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CLAIR, Tony

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Tony Clair
Sept. 15 1960 – Aug. 13 2021

Tony left us suddenly and unexpectedly, please join us to share some stories and memories of his varied life, as we seek comfort at his passing.

Please bring your memories, thoughts and friendship.

The celebration will take place on September 25th, 2021 at 1:00 pm outside under the tents at the Legion grounds. Meaden Hall.

Candidates answer Old-Growth question

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In the Aug. 25 issue of the Driftwood, Salt Spring Islander Brian Smallshaw wrote an open letter to the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding candidates in the current federal election asking for their position on old-growth logging. 

The question was:

If you form government after this election, what steps will you take to end all logging of ancient forests in coastal British Columbia, and Canada as a whole, and how will you ensure that the First Nations where these forests exist are economically advantaged by this ban?

The following are their responses, listed in the order received.

Elizabeth May

Green Party of Canada 

I am happy to confirm that I am a strong supporter of protecting old-growth forests.  I have long campaigned for old growth, including in the 1993 Clayoquot campaign when I organized a train load of forest defenders — the Clayoquot Express (actually starting as a van load from St. John’s Newfoundland to more than 100 arriving at Vancouver Central Train station in November 1993). I am the author of the only comprehensive review of forest ecosystems and forest policy from coast to coast (At the Cutting Edge, first published in 1998, with a substantial update and expansion, republished in 2005 byKey Porter Books).

As a federal MP, I have advocated for a reconceptualization of the constitutional constraints that have restricted jurisdiction over forests nearly exclusively to the provincial governments. In light of the climate crisis, acknowledged to be an emergency by a vote of parliament on June 18, 2019, and confirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada to be a matter of national concern, it is time to expand our understanding of forests from “forest management “ — the setting of stumpage rates, TFLs and annual allowable cut — to a matter of urgent carbon mitigation and adaptation. We need federal engagement to respond to the climate crisis through tree planting (now supported by the Liberals as carbon sequestration) and through protecting the existing carbon sinks in old growth forests.

We also need to act to protect the biodiversity uniquely found in old-growth forests. Only the Greens have made this point in Parliament. Paul Manly, Green MP, sponsored a petition on this issue, but I also promoted it and presented it in parliament.

I have also publicly denounced the excessive use of force and illegal actions of the RCMP. The court has been clear that the establishment of exclusion zones is outside the injunction granted to Teal Jones and is illegal.

I hope my commitment to protecting old-growth forests is clear. I hope to be able to continue doing this work in parliament should I have the honour of being re-elected. 

Dock Currie

Communist Party of Canada

I, and my party, absolutely support an old-growth logging ban. Moreover, I resent how the NDP portrays the police brutality at Fairy Creek as a narrowly federal issue, and blames Justin Trudeau, Bill Blair, etc., when it is the Horgan government that is responsible for the logging. I do not believe that the “resources sharing agreements” with local band councils really reflect free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples, and that these agreements are signed under incredible duress. 

I would support the utilization of all existent federal and provincial measures to protect old growth forests, and the creation of new ones in accord with the Convention on Biological Diversity. 

In broader terms, our party supports the nationalization of industry, including energy and forestry, such as to abolish the tar sands and manage our natural resources through rational planning, which would include an absolute ban on the logging of old growth forests. 

In short, it is a crucial issue for me as well, and I hope that you will look into our party’s platform at VoteCommunist.com and consider voting for me on Sept. 20. 

Sabina Singh

New Democratic Party

I understand why people want to protect old-growth forests because I too want to protect them. They are a vital part of our ecosystems and are culturally important to the First People of this land. 

I’m pleased that the B.C. government accepted the request from the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht and Huu-ay-aht First Nations. Both protecting old-growth and respecting Indigenous peoples’ land management rights in their territories is important. 

Reconciliation and environmental protection must go hand in hand. 

Each First Nation has the right to determine what is best for their respective members and territories. Some want to protect more or all of the old growth, while others want to protect old growth but sustainably harvest for cultural uses and opportunities that support families and communities. It’s important to me that their right to make these decisions is respected. 

On the issue of the RCMP, we would like to see the arrests stop. We believe in a person’s right to protest safely. Many believe that the provincial government is directing the RCMP, but this is not the case. The private company sought an injunction from the court. The injunction was granted, and the court is directing the RCMP to enforce it. 

The Green Party does not support a moratorium on old growth or a pause on all harvesting of old growth. Just like the NDP, they support the recommendations of the independent Old Growth Review. Those recommendations focus on protecting more old growth while putting Indigenous peoples at the centre of land management decisions in their territories. 

David Hilderman

People’s Party of Canada 

Old-growth forests are precious. The last statistic I read said that only 2.7 per cent are remaining in the province. We have been logging old-growth forests now for over 100 years. Now that we are giving First Nations control over lands having old growth, many are wanting to use this to economically help their communities. We need to encourage and support First Nations in using this precious resource in a way that will benefit them for generations, not just when the forests are cut down. People all over the world want to experience this. We need to work with First Nations to create tourist attractions that can monetize this. 

I will consult with the people in my riding to work towards resolving this important issue. 

David Busch

Conservative Party of Canada

You are correct in noting that forestry is a provincial jurisdiction and a Conservative federal government would be reluctant to create policies in conflict with a provincial government and First Nations that have already protected a significant portion of B.C.’s old-growth forests. 

Some of our current plans with respect to forestry are: 

• Canada’s Conservatives will create a powerful incentive for agriculture and forestry sectors to protect the environment and sequester carbon by allowing for greater creation of land-based offset credits. 

• We will invest an additional $3 billion between now and 2030 in natural climate solutions focused on management of forest, crop and grazing lands and restoration of grasslands, wetlands, and forests. 

• These solutions can have multiple benefits: not only will they help sequester carbon, but they can also provide protection for communities and additional benefits for wildlife. 

• Conservatives will increase the ability of the agricultural and forestry sectors to create land-based offset credits by improving the carbon sequestration of agricultural lands and managed forests, and incenting environmental protection in those sectors. This will generate emissions reductions at lower cost, and protect Canadian jobs; 

• We will work with provinces, territories and the agriculture and forestry sectors to identify and support ways in which the sectors can contribute to enhancing carbon sequestration. 

• We will invest in forest health and wildfire prevention and early detection. 

Sherri Moore-Arbour

Liberal Party of Canada

I understand how vitally important it is to permanently protect more old-growth forests in our beautiful province. This is an integral step to fight climate change and ensure these iconic, sacred,  non-renewable and globally significant ecosystems must be protected for generations to come. 

In our platform, we have committed to protecting these iconic and ecologically important old-growth forests by: 

• Ensuring First Nations, local communities, and workers are partners in shaping the path forward on nature protection. Our Indigenous leaders across B.C. should have a say in how we approach protecting these vital ecosystems.

• Reaching a nature agreement with the province of British Columbia to protect more of the province’s old growth forests and expand protected areas. 

• Establishing a $50-million B.C. Old Growth Nature Fund and working with partners to attract additional funding to further support the protection of important old-growth forests. 

Campfires still banned in Gulf Islands

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While campfires will be allowed in some parts of the B.C. coast as of Friday at noon, Salt Spring and the Gulf Islands is not one of those areas. 

“It does not apply to us,” said Salt Spring Fire Rescue Capt. Mitchell Sherrin on Thursday in referring to the lifting of the campfire ban.  

The local fire danger rating is still at “Extreme,” he noted.

An official notice from the B.C. Wildfire Service  (BCWS) states that the campfire prohibition will be lifted in all regions of the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdiction except for the South island Resource District area, which covers the southern third of Vancouver Island, the Southern Gulf Islands and other islands in the Strait of Georgia from Denman and Hornby south. 

All other Category 2 and Category 3 open fires remain prohibited on the coast, including the use of fireworks, sky lanterns, burn barrels and burn cages, states the BCWS. These restrictions will remain in place until Oct. 15 or until the order is rescinded.

Youth mural artwork celebrated

A once bare cement wall at the side of the Salt Spring Public Library has come alive with ocean imagery created by young Indigenous artists. 

A project envisioned by chief librarian Karen Hudson a few years ago came to fruition this month and the results were unveiled at a moving ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 26. 

“I really wanted to honour the land, the sea and the sky and the ancestors who paved the way for us to be here today, to be able to live here and thrive off these lands,” said Charlene Johnny, the Quw’utsun artist who designed the mural and led the project, to the by-invitation gathering.

The mural was funded primarily by a $10,000 Salt Spring Island Foundation grant.

Hudson told the Driftwood that she saw the huge wall as a perfect spot for an Indigenous-themed mural after seeing some First Nations place-name artwork Salt Spring Elementary School students created with local Indigenous history expert Chris Arnett some years ago. With the area’s First Nations having different names for the same places, incorporating those would not have been practical, Hudson said. Instead, the project fostered cooperation between Indigenous youth and elders of more than one nation and area.

“We want this to be a visible symbol of the library’s commitment to truth and reconciliation,” said Hudson, adding that she hoped other Indigenous-themed murals would be created in Ganges. 

Local MLA Adam Olsen of the Tsartlip First Nation provided the ceremony’s welcome and members of the Quw’utsun Tzinquaw Dancers group performed, spoke and blessed the mural.

Lead artist Johnny expressed her gratitude to the elders and to everyone involved in the project and ceremony.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to come home and create art on my home territory,” she said. “. . . I always knew I would be sharing what I know with the youth. I just didn’t think it would come so soon, so I am grateful for the elders for lending us teachings.

“I am grateful to the singers and the dancers for sharing their time and their art and their craft because we are all one. I have lots to learn. We all have lots to learn. I am super grateful to the community for hosting us and encouraging us and saying kind things to us. It’s a lot of work to have done in the last two weeks.” 

Hudson praised the youth for their bravery in coming to a place and staying with people they didn’t know. 

“[The project] was so much more than putting art on this beautiful wall. I am so proud of each and every one of them for everything they have done,” she said. 

Participating Indigenous artists besides Johnny were RJ (Stadskun Johnnie-Mills), Marie Hardisty, Brendan Hardisty, Kielynn Dick-Charleson, Jesselyn Johnny, Tinaye Joy-Mujuru, Joeluke and Darious Yellowhorn, Linda James and Sarah Jim.

Mike Charlie is a Penelakut elder who also spoke at the event, and explained how he ended up having input into the final product. 

Charlie said he had visited the site the previous week and asked Johnny where the sea urchins were in her design, since they were a staple of his peoples’ diet. Johnny ended up free-handing four lively mauve urchins at the bottom of the mural, while the rest of the images were created using stencils. Charlie also requested an eagle, which will likely be added at a later date. 

Charlie’s brother James Charlie praised the mural artwork and its creators, and spoke about the need for everyone to work together for the land and humans’ future.

“There will be no more ocean and no more forests if we don’t work together,” he said. “We are only here for a short short time and we have done more harm in the past couple hundred years than at any other time in our history. We must work together to preserve what we have for our children and our grandchildren and our great grandchildren. We must work as one. Learn from one another. Share your knowledge with one another. Share the history.” 

Additional funds were provided by the Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation, and invaluable support came from Arnett, the Salt Spring Arts Council, Joe Akerman and the Stqeeye’ Learning Society (Xwaaqw’um Project) and the School District 64 Indigenous Education department.

Dock ban order surprises Islanders

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A ministerial order that prohibits any new applications for private docks in the Southern Gulf Islands area and the southeast shoreline of Vancouver Island for the next two years came as a near universal surprise when it was posted last week, with no advance notice given to people working in the marine construction industry or in local government.

Peter Grove, a Salt Spring trustee with the Islands Trust, described the order from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD) as coming “completely out of the blue.” He first learned about it from Lasqueti Island trustee Tim Peterson, who forwarded the news to his colleagues. Those who attended an Islands Trust programs committee meeting on Friday were still trying to find out why the order was made. 

Committee members were particularly surprised because of the work they are doing to update the Islands Trust Policy Statement. A draft amendment to the document had proposed changing shoreline zoning across the Trust Area to prohibit most new private docks.

“I think this speaks poorly to the ministry’s communication with the Islands Trust on this topic, and it seems like a bit of a blindside to drop this, at least without letting the Trust know,” North Pender trustee Ben McConchie stated at Friday’s meeting. 

Corey Johnson, construction manager at Island Marine Construction, said private industry was also surprised, even though they are in regular contact with FLNRORD.

“We don’t know where the idea came from. We’re not sure how this map applies jurisdictionally. It doesn’t align with the entire Trust Area; it doesn’t match the general permissions area [for private docks], so we don’t know exactly where this is coming from,” Johnson said. “We do know they have a huge backlog of applications, and this could just be a way to get on top of those before taking on more, but the reasons they gave are a little suspect to us as well.”

Area where new applications for private moorage are prohibited until Aug. 23, 2023, surrounded by dotted blue line.

According to FLNRORD’s rationale for the closure, private docks can cause a number of social and environmental harms. These include restricted access to foreshore and marine areas; increased turbidity from dock construction and increased boat traffic; increased contamination from dock materials such as treated timber and corrosion; increased shading to fish and fish habitat; and direct disturbance to marine resources such as kelp, eelgrass and clam beds.

“The cumulative impact of the proliferation of private moorage docks on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands has not been adequately characterized or measured. This has led to multi-year delays to decisions on private moorage applications,” FLNRORD states in the rationale to the order. 

It says the two-year prohibition will provide time to assess the cumulative effect, “providing a pathway to decisions on private moorage applications currently in inventory and on new applications that may be accepted at the conclusion of the prohibition.”

Existing docks and previously approved proposals are not threatened by the order or by any future Islands Trust policy change. Johnson said his firm has many projects on the go with moorage applications already approved or in process, although what happens after the two-year prohibition period is a concern. 

He questions the statements made by the ministry about harms associated with docks. In terms of access to the shoreline, he said all docks are required to be two metres above the high water mark so anyone can walk underneath, and access between land and water clearly increases with moorage infrastructure. As well, he said modern dock construction favours steel pilings over creosote-treated wood and decking material is often light-permeable. He added land-use bylaws on Salt Spring, at least, already prohibit dock construction over eelgrass beds, clam beds and other sensitive areas. 

Johnson said the timing of the order is interesting given the Trust’s proposed policy change. While the two initiatives may be unrelated, the provincial ban could make it easier for the Trust to justify pursuing its own prohibition.

That would have negative  impacts beyond threatening the marine construction business, he said. 

“Access to the water is an important part of our community and island living,” Johnson said, adding safety is another paramount concern. 

Islands Trust Council chair Peter Luckham told the programs committee the timing of the ministerial order appeared to be completely coincidental.

“To start with, this is not our ministry that has made this order. We report to a different ministry,” Luckham said, referencing Municipal Affairs and Housing. 

“It is disappointing they didn’t choose to consult with us on this matter,” he added. “But clearly they chose to keep their cards close to their chest.”

Luckham suggested the order is also not surprising in some ways. FLNRORD made changes in January 2017 to streamline the process for residential marine docks across most areas of B.C. The order meant landowners would no longer need to apply for a foreshore lease to use Crown land if their projects met certain conditions such as size limits, environmental specifications and local government zoning or bylaws. The “general permissions” process was not applied in the waters around the Southern Gulf Islands.

Luckham suggested the two-year prohibition could be the next step in a larger overhaul to the provincial program.

“This is not an end to docks. It’s a pause to consider the environmental impacts and a different permitting process,” he said. 

Schools prepare for regular fall program

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Gulf Islands schools will resume full-time in-person schedules this September without being divided into learning groups or having a quarterly timetable, while a provincial mask requirement will be in effect for all teachers and students in grades 4 to 12.

Under back-to-school plans announced by the B.C. Ministry of Education, many activities that were curtailed last year can additionally resume.

“We are pleased to see that extra-curricular activities and sports will return to schools this year,” said Gulf Islands district superintendent Scott Benwell. “Not requiring schools to organize around cohorts and learning groups reduces the complexity of scheduling and promotes a broader social experience for learners. This greater freedom within schools will be supported by safety measures like the provincial mask mandate as well as immunization.”

The provincial government and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say the more relaxed approach to COVID safety compared to the previous school year is supported by research into the past year’s situation. Also being taken into account is research by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), which found there was “a significant impact on students from remote learning, including interrupted learning, increased child stress, decreased connection, increased loneliness and mental and emotional health effects.”

The province is continuing to promote vaccination as the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Health authorities will target students, teachers and school staff in vaccination campaigns over the coming weeks.

However, many parents and teachers are concerned that children who aren’t old enough to be vaccinated will be crowding into schools at a time when the highly infectious Delta variant is producing a spike in positive cases.

Deblekha Guin, who is a member of the School District 64 District Parent Advisory Committee (DPAC) executive, pointed out Mayne, Saturna, Galiano and Pender islands have a first-dose vaccination rate of 92 per cent for people ages 12 and up, while Salt Spring’s rate lags at 79 per cent.

“As students prepare to return to school next week my heart especially goes out to families with children under 12 who don’t have the option of being vaccinated,” Guin said. “We know the risk to younger populations has risen, and children in grades kindergarten to three don’t have the protection of either a mask mandate or vaccination. In light of this I trust that our district, and others, will make robust home-learning options available to those students, and other students with extenuating circumstances.”

DPAC representative Adria Kray said she would like to see a response that has an increased focus on the airborne nature of COVID and how it’s spread.

“I hope that the province and school district continue taking the appropriate public health precautions, including a mask mandate for all grades (including K-3), ensuring families are notified when there are exposures in real time, outdoor lunches while masks are removed, and CO2 monitoring to provide an indicator of the effectiveness of ventilation and filtration systems,” Kray said. 

Provincial guidelines for the fall 2020 restart saw SD64 introduce a “flexible return program” that offered online learning opportunities for families that did not feel ready to send students into physical schools. Two teachers provided part-time digital classrooms for elementary and middle school students who also spent time learning on their own at home. That program is not being offered this September, Benwell said.

“At this point SD64 will return to all instruction being face-to-face this year,” he said. “In rare circumstances and for medical reasons, temporary learning arrangements can be discussed with our school principals, but we will not have a remote or online option.”

Changes to B.C.‘s health and safety policies include the ability for health authorities to introduce additional measures specific to individual schools or school districts in instances where community transmission rates are higher.

Saanich-Gulf Islands all-candidates events set up

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Salt Spring Forum has organized a virtual all-candidates debate for the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding in the federal election campaign. 

The event will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. with the link available on the www.saltspringforum.com website. 

Forum manager Richard Steel said the organization has decided to allow only parties with sitting MPs in the House to participate. Candidates will therefore be incumbent Elizabeth May (Green), Sherri Moore-Arbour (Liberal), David Busch (Conservative) and Sabina Singh (NDP). Moore-Arbour was not listed on the Elections Canada website as an official candidate as of Aug. 30 but was nominated by the Liberal Party’s riding association and has a website.

As of Aug. 30, the other two candidates listed were David Hilderman for the People’s Party of Canada and Dock Currie for the Communist Party of Canada.

Tony Brogan, a supporter of Hilderman, has organized an in-person all-candidates event under the auspices of a group called Democracy Saltspring at the Royal Canadian Legion on Tuesday, Sept. 14 from 4 to 7 p.m. Confirmed attendees besides Hilderman were not available as of Monday.

Singh, Busch and May ran in the last election held in October of 2019, which May won with 49.09 per cent of the popular vote.

Voting eligibility and methods, and poll location dates and details will be available at elections.ca. Advance poll locations, dates and times will also be on voting cards sent in the mail to all registered voters. Elections Canada indicates advance polls will be held Sept. 10-13.

Salt Spring Fall fair set to mark 125th milestone

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Salt Spring Islanders and visitors can look forward to the return of the fall fair this year as it marks the 125th year since the first fair was held in 1896. 

The event will proceed at the Farmers’ Institute grounds under COVID-19 regulations in effect for the Sept. 18-19 weekend.

In order to ensure the halls are filled with exhibits, people are encouraged to get a copy of the 2021 fall fair catalogue to determine if they have anything to enter. Flowers, produce, preserves and hobby arts are just a few of the items included. 

Farmers’ Institute president Marguerite Lee said it’s hard to know what the indoor exhibits will look like because of the drought’s impact on island gardens this year. 

“We are encouraging people to exhibit no matter what their entry looks like,” she said.

The fall fair catalogue contains descriptions of all the categories, entry forms (with submission deadline dates) and regulations. It is  available on the Driftwood website at www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com under the Publications tab.  

The catalogue also contains the preliminary event schedule. It usually doesn’t change much from the final version, which will be published in the Sept. 15 issue of the Driftwood.

At this point it is not known if the province’s “vaccine passport” will be required for fair entry, said Lee, as no details are yet available from the provincial government. 

“I have spoken to other fairs and they don’t have any more information, so it is a wait-and-see game,” she said on Sunday. 

Masks will definitely be required to enter buildings on the grounds, she said. 

How many people will attend the fair is obviously still a question mark. 

“We don’t know whether people are going to be reluctant to come or whether they are just ready to break out of Dodge, or if everybody wants to attend and visit and catch up with people. WorkSafeBC has given us a go-ahead and we are very fortunate because our buildings are so open air.” 

Some changes have also been made to the layout of the fair to reduce the possibility of crowding, said Lee.

COVID Vaccination encouraged

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BY Adam Olsen (MLA, Saanich North and the Islands), Gary Holman, (CRD director), Laura Patrick (Islands Trust trustee) and Peter Grove (Islands Trust trustee)

We, your elected officials, understand that some Salt Springers are hesitant to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. We understand that your body is your own, and that we all look after our bodies in the ways we personally deem as important. 

This pandemic has shown us that we also have to look after one another. 

As neighbours, as family and friends, as Salt Springers and Gulf Islanders, we have come together to protect our communities for the past year and a half. We supported our healthcare and frontline workers with a nightly cheer. We checked in on each other when we were all asked to stay home. We are all exhausted by COVID-19, but the pandemic is not over. We are encouraging all our constituents to make community health a top priority by getting vaccinated. 

As of Aug. 23, 71 per cent of eligible Salt Springers had received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately, this is the second lowest rate in the Capital Region. 

Vaccines have dramatically reduced the number of people who get sick and the severity of illness when they encounter the virus. The fourth wave is being driven primarily by the Delta variant. This variant is proving to be challenging as it is more contagious and is making unvaccinated people very sick. 

Vaccines are proving to be an effective measure in our collective fight against COVID-19. It is important to acknowledge that getting vaccinated does not only provide you better protection but it also protects people in the wider community, and in particular, children under 12 who cannot yet be vaccinated.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the step of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. People who get the vaccine have a much better chance to protect themselves and their loved ones; across all of B.C. and especially within your communities. Rising case numbers across our province are frightening for many, but we’re more prepared than ever with the availability of vaccines. 

If you are feeling uncertain about the vaccine and have health questions, you can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 toll-free in B.C., or if you are deaf and hard of hearing, call 7-1-1 or 604-215-5101 to contact Video Relay Services.

Vaccines are safe, they are effective, and they are available to us all on a daily basis at the walk-in clinic at the Salt Spring Island Health Unit located at 160 Fulford-Ganges Rd. You can either book an appointment by calling 250-538-4880 or walk-in to the clinic. Thank you again to all who have been vaccinated and who will be, for protecting our special island and the people who call it home. 

The provincial government has announced that they will be introducing a vaccine card. Starting on Sept. 13 proof of vaccine will be necessary to attend certain discretionary events.

Please visit https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/proof for more information. Additionally, the provincial government has reinstated public health orders regarding the use of masks indoors. Please visit https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restrictions for the latest information.

ROLAND, Robert (John)

Robert (John) Roland

Robert (John) Roland, born August 20, 1949 on Salt Spring Island, passed away on September 1, 2021 at Royal Jubilee Hospital. He is predeceased by his father, Harry (Jack), and mother, Laura, as well as sister Ethel and brother Herk.

He leaves to mourn his partner Michele (Becky, Dane, and children Arlo, Emmett, and Wylie). He will be dearly missed by sons Josh (Michelle), Adam (Raina), and Peter (Ai), and their mother, Donna; his grandchildren Sydney, Carter, Hinome, Michi, Isla, and Ivor; and his siblings Leona, Marina, Josie, David, and Cathy.

John grew up the eldest son in a pioneering Fulford Harbour family. After graduating high school, John moved to Victoria and began his career in the marine industry. His life’s work was on the water: whether you needed a boat sold, designed, or built, a marine survey conducted, a marina built, or a skipper for your yacht, John, the quintessential marine consultant, was your man. He made friends in the industry working all over the world, from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, from Alaska to Panama, and all points in between.

John was known for his many pithy one-liners, and perhaps would want to leave us with this final one: “He’s okay…he’s dead now.”