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Editorial: Help for a hospital

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: Help for a hospital

Our MLA Adam Olsen has been hearing a lot about staff shortages at Lady Minto Hospital, and so has the Driftwood in the past week.

While Island Health and the provincial government will keep putting on a brave face for obvious reasons, other people told the Driftwood off the record that the staff shortages are having a severe impact.

One person described seeing the situation there as “a shocker” and heard the phrase “the wheels are coming off the system” more than once while at the hospital. A local physician posted a tweet stating the hospital had only one nurse on duty. “Don’t get sick,” he said. Another person close to the system said chronic underfunding of health care in Canada has meant that it cannot handle the extra strain caused by COVID-19. “Like loading extra mass onto a bridge as you remove girders and supports, it will fail. It is failing.”

That’s not what anyone wants to hear at any time and especially not when they attend the emergency department of our hospital, which many islanders must do as they no longer have a family physician.

Several reasons are no doubt contributing to the staff shortage, and a BC Nurses’ Union campaign at helpbcnurses.ca illuminates some of them.

Locally, health-care authorities have long identified a lack of affordable accommodation as a major contributor, which is why the acquisition of the Seabreeze Inne by the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation (LMHF) for hospital-worker housing was so critical. While the planned-for renovations would not have been completed by now, it is still unfortunate that the project is stalled due to the complicated tenancy conflict.

It’s a reminder that creation of affordable housing for renters and purchasers must be a priority for Salt Spring Island in 2023. Phase III of the Croftonbrook community operated by Islanders Working Against Violence was completed last year, adding 34 new units of valuable affordable housing to the island’s stock. But much more is needed in order to stabilize our community and its essential services.

Until then, people with appropriate rental units for health-care workers are reminded about the LMHF housing information portal, available on its website.

As well, extra respect and kindness expressed towards those keeping our hospital open will go a long way to ensuring it will be there for us tomorrow.

Fulford terminal sewer upgrade on through May

Driftwood Staff
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Fulford terminal sewer upgrade on through May

A sewage facility project at Fulford will run through the next four months at the ferry terminal there, shuttering the washrooms and putting additional pressure on vehicle holding capacity. 

During a construction period that began Monday, Jan. 9 and is expected to run through Wednesday, May 24, BC Ferries said it will be replacing the Fulford Harbour terminal’s sewage treatment plant. Portable washrooms will be available until construction completes, according to BC Ferries, while the terminal’s washroom facilities remain closed. 

In addition, to facilitate construction activities, there will be a “slight reduction” to terminal vehicle holding capacity, according to officials; traffic control will be in place to manage overflow onto the roadways as required. 

“Drivers and customers are asked to follow the direction of staff, signage and traffic control employees,” said BC Ferries, “and are encouraged to arrive at the terminal earlier than usual for their intended sailing when travelling as a foot passenger.” 

A service notice also advised that construction equipment involved in the replacement project may increase normal sound levels within the terminal area. BC Ferries said it would make “all efforts” to minimize noise for its neighbours, and that work would only be completed during daylight hours. 

ARNOTT, Mike

Driftwood Obituary
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ARNOTT, Mike


March 20, 1934 – December 27, 2022.

Born in North Vancouver and taught most of his career on the North Shore, Mike was a never to be forgotten character who saw the humour in every situation and was happy to share his enjoyment of life with everyone he met.

Mike will be much missed by his wife Boodie, his children Steve, Erin and Kevin, his step children and grandchildren and many of his students from over the years.

IRWIN, Donald

Driftwood Obituary
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IRWIN, Donald


1938-2023.

After a struggle with cancer passed away gently and surrounded by family at the Ty Watson House in Port Alberni on January 4th.
Don was born in Port Alberni and eldest of six siblings, after moving to many locations and finally settled on Salt Spring Island.  He will be dearly missed by his three children, five grand-children and five great grandchildren.
He worked at the local gas station before owning his own autobody shop.  He was an enthusiast outdoors man and supported his family by hunting, fishing and diving. 


He was a man who always kept busy, in his mid thirties he started to train for motocross, years later he traded this sport for a Harley. Don and his wife started the Salt Spring Island toy run with approx. ten bikes which is now conducted by a local committee and had blossomed into a weekend event for many local charities.
He was a prominent community member of the Salt Spring Island fire department and later in life became a Salt Spring Island Trustee.
The family was blessed to have Don taken care of by the loving and caring staff of Ty Watson house in Port Alberni. 
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Ty Watson House in memory of Donald Irwin. A community Celebration of Life will be held on Salt Spring island this spring.


Dad after you passed, we saw a rainbow the next day and knew you found your pot of gold.

Firefighters extinguish car and garage fire

Driftwood Staff
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Firefighters extinguish car and garage fire

Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue (SSIFR) responded to reports of a residential structure fire at 479 Horel Rd. on Sunday at 10:32 a.m.

According to a SSIFR press release, upon arrival crews found a fully involved, two-story double garage as well as a vehicle on fire in front of the structure. Multiple lines were used to contain the fire to the building of origin and protect the adjacent home.

Ten fire apparatus, and 22 firefighters responded to the scene and approximately 6,000 gallons of water was shuttled from the Beddis water system.

The fire was confined, extinguished and over-hauled in five hours with a minor injury to one firefighter. No one was in the garage at the time.

“Unfortunately, the garage was a total loss,” said Salt Spring Fire Chief Jamie Holmes.

“The fire is currently under investigation but does not look suspicious at this time,” he stated.

“We would like to thank RCMP, BC Ambulance Service and BC Hydro for their assistance with the emergency scene and ensuring our members’ safety.”

Liquid waste commission aims to reduce trucking costs and impacts

Gail Sjuberg
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Liquid waste commission aims to reduce trucking costs and impacts

The commission charged with making decisions about how Salt Spring’s liquid waste is handled is hoping to find a less wasteful and more environmentally and economically responsible option for dealing with it.

At a special meeting held last month, the Salt Spring Island Liquid Waste Disposal Local Services Commission approved a project charter that will see the Capital Regional District (CRD) hire a consultant to look at options for dealing with the island’s liquid waste that don’t involve sending it off island as 98 per cent water, which has been done since 2011.

Commission chair Mary Richardson told the Driftwood that islanders currently pay about $600,000 per year for Coast Environmental to truck the liquid waste from the CRD site at Burgoyne Bay to SPL Wastewater Recovery Centre in Langford once or twice a week. The trucking service is not only expensive in itself — and has doubled in cost since 2015 — but creates unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions. Richardson said the commission hopes to find a cost-effective method of dewatering the waste so less volume needs to be trucked off-island, and ultimately for it to be completely dealt with on-island at Burgoyne Bay.

“There’s so many fancy, expensive, high-tech ways of dealing with poop,” she said. “But we’re hoping to have one that’s scalable for Salt Spring. We don’t want to put in a $5-million anaerobic digester or something like that. Our goal really is to dewater it. So instead of shipping off the waste, we would find some method to dewater.”

A few of the options the commission has researched are use of geotubes, reed beds and an enzyme treatment process.

Richardson said geotubes are basically giant black plastic socks with the septage pumped into one end.

“It gravity feeds the fluid through a filter at the bottom of the tube, and basically clear water comes out the bottom and just runs off.”

Reed bed concepts have been around for hundreds of years, she said, and work to filter out all the bacteria, toxins and heavy metals.

“And again, you’re ending up with just clear water eventually running off, which is great.”

A company called Acti-zyme produces “an enhanced biocatalyst product” that has seen great results in sewage treatment as well.

While minimizing the amount of material trucked off-island and the high cost is the current goal, in the long term the commission would like to see the end product kept and used on the island. At present Salt Spring’s waste ends up being processed into what is known as a Class-A biosolid and used as fertilizer on Vancouver Island.

However, the CRD does not allow land application of such biosolids. Richardson said she believes the CRD is the only jurisdiction in Canada with such a prohibition. Until that situation changes, Salt Spring will only be able to treat its septage here, with the final product still being trucked off the island.

“The commission’s ultimate goal is to keep everything here, process that properly, get the water out of it and use it here, and not truck anything off island.”

The Burgoyne Bay septage facility has a complicated and unfortunate history of work authorized by CRD referendums held in 1993 and 2008 not coming to fruition or working out as planned.

Richardson describes one situation.

“When the lagoons closed we got a Fournier press and — according to the commissioners that were on the commission at the time when the Fournier press was set up — it never worked properly. It always seemed to be broken and struggling. And eventually they just gave up on trying to fix it.”

Richardson hopes that kind of situation can be avoided through use of a pilot project for whatever new method is chosen from the options analysis.

The commission agreed to spend $70,000 on the study from its capital reserve fund, with $63,000 allotted for the contract and $7,000 for CRD management of the project.

Richardson said the aim is for the options report to be finished this year. A decision about how to proceed would then be made by Salt Spring’s new local community commission.

Editorial: The latest scoop on the island’s poop

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: The latest scoop on the island’s poop

When a problem is out of sight it is easily out of mind.

That’s certainly the case with Salt Spring’s “poop problem” and the Burgoyne septage facility operated by the Capital Regional District (CRD).

For the past five years Mary Richardson has chaired the commission that makes decisions about the Burgoyne facility’s operation. It has the longest name of all the local commissions: the Salt Spring Island Liquid Waste Disposal Local Services Commission. Also long is the Burgoyne facility’s unfortunate history of not operating properly and/or referendum funds not solving problems voters assumed would be addressed when they approved borrowing for infrastructure improvements at the site. That occurred with referendums held in both 1993 and 2008.

But Richardson feels the commission’s most recent decision, to have the CRD hire a consultant to examine affordable ways to at least dewater the septage on-island rather than truck the whole works off the island for treatment is a step in the right direction. The hope is that a consultant will examine innovative, lower-cost options scaled for Salt Spring’s needs and the Burgoyne site.

The 2022 liquid waste service’s million-dollar operating budget included about $600,000 to pay Coast Environmental to truck the waste — which is 98 per cent water — to a treatment facility off island, where it is made into a Class-A biosolid used for fertilizing purposes.

The liquid waste commission would ideally like to be able to create and use those biosolid products on Salt Spring, eliminating the need for any trucking of waste off the island. But Richardson says the CRD prohibits their use in its region, which is not the case in the rest of B.C. or Canada. That is perhaps a policy that should be re-examined by the CRD and changed. Until then, just reducing the volume of septage that must be trucked to a Vancouver Island treatment facility would be a huge improvement.

While past history makes it difficult to have faith that the Burgoyne septic site can operate as envisioned, the beginning of a new year is an ideal time to be optimistic. We hope the options analysis comes up with some workable solutions for Salt Spring’s longstanding liquid waste problem.

Guest column: Bamberton project illustrates need to close environmental loopholes

Contributed Article
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Guest column: Bamberton project illustrates need to close environmental loopholes

By Sonia Furstenau,

Cowichan Valley MLA

and Adam Olsen,

Saanich North and the Islands MLA

If you have been in the Saanich Inlet recently, or live on its shores, you may have seen a growing quarry on the industrial site at the former Bamberton cement plant.

Adam grew up on his father’s fishing boat in the Saanich Inlet and remembers trawling past the Bamberton industrial site thousands of times. The site had been a contentious property for decades. Adam remembers the cement plant ash dusting the treetops. We both remember the multiple proposals for thousands of homes. And, of course, we remember the ill-fated floating gas liquefaction plant proposed nearly a decade ago.

Each time a large industrial or commercial proposal is introduced for the Bamberton area, there is a powerful response from the people living around the ecologically sensitive, culturally rich and geographically unique inlet.

This fall, the property received attention yet again. The owner, Malahat Investment Corporation, has put forth a proposal to expand the existing quarry by 47 per cent. In addition, the operators have applied to expand their foreshore lease, including storage of hydrocarbons in existing tanks, and to store and treat contaminated soil.

Our ridings, Cowichan Valley and Saanich North and the Islands, fall on either side of the Saanich Inlet. We have both received hundreds of emails and calls from residents who have expressed concerns about the proposed quarry expansion. Initial public notification about the proposal was dismal. A single ad in the Goldstream Gazette in fall 2021 directed interested people to view the project documents in-person at the Mill Bay library. While the Malahat Investment Corporation met the meagre provincial requirements for public notification, it is clear that current regulations for public input are far from sufficient.

After many requests for briefings with the provincial ministries responsible for mining and the environment, we learned that the project did not require an environmental assessment under current regulations.

For existing quarries, any amendment that expands operations by 50 per cent or more is defined as a reviewable project; the application for the Bamberton site expands quarry operations by 47 per cent. Currently, operators are allowed to expand their quarry operations by slightly less than the threshold which would trigger an environmental assessment. During Question Period, Adam asked Minister of Environment George Heyman whether he is going to address this absurd loophole. Minister Heyman stated the regulation is not under review.

However, the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) is reviewing this project because the Environmental Assessment Act stipulates that, “a group or person can apply to have a project designated as reviewable, even if it does not meet the established thresholds for an assessment.”

Thanks to the advocacy of many residents, specifically the efforts of the Saanich Inlet Protection Society (SIPS) — who wrote to the minister specifically asking him to review the project — the EAO will now review the request. They have posted the Bamberton project to their website https://projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/.

In their excellent submission to the EAO, SIPS clearly illustrated why the Bamberton quarry expansion should require a full environmental assessment, and why the provincial government is required to do its due diligence.

Current regulations in mines and environment limit public information and allow operators to expand their projects without the completion of an environmental assessment. Both loopholes are contrary to the spirit of good environmental stewardship and democratic engagement.

As Opposition MLAs, our role is to hold the government accountable for their decisions and represent the voices of our constituents. Therefore, we will continue to encourage the provincial government to close the loopholes that could allow for significant and adverse environmental impacts. And we will continue to urge the government to focus on effective oversight and regulation of land use in this province, and on measures that enhance good governance and public process.

Groups and individuals benefit from Salt Spring Arts grants

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Groups and individuals benefit from Salt Spring Arts grants

SUBMITTED BY SALT SPRING ARTS

Salt Spring Arts has announced the successful applicants for its fall 2022 grants and awards funding cycle, along with the first group of local artists to benefit from the new Susan Benson Award.

Lucy Austin, who chairs Salt Spring Arts’ grants and awards committee, said the group was impressed with the number of applications this year, and took extra time to deliberate and ask questions about the intended projects.

“Although we were unable to award all the funds available to us, we felt we gave full consideration to all applications,” Austin reported. “Some applicants advised us of plans to delay their projects and those we will encourage to apply again for 2023 grants.” 

“We are looking forward to what 2023 brings by way of applications and artistic projects Salt Spring Arts can support,” she added.

Successful Salt Spring Arts Grant Applicants

• Archipelago: Contemporary Art of the Salish Sea. (Richard Steel)

Steel received $825 for catalogue printing costs related to the Archipelago exhibition, which will form the basis for the Spring Art Show at Mahon Hall in April 2023. The project is also part of a wider exchange of visual art between the Southern Gulf Islands and the San Juan Islands, with exhibitions to take place in Friday Harbor and at ArtSpring. It will highlight the similarities and differences between the two island communities while strongly drawing on living and making art while being influenced by the Salish Sea.

• Re-Imagined, A Community Workshop. (Nora Layard, Salt Spring Printmakers Society)

The printmakers society received $200 to help host a workshop as part of a community-wide exhibition taking place at ArtSpring in March 2023. The Re-Imagined exhibition will celebrate transforming waste into art and is open to all artists on the island, in addition to an extensive school program for K-12 students. The workshop in early February is for community members who would like to create works for the show.

• Creative Healing for Survivors. (Islanders Working Against Violence)

IWAV received $800 to host Stefanie Denz for group art therapy sessions for five to seven individuals living at The Cedars, a second-stage transitional housing development. The art therapy sessions will provide participants with a source of healing, personal exploration, connection with others, and allow for discovery of new tools for self-expression.

Susan Benson Award

The newly established Susan Benson Award is meant to provide artists in the community, and women artists in particular, with access to art supplies they might otherwise find difficult to afford. The committee elected to divide the $1,000 available for this year between three applicants.

Ceilidh Divers and Josephine Fletcher were granted $350 each for ceramic and painting supplies, respectively. Sal Wiltshire was granted $300 for website costs.

The next Salt Spring Arts funding period opens on March 1, with an application deadline of April 30, 2023. For more information, visit the Grants and Awards page under Programs at saltspringarts.com.

Volunteers and community members make the season bright for kids

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Volunteers and community members make the season bright for kids

SUBMITTED BY SANTA’S WORKSHOP

Santa’s Workshop 2022 was a huge success this year with many very positive changes made.

Some 71 families and 127 children were provided gifts and gift certificates. Sixteen volunteer elves worked tirelessly over a month to make this happen under the leadership of Wendy Eggertson, head elf.  

Their workshop held this year in the basement of the Baptist Church was a wonderful addition to a 35-year tradition. Also new this year were loaded Christmas baskets (one per child!) and drawstring cloth wrapping bags, generously provided for and made by one of our star volunteers, Diane Kray. Our volunteers this year — too many to name individually — went beyond the call of duty and generously donated many hours towards providing toys to children who may not otherwise have received them.

Rob Wiltzen of Salt Spring Island Community Services stepped in to make the online application process understandable to recipients and volunteers alike.  

“My child had a fabulous Christmas,” said one recipient. “He enjoyed all the gifts from the Santa’s Workshop crew. He had no other toys this year. Thank you all for making our Christmas merry. Blessings!”  

Many recipients were single parents who have struggled tremendously with the increased cost of everything this year. Several expressed that they were having trouble just paying for rent and food with nothing left for anything else. They said that Santa’s Workshop filled this void. We are always happy to do so. 

Many thanks to several individual donors this year, including one donation made in honour of their deceased son. Such a lovely gesture and a touching way to spread joy to the children of Salt Spring Island on Christmas morning. Other donations were made by our always helpful merchants, including Country Grocer, West of the Moon, Mouats, Pharmasave, Salt Spring Books, the Capital Regional District (pool passes) and our “Pie Ladies” (the Women’s Institute). 

And as always, Salt Spring Island’s very generous motorcycle group, who organize the Salt Spring Toy Run. Without them, we would not be able to operate. When you see members of the group, give thanks to them. For as many years as we have been operating, they have been quietly fundraising for us behind the scenes. 

It is at this time of year that we are most amazed at how our little community comes together to support the less fortunate of Salt Spring Island. We are indeed fortunate to live in such a caring place.

Blessings to all in 2023! And if you would like to volunteer for next year, please call Wendy Eggertson at 250-537-2658. 

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