Two-way traffic across Salt Spring Island’s newest bridge will have to wait a few more weeks, according to officials, while crews complete final safety and embankment work ahead of a planned winter construction shutdown.

Temporary traffic signals — still the island’s only traffic lights — will likely remain in operation until the end of January at the site for the new Cusheon Creek Bridge, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, when they will be removed and two-way traffic will be restored until work starts back up in the spring.

That springtime effort will include final landscaping and paving on the bridge deck and approaches and will be completed as soon as weather conditions permit, according to the ministry, adding that the public would be kept up-to-date in advance of crews’ return or if any traffic changes are required. 

Meanwhile, the new bridge itself is in place, and initial paving has been completed on the bridge approaches. The project, on Fulford-Ganges Road between Horel and Cusheon Lake Roads, was planned largely in response to the 2021 atmospheric river event that flooded Fulford-Ganges Road at Cusheon Creek; traffic there was fully halted for several days, with the road shoulder completely washed out.

The creek runs from Blackburn Lake to Cusheon Lake. A 2023 report from the ministry’s project manager noted the next “significant weather event” there could result in a complete failure of the road. That stretch of Fulford-Ganges Road sees significant vehicle traffic; a ministry study in 2023 counted an average of more than 4,300 vehicles passing the project area every day.

The bridge design was approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and provides improved fish passage, restoring a “more natural stream environment,” according to planning documents –– and should better balance water levels between Blackburn and Cusheon lakes during extreme weather events.

For updates visit gov.bc.ca/saltspringislandprojects.

The Southern Gulf Islands Tourism Partnership Society (SGITP) has operated for several years, but raised its profile in the last year with the release of the Short-term Rentals Impacts Report for Salt Spring Island. We asked the society’s executive director Jamie Sterling to answer a few questions in order to share more information about the organization and its role in the Southern Gulf Islands.

Q. When and why was SGITP created?

A. SGITP began operating in late 2019. It was born out of the “Experience the Gulf Islands” Proposal (2014) and subsequent Concept Plan (2016). These were led jointly by the Salt Spring and Southern Gulf Islands economic development commissions with the support of many volunteers across all five islands. The intentions were to advance community tourism planning, improve the social and environmental outcomes of tourism, and to improve inter-island mobility.

Q. What does the society do now? How is it funded?

A. Now, SGITP is actioning on those goals by promoting seasonal and geographic dispersion and responsible visitor behaviour. We only market the shoulder- and off-seasons, and in the summer we focus on visitor education. The rationale is to both provide more sustainable, year-round economic activity for businesses and to reduce the strains of summer overcrowding, ultimately working towards a regenerative visitor economy that gives back to our communities more than it takes. We operate from the standpoint that tourism should improve the quality of life for everyone in a community.

We’re funded by the Municipal Regional District Tax (MRDT), a two per cent tax on all visitor accommodations, including short-term rentals. So it’s visitors that provide our funding, not local businesses or residents. In order to be eligible for the MRDT program, however, the local electoral areas must contribute funds, which is a nominal amount.

Annually, the MRDT revenue is around $600,000. Expenditures are strictly limited to tourism marketing, programs and projects, except in the case of revenue derived from short-term rentals, which can be used towards affordable housing. Since 2024, SGITP has committed all of that portion to affordable housing, amounting to nearly 50 per cent of our total revenue.

Q. What is the current organizational structure?

A. Currently, there is one staff member (myself) supported by eight board directors from across the five islands: Jeremy Milsom (Salt Spring Inn), Glen Tremblay (Cusheon Lake Resort), Kelly Armstrong (Harbour House Hotel), David Wood (Salt Spring Island Cheese), Jesse Keefer (Bodega Ridge), Marcia Devicque (Marcia Devicque Glassworks), Anne Hayward (Sage Hayward Vineyards) and Lise Magee (Blue Vista Resort).

Q. What does an “average” work week look like for you, if there is such a thing?

A. The scope is really broad, which makes every week different. One week, I could be preparing reports for Destination BC, which oversees and approves our budgets and plans. The next, I could be planning or reviewing marketing campaigns, supporting board governance work, leading partner outreach and engagement, writing grants or working on advocacy.

Q. Your videos promoting tourism on the islands capture the culture and are so well done. Who is responsible for creating those?

A. We have a policy of procuring local first, so most of those are created by Brianna Cudmore, a young Salt Spring entrepreneur with a social media management business. She’s an expert at creating content that performs on social media and really understands how to present local values and culture for a visitor audience.

Q. The Gulf Island Events Calendar is another great initiative. How did that come about and how does it work?

A. We wanted to create more visibility for events to both attract visitors and to make sure those who are here can find out what’s happening. We found a great partner in Salt Spring Arts, which was exploring the calendar concept at the same time. Working together, we were able to create the only non-profit, region-wide cultural calendar that’s free to post on and is supported by digital ads. Event producers just have to submit their event on the website, and as long as it fits into the criteria, it will be posted within a few days.

Q. What was the impetus for the Short-term Rentals Impacts Report for Salt Spring Island?

A. The report was born out of a short term rental roundtable led by the CRD in January 2025 where it became clear that there wasn’t locally relevant data. SGITP offered to commission this report since the regenerative visitor economy we’re working towards depends on actively balancing housing needs with guest accommodation.

Among other things, the findings showed: the STR market has grown 24 per cent in booked nights from 2022–2024; they make up 48 per cent of the total guest accommodation units; and between May 2024 – May 2025, STR activity potentially led to the loss of 150 homes. I wouldn’t say this was revelatory as much as it confirmed existing assumptions and quantified the unchecked growth. However, the report makes it very clear that without clearer bylaws, a business licensing system and proactive enforcement, we won’t get more accurate local data or manage short-term rentals in a way that meets community needs. From SGITP’s perspective, that risks long-term industry resilience and limits resident quality of life, both of which fall under our mandate.

Q. What other projects or areas of focus kept the SGITP busy in 2025?

A.There was a big focus on revitalizing our policies and procedures, improving accountability and transparency, and strengthening relationships to make sure the society has a solid foundation as its operations mature. With our contributions to affordable housing, we also became hyper-focused on streamlining our activities and making sure our spending is providing the best ROI possible.

Q. What is on the agenda for the SGITP in 2026?

A. In 2026, I’m looking forward to turning the focus more onto marketing and destination management. We’ll be implementing better usability and functionality to our website, integrating AI, optimizing ads and campaigns for better performance, collecting and sharing more relevant data, and exploring a destination stewardship strategy.

Q. How can people learn more about the SGITP?

A. Our visitor-facing site is at southerngulfislands.com, but more information on the organization itself can be found at sgitourismpartnership.ca.

The new year marks the beginning of the end for so-called “lifetime” licences for pleasure boats, with many owners in the Gulf Islands now looking at renewals with Transport Canada within the next three months.

Changes in Pleasure Craft Licence (PCL) regulations mean not only will boats with one or more motors adding up to a one-horsepower engine now only be able to be licensed for five years at a time, but starting at the end of 2027 those requirements will extend to wind-powered craft over six metres long.

The $24 fee — for a new, renewed, transferred or duplicate PCL — registers a boat’s unique identification number for five years, allowing emergency responders and law enforcement to quickly identify a boat’s owner, according to Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon, who said the revision will help tackle wrecked, hazardous and abandoned vessels by keeping ownership information accurate and up to date.

“Recreational boating is part of who we are as Canadians,” said MacKinnon. “By modernizing the pleasure craft licensing program, we’re strengthening marine safety, improving environmental protection and ensuring we have accurate information when it matters most.”

Current “lifetime” licences will gradually need to be replaced with licences that must be renewed every five years, according to Transport Canada; the first to come due will be any issued before Jan. 1, 1975, which will expire March 31, 2026. Licences issued between Jan. 1, 1975 and Dec. 31, 1985 will expire Dec. 31, 2026; those from Jan. 1, 1986 to Dec. 31, 1995 expire Dec. 31, 2027.

Licences issued between Jan. 1, 1996 and Dec. 31, 1999 expire Dec. 31, 2028; those issued between Jan. 1, 2000 and Dec. 31, 2005 expire at the end of 2029 and those issued between Jan. 1, 2006 and April 28, 2010 expire at the end of 2030.

A PCL is different from a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC), which is more like a driver’s licence for a car.; PCLs are unnecessary if a boat is managed within the Canadian Register of Vessels title system, which issues certificates of registry also valid for five years.

Operating an unregistered or unlicensed vessel can incur fines.

The ministry confirmed boat owners who declare that they use a pleasure craft to exercise Section 35 treaty rights will not be required to pay the $24 service fee when renewing or registering for their PCL.

Applications for PCLs, payments of the new service fee and requests for fee exemptions can be completed on Transport Canada’s website. There is also a tool where people can check their licence expiry date by entering a licence number.

By EARL ROOK, SSI LCC CHAIR &

GARY HOLMAN, SSI CRD director

The Capital Regional District (CRD) Board approved the 2026 provisional budget, including that of the Salt Spring Island Local Community Commission (LCC), on Oct. 29, 2025. 

The final CRD budget will be approved on March 11 based on further public consultation, updated service budgets and property assessments, and 2025 year-end surpluses or deficits. The LCC will approve its final 2026 budget at a special meeting on Jan. 29.

Provisional Requisition Overall CRD for 2026

The CRD’s total 2026 proposed tax requisition, including Capital Regional Hospital District (CRHD) and LCC, is $9.7 million, an increase of 8.2 per cent over 2025.

For the “average” household on Salt Spring (with 2025 assessed value of $1.1 million), the tax requisition amounts to $1,472 per year or $123 per month, which funds a range of regional, sub-regional and local services and amenities. These figures do not include recycling (funded by Recycling BC fees on paper and packaging, and CRD Hartland landfill tipping fee revenue), user fees for some local services such as parks and recreation and liquid waste, nor area-specific water and sewer utilities.

The total proposed 2026 requisition for the 13 delegated local LCC services is $5.4 million, an increase of 9.5 per cent. The proposed requisition increase for regional, sub-regional and other non-LCC CRD services is 6.6 per cent. These increases reflect the financial challenges being faced by all local governments in B.C. just to maintain existing service levels, as well as some service improvements.

Major Contributing Factors to Requisition Increase for 2026

For all LCC and other CRD services, core cost inflation, including negotiated CRD staff wage and salary increases, is a significant driver of CRD requisition increases.

Other factors impacting the regional requisition are the establishment of new Transportation, Biodiversity and Foodlands Access services, all supported by voters via regional alternative approval processes (AAPs or “counter-petitions”). The new Regional Transportation Service is responsible for the CRD Regional Trail on Salt Spring, and for the first time, funding has been set aside in capital plans for trail design and construction. The Biodiversity and Environmental Stewardship Service was established to better coordinate invasive species management, and the Regional Foodlands Access Service will facilitate opportunities for leasing of selected public lands to farmers. The extent to which Salt Spring will benefit from these services will depend largely on partnerships with local groups.

Requisition impacts at the sub-regional level include the creation of a new electoral area manager (EAM) position, building inspection revenue fluctuations, and administration of 2026 local government elections. The EAM provides electoral areas with representation on the Executive Leadership Team that oversees all CRD services, as well as senior staff support for the LCC. While permit fees fund most of the CRD’s building inspection service, the level of 2026 construction is uncertain. There are also some one-time costs to more fully digitize the building permit process.

The 2026 provisional LCC budget was reviewed, amended and approved by the LCC on Sept. 11, 2025. The 2026 operating budget totalled $7,824,669, an increase of 6.8 per cent over the final 2025 operating budget. Most of the budget (95 per cent) will go to support four major service areas: Parks and Recreation (57 per cent), Liquid Waste (17 per cent), Transportation/Transit (11 per cent) and the Salt Spring Island Public Library (10 per cent).

Approved with the operating budget was the 2026 Provisional LCC Capital Budget, which funds improvements, maintenance and repairs to local government assets within the LCC jurisdiction. The 2026 capital budget is $7,283,806, funded by multiple sources including grants (42 per cent), borrowing (21 per cent) and capital reserves/capital on hand (20 per cent). Capital reserves are funded by annual transfers from the operating budget, which also provides for debt repayment. Most of the work in the 2026 capital plan is in Parks and Recreation (73 per cent) and Transportation/Transit (24 per cent). Significant capital projects slated for 2026 include a detailed design for the Ganges Harbourwalk, pickleball and tennis courts, pool repairs, Hydro playing field upgrades, roof repair and more energy-efficient HVAC for the Salt Spring Island Multi Space (SIMS) building, a new parks maintenance facility, additional bus shelters, and design and construction of additional pathways and crosswalks.

The 2026 provisional LCC operating and capital budgets ($15,108,475 in total) will require a tax requisition of $5,407,634, a 9.5 per cent increase over 2025. The impact of the LCC budget on property and parcel taxes varies by service. The Liquid Waste service represents 17 per cent of the operating budget, but because it is 67 per cent user-financed, it is only eight per cent of the total tax for LCC services. Other services with significant user financing include Community Recreation (62 per cent), Transit (30 per cent) and the Rainbow Recreation Centre pool (28 per cent). The other LCC services are almost entirely funded by local taxes. (Note that the tax-funded LCC contributions to the library, ArtSpring, the Salt Spring Arts Council and Search and Rescue represent only a portion of the operating budgets for those independently managed organizations).

The most significant impacts on taxes from the LCC budget increases are in the newly consolidated Parks and Recreation budget ($305,883 increase or 11 per cent), followed by Transit ($51,929 increase or 11 per cent), Transportation ($28,834 increase or 40 per cent), the library ($27,335 increase or four per cent), Economic Development ($21,190 increase or 33 per cent) and Liquid Waste ($20,314 increase or five per cent). While most increases are to fund services at their existing levels, the Transportation increase will also fund improvements to pathways and crosswalks in Ganges, while the Economic Development increase will allow greater support of food security initiatives.

Public Consultation

For further information, see the CRD website or contact LCC chair Earl Rook (erook@crd.bc.ca) or CRD director Gary Holman (directorssi@crd.bc.ca), who will also be guests at ASK Salt Spring on Friday, Jan. 16 at 11 a.m. at SIMS. The LCC will be reviewing, amending and approving its final 2026 budget at a special meeting on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 9 a.m. at SIMS.