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Howard Jang takes helm of island arts centre

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Howard Jang takes helm of island arts centre

SUBMITTED BY ARTSPRING

The board of the Island Arts Centre Society is very happy to announce the appointment of Salt Spring Island resident Howard Jang as ArtSpring’s next executive and artistic director (EAD).

Jang is a senior arts and cultural leader with over 30 years’ experience running large arts organizations in Canada. He will assume this position in early January 2022, taking over from current executive and artistic director Cicela Månsson.

Society president Walter Stewart notes that the search for a new EAD attracted applications from across North America and Europe.

“We were bound that we were looking for the best candidate regardless of that candidate’s location. It was a real joy to discover that the best candidate was right in our midst, having moved to Salt Spring a little more than a year ago. Howard brings an extensive and varied background in arts and arts facility management with a real commitment to the place of the arts in the community. He has an extraordinary network in the arts right across Canada and beyond, which will benefit ArtSpring and its service to Salt Spring Island. One person we talked to said, ‘Anywhere in the arts in Canada, the name Howard Jang is gold.’”

Jang started his career in New York City before moving back to Vancouver in 1989, first as orchestra manager of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and then executive director of Ballet BC. Further executive directorships followed at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and Arts Club Theatre Vancouver. More recently Jang has been director of Simon Fraser University Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, and vice president arts and leadership at the Banff Centre.

“I am thrilled to be joining ArtSpring as their next executive and artistic director, and to build upon the tremendous foundational and organizational work of Cicela Månsson,” said Jang. “When my wife Alexandra and I moved to Salt Spring last summer, we were attracted to the breadth of the artistic and creative community and intuitively felt that ArtSpring would be a home for us. I am looking forward to be working with such a committed team and board of directors, and excited to be given this opportunity to contribute to such a vibrant organization inspired by place.”

The board and staff look forward to working with Jang in the post-pandemic renewal of ArtSpring’s service to the community, and in driving that service to new levels of support for artistic expression on Salt Spring Island.

Local Communication During Emergencies Explored

Emelie Peacock
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Local Communication During Emergencies Explored

After rainfall deluged Salt Spring Island last month, causing flooding and road closures, some confusion arose as to where to look for the most up-to-date emergency information. 

Salt Spring Island’s emergency coordinator Charles Nash told the Driftwood that 9-1-1 is always the go-to in case of an emergency happening in front of us. People should also be connected to their local neighbourhood POD program, as well as check official sources for information, starting with the Salt Spring Island Emergency Program, DriveBC and Salt Spring’s local authority for emergencies, the Capital Regional District (CRD).

In an emergency, the 9-1-1 dispatch service will connect callers with the right agency, whether it be fire, ambulance or the CRD’s emergency program. If phones are not working, people should contact a POD leader. 

Salt Spring Island’s neighbourhood POD program has over 50 PODs and more than 325 POD leaders who distribute information from emergency services to the residents in each group and also relay information back to the CRD.

“If there is an emergency, we will also either call our POD leaders or email our POD leaders. We do have a radio system as well, in case communications go down,” Nash said. 

PODs get their inspiration from orca family groupings of the same name, Nash said, who are known to be really involved with and look after one another. 

Anyone new to this system can private message the Salt Spring Island Emergency Program on Facebook or email ssidepc1@crd.bc.ca with their street address, to find out which POD they belong to and how to get connected.

While resiliency training and meeting with PODs would normally be ongoing, Nash said those activities have been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the property market surged during the pandemic, many people who moved around the island or into the community may not be aware of the program. 

Nash added that the POD program is always looking for people to volunteer. For more information, contact ssiepc@crd.bc.ca. 

To get general information during weather events such as the recent rainfall, people should check the Salt Spring Island Emergency Program (SSIEP) Facebook page as well as head to the CRD’s website (crd.bc.ca) and search for “emergency management.” For more information about how to prepare for an emergency, visit www.crd.bc.ca/service/fire-and-emergency-programs/ssi-emergency-program. 

People can also sign up for emergency alerts for their area through the Alertable system. People with a smartphone can download the Alertable app and those with smart home devices like Alexa or Google Home can download the Alertable skill. There is also an option to sign up online to receive text messages, phone calls or email alerts. For more information, visit alertable.ca/signup. 

DriveBC.ca is the definitive authority on roads and is updated by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI), yet the website is not always completely up-to-date for Salt Spring as seen by the recent rainfall event. Nash said the SSIEP also provides updates on road openings and closures on their Facebook page and through the POD network when they get them. 

The agencies and leaders involved in responding to the Nov. 14 and 15 flooding will be doing a debrief, Nash said, to look at lessons learned. 

The weather event, which caused around two weeks of road closures and repairs, was also a topic of discussion at a Nov. 29 Salt Spring Island Transportation Commission (SSITC) meeting. 

Salt Spring CRD director Gary Holman said as with many emergencies, communication was the most difficult issue. Information was flying around Facebook, people were moving barriers on closed roads to get through and there was other kinds of confusion. 

“The emergency program was doing their best to clarify that,” and the debrief will consider communications, he said. 

SSITC chair Gayle Baker said “communication wasn’t what it should be,” and suggested the topic be included at an upcoming commission meeting. 

Commission member Aubrey Smith said the recent event showed that Emcon Services, the contractor for road repairs on Salt Spring, was “under-resourced” and lacked decent detour signs and barriers for road closures.

“We need to ask them why that happened and what the procedures were, what the action plan was, and to make sure that they are resourced in the right way at the depot here,” he said. 

“In all the matters that I’ve dealt with with Emcon, they are under-resourced. They just don’t have the equipment to repair roads properly and they certainly don’t have the things that were needed the other day,” Smith added. 

Emcon resourcing is something that would need to be worked on with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Holman said, adding that he will bring up the topic in a meeting with Saanich North and the Islands MLA Adam Olsen and a staff member from MoTI in December.

Salt Springers give over $28,000 to mental health first aid, women’s support

Emelie Peacock
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Salt Springers give over $28,000 to mental health first aid, women’s support

A worldwide phenomena with a foothold on Salt Spring has seen groups of women and men “who care” giving over $28,500 to local causes at their most recent gatherings.

The 100+ Women Who Care chose Islanders Working Against Violence (IWAV) as the recipients of $18,500 in November. The 100 Men who Care donated around $10,000 to the Salt Spring Community Health Society for mental health first aid training a month earlier. 

Originally the brainchild of Michigan woman Karen Dunigan who brought together friends to fund portable cribs for new mothers, 100 Who Care groups have spread across North America and now number over 900. The notion is simple: people come together and agree to give $100 and vote for which charity to give it to three times a year, explained Kirsten Bolton with the 100+ Women Who Care Salt Spring Island group. 

Getting together on Nov. 17, the group voted to donate $18,500 to IWAV, whose work includes immediate and wraparound support for women experiencing or leaving situations of violence. IWAV runs a 24-hour crisis phone line that can be reached at 250-537-0735 or 1-877-435-7544, as well as immediate housing, food, transportation, childcare, supplies, counselling and other support. 

IWAV executive director Kisea Petersen wrote that the donation will be used to extend outreach services and support for “second-stage residents,” women who have left situations of intimate partner or other gender-based violence and are supported by IWAV to “regain confidence, resiliency, and a healthier future for them and their children.” 

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to how difficult and complex it is to make a move from a situation of violence, Petersen said in her presentation to the group. The housing crisis is also compounding what is already a major barrier for women leaving abusive partners. IWAV also owns affordable housing to meet this need, Petersen added. 

Founded in 2018, the local 100+ Women Who care group has 188 members who have so far raised over $158,000 for causes ranging from eldercare, pathways, the public library and the BC SPCA. 

The 100 Men Who Care chose collectively to support Salt Spring Community Health Society with their plans to present courses in mental health first aid (MHFA).

The group was inspired by the common experience of walking through the park or standing at a street corner, seeing someone “in distress, down on their luck, off their meds” and wondering how they can help. “Most often we do nothing because we feel unprepared, lacking the skill and or the courage to intervene,” the group wrote. “There’s no shame. We’re human after all and we are intimidated by what we don’t understand. We want to act on our conscience, but how?”

The group decided at an Oct. 6 meeting to support the society’s plans to train three people in mental health first aid, who will then return to the island and train others. 

People trained in MHFA gain the skills needed to help someone developing a mental health problem, experiencing worsening or a crisis of mental health. Just like with physical first aid, people trained can lend a hand until either the crisis is resolved or appropriate support is found. 

The 100 Men Who Care group meets three times a year, each time choosing between three nominated causes to give over $10,000 in funds to, $100 from each member. The group is looking for members to join them. Interested people can contact John Howe at jkhowe54@gmail.com.

Editorial: Find your POD

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: Find your POD

Not having information when you need it most can be frightening. 

Racing around the internet refreshing multiple websites and asking your neighbours on Facebook for updates can be disconcerting and time consuming. Doing all of this while water is rushing over roads in a deluge like we saw on Nov. 15 is not ideal. 

Luckily, for people living here there is already a tried and tested network of Salt Spring Islanders organized as the killer whales are into neighbourhood PODs. These groups put official information out to their neighbours as soon as they get it, and relay back up the chain what’s happening on the ground. PODs are also part of a radio system, in case telephone and internet communications go down.  

If finding your POD inspired by cute orca families lulls you into a false sense of security, you can also remember the program as P.O.D. “Prepare or Die,” as some community members have dubbed it. Not much grey area there. 

You can connect to your neighbourhood POD by private messaging the Salt Spring Island Emergency Program (SSIEP) on Facebook or emailing Ssidepc1@crd.bc.ca with your street address. 

Social media is a great source for unverified observations. As an Isabella Point Road resident told us during the flooding, a local Facebook group (SSI Road & Ferry Report) provided information and solace as she observed the dramatic effect of heavy rainfall in her neighbourhood.

Yet with multiple observations and opinions circling on social media, it is best practice to head to an official source first, which for Salt Spring is the SSIEP Facebook page and crd.bc.ca.

Another emergency information tool is Alertable, which you can add to your smartphones as an app or to your smart home devices as a skill. People can also sign up online for text, call or email alerts at alertable.ca. 

As with all emergencies, information was an issue during the November rains. So we’ll also be eager to hear what comes out of a debrief officials will be having on the response. 

Viewpoint: Dangerous Rezoning Being Contemplated

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Viewpoint: Dangerous Rezoning Being Contemplated

By MAXINE LEICHTER

Ever wonder why we have zoning bylaws? It’s an important question. The rural character of your neighbourhood, the privacy you enjoy, and perhaps even the quality and quantity of your water depend on the number of dwellings that are allowed per lot.

I recommend you take a careful look at what is allowed next door to you. There could be many changes as a result of decisions taken at the Nov. 9 meeting of the Local Trust Committee.

In 2017, then trustees suspended enforcement of illegal dwellings on Salt Spring unless there are more than one per lot. In 2020, that policy was expanded by current trustees to cover all illegal dwellings, but only as an emergency pandemic measure. Now, trustees have extended that temporary measure “until there are safe, secure, appropriate housing options that are affordable for all demographics and household types in perpetuity.”

Exceptions will be made if there is a health, safety or environmental threat, but even then, no action will be taken unless someone complains. And as everyone knows, most people are reluctant to complain about their neighbours because they don’t want conflict.

It has long been a Salt Spring tradition to rent out questionable, non-code-compliant structures. Several years ago, a local realtor wrote a blog that included this: “The vast majority of suites on Salt Spring are illegal suites. I personally have been in hundreds of them and some are nice and some are not. Some are dank dark fire traps I would not let my dog sleep in.”

One would think that a non-code-compliant dwelling would automatically be considered a safety threat. That is the reason we have a building code. Such buildings can be a potential fire threat to residents and the neighbourhood.

The non-enforcement policy can only be changed at a local Trust committee meeting, which currently seems very unlikely. But change is still possible if, for example, new trustees are elected. Unfortunately, that is not the case with zoning changes.

Trustees are now proposing bylaw changes that would allow “accessory dwellings” such as cottages and in-house suites in ALL zones on Salt Spring. This is particularly dangerous because zoning stays with the land and is difficult to undo. Once people have a right to develop, they don’t want it taken away. And we don’t yet know how many “accessory dwellings” will be allowed in each zone.

Just imagine what could end up next door to you when this zoning change is coupled with the non-enforcement policy. Write to our local trustees and let them know that such a change of zoning is unacceptable, especially on an island with limited resources and services, and where rural character is supposed to be protected.

Yes, we need affordable housing, but it must be safe and it must comply with our official community plan. This can be provided by zoning for more purpose-built subsidized housing, like the 100 plus we already have and many more being planned.

Study Details Salt Spring EV Targets

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Study Details Salt Spring EV Targets

The following is an article written by a Transition Salt Spring – EV Group co-founder. The group is also hosting a holiday gathering at the newly opened Mateada Cocktail Restaurant on Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. (See ad below.)

By JIM STANDEN

Transition SS

The role of the Transition Salt Spring – EV Group is to encourage vehicle owners to join the growing trend of driving electric vehicles rather than gasoline or diesel-fuelled vehicles. We know that over 300 owners have already done so.  

The timing and reasons for shifting could not be better.  Have you checked the current price of gasoline and servicing costs?  Electricity is much cheaper and the absence of  oil changes, engine tune-ups and less servicing is nice too.  And of course, every EV is a tiny soldier helping the challenge of reducing emissions that have contributed to a changing climate that is yielding heat domes, higher-intensity wind storms, wildfires and biblical scale flooding. 

The EV Group is now analyzing the role of passenger vehicles in making the transition to a lower carbon future. Currently, passenger vehicles account for about 72 per cent  of all vehicles on Salt Spring.

To achieve a 50 per cent reduction of passenger vehicle emissions by 2030 over those in 2007 (meeting the goal documented in the Salt Spring Island Climate Action Plan 2.0) will require about 3,400 more battery electric vehicles on Salt Spring.  That is the challenge islanders face.

How did we determine this? The EV Group statistics team accessed the Natural Resources Canada database for fuel economy and GHG emissions for gasoline/diesel vehicles each year and the ICBC vehicle registration statistics. We were fortunate to have the results of a survey the EV Group conducted in 2017, which concluded the average EV driver on Salt Spring annually travels an average 10,000 km. Then we projected the impact of future growth of EVs.  

EV Group members believe it is paramount that we track the island’s progress towards emission reduction goals at regular intervals to assess if we are on track, behind or, hopefully, ahead. During 2021, we calculate that at least 80 more Salt Spring residents need to switch to electric vehicles. 

We have chosen annual reporting to align with available data sources and will be able to monitor our progress toward the emission target each year.  

Our full report is at: https://www.ssiev.ca/ghg-fleet-calculation.

Want more information? www.ssiev.ca or email me at jstanden@ucalgary.ca.  

Salt Spring Film Festival Presents Award-winning Films

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Salt Spring Film Festival Presents Award-winning Films

By STEVE MARTINDALE

SS FILM FESTIVAL SOCIETY

Three of Canada’s most successful documentary filmmakers will present their latest films at Fulford Hall from Dec. 10 to 12 in the first event organized by the Salt Spring Film Festival since the pandemic began.

Jennifer Abbott, Joel Bakan and Nettie Wild present their most recent films, all of which have been collecting prizes at festivals around the world.

Abbott and Bakan take the stage at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10 to present The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel, their follow-up to the global phenomenon The Corporation, still the top-grossing Canadian documentary since its 2003 release.

UBC law professor Bakan’s bestselling books have been the basis for both films. Revealing how the corporate takeover of society is being justified by the sly rebranding of corporations as socially conscious entities, this much-anticipated sequel was named Best Canadian Documentary by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.

The following afternoon at 4 p.m., Nettie Wild presents First We Eat, Suzanne Crocker’s chronicle of the challenging year her Yukon family spent eating only food they either grew themselves, harvested or hunted. Wild previously collaborated as story editor on Crocker’s debut documentary All the Time in the World, which was the Most Popular Film at the 2015 Salt Spring Film Festival. Celebrating the ingenuity and resourcefulness of Northern Canadians, this entertaining experiment in food security has won multiple audience awards and was named Best Canadian Documentary at Toronto’s Hot Docs.

Former Gulf Islands resident Jennifer Abbott again takes the stage to present The Magnitude of All Things at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11.

Filmmaker Jennifer Abbott spreads her sister’s ashes in The Magnitude of All Things.

When Abbott lost her sister to cancer, her sorrow opened her up to the profound gravity of the climate crisis. Drawing parallels between the experiences of grief — both personal and planetary — this cinematic exploration of the emotional and psychological dimensions of climate change won four Leo Awards and the Audience Choice Award at DocLands.

The weekend kicks off at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, with Beans, the coming-of-age story of a young Mohawk girl during the 1990 Oka Crisis. The only drama in the series, Beans was named Best Canadian Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Kiawentiio as Beans in the story about a girl who comes of age during the Oka Crisis.

A smash hit Down Under, Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra, profiles a spectacular Aboriginal dance company. Winner of the Australian Oscar for Best Documentary, Firestarter screens at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12.

Capping off the weekend’s program is the rollicking rockumentary Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, the forgotten story of how the former president forged a surprising bond with anti-establishment musicians. Named Best of Fest at the Los Angeles Film Awards, this crowd-pleaser screens at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12.

Photo from the rockumentary Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, with Carter and Willie Nelson in the 1970s.

Advance tickets are available via the film festival society’s website: www.saltspringfilmfestival.com.

Hospital Foundation Extends Seabreeze Inne Possession Date

Driftwood Staff
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Hospital Foundation Extends Seabreeze Inne Possession Date

Extension of the subject-removal date for the Seabreeze Inne purchase has given current tenants some breathing room, but the extra six weeks may still not be enough time for new homes to be found.

The Lady Minto Hospital Foundation (LMHF), which has a subject-to offer to purchase the motel that began renting rooms with BC Housing support during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Friday that the foundation’s potential possession date has been moved to late February. That means current rentals can continue until Feb. 15, 2022, rather than the originally set date of Dec. 31.

LMHF said in a press release that it continues to collaborate daily with government agencies and service providers on the transition of occupants triggered by the sale of the privately owned motel near Ganges.

However, Salt Spring Island Community Services (SSICS) executive director Rob Grant said he is so far not aware of realistic solutions to secure housing for the approximately 18 displaced tenants.

“That worries me with the tight timeline,” Grant said on Sunday. “Feb. 15 is still a very short timeline, particularly with Christmas in the middle, and organizations such as ours already being short-staffed and very busy.”

Grant added that the 2021 homeless count identified 148 individuals on Salt Spring.

“I would like to see if there is a way for people to stay in their Seabreeze homes for now and have a well-planned transition based on a timeline when LMHF actually needs the building vacant for their purposes,” Grant continued. “I don’t see any major downsides to that option, so I hope it could at least be considered. There may be other options that I am not aware of, but I think the whole community would breathe a sigh of relief if we can land on a solution quickly.”

Earlier this fall, when SSICS was unsuccessful in its attempt to purchase the inne with assistance from BC Housing, and it was going to revert to tourist accommodation, LMHF decided to purchase the property for hospital staff housing.

“The option was to let the Seabreeze revert to tourist accommodation, or to try and keep it as a community housing asset,” said Roberta Martell, the foundation’s executive director. “Increasing the number of rental units will be important to the island and invaluable to the hospital where 31 positions are currently vacant.”

She added, “I hope folks understand that the temporary housing operating out of the inne isn’t closing because we’re buying it, it’s closing because it wasn’t purchased to continue as such by either BC Housing or Community Services. We understand that their decision has been to fund a custom-built supportive-housing facility rather than investing in purchasing the Seabreeze to use it as such. For the sake of so many vulnerable people on Salt Spring, we look forward to seeing progress on that project sooner rather than later. Thanks to the current owner for opening up his motel to temporarily house the vulnerable, and for working closely with us to provide time to help facilitate a transition.”

LMHF says access to long-term rental housing is imperative for maintaining optimal hospital staffing levels, which is why the organization has made housing a major priority. The Seabreeze’s 28 motel rooms will be renovated into 14 to 16 traditional rental apartments, which will be rented by Lady Minto Hospital staff.

The foundation’s offer to acquire the Seabreeze Inne is its third housing initiative, along with providing a grant to support rental of a “landing pad” to house newly hired hospital staff, and the creation of an online rental database: the Housing Information Portal or HIPlist.

LMHF board chair Dave Taylor noted, “Everybody needs a home, full stop. This is a time not for conflict, but for collaboration. This crisis is bringing people together and shining a light on the need for focused coordination on housing.”

MIHALYI, Victoria Linda Hadessa (aka Vicki Miller)

Driftwood Obituary
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MIHALYI, Victoria Linda Hadessa (aka Vicki Miller)

Victoria Linda Hadessa Mihalyi
(AKA Vicki Miller)
1952 ~ 2021
Victoria has flown up into the wide blue sky.

Famous on Salt Spring Island for her Flying Dreams Productions, such as HuM, The Dharma According to Fifi, and SpeakEasy, Victoria brought Aerial Arts to Salt Spring, borne aloft ever since. Countless dance and aerial artists have been inspired by her work here—she was a consummate athlete, dancer, martial artist … if this list went on it would fill the page!

As with many islanders, Victoria had an extra-ordinary life before she re-invented herself here. Born in Toronto, April 23, 1952, she married Max Miller at 20, and has enjoyed a flourishing love with him ever since. Known as Vicki Miller, she was a powerful animal rights activist and rescuer for many years, swerving Canadian beliefs toward mercy to the protein-providers we forget. Unto herself, and ever-amplified by her faithful Max, she was a Force.

Her long-time Toronto friend Lynne Thomas wrote this: “You took over the Humane Society and made people take notice of the suffering. You brought animals rights to Canada. (Yes, there were others [PETA co-founder Ingrid Newkirk, SPCA ally Jim Strecker…] but you led the charge.) You graced the cover of Toronto Life, saved so many beings from being tortured inside labs, and you made people look at what was on their dinner plates. Then you wrote a novel, [“Tribe of Star Bear”] competed in Tai Kwon Do tournaments as a black belt, studied Golden Shield Qi Gong for five years and taught the art of Aerial Flying…”

Her old friend goes on to describe Victoria’s many shining facets…her work inspired entrepreneurs who went on to create the “cruelty-free” icon on cosmetics, such as the Body Shop and others, hailing back to the 80’s, pioneers cut from the same cloth. She was a practicing Buddhist in her later years, a gardener, and wise friend…When asked in her final hour what message she’d have for friends and loved ones afar, she said, “I love you. Only love.”

She is deeply loved and missed by her devoted husband, Max, just shy of their 50th year together. She is also dearly loved and missed by her sister Rosemary (Rosie), and sisters-in-law Cyndy and Cyd; also many loving nieces, nephews, human friends around the world, and of course, the entire animal realm. Please no flowers: donate to any animal welfare support group of your choice if you feel so moved.

LANGDON, Joseph Gerald

Driftwood Obituary
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LANGDON, Joseph Gerald

In loving memory of
Joseph Gerald Langdon
October 4, 1954 – November 26, 2021
Joseph Gerald Langdon died November 26th 2021 in Ladysmith BC. Joe left us surrounded by people who loved him very much; his brother Gary, sister-in law Paulette, sisters Sue, Leigh and Leslie, and many, many nieces and nephews.
Joe was born October 4, 1954, in New Westminster, B.C. He was the son of Jack and Doris Langdon. Joe was a kind and caring man who was loved dearly by his large family and many friends. Joe had a very diverse working life. He worked throughout BC and Alberta at logging, machine operating, farming, shing, and carpentry. Joe took great pride in being a very hard worker. Joe was known as someone who would give anyone a helping hand, especially his family. Joe has left us with many stories to remember him by.
He will be sadly missed by us all.

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