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Toxic drug deaths spur community discussion on mental health, addiction

Gail Sjuberg
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Toxic drug deaths spur community discussion on mental health, addiction

A frontline harm-reduction worker on Salt Spring says the death of three people on the island due to drug toxicity within 10 days is indicative of the increasingly dangerous street drug supply. 

Friends and family members on Facebook identified two young women as having died due to drug toxicity. A third individual, an older man, also reportedly died from the same cause. Their deaths have sparked a community discussion about how to prevent further tragedies.

Willie MacPherson, who provides support to marginalized individuals with addictions through Salt Spring Island Community Services, says public concern is valid.

“One of the things I want people to know is that when it comes to drugs that come in powders, crystals, rocks and pills, unless those pills are from pharmaceutical companies, they’re all high risk now,” said MacPherson. 

“You really don’t know what you’re getting.” 

Drug analogues are being created at a record rate, he said, each with a slightly different molecular makeup. As well, fentanyl is being cut with homemade benzodiazepines, which can contribute to its toxicity. 

“Unless you know the provenance of a pill, it really could be fake, and it’s just so dangerous,” said MacPherson.

He also said Salt Spring is seeing more off-island drug dealers, with some using “aggressive” practices, and said fentanyl is the biggest concern.

The B.C. Coroners Service stated in a Sept. 28 report that fentanyl or its analogues was detected in 81 per cent of all illicit drug toxicity deaths [in B.C.] in 2022 to date.

So far this year — from January to October — BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) responded to 14 overdose patient calls (not deaths) on Salt Spring Island. Last year, the total call number was 22, down from a 2020 high of 26. As of Aug. 31, according to the BC Coroners Service, no one had died in the Southern Gulf Islands (SGI) from drug toxicity in 2022. The death rate per 100,000 people in SGI was 12.3 per 100,000 in 2021 and 12.2 2020 — compared to 44.1 in Cowichan Valley South last year, as an example — so not high, which is why the recent deaths indicate a troubling shift.

But what can addicts, families and concerned community members do to prevent more needless loss of life? 

MacPherson advocates use of fentanyl test strips and other harm reduction supplies, but the test strip results are not always accurate and can give users a false sense of security. Not using risky drugs alone is also important. BCEHS promotes use of the Lifeguard app.

CRD director Gary Holman said a meeting took place on Saturday, with discussion focused on the need for more widely available safe supplies, testing kits and equipment, mental wellness resources and education, particularly in schools.

He said it was “a spontaneous, heartfelt response by community groups, parents and those with lived experience to the tragic deaths of two young people from poisoned drugs.”

“In my view, the root of the problem is lack of safe supplies,” Holman said, “but I’ll continue to support community groups with grant-in-aid funding, and work with Island Health, Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, and other agencies that hopefully can help address some of the service gaps on Salt Spring.”

MacPherson notes that the issue of drug addiction is very complex and nuanced, which makes it difficult to have productive discussions about it. But reducing the stigma around drug use is critically important, he said, as it is for mental health challenges.

Having been in his role for the past 15 months, MacPherson said he has been surprised by how much more likely people are to ask for help with their alcoholism compared to their use of street drugs. 

Alcohol consumption can be extremely harmful, he notes, but “you can live in the light. You can go for a drink publicly and there’s much less shame . . . for people who are already marginalized, having to use their drug of choice in the shadows is just so dangerous.” 

The cultural stigmatization about the use of illicit drugs is strong, and the resulting shame is a huge barrier to people seeking help with their addiction.

That may change slightly when decriminalization for possession of up to 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA begins in B.C. on Jan. 31, 2023, for a three-year trial period. 

Ultimately, said MacPherson, drugs should and will become legalized like tobacco, alcohol and now cannabis, so the source and safety of the supply can be assured. 

“I think by dealing with addiction as a medical issue, we have way more opportunities to mitigate harm once people don’t have to hide it. They’re way more likely to ask for help.” 

Earlier this year, a BC Coroners Service Death Review Panel report recommended increasing access to a regulated, safe supply of drugs to help reduce the number of deaths. 

“I know efforts are underway to initiate safe supply, but it is still extremely limited across the province,” BC Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said in an interview with the BC Nurses’ Union, following the report being issued. “A few hundred people can access safe supply and there are estimates that there are 200,000 substance-dependent, opioid-dependent people in our province. So the access to safe supply is really, really minimal.”

MacPherson said some addicts and people with mental health issues believe their afflictions will last a lifetime, but that wasn’t MacPherson’s personal experience, which he has shared publicly in different venues. His story of recovery and growth is uplifting and can be an important bridge to recovery and hope for others. 

“[Positive stories] make us comfortable talking about mental health and give us hope.,” he said. “But then I think we really need to hold space for the stories that are tragic, because most of them are these days, you know, because of it being so dangerous and because marginalized individuals face more barriers to making changes in their lives.”

Including lived-experience voices as equal partners is one important facet of the Mental Wellness Initiative MacPherson and others are involved in. It’s a project of the Salt Spring Health Advancement Network that aims to diversify and improve local mental health services. A big part of the vision, based on community engagement through Mental Wellness Summits, is to train peer support workers who can give support to those struggling with mental health, and often addiction as they seek relief from the resulting pain. 

“We’re really trying to get funding for a robust, locally based peer-support program, because that helps address the issue in multiple ways simultaneously, and could be an important support for our frontline workers who are currently spread very thin.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the Mental Wellness Initiative can contact MacPherson at willieonsaltspring@gmail.com.

Nobody Asked Me But: Turkey leftovers cause mayhem

Shilo Zylbergold
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Nobody Asked Me But: Turkey leftovers cause mayhem

It’s finally over. Thank goodness Thanksgiving is over.

You’ve carved up the big bird and asked the eternal existential question: dark meat or white? Now it’s time to put it all away until the next big family holiday feast comes rolling around the corner. Just in time, too. I don’t think I’m capable of letting go even one more turkey burp this season.

Of course, we should all be willing to give thanks and pay gratitude for all the bounty that comes our way during this holiday which celebrates the cornucopia of plenty. The big problem that arises every year at this time is what to do with the leftovers.

Trying to pack all the uneaten food into the refrigerator amounts to a Herculean task that even outdoes that guy who is able to solve three Rubik’s cubes simultaneously while juggling them in the air. You practically need an engineering degree with a major in calculus to manoeuvre all the containers around so you are still able to close the door.

After your first attempt, you realize you will need a new strategy when you become aware that although you’ve jammed as much as you thought was possible onto the fridge shelves, half your leftovers are still sitting on the counter.

With your second attempt, you employ the same tactics you would use if you were playing a game of Jenga, where one careless move will make your brilliant master plan come tumbling down. The first thing you realize is that rectangular containers stack more efficiently on the shelves than circular ones. Plastic bags are not a good idea because, even though they can be squished into far corners of your fridge, the leftovers contained within them will inevitably be rendered unrecognizable once you finally get around to seeing what it was you had in there. Avoid loading your fridge with the pots and pans you cooked with because this is probably the most inefficient use of your limited fridge space, although it does allow you to put off much of your heavier dishwashing for a later date (which you may not have to deal with if, say, a comet were to collide with the Earth and destroy civilization).

Another consideration when organizing your leftovers is to try to keep the different foods separate from each other. This is similar to the “each to its own” philosophy used by Noah when he loaded up his ark. The last thing you want is for the turkey gravy to somehow tip over and run into the whipped cream. So, put the Brussels sprouts in one container, and the mashed potatoes in another. Likewise with the coleslaw and the pickled beets. Even the mild cranberry sauce should be kept separate from the spicy one.

Now, it’s time to deal with the turkey. Of course, the dark meat will be held separate from the white while the rest of the carcass, including the bones, will be kept cold until you find the time to reduce it down to turkey stock for future soups. When it comes to the giblets, well, nobody wants to share a container with giblets so you know you’ll have to keep them by themselves. They will probably be sitting there untouched in your fridge this time next year when someone will ask you “what’s that?” and you won’t remember.

Once again, even though you’re getting much better at it, you can’t seem to squeeze all the leftovers into the space available. You pull all the containers back out and start reshuffling them into different locations. It feels like you are trapped in an endless game of musical shelves. It’s time to get ruthlessly desperate. You empty the crispers so you can cram more leftovers into this new territory. Don’t worry about the newly liberated lettuce and celery that are now wilting before your very eyes; you’ll deal with them later. What’s crucial now is to get everything pushed down in the crispers so they will slide shut to allow the fridge door to close. It’s at this point that you finally realize that “stuffing the turkey” does not refer to what you do to the bird, but rather to what you inflict on your fridge.

There. You’ve done it. You’ve managed to fit all the leftovers into the refrigerator. It won’t be until much later that you will wonder why any of the leftovers you may wish to eat first will always necessarily be in a container that is as far back and difficult to extract as possible. You turn to look smugly at the now empty countertop. Wait. What’s that? It’s three quarters of a pumpkin pie sitting there in its Pyrex dish. You don’t even bother to look in the fridge’s direction. In a split second, a fork leaps out of the cutlery drawer, forces itself into your hand, and helps you demolish the rebellious dessert that refuses to be herded into its designated place.

Nobody asked me, but far be it from me to direct disparaging remarks towards turkeys right after Thanksgiving. I’m not exactly about to stick my neck out for them, but if they have somehow managed to escape the chopping block, then all credit to them at least until the Christmas lights go up. It’s just that I must cry “fowl” at the ones that are less fortunate and who wind up on the dining room table. It’s because of these unfortunate birds that we find ourselves in the position of having to completely renovate the insides of our refrigerators in order to accommodate Thanksgiving leftovers. Thanks a lot, turkeys. And you can keep your giblets.

Macbeth set to enchant Salt Spring audiences

Gail Sjuberg
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Macbeth set to enchant Salt Spring audiences

Jekka Mack and Christina Penhale of exitStageLeft Productions had planned to do a Macbeth show in the fall of 2020, when Halloween fell on a Saturday night with a full moon to boot. 

For obvious reasons, that didn’t happen, but the two women and others involved with their theatre company, such as director and Shakespeare expert Jeffrey Renn, felt a production of the play was more timely than ever. 

“The show is about a man who gets corrupted by power,” said Penhale. “And that’s something that we’re seeing in our world. And he follows that drive to power to not great ends. So we just felt it was timely to do this piece. It’s also just such a great piece and to do it at Halloween is even more exciting and enticing because it has all of the Wyrd Sisters and the ghosts.”

Macbeth opens this Friday, Oct. 28, continuing nightly through Oct. 31. The first three shows are at 7:30 p.m., but the Halloween edition begins at 9 p.m. The final three shows are on Nov. 3, 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m.

While Mack and Penhale don’t want to give anything away, they promise an extra-special atmosphere that will immerse audiences in the drama. 

“It’s going to be a very sort of ethereal, mystical, very different sort of piece than we’ve ever done before,” said Penhale. 

The show’s crew have gone above and beyond in the set, effects, props and costume departments, and the team couldn’t be happier with how things have come together. 

“We’re also really leaning into the ghosts and we’ve got some pagan Norse chanting, and of course being us we’ve added songs, so there’s incantation-conjuring darkness and we’re really leaning into the Halloween aspect of it all,” said Mack. 

It’s not that the play has been made into a musical, but “there’s music that enhances what’s happening in the scenes,” she said. 

They are thrilled with contributions of Vancouver-based musicians Jaya Story and Dominik Vladulovic, who are the show’s music directors. 

“It’s going to be quite the audio experience,” added Penhale.

They are also excited to be in the Farmers’ Institute space. 

“We’ve never done anything there before,” said Mack. “I think it’s a really cool space and I have high hopes that it’s going to work out really, really well for what we’re doing.”

Audience members are advised to dress warmly as it can get chilly in the hall.  

Macbeth boasts a large cast, with the youngest being nine years old. Youth bring an element of hope to this version of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, which also has some wonderful elements of humour. 

Families should note that the show’s simulated violence and sexuality make it not recommended for youth under 14. 

Tickets ($30 for adults; $15 for youth age 14-18) are available at Salt Spring Books.

Viewpoint: BC Ferries proposals endorsed

Contributed Article
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Viewpoint: BC Ferries proposals endorsed

BY HAROLD SWIERENGA

The following are comments from the Salt Spring Island Ferry Advisory Committee on the “BC Ferries Submission for Performance Term 6” document.

The Salt Spring Island Ferry Advisory Committee (SSIFAC) is in broad agreement with the thrust and the details of the BC Ferries Submission to the Commissioners for PT6. We endorse in general the BCF “commitment to service” in the form of such proposals as: the enhanced movement of passengers and freight throughout the routes; the reduction of the impact of the marine traffic on the marine environment and marine wildlife; and the ongoing push for fuel efficiencies. We also recognize that these efforts will be ongoing well beyond the scope of PT6.

The submission recognizes that the two routes connecting Salt Spring to Vancouver Island are among the heaviest traffic routes in the BC Ferries system, with Route 4 (Fulford Harbour to Swartz Bay) particularly challenged regarding vehicular capacity. The planned short-term stop-gap proposal to increase the peak-season daily round trips between Fulford and SWB should help significantly, although it could possibly disrupt the current thrufare connection somewhat. However, as there is hourly service on Route 1 during the same peak season, the disruption should be minimal and we therefore endorse the proposal as a temporary measure to resolve the severe overload and road congestion problems on this route.

Moving the MV Quinsam to Route 4 for additional peak season service within a few years will be another positive step, but as traffic builds over the years the “peak” season for the Quinsam on Route 4 will eventually become all year-round and BC Ferries will hopefully implement a much-needed two-ship service on this route. The “pinchpoint” accident-in-waiting site on the Fulford-Ganges Road would then be resolved.

With reference to Route 6 (Vesuvius to Crofton), the submission proposes to deploy the twin Island Class ferries to Route 6 by fiscal 2027 in better co-ordination with the timing of the upgrades of the Vesuvius and Crofton terminals, which will be completed for the 2028 peak season. The SSIFAC has been advocating for several years that both changes to Route 6 should be scheduled as closely in time as possible to maximize the operational benefits of capacity upgrades for both ships and terminals.

The SSIFAC recognizes that economic, financial, demographic and/or other factors may somewhat disrupt the timing of the schedules of the above improvements to ferry service to Salt Spring Island, but we totally endorse and support these proposals as they stand.

The above was submitted by SSIFAC chair Harold Swierenga and written with input from committee members.

Viewpoint: BC Ferries proposals endorsed

BY HAROLD SWIERENGA

The following are comments from the Salt Spring Island Ferry Advisory Committee on the “BC Ferries Submission for Performance Term 6” document

The Salt Spring Island Ferry Advisory Committee (SSIFAC) is in broad agreement with the thrust and the details of the BC Ferries Submission to the Commissioners for PT6. We endorse in general the BCF “commitment to service” in the form of such proposals as: the enhanced movement of passengers and freight throughout the routes; the reduction of the impact of the marine traffic on the marine environment and marine wildlife; and the ongoing push for fuel efficiencies. We also recognize that these efforts will be ongoing well beyond the scope of PT6.

The submission recognizes that the two routes connecting Salt Spring to Vancouver Island are among the heaviest traffic routes in the BC Ferries system, with Route 4 (Fulford Harbour to Swartz Bay) particularly challenged regarding vehicular capacity. The planned short-term stop-gap proposal to increase the peak-season daily round trips between Fulford and SWB should help significantly, although it could possibly disrupt the current thrufare connection somewhat. However, as there is hourly service on Route 1 during the same peak season, the disruption should be minimal and we therefore endorse the proposal as a temporary measure to resolve the severe overload and road congestion problems on this route.

Moving the MV Quinsam to Route 4 for additional peak season service within a few years will be another positive step, but as traffic builds over the years the “peak” season for the Quinsam on Route 4 will eventually become all year-round and BC Ferries will hopefully implement a much-needed two-ship service on this route. The “pinchpoint” accident-in-waiting site on the Fulford-Ganges Road would then be resolved.

With reference to Route 6 (Vesuvius to Crofton), the submission proposes to deploy the twin Island Class ferries to Route 6 by fiscal 2027 in better co-ordination with the timing of the upgrades of the Vesuvius and Crofton terminals, which will be completed for the 2028 peak season. The SSIFAC has been advocating for several years that both changes to Route 6 should be scheduled as closely in time as possible to maximize the operational benefits of capacity upgrades for both ships and terminals.

The SSIFAC recognizes that economic, financial, demographic and/or other factors may somewhat disrupt the timing of the schedules of the above improvements to ferry service to Salt Spring Island, but we totally endorse and support these proposals as they stand.

The above was submitted by SSIFAC chair Harold Swierenga and written with input from committee members.

Editorial: No time to let up

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: No time to let up

Seeing the MV Quinitsa pull into Vesuvius Bay for the next six weeks might bring back some unpleasant memories for Salt Spring ferry riders — perhaps reminding them of the days of the first huge overloads in 2019. 

Three years ago now, when BC Ferries brought the 44-vehicle-capacity “small boat” in to replace the 55-year-old Howe Sound Queen, somehow thinking and trying to convince the community that the Quinitsa would be a long-term replacement for Route 6 between Vesuvius and Crofton.

But as ridership increased — and stubbornly refused to ebb in traditionally slower winter months — islanders rightfully voiced their displeasure watching traffic back up into Vesuvius, delaying passengers and snarling neighbourhoods. Sailing waits for both Route 6 and the Fulford-Swarz Bay Route 4 were nothing new for summer travellers, but the lineups created dangerous situations on narrow roads. And as things worsened, it became clear we were in danger of seeing this become the year-round “normal” for our island 

Salt Springers, fortunately, spoke up. In the process of finding solutions to our ferry woes, our community would find its voice — through advocacy groups like the Fix for Route 6, our tireless Salt Spring Island Ferry Advisory Committee, and residents giving their input through feedback forms and emails. We now see a result: a path forward with the “Performance Term Six” submission, BC Ferries’ “wish list” to ease pressure on our roadways and residents. 

As BC Ferries sends its planning priorities for the coming years to the BC Ferries Commission — asking for two new Island Class ferries year-round for Route 6, and to bolster the Skeena Queen with the Quinsam during peak summer months on Route 4 — we feel this submission is a solid first step toward addressing our growing needs. But it is by any measure only the beginning; our community must keep up the pressure for these changes to remain a priority. 

Salt Spring’s reputation is not one of keeping our opinions to ourselves. In this case particularly, we feel that’s a prescription for success. 

John Lee Trio performs jazz concert on Friday, Oct. 28

Contributed Article
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John Lee Trio performs jazz concert on Friday, Oct. 28

Salt Spring Jazz and Blues Society is pleased to present the John Lee Trio in concert at the Salt Spring United Church on Friday, Oct. 28.

Lee will perform on piano, joined by Kosma Busheikin, bass, and Graham Villette, drums, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Raised in Nanaimo, multi-instrumentalist Lee is a young jazz artist highly acclaimed nationwide. With a 2016 bachelor of music in performance degree from Boston’s Berklee College of Music, he regularly performs as a leader and in-demand sideman on five different instruments. He has shared the stage with international jazz artists such as Cyrus Chestnut, Larry Fuller, George Colligan, Seamus Blake, Terell Stafford and Ingrid Jensen, as well as prominent Canadian jazz artists and educators Christine Jensen, Brad Turner, Jodi Proznick and Phil Dwyer in, among other places, New York City, Boston, Washington, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria. With the support of Cory Weeds and the Cellar Music Group, Lee recorded his first album “The Artist” in 2021 under the Cellar Live record label, featuring legendary drummer Carl Allen.

On Salt Spring, Lee has performed several times at different venues on bass, drums and piano, most recently with the Steve Kaldestad band at the ArtSpring Treasure Fair concert in July 2022.

Busheikin and Villette are both rising young Vancouver Island jazz musicians, graduates of the VIU jazz program and teaching with the Nanaimo Conservatory.

Born in the Czech Republic, Busheikin moved with his parents to Denman Island when he was two years old. He has performed at venues around the islands and Vancouver, such as Hermanns, Frankies, the Port Theatre, Tofino Jazz Festival, Hornby Festival and more. Some notable people he has studied with include Ken Lister, Lee Ellefson, Pat Coleman, John Lee, Hans Verhoeven and Ben Henriques.

Villette has been playing music professionally since the age of 15 and teaching drummers from ages five to 75. After graduating from VIU in 2017, he earned a masters degree in jazz performance from the University of Toronto. He has performed with, among others, Cory Weeds, Joe Magnarelli, Akiko Tsuruga, Tony Genge and Ryan Oliver, and played in the NMA Big Band, under the direction of Bryan Stovell and the NOLA Nighthawks, under the direction of Andrew Homzy.

Admission price for Friday’s show is $25 ($22 for Jazz and Blues Society members and $10 for students). Tickets are available from Salt Spring Books, society board members or at the door.

Reduced capacity on Vesuvius-Crofton route as Quinitsa does replacement duty

Driftwood Staff
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Reduced capacity on Vesuvius-Crofton route as Quinitsa does replacement duty

The “small boat” is returning to the Vesuvius-Crofton route on a temporary basis.

The 63-vehicle-capacity Quinsam, which covered the route since April 13, will be undergoing required maintenance, according to BC Ferries, and will be temporarily replaced by the Quinitsa starting Monday, Oct. 24. The Quinitsa can carry up to 44 vehicles.  

BC Ferries said the switch is temporary, and that planners expect the larger Quinsam to return to its service on the route on Dec. 12. 

“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the alternate vessel’s reduced capacity,” said BC Ferries in its statement, “and look forward to the Quinsam returning to service after its required maintenance period.” 

Photo exhibit, event raise funds to preserve ancient forests

Gail Sjuberg
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Photo exhibit, event raise funds to preserve ancient forests

Salt Spring Islanders who care about preserving old-growth forests and love world-class photography won’t want to miss an event coming to the island next week.

From Oct. 26 to 30, an exhibition of photographs by TJ Watt titled Ancient Forests of B.C. will be on display at Mahon Hall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

On Thursday, Oct. 27, a fundraising event from 6:30 to 9 p.m. will feature a presentation by both Watt and Ken Wu, who are co-founders of the Ancient Forest Alliance and continue to work on saving B.C.’s old-growth forests and other valued ecosystems.

Wu is also founder and executive director of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance and also created the Nature-Based Solutions Foundation (NBSF), which are the two groups benefitting from the Ancient Forests of B.C. fundraiser.

The Salt Spring event is the first large-scale photography show Watt has done in more than a decade.

“Some images are of the beautiful, coastal old-growth landscapes of British Columbia, as well as some of the before and after images that I’ve shot, which show those contrasting images of a tree standing and then cut down . . . . and then some wildlife shots as well.”

As a photographer and campaigner for Ancient Forest Alliance, along with other environmental activism commitments, he has been too busy to mount an exhibition of any kind. But then he met Salt Spring Islanders Sibeal Foyle and Peter Pierobon, who he says were “the right people at the right time” to organize an exhibit.

“So right away we started working together to put this on and decided to do it as a fundraiser for the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance and our conservation initiatives in forests in B.C. and across Canada.”

Wu said that the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance, formed in 2018, primarily organizes policy and legislative campaigns to protect endangered ecosystems and old-growth forests.

The Nature-Based Solutions Foundation is even younger, having been established last December. Wu explained that its role is to help transition “land-embedded communities” into undertaking economic activities that don’t damage environmentally sensitive lands. First Nations communities, primarily, but also ranchers, trappers or woodlot owners are involved, he said.

“Funding is needed for those communities in order for them to have economic alternatives and some softer-touch economic activities that are consistent with protected areas. We can help build eco-tourism and non-timber forest product industries, sustainable seafood, or clean energy industries, in some areas.”

Just last week the NBSF announced it had purchased an eight-acre property of diverse old-growth forest in the Fraser Canyon, which it is gifting to the Kanaka Bar first nation with a conservation covenant to guarantee its preservation. The Kanaka Bar Band is already working on major conservation projects throughout their territory.

Watt got into photography shortly after finishing high school and ended up taking photos in the Walbran Valley in about 2005 after meeting Wu in Victoria.

“That was my first introduction to both old-growth forests and old-growth logging,” said Watt.

“It just totally blew my mind to see these trees that were 16 feet or five metres in diameter, well over 1,000 years old, but also, stumps of the same size from trees that had just been cut down.”

After going to photography school he focused on using his images as a powerful storytelling tool for conservation.

“And it was a great intersection of my interest in and love for adventure and exploring, hiking and art.”

Tickets ($35) for the Oct. 27 event are available by scanning the QR code in the poster, through www.endangeredecosystemsalliance.org/about or for purchase at the door. Wine and appetizers are included in the price.

While influencing people who are not already committed environmentalists is an important part of their work, Wu and Watt are looking forward to their visit to supportive territory.

“Salt Spring is tree-hugger central,” said Wu. “It’s got the biggest environmental consciousness per capita of just about anywhere in North America.”

For people who can’t attend the event, donations may also be made on the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance website.

ArtSpring Presents Mirror Visions Ensemble – Journeys on Oct. 27

Contributed Article
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ArtSpring Presents Mirror Visions Ensemble – Journeys on Oct. 27

SUBMITTED BY ARTSPRING

The Mirror Visions Ensemble wants to take you on a journey: A journey to far-flung destinations, accompanied by the music of Barber, Berlioz, Poulenc and more, and the poetry and text of, among others, Baudelaire, Joyce and Henry James.

The ensemble exists to explore the relationship between music and text, cleverly playing with the same text but setting it to music by different composers. These are passionate storytellers, and four of the current 10 artists in the group will be at ArtSpring on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Soprano Mireille Asselin, baritone Jesse Blumberg, tenor Scott Murphree and pianist/music director Grant Wenaus are individually highly accomplished and sought-after performers, covering the worlds of traditional and contemporary opera, early and new music, and performing in concerts and recitals around the world. Mireille has sung five seasons at the Metropolitan Opera, as well as performing with major North American orchestras. Opera Canada called her, “a soprano that charms and brightens a room.” Jesse – dubbed “a golden-toned baritone” by the New York Times — is also a much in-demand opera singer, with performances across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Tenor Scott is also a distinguished singer of the concert, recital and opera stage, as well as serving on the voice faculty of Yale School of Drama. And Grant Wenaus, pianist, vocal coach and conductor, has performed at leading concert halls, festivals and on Broadway stages.

The Mirror Visions Ensemble has been in existence for 30 seasons now. It not only performs the work of well-known composers, but commissions many new pieces — to date over 105 works by more than 35 composers. For the concert at ArtSpring you’ll hear new work by Gilda Lyons, Scott Wheeler and Tom Cipullo, alongside that of Joseph Haydn, Cole Porter and Kurt Weill.

Get ready to take a wonderful evening trip with these inventive performers.

The concert is proudly sponsored by Carol & Ted Brown.

Tickets are available through the ArtSpring website and at the box office.

Letter: Islanders should attend health care rally in Victoria

Contributed Article
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Letter: Islanders should attend health care rally in Victoria

By CURT FIRESTONE

Family doctor road signs have been with us all summer long on Salt Spring Island.

The small print on those signs states: “EVERYONE DESERVES A FAMILY DOCTOR.” They have been placed on our roadways by BC Health Care Matters members.

BC Health Care Matters (BCHCM), under the umbrella of the non-profit Canada Pacific Health Care Matters Society (CPHCMS), is a grassroots organization that promotes timely access to appropriate health-care services for all B.C. residents. We are not affiliated with any political party. Camille Currie is the founder and organizer of BCHCM and the president and director of CPHCMS.

As you may know, approximately one million residents of British Columbia do not have access to a family doctor. People are dying unnecessarily because of long waits in emergency rooms (ERs) or because of the closure of ERs across the province. Many of these deaths are closely related to a patient’s inability to get longitudinal care from a family physician.

It is well documented that a doctor-patient relationship that is uninterrupted achieves the best health-care results, while episodic care by a different family doctor at each visit is less than ideal. Not having a family doctor has been proven to hasten death and increase the annual mortality total. In B.C. that means an extra 1,500 to 1,800 people die each year. Apart from this catastrophic number are the huge numbers of people living a less than optimal life because they are not being monitored by a family doctor who understands the patient as a whole.

The Canadian Health Care Act says that all Canadians must have access to physician services rendered by medical practitioners. Except in the case of an emergency, we are to discuss our medical needs with our family doctor prior to having access to a medical specialist or even having a prescription renewed.

Some 2,000 people turned out for the last rally on the grounds of the legislature. The next BCHCM rally in front of the Legislative Building (Victoria) is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 22 from noon to 2 p.m. Learn more! Take action! Be included!

BC Health Care Matters believes that our government needs to do more. Everyone deserves a family doctor.

The writer is a Salt Spring resident and BCHCM board member.

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