied for the wrong exam.

Some types of dreams are more likely to occur than others. According to a mattress advisory survey carried out by Amerisleep of over 1,200 American adults in 2022, there are five dreams that are the most common.

Number one in popularity, although second among women, is the kind that involves falling. According to Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist famous for his archetype theories, falling dreams are compensatory for people who think too highly of themselves and secretly wish to be brought down. They are also common to depressed people who live with letdowns and disappointments. Our old pal Freud interprets falling dreams as symbolizing giving in to sexual temptations. Whatever, Sigmund.

The second most common dream, although first among women, is the feeling of being chased. This dream can be attributed to compensating for procrastination and avoiding confrontation in normal waking life. Freud misunderstood the concept and thought the dream was about being chaste.

Third in line for popularity is losing your teeth or having your teeth fall out. Although this dream can be caused by dental problems or psychological distress, it can point to communication problems such as blurting out things that should have been left unspoken. And no, don’t expect the tooth fairy to show up every time you have this dream.

Believe it or not, a full 23 per cent of U.S. adults have dreams about cheating or infidelity. The cheating may be done by you or your partner. The interpretation is that you feel that one of you is paying too much attention to someone or something other than you. It’s something you need to talk about, but both of you are too afraid that you’ll say the wrong thing and go back to having those dreams where you’re spitting out your Chiclets again.

Lastly among the top five is the dream about appearing naked in public. Twelve per cent of dreams fit in this category. Unless you are an exotic dancer or a sumo wrestler, there is probably some issue that has left you feeling exposed, vulnerable or embarrassed. What’s surprising about this dream is that although the dreamer feels anxious about being naked, nobody else in the dream seems to care. An interesting sidebar to this dream is that exotic dancers and sumo wrestlers have similar dreams about being fully clothed.

Nobody asked me, but your dreams and their interpretations can shine a beacon of understanding on your life issues. After all, dreaming is only a continuation of the stream of consciousness going on in your daily life.

Who knows where your next dream will take you? Hopefully there will be no falling teeth in it. With any luck, maybe you’ll be on that train heading for a tunnel.

Three more LCC candidates submit profiles

Robb Magley
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Three more LCC candidates submit profiles

The race is officially on for Salt Spring’s first Local Community Commission (LCC) election, and there’s no shortage of candidates. 

As the nomination period closed April 21, 15 candidates were officially approved by the Capital Regional District (CRD) to run for the four seats on the commission. They are Gayle Baker, Jesse Brown, Kylie Coates, Benjamin Corno, David Courtney, Lloyd Cudmore, Nejmah Guermoudi, Jamie Harris, Jennifer Kerrigan, Jennifer Lannan, Eric March, Donald Marcotte, Jenny McClean, Earl Rook and Brian Webster. 

With the May 27 election day approaching, the Driftwood profiled three candidates who reached out to us in our April 12 edition: Gayle Baker, Earl Rook and Brian Webster. As more continue to do so, today we present three more who submitted information by the press deadline. 

Jesse Brown described himself as the owner/operator of Rainbow Trout B&B on St. Mary Lake, a “community fundraiser and self-declared underdog,” and pointed to his previous work as CRD’s Salt Spring economic sustainability coordinator and as executive director for various not-for-profit organizations — including the Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce — as part of a history of community leadership. 

“I love bringing money into the community through grant-writing, fundraising and encouraging visitors to come to Salt Spring Island,” said Brown. “I’ve developed and written three successful proposals to the Island Coastal Economic Trust, and I’m most proud of recently fundraising for a relaunch of DAISSI’s Pride Festival this July 28-31.” 

Brown said, “After three referendums on Salt Spring and a general trend in politics to go negative,” he is concerned with the polarization of local elections and the formation of “slates.”

“Politicians at a local level should be fully independent,” said Brown. “It’s just not helpful to create these little political parties in a small community like ours. If this means I’m entering the LCC race on my own as an underdog, so be it . . . I will work with anyone, regardless of political leanings, if it means more money flowing through Salt Spring, and projects being completed that align with Salt Springers’ needs and values.” 

Brown added he has recent experience running in local elections, having placed second in the Salt Spring CRD director election last October.

“I feel so grateful that the community came out and supported my campaign that centered around positivity. As a political unknown, I think I did really well! I want to continue this momentum and bring the voices of working people and people raising children on Salt Spring Island to the LCC.”

For more information about Brown and his priorities, visit www.saltspringtogether.ca. 

Benjamin Corno said he moved to Salt Spring Island in 2010 to work at Blackburn Meadows Golf Course — at the time, he added, the only organically maintained golf course in Canada.  

“That summer, I began volunteering with Foxglove Farm,” said Corno. “And so began my 12-year immersion in small-scale organic farming, an adventure that co-created Heavenly Roots Vegetable Farm with my partner Kaleigh.”

Last year, Corno said, he chose to take part in the Islands Trust local trustee election, his “first official foray into the field of public service.”  

“Through that experience, I activated parts of my personality that delighted in stimulation: my understanding of fairness, active listening and leveraging my curiosity to inform myself about new concepts,” said Corno. And while not selected for that position, he said he considered the experience a success because “I kept my promises and stayed true to myself, and stepped into the unknown trusting I would be able to adjust as needed.” 

Since then, Corno said, he’s taken “a much-needed hiatus from full-time farming,” working three days a week at Dagwoods Diner, The Fritz Cinema and the Salt Spring Island Golf Course. He continues to serve as chair of the Community Market Society and vice-president of Salt Spring’s Disc Golf Club — a schedule he calls “effectively retired,” adding he is ready to fill his calendar with new focuses to activate the new skills he’s building. 

“What I offer as a local community commissioner is an understanding of the layout of our local governance, a professional and realistic outlook on the role, and a core sense of social and ecological justice,” said Corno. “What excites me about joining the first LCC is the opportunity to learn more about the mechanisms that make our community function and to interact with them with the respect, creativity, and curiosity that I bring to all my endeavours. I trust myself to speak and act on behalf of our whole community, and to bring consistent optimistic energy to the LCC meetings — and to community outreach.” 

Nejmah Guermoudi said she’s running for the LCC to provide an additional voice to Salt Spring Island governance discussions and decisions, one that has been “missing for far too long.”  

“If elected, I will strive to do what is best for our entire diverse community,” said Guermoudi. “I am a neurodivergent, mixed-race mother of three with an honours-level social service worker diploma.” 

Guermoudi said she has nearly 30 years of lived experience with housing insecurity and poverty on-island, a story she calls both unique yet “all too familiar” to many islanders. Through her outreach work at the SSI Community Resilience Hub and the Creator Space at SIMS, Guermoudi said she has learned how systemic barriers to housing and services impact quality of life and human dignity. In addition, she said her work on the Islands Trust Housing Task Force and multiple other organizations has taught her that change can happen quickly when people collaborate for the common good — the kind of collaboration she would advocate for if elected. 

“The new LCC will require courageous voices to advocate for creative solutions and to push for intergovernmental collaboration,” said Guermoudi. “With your help, I will be one of those voices, a voice committed to representing all our citizens, but especially the less fortunate.” 

Guermoudi said climate justice and social justice are “intrinsically connected,” and that we must not consider ourselves separate from the natural world. A healthy ecosystem is a diverse one, she said and a healthy community is no different. 

Guermoudi added she wanted to end what she saw as Salt Spring’s “increasingly bitter debates” between environmental activists and housing advocates.  

“Let’s become a truly just and equitable eco-community,” said Guermoudi. “I commit to championing a middle way, a path that provides desperately needed housing and innovative solutions to our services challenges, while continuing to preserve and protect our special island.”

Qualified residents and non-resident property electors may cast their vote on general voting day, Saturday, May 27, or at the advance voting opportunities on Wednesday, May 17 and 24. 

Mail ballot voting is also available to all residents (including renters) and non-resident property electors in the Salt Spring Island Electoral Area. Electors must submit a completed mail ballot application form as early as possible and no later than May 5. Completed application forms may be submitted via email or to the addresses provided on the application form. 

For more information on the available voting options, people can visit www.crd.bc.ca/ssi-vote. 

Last October Salt Spring voters approved by referendum a change in governance to consolidate several CRD services under the umbrella of an LCC, with four elected individuals joining the electoral area director to form the LCC. 

‘Young people often think they’re untouchable,’ says Alistair Hayne’s sister Olivia

Contributed Article
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‘Young people often think they’re untouchable,’ says Alistair Hayne’s sister Olivia

SUBMITTED BY THE CIRCLE EDUCATION

Grade 11 students of the Gulf Island Secondary School are attending a P.A.R.T.Y. this week. No, it is not what you think, this is a different party. This party is to Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth. It’s about raising awareness and learning through vivid and emotional experiences; from real people and their very real stories. In light of this, The Circle Education, who sponsors the program at GISS, sat down with Olivia Hayne, 25, who lost her younger brother Alistair in a shooting accident in the fall of 2017.

Growing up on a small island can be idyllic, especially for young kids. The downside is that small communities lack entertainment that bigger cities have plenty: a shopping mall, cinemas, bowling halls, all places where youth can harmlessly hang out with their friends. On a small island, you have to entertain yourself and that can lead to a culture where parties sometimes turn into events with (lots of) alcohol involved.

Alcohol and teenage brains, it is for a number of reasons, not a great combination. Olivia Hayne is someone who knows that firsthand. She lost her brother Alistair due to a tragic accident in the fall of 2017 while hanging out with friends. She lived and saw the devastating grief his death caused her and her family, his wide circle of friends, students at GISS and the community.

By sharing her story, she wants to raise awareness around the party culture on Salt Spring Island and encourage parents to have frank conversations with their kids about the risks of alcohol. “I think it is important not to fear youth out of having these challenging conversations. We must remain open to their curiosities and questions without making them feel like they are “bad” or that they feel like they need to experiment in the dark without being able to ask the much-needed questions.”

Alistair, 16, was Olivia’s younger brother by four years. When she was young, she treated him like her favourite toy doll, dragging him around on one arm and giving him endless makeovers. They went through different phases together, but when they both grew older, the time they were annoyed by each other like siblings often are, passed. “In our teenage years, when we were both in high school, the gap between us started to merge. We were into the same things and our circle of friends started to mix.”

Olivia describes Alistair as a firecracker. “He was a bit of a hopper, he had different friend groups and managed to navigate them all at once. We were quite different. I am steady and like routines. Alistair was the opposite. He was always seeking adventure, had a lot of energy and never slowed down. He lived fast, like he knew he didn’t have much time.”

The accident that took Alistair’s life, happened at a friend’s house. “He was involved in an accidental, non-malicious accident with a firearm, in a small gathering with friends. Although I am unable to divulge too many details, my understanding is that his friends had been having fun shooting cans in the backyard and were just about to put the gun away when it accidentally discharged. It was an unfortunate combination of alcohol, a lack of consequential thinking and bad timing that led to this catastrophic situation; a recipe for disaster.”

Alistair was medivaced off the island to hospital in Victoria in the middle of the night. Olivia and her parents were notified by the police in the early morning. The family had been told that Alistair was shot, but other than that, they had no information. “When we pulled out of Fulford Harbour the sun came up. I was in a fragile state of mind, but it was the most beautiful sunrise I’d ever seen. I remember it vividly. I also remember that I was on the phone with a friend to tell her what happened, telling her that I didn’t think we would come home with Alistair. I just had a sense.”

Once in the hospital, she knew she was right. “Alistair was still warm but kept alive by machines. His body was there, but his spirit was gone. The doctors were very emphatic in relaying the message, but they almost immediately told us what the outcome would be. I worried that being on a small island, where you have to wait a while for an ambulance and a helicopter, would have had a negative effect. I played all the scenarios in my head, but they were very clear; even if it had happened on the doorstep of the hospital, there was no way that he could have survived this.”

Although Olivia and her parents never had a conversation about organ donation, they knew immediately that it was the right thing to do when the doctors brought it up. “He was a minor, so we could make the decision. In the end, Alistair donated his liver, two kidneys, his lungs and heart, to five different individuals and changed their lives for the better. At that moment it felt that that was what we needed to do. In hindsight, so many amazing things came out of it. I actually don’t know where my family and I would have been, in terms of our grieving, if we had decided otherwise.”

In the days that followed, the doctors ran rigorous tests to make sure that his organs were of enough quality to transplant. In those days his friends came to the hospital to say goodbye. “There were only two people at a time allowed in his room, but the staff was incredible. Already that first day, friends showed up and on his last day of being on life support, they just opened the doors and so many kids gathered in his room. It was important for them to be able to say goodbye to him.”

Almost five years later, Olivia is used to speaking publicly about her brother and what happened to him, as an ambassador for BC Transplant. “The more you do it, the easier it becomes to talk about what happened,” she says. “I always feel a bit emotionally heavy when I do, but I think it is important to talk about organ donation, as well as talking about kids, alcohol and risk-taking. Young people often think that they are untouchable. And most of the time you can get away scathe-free. Until one time you are not and that can be catastrophic. I would like to say to young kids that you should not fear to stand up to friends if you think something is not safe. I hope they have the ability to recognize when something is not right. If someone has been drinking all night, would it be wise to get into a car with them? You have to be able to make that decision for yourself and recognize the risks involved. Especially when you live on a small island where buses don’t run late and cabs are not lined up to take you home.”

For Olivia, the passing of her brother changed her life forever. “It flipped everything completely upside down. No matter how hard I try, I will never be the same person I was before. What was really hard for me was watching my parents and Alistair’s friends grieve. This one incident caused so much pain and grief for everybody involved, including the boy who was holding the gun. This has completely altered his life as well. One decision in one small moment can affect your entire course of life.”

She is sad about what happened to her brother, but she is not resentful. “I would do anything just to bring him back, but I can’t change what happened. I accepted it and try to live my life for both of us. I now carry some of his life voraciousness and carefreeness. He was very authentic, super nonjudgmental and he really didn’t care what people thought of him. I try to embody that a little bit. I move forward and try to live my life to its fullest. I would be doing a disservice to him if I didn’t continue my life to its full potential.”

More information about “party awareness week” is at thecircleeducation.org/news.

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