Work to rehabilitate flood-damaged roads on Salt Spring is disrupting travel on the Fulford-Swartz Bay ferry route.
BC Ferries says that priority is being given to commercial vehicles travelling on the Queen of Cumberland for the purpose of conducting road repairs, which may result in additional delays.
Salt Spring Ferry Advisory Committee chair Harold Swierenga said a 12 or 13-vehicle overload resulted from the scheduled 9:50 a.m. sailing on Wednesday, which was also about half an hour late leaving Fulford Harbour. He said about six truck and pup units were going in each direction on that sailing.
BC Ferries said about 10 trucks transported rock to Salt Spring on the scheduled 7 a.m. sailing Wednesday for road repairs by Emcon Services Inc.
Thursday sailings, however, were only 15 or 20 minutes late leaving the terminals on a couple of occasions.
The opportunity to secure the Seabreeze Inne property for long-term affordable housing gives us a chance to reflect on housing challenges in our community and what kind of planning needs to take place going forward.
I see this current issue as being as much about long-term community development as it is about immediate needs. We should be ecstatic to have opportunities available at a time when it feels like the housing crisis is crushing our community. Some key moves right now could really make a positive difference if they are done effectively, by considering the community as system rather than isolated needs and solutions.
I support Lady Minto Hospital Foundation efforts to secure staff housing. I believe there are options that may be explored that can offer far better worker housing than a motel conversion.
Property on Drake Road was donated to the community for that exact purpose and is ready to go. That location would be an incredible asset to staff recruitment and retention for Lady Minto Hospital.
On the other hand it may be in the community’s best interest to have the 28 units at the Seabreeze stay on the developmental track they have been on. That property is working as stable housing for low-income individuals far better than imagined when Salt Spring Community Services initially secured long-term room rentals in April 2020. What were initially extra emergency shelter units have transitioned into homes. The design of the building and location of the property works well, there is no intrusion on neighbours, and support services are nearby. Individuals experiencing homelessness, many with health issues and other vulnerabilities, are off the streets and have regained stability. These community members benefit from housing security like the rest of us. They have endured housing insecurity to a degree few of us can imagine, and they have now found a home. Over 20 people currently live there and there is a waitlist of five waiting for turnover.
Securing 28 homes at a low cost (approximately $175,000 per unit) is a rare and unique opportunity. The provincial government and BC Housing need to be engaged and motivated to make this happen, which should not be a stretch. They have funded the purchase and conversion of motels to long-term housing in countless other communities. David Eby, Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing, is aware of the Salt Spring situation and has yet to declare his position. I understand that they are hesitant because they have other plans in mind for supportive housing on Salt Spring, but realistically that is uncertain and may be years away. The Seabreeze could even serve as an interim measure if the plan to put supportive housing on Drake Road is the only path forward for the powers that be. Losing the Seabreeze as current housing squanders an opportunity, and turns our back on the lowest income earners in our community.
Having a home is fundamental to physical and mental health, safety and community well-being. At a time when we are experiencing a housing crisis and opportunities are scarce we must use all available resources and we must use them wisely.
The writer is executive director of Salt Spring Community Services.
NOTE: All three roads referred to in this story remain closed to regular traffic as of 3 p.m. on Nov. 18.
Salt Spring Island is slowly recovering from record rainfall that led to flooding, washouts and road closures as well as widespread power outages and impacts on the island’s drinking and wastewater.
The Environment Canada southern Gulf Islands weather station at Saturna Island measured 15.2 millimetres of rain on Saturday, and 59.4 mm on Sunday, both records for those dates since data was kept there (1980). Monday’s data is not available.
Three roads remain closed across the island, including Isabella Point Road in both directions due to a washout between Musgrave and Roland roads. North End Road is closed in both directions after a mudslide and washout between Acheson Road and Fairview Drive. Footage Monday showed mud and foliage strewn across the road and a median pushed out into the roadway.
Fulford-Ganges Road is closed in both directions between Blackburn Road and Horel Road West. The closure was caused by flooding of Blackburn Lake Monday.
DriveBC is set to update drivers again at 7 p.m. Tuesday, via drivebc.ca.
Jean Brouard, a resident in the Isabella Point Road area who is also active with the local emergency preparedness pod, said there are an estimated 100 families cut off from the rest of the island by the road closure. At its height on Monday, Brouard said there was around 15 inches of water flowing over the road from Larlow Creek at the area locals refer to as “Stella’s dip,” “cougar dip” or simply “the dip.” Brouard said he’s been in the area for 25 years and hasn’t seen anything like this before.
Colleen Adrian, whose property borders on the creek, said it was “a little bit scary yesterday. The water was really roaring.”
As rocks, debris and water were coming down and across the road, Adrian noted the culvert appeared completely blocked. A small excavator attended the scene, but was too small to reckon with the flow of water.
By Tuesday morning the water was down to four to five inches, and RCMP had put caution tape across the road. Some people have driven through the area at their own risk, and it is also possible to pass on foot through a neighbour’s yard, Brouard said. The RCMP don’t want anyone crossing the road until it is checked by an engineer. There is no timeline for when this could happen, Brouard added.
Adrian, who helped a few people cross the creek using a plank from her woodshed yesterday and today, said the creek itself is around a foot deeper than it was before. About three feet of earth beside her driveway was also swept away, along with salmonberry bushes and foliage.
Power outages affected 1,300 people on Monday on Salt Spring. Dave French became an impromptu first responder Monday as he very nearly missed a powerline snapping and coming down, “smacking the road, showering sparks everywhere and promptly catching on fire,” he recalled of the incident on Fulford-Ganges Road just before Jones Road. “I slammed the brakes and came to a stop about 40 feet from the power line.”
With cell service spotty on that stretch, it took some effort to get a good enough line to explain to a 9-1-1 dispatcher what had happened. French then proceeded to block traffic with his truck and began frantically waving vehicles away from the wire that was still live.
“It was sparking and shorting and it would light up on fire for a minute and then go back out with a large humming sound,” he said, yet the rain kept the nearby brush from being ignited.
First responders arrived on scene around 15 minutes later, and that was when French decided that he’d had enough of that workday.
“Live power lines shorting, throwing sparks in my general direction is enough to make anybody, especially me, go, ‘You know what? I’m going to go home and curl up with the cats.’”
Along with roads and power, drinking- and wastewater systems on several parts of the island were also affected by the downpour, as reported on this site yesterday and earlier today. Residents of some Morningside and Tahouney road properties are being told they need to boil their water until further notice, and heavy rain led to wastewater from the Ganges and Maliview treatment plants to spill into the ocean nearby.
The Driftwood has reached out to Emcon Services, the RCMP and the Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue for further information.
Crews use an excavator work to repair Isabella Point Road in the area where large amounts of rainwater and debris spilled across the road Monday. (Photo courtesy Colleen Adrian)Neighbours gather on one side of RCMP police tape put up on Isabella Point Road Tuesday at 10 a.m. after extensive flooding caused damage to the road Monday. (Photo courtesy Jean Brouard)Water still flowing over Isabella Point Road at the dip, yet at a substantially lower rate, on Nov. 16.
(Photo courtesy Jean Brouard)
NOTE: This story has been updated to specify the exact properties on Morningside and Tahouney roads affected. See the attached map.
Some residents of Morningside and Tahouney roads in Fulford are being told they need to boil their water until further notice, as heavy rainfall Sunday and Monday may have led to a damaged water system.
“Water quality may have been compromised as a result of a watermain break and system depressurization caused by intense rainfall events,” the Capital Regional District (CRD) stated in an update Wednesday.
The boil water advisory will be in effect until the CRD is able to flush and take water samples to ensure that water quality is not a risk to public health.
The CRD issued the advisory in consultation with Island Health, the agency that will issue an all-clear notice when its is sure drinking the water doesn’t pose a health concern.
Boil water advisory issued for Morningside, Tahouney Road residents
Residents of Morningside and Tahouney roads in Fulford are being told they need to boil their water until further notice, as intense rainfall Sunday and Monday may have damaged the water system in the area.
“Water quality may have been compromised as a result of a watermain break and system depressurization caused by intense rainfall events,” the Capital Regional District (CRD) stated in an update Wednesday.
The boil water advisory will be in effect until the CRD is able to flush and take water samples to ensure that water quality is not a risk to public health.
The CRD issued the advisory in consultation with Island Health, the agency that will issue an all-clear notice when its is sure drinking the water doesn’t pose a health concern.
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my mother Louise. She left her 64 years on this earth November 10th 2021, after a difficult battle with cancer. Louise was born October 19th, 1957 in Port Alberni, British Columbia to Jan and Louise Harkema. She is survived by her children Elisha (Jordan) and Jocelyn; her granddaughter Piper; and her siblings Derek, Mary, Andrea, Ellen, and Harold. She was predeceased by her parents and brother Jan Mark Harkema.
Louise was an autonomous and ever-evolving person that marched to her own beat. She made many strong connections mentally and spiritualty as a mother, a sister, an auntie, a friend, a therapist and a teacher. In these connections her loving memory lives on.
Though she spent many years building her successful business as a Massage Therapist/ Svroopra Yoga teacher and raising her two children in Calgary, Alberta, Louise often said her heart called her home to the ocean.
From an early age, living on Salt Spring Island, Louise was a tenacious beach comber, avid swimmer, a nature lover, and an adventure at heart. That adventurous spirt took her traveling around the world many times throughout her life. Louise preferred experiences over possessions and had a great sense of ‘Harkema’ humor.
She loved live music – blues, rock, jazz, folk; she was the first to kick off her shoes and get up to dance and the last to leave. She always sung the loudest despite lyric and key, yet with such beautiful conviction that it never mattered.
She reminded us often to be engaged and embraced life’s little moments. Moments like a beautiful sun rise at Fernwood dock or watching a colorful bird at breakfast over the strongest cup of morning coffee. Her strength and spontaneous nature will be remembered fondly by those who knew her. In the summers she would spend hours at the beach to find the perfect moon snail shell; but was also the one who would drive the fasted down ‘big dip’ hill screaming “hold on to your butts”. Louise lived life to the fullest and always with love.
Family was always one of the most important things for Louise. She often remarked that her granddaughter Piper was her “pride and joy”.
She will be deeply missed by all.
To honour her wishes, Louise’s ashes will be spread in the Triconmali Channel, west of Salt Spring Island, during her celebration of life this coming spring (2022), exact date to be determined.
A second small memorial will be held in Calgary, exact date TBD.
Salt Spring United’s youth soccer players are facing a challenging fall and winter.
School District 64 has closed the gymnasiums for community soccer activities until at least January. With some fields in poor condition already and the change back to Pacific Standard Time on Nov. 7, teams will have limited opportunities to practice.
With 270 members and a total of nine travelling teams and seven “house program” groups, Salt Spring United is the biggest sports provider on the island. Portlock Park, the ‘Hydro field’ at the middle school and the upper high school field are the main soccer fields used by the club.
The SD64 board decided in September to close the gyms for community soccer activities this winter.
“In September, with COVID rates rising across our region, it was felt that continuing to limit non-school activities occurring in our buildings would help reduce the risk of transmission,” said secretary-treasurer Jesse Guy.
“The schools are already under a lot of pressure, there are so many COVID protocols that we have to follow and adding extra people to our gyms, even though those are mostly kids that are going to our schools, would make things more complicated and stressful,” Guy continued. “We hope that we are in a different place in the new year and we will reassess in January.”
Salt Spring United faces challenges in the upcoming months because of the closed gymnasiums.
“It is very unfortunate because as a club we rely on those gyms,” said club president Malcolm Legg. “The fields get too mucky with this rainfall, so we can’t play on them, and with the time change, the darkness is a problem.”
The practice areas are the first fields to close due to muddy conditions. The main field at Portlock remains open longer through poor weather as it has better drainage. If all the fields are closed, teams can’t practice, and the travelling teams have to play all their games off-island.
“It is a multi-faceted problem. We already have limited space, fields are overused and the weather is taking a toll on the grass fields as they need dry weather in order to be played on”
Colin Walde, who has been a soccer coach for more than 20 years, is looking for options for his girls U15 gold team.
“It is very frustrating,” he said. “I am not sure what we are going to do when the fields are closed, and I don’t think that will take too long. Maybe we have to start to practice on Fridays, or we will be just playing games, without any practice, which would be really sad.”
All soccer clubs on Vancouver Island have one or more turf fields they can use for practice.
“It is unfortunate that we don’t have that option here,” said Walde. “Even when the gyms are open, it is not ideal. We can only use the gym for one hour a week and that’s not enough. There is also not a lot of room in the gym, which makes it hard to play games and teach skills.”
SD64 decided in 2020 against building an all-weather turf field.
Legg said, “A turf field would be the solution to our problem, but it doesn’t appear to be in the works at the moment. Salt Spring United invested a lot of money in the plan, and it is up to the school district to go forward or not. In the meanwhile, we hope that the weather will get better, so we can continue to play until the winter break, and hopefully, we can use the gyms again in January.”
A lack of workforce housing may not be unique to Salt Spring but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to solve the problem.
The demographics of our community have clearly become imbalanced, with not enough people working on the island to provide the services a community of 11,000 or 12,000 needs. This is something that is everyone’s problem, even if they don’t know it yet.
Some people might be delighted to see restaurants and stores close, and families leave the island because they cannot find a place to live. Perhaps they don’t need the services of a mechanic, house cleaner, handyman, ferry worker, teacher or a nurse at Lady Minto Hospital, but at some point they will.
No one has the “right” to live on supposedly idyllic Salt Spring or any other Gulf Island, but many people have lived here and contributed in one way or another, and they are still needed in order to make the community function as well as it can. Not only that, the island is their home and they are part of our community in multifaceted ways.
Thankfully, the Salt Spring Local Trust Committee last week accepted the recommendations of its Housing Action Program Task Force to help create some housing for the island’s dwindling workforce in the immediate, short-term and long-term future. While one of those recommendations — to hold off on bylaw enforcement involving illegal dwellings unless health and safety issues arise or they are in environmentally sensitive areas — is certainly controversial, it is one of the few actions that can be taken to have an immediate impact.
Fears that multiple properties will fill with shipping containers packed with newly arrived residents are simply not realistic. Not many property owners responded to the opportunity when secondary suites were legalized in some areas a few years ago. Sharing any part of one’s property is not the first choice of the vast majority of people.
The changes proposed by the LTC will perhaps inspire some new housing units to be created, but will also importantly give a sense of security to people currently living in illegal situations.
Too many islanders are forced to live in circumstances that would never be acceptable to the securely housed. Compassion and common sense demand that we do what we can to make their lives better.
The main road connecting Ganges and Fulford is still closed as of 7 p.m. Monday following a massive rainstorm that flooded several roads on Salt Spring and resulted in damage to and closure of various roads.
Water from an overflowing Blackburn Lake covered Fulford-Ganges Road on Monday, prompting the closure and requiring all traffic to use the Cusheon Lake, Stewart and Beaver Point roads route to connect Fulford and Ganges.
Isabella Point Road also experienced severe damage, and a mudslide occurred in the 1200 block of North End Road near St. Mary Lake, prompting closures in both spots. (See photos at the end of this article.)
The Environment Canada southern Gulf Islands weather station at Saturna Island measured 15.2 millimetres of rain on Saturday, and 59.4 mm on Sunday, both records for those dates since data was kept there (1980). Monday’s data is not yet available.
In addition to caution required while out driving, Salt Spring residents are being warned not to go into the water near the Ganges and Maliview wastewater treatment plants, after heavy rains caused water from the plants to flow into the ocean.
The impacted shorelines are near Gasoline Alley in Ganges and on the northeast of the island near the intersection of Maliview Drive and Walker’s Hook Road. The Capital Regional District (CRD) issued the warning Monday afternoon, stating that the treated and untreated wastewater “may pose a health risk.”
The water from the Ganges Wastewater Treatment Plant was partially treated wastewater that entered the stormwater system and discharged at the outlet of Ganges Creek. At the Maliview Estates Wastewater Treatment Plant, treated and untreated wastewater combined with storm water and entered the ocean through a discharge outfall pipe.
The CRD will be posting signage on affected beaches warning the public, until water test results show levels of enterococci, a bacteria found in fecal matter, below the recreational limit.
Neighbouring communities are also dealing with the same issue. Wastewater from Pender Island’s Schooner pump station flowed into the shoreline at Boat Nook on North Pender Island, prompting the CRD to issue a warning for residents not to go into the waters there. Water treatment plants and shoreline nearby them in Oak Bay, Saanich and Victoria are also experiencing the same issue of combined stormwater and wastewater flowing into the ocean.
BC Hydro also dealt with a power outage caused by a downed wire that affected 1,300 customers across the central and southwest parts of Salt Spring Island.
The weather also resulted in the Spirit of British Columbia ferry to Swartz Bay being held at Tsawwassen due to “adverse weather,” according to a notice from BC Ferries.
Heavy rainfall across southern B.C. has caused numerous washouts and mudslides as well as evacuation orders and alerts. The entire city of Merritt, with a population of over 7,000, has been ordered to evacuate due to flooding and a failure of the city’s wastewater system.
Several major highways between B.C.’s Interior and coast have been shut down, including the Coquihalla (Highway 5), Highway 1 and Highway 3. Along a stretch of Highway 7 between Hope and Agassiz an unknown number of people were trapped in their vehicles between two mudslides, with the CBC reporting that 80 to 100 vehicles affected.
Leader of the BC Greens Sonia Furstenau criticized the province for downloading the responsibility of informing the public of major storms like these to municipalities.
In a tweet that was retweeted by MLA for Saanich North and the Islands Adam Olsen, Furstenau stated these events need to be treated “for what they are — climate impacts that are only going to become more severe with time,” she wrote, calling for “urgent action and investments on climate risk preparedness and resiliency.”
The sign says it all on North End Road before the slide this morning. (Nancy Johnson photo)Mudslide on North End Road by St. Mary Lake on Monday morning, which closed the road for a period of time. (Nancy Johnson photo)Neighbours gather at edge of Isabella Point Road “S-turn” flooding area. (David Paine photo)Flooding on Fulford-Ganges Road near Blackburn Lake before the road was closed. (Nancy Johnson photo)Monday morning flooding on Beaver Point Road. (Rick Neufeld photo)One of three aerial photos of Fulford Harbour taken Nov. 15 and illustrating the impacts of runoff into the ocean. (Milo Stuart photo)Second aerial photo of Fulford Harbour showing the muddy water as a result of runoff from the Nov. 13-15 rainstorm. (Milo Stuart photo)Third aerial photo by Milo Stuart showing impact of heavy rains and runoff into Fulford Harbour.
Residents are being warned not to go into the water near the Maliview treatment plant, after heavy rains Sunday and Monday caused water from the plant to flow into the ocean.
The impacted shoreline is near the Maliview Estates Wastewater Treatment Plant’s outfall pipe, on the northeast of the island near the intersection of Maliview Drive and Walkers Hook Road. The Capital Regional District (CRD) issued the warning Monday afternoon, stating that the treated and untreated wastewater “may pose a health risk.”
The CRD will be posting signage on local beaches warning the public, until results of tests of the water show levels of enterococci, a bacteria found in fecal matter, below the recreational limit.
Neighbouring communities are also dealing with the same issue. Wastewater from Pender Island’s Schooner pump station flowed into the shoreline at Boat Nook on North Pender Island, prompting the CRD to warn residents not to go into the waters there. Water treatment plants and shorelines in Oak Bay, Saanich and Victoria are also experiencing the same issue of combined stormwater and wastewater flowing into the ocean.
Sunshine appeared at 1 p.m. Monday following days of rainfall in the Gulf Islands and south coast of B.C.
Brian Trevor Radford May 22, 1932 – November 16, 2021
Brian is survived by Marjorie, his wife of 65 years, sons Michael & Brock, daughters Karen Boden & Joanne (Jack) Stolz, grandchildren, Alana (Madison), Kelsey(Zachary), Kayne, James, Ivan, Mikaela & Erica & sister Sheila. He is predeceased by grandson Gordon, sister Moira, sister-in-law Colleen and brother-in-law Frank.
Brian was born in Toronto and moved to North Vancouver when he was 2.
He received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree at UBC and worked for The Range Management Branch of the BC Forest Service in Kamloops and Prince George. On retirement in 1987 he and Marjorie moved to Salt Spring.
His second love after his family was his BMW motorcycle on which he and Marjorie rode to Newfoundland, Mexico, Alaska and many points in between for over 800,000 km.
He was a member of the Salt Spring Trail & Nature club and spent many hours hiking with the club, clearing, building and marking trails especially on Mt. Maxwell. (Brian trail #11)
He was a member of the Anglican Church and served on various committees over the years.
He was an avid reader and was devastated when the stroke he suffered 3 years ago caused him to be blind and ultimately unable to walk.
Many thanks to Dr. Gummeson for his kindness and caring.
Brian came to reside at Greenwoods Eldercare, even though it broke our hearts to be unable to look after his needs at home, Greenwoods became a part of our family, the management, care aids, nurses, and fellow residents made what could have been a very miserable proposition, instead something quite rich, and meaningful for all of us. They took us in to their fold from the very start, and they stayed at our sides, right up until the final moment. Too much to list in regards to the beautiful people who played a part during this final chapter.
Memorial service will be held at All Saints by-the-Sea Anglican Church Saturday, November 27 at 2:30 PM for double vaccinated people with masks.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Greenwood’s Eldercare Society, Lady Minto Hospital or MS Society of BC.
