Home Blog Page 325

TONG, Lisa Allison

Driftwood Obituary
-
0
TONG, Lisa Allison

Lisa Allison Tong
1962 – 2020
It is with extreme sadness that we announce the passing of Lisa Allison Tong born January 19 1962 – Oct 27 2020 of complications from the chronic disease Lupus.

Lisa was born in Ottawa Ontario and moved with her family to B.C. at the age of 3 years. She grew up In New Westminster attending Herbert Spencer Primary school then New Westminster Secondary.

Her adult working Career was with Canadian Airlines and Air Canada. Lisa took early retirement because of her health issues and moved with her family to Salt Spring Island in 2008 and loved it here, enjoying the small community feel of the Island and it’s friendly people.

Lisa had a diversity of interests. She adored animals and had she been able would have been an holistic Veterinarian! Her animals were like her children, especially her beautiful sheltie, Ceilidh who was always by her side and passed on at the age of 17.

Lisa loved people. She took an interest in them and valued their friendship. Her caring positive outlook on life continued no matter how she felt. Her heart was full of giving and she valued her family, friends and neighbors. She loved to give small gifts as a token of her affection and appreciation.

Lisa was keenly interested in astrology and the ups and downs of the planetary movements. She had a flair for fashion and design and studied interior design and staging at one point in her life. In recent years she became interested in painting and enjoyed visiting Island Art Galleries. She also took part in the Art Guilds summer shows. Her plan was to strive to go farther with this medium.

We as a family have been blessed to have such a sweet helpful caring, kind daughter, sister, auntie and great auntie. The impact she has made on all our lives is immeasurable. The love she has given us an everlasting imprint. Taken from us much too soon. We will cherish every moment and memory and do our best to emulate all the goodness that she has always shown and stood for in life. Forever in our thoughts, close in our hearts and spirits.

Left behind are her loving Mom Sandra Tong, Father Anthony (Tony) Tong, Step dad Phil Cheevers, Sister Laura Nisbet (nee Tong), Brother Michael Andrew Tong, Niece Tara-Lynn Dirks (nee Nisbet) (Eric), Nephew Stuart Nisbet (Laura), Great Niece Harlowe Dirks, Great Nephew Vaughn Dirks.

A Celebration of Life is planned. We shall aim for early May at Lisa’s home where family and friends can feel comfortable and safe in an outdoor setting and distance maintained if this should still be required. Watch for further information.

MOUAT MILES, Jackson

Driftwood Obituary
-
0
MOUAT MILES, Jackson

 Jackson Mouat Miles
March 10, 2000 – November 15, 2020

Beloved son of Kathleen Mouat and Mike Miles, brother to Gavin (Lily and Nathan), (Jamie), Myles and Katia, Sam and Sara. Sadly missed by grandmother Louise Nye, aunt Sheryl (Mike) and uncle Steve, grandmother Carolyn Mouat, aunt Brenda (Derek), aunt Barbara (Richard), aunt Susan (Mike), aunt Karen (Doug) and 16 cousins.

Jackson was a child full of hugs. Family and friends enjoyed the many treasures that he made in his life time.
To our community of family and friends – our thanks for your generosity. It has been humbling. It takes a village to raise a child. You all helped to raise another fine young man – who was taken too soon.

Contact tracing complete for GISS COVID-19 case

Gail Sjuberg
-
0
Contact tracing complete for GISS COVID-19 case

Island Health has already completed contact tracing for the member of the Gulf Islands Secondary School community who tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.

GISS principal Lyall Ruehlen told the Driftwood on Wednesday morning that anyone who may have come in contact with the individual on Thursday, Nov. 26 has been notified and directed to remain in self-isolation at home. 

Ruehlen said that while Island Health determined possible exposure occurred at GISS on Thursday, the COVID-19 test occurred over the weekend and the school district was informed once the positive result identified the individual as being connected to GISS.

“We received a call at about 3:45 yesterday and [Island Health] expressed that one member of our community had tested positive over the weekend and that they would have had potential exposure [to others] on the 26th.” 

An email from the school district containing a letter from Island Health was drafted and sent out to GISS families about two hours later.

“We feel really confident about our turnaround response  . . . and the good partnership with Island Health; the support they are giving us, and how we are supporting them.” 

Ruehlen said a lot of preparation for this situation was done in August when the school and district created a start-up plan, which led to a solid rollout yesterday. 

He said a few parents advised that their children would not be attending school today. 

Ruehlen said GISS has closed its campus, meaning that students are not allowed to go to Ganges during lunch hour. Certain “learning groups” have been able to get their lunch in town on specified days since school resumed in September. 

An update will be sent to GISS families via email this afternoon, he said. 

Fire department moves to 24/7 staffing model

Elizabeth Nolan
-
0
Fire department moves to 24/7 staffing model

Salt Spring Fire Rescue will transition to a 24-hour staffing model at Ganges Fire Hall in 2021 as a result of an arbitrator’s decision on the union contract.

The fire department’s unionized career members have been working without a contract since Jan. 1, 2017. Negotiations conducted between the Greater Victoria Labour Relations Association on behalf of the Salt Spring Fire Protection District and International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4467 started in 2019. With substantive issues unresolved in that process, the two sides employed a mediator and then agreed to arbitration when that too proved unsuccessful. 

Arbitrator Judi Korbin issued her decision last week. 

“The terms of past collective agreements have been contentious for many in our community,” said fire board chair Per Svendsen in a news statement. “On outstanding matters put to the arbitrator, both the GVLRA and Local 4467 argued their case and Ms. Judi Korbin arrived at her decisions. Neither party was awarded every argument and it is my experience that if both sides are somewhat disappointed, it is likely the outcome was fair, balanced and the best that could have been achieved in the circumstances.”

“It’s been a very long process of negotiation, mediation and arbitration with a host of different SSIFPD boards and employer representatives,” said Mitchell Sherrin, acting union local president. “Throughout the bargaining process, we appreciate that negotiations have been professional and respectful.”

The renewed collective agreement will be for a six-year term ending Dec. 31, 2023. Union staff wages will be based on the determined prevailing rates for 2017 through 2019. Starting in 2020, general wage rates will be at 100 per cent of the prevailing rate of comparable fire departments within the Capital Regional District.

The pay increase was expected by the board as firefighter union contracts are generally set to the same rates around the province.

“The district anticipated paying retroactive pay and the estimated liability for 2017 through 2019 has been accrued on financial statements,” Svendsen reported.  

As part of the new contract, unionized career staff apart from the assistant chief will move into a four-platoon system starting on Jan. 2 to offer staffing coverage around the clock. At least two full-time firefighters will be on shift at the main hall 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They will still be supplemented by paid-on-call firefighters for emergency incidents.

The staffing model shift also means the fire board must hire two new career officers as currently there are six in addition to Assistant Chief Jamie Holmes. District administrator Andrew Peat said there is a two-year phase-in period to accomplish the hiring, and until then the two vacant staff positions can be filled by paid-on-call members. Peat said the change won’t impact the budget much in 2021 because the cost of paying the two POCs will be balanced out by no longer having to pay the premium charge for an overnight duty officer.

Both employer and employees have promoted the change as a positive outcome in regard to fire operations.

“We can now roll out our emergency service team in minutes after a call in the evening. The previous collective agreement provided for a duty officer working off-site, which could delay response times. Improved response times will mean improved service and should reduce insurance risk,” Svendsen said. 

“Moving to a 24/7 staffing model is a big win for the community,” Sherrin agreed. “Islanders should see improved evening emergency responses. And our crews will also benefit from enhanced safety by having a dedicated officer and fire-apparatus operator responding to every incident.”

Sherrin explained that having to rely on the voluntary response of paid-on-call members for after-hours incidents posed safety concerns for career members. 

“We have a cadre of very well-trained and dedicated POC firefighters. But we have a system where you never know how many POCs will come to an incident. And on some calls the duty officer might respond alone,” said Sherrin. “It’s just the nature of the system.” 

The arbitrator’s full award document has not yet been made public. It will be included with the agenda package for the next fire board meeting, scheduled for Dec. 14.

Public support needed to secure Erskine trail

Elizabeth Nolan
-
0
Public support needed to secure Erskine trail

In a year of sudden land protection opportunities, Salt Springers have been offered one more chance to acquire a piece of forest and keep it open to public use.

Campaign partners BC Parks, the BC Parks Foundation and the Salt Spring Trail and Nature Club are seeking to secure a key piece of property in the middle of the trail from Toynbee Road to Mount Erskine. Members of the public have until Feb. 10, 2021 to dig deep and help find the $244,000 needed to keep the trail open.

Charles Kahn, who is the Trail and Nature Club president and author of Hiking the Gulf Islands, observed this initiative may not be as dazzling as some of the land acquisition campaigns that have recently hit the island. Without the purchase, though, he warns a valuable and well-used community amenity could be lost for good. 

“This is basically securing an existing trail, and we’ve been losing trails left, right and centre because of development. We used to be able to walk everywhere on this island because the land was open,” Kahn said.

Until now, the Toynbee trail has been one of those places where people walked freely over private land without problem, and most likely without even knowing it. Kahn explained there is a right of way from Toynbee Road to the Manzanita Ridge Nature Reserve on title in favour of the Salt Spring Conservancy, which has agreed to let the public use it indefinitely. However, the trail then cuts across a corner of private land on its way from the nature reserve to Mount Erskine Provincial Park. 

“Right now, the owners are ignoring the fact that people are trespassing, and people assume it will always be like that,” Kahn said. 

He noted that with its 360-degree views, that area of the ridge would also be prime space for a new house.

The owner is not interested in donating a right of way and has signed a contract with BC Parks to sell a one-acre piece for fair market value, in order to leave the trail intact. Kahn said this is important because the land on the south side of the ridge is too steep to reroute the trail. As well, the conservancy has not wanted to allow trails on that area of the Manzanita Ridge Nature Reserve, and any alternative route would be totally on the conservancy’s property.

“This doesn’t require building anything new, and it maintains the trail in perpetuity,” Kahn said of the purchase.

The Mount Erskine Park Trail Connection Fundraiser is only the third land acquisition campaign through the BC Parks Foundation. 

Previous initiatives led to land protection at Princess Louisa Inlet, and recently the purchase of West Ballenas Island. 

“The addition of this land to Mount Erskine Provincial Park will secure public access to one of the longest public trails on Salt Spring Island. Just as important, the addition of this piece of land would provide the park with several additional beautiful viewpoints and potential picnic sites,” campaign material states.

As the BC Parks Foundation is a registered, non-profit organization, every donation over $20 will be eligible for a charitable tax receipt. They also accept non-cash donations through stocks and securities, which Kahn said is great for people looking for relief on their capital gains tax, and other options. 

Contact gifts@bcparksfoundation.ca to learn more.

Donations can be made online at https://bcparksfoundation.ca/projects/enhance/mount-erskine-park/, by emailing gifts@bcparksfoundation.ca, or by calling the BC Parks Foundation at 604-343-3975. 

Ganges Hill paving plans explored

Gail Sjuberg
-
0
Ganges Hill paving plans explored

Plans for repaving Ganges Hill were shared at last Tuesday’s Salt Spring Island Transportation Commission meeting, with not everyone happy about what they heard.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has agreed to provide a 1.5-metre paved shoulder and a 0.5-metre gravel shoulder on both sides of the roadway on Fulford-Ganges Road between Seaview Avenue and Beddis Road in 2021. Some commissioners were disappointed that the plan did not include a wider paved area and more room for pedestrians.

Commission member Gary Lehman noted that the bike lane standard is 1.8 metres. 

“I’m sitting here because I want what’s best for Salt Spring. I don’t want the best we can get,” he said, noting that future projects like the Salish Sea Trail, which people want to see for Salt Spring, would require the higher standard. 

Capital Regional District Salt Spring engineer Allen Xu pointed out that trying to expand beyond the MoTI proposal would involve acquiring private property in some spots and would likely be prohibitively expensive. As it is, MoTI is prepared to cover all costs of the proposal.

Salt Spring’s CRD director Gary Holman said the fact that MoTI will pave the road and provide a much wider area for cyclists and pedestrians on both sides without cost to Salt Spring taxpayers was good news. MoTI has also agreed to review intersections on Fulford-Ganges Road at Beddis Road and at Drake Road, and to provide paved bus-stop landing strips along Fulford-Ganges Road at both Cusheon Lake and Blackburn roads so that bus shelters can be installed. 

CRD staff had recommended that the SSITC spend funds on a design for pedestrian/cycling improvements on another priority area of Fulford-Ganges Road, but commissioners stressed that Ganges Hill is the priority and it didn’t make sense to spend money on potential plans for other spots. Instead they recommended that a preliminary design for pedestrian infrastructure beyond what MoTI will cover be done for the west side of Ganges Hill only. 

They also passed a motion directing staff to ask MoTI to consider extending the paving project further south, potentially to the bottom of Cranberry Road. The commission could possibly commit funds or apply for a grant to cover the additional work beyond what MoTI will pay for. 

Islanders brew up aid for Nicaragua

Contributed Article
-
0
Islanders brew up aid for Nicaragua

SUBMITTED BY OGIFA

This festive season promises to be a more subdued, quiet affair. But we can still get together with loved ones over a cup of coffee, either on Zoom or with thermoses on outdoor walks. And, perhaps most importantly, we can still spread peace and goodwill to our friends around the world.  

Everyone is experiencing unprecedented challenges, but this December is going to be an especially difficult time for folks on Ometepe Island in Nicaragua. Two hurricanes, less than two weeks apart, tore through the Central American country this fall, causing significant mudslides, widespread flooding and crop damage. 

For more than 30 years, the Ometepe Gulf Islands Friendship Society (OGIFA) has sustained a partnership with the small island community, located on Lake Nicaragua. By purchasing and re-selling coffee, both as beans, for sale in stores around the island, and as brewed coffee at the Saturday Market and various island events, we’ve been able to send $25,000 to $30,000 per year back to support people in Nicaragua. Islander contributions have funded programs such as micro-lending, education, scholarships, youth support programs, first-aid clinics and clean-burning cookstoves. 

Now, in the wake of hurricanes Iota and Eta, we are needed more than ever. 

Ometepe coffee volunteers were not able to serve coffee as usual at the Saturday Market this year, and the organization currently has a surplus of coffee, which is stored in special facilities by Serious Coffee in Duncan. The beans are roasted in small batches for maximum freshness and flavour. 

“If we can sell what we have on hand, it will allow us to send much-needed funding to projects in Nicaragua, and resume buying from Ometepe farmers,” said OGIFA volunteer Nedjo Rogers. “Our organic farming friends are managing as best they can, but the situation right now is overwhelming. The resilience and adaptability of organic farmers is legend, but coffee producers on the small Nicaraguan island are facing crop damage on top of interruptions to the global coffee trade.” 

Salt Spring Islanders can help. For everyone accustomed to grabbing a cup of coffee at the Ometepe Saturday market stand, OGIFA is encouraging them to grab a pound or two of Ometepe Coffee from a local shop or online. From now until the end of December, colourful coffee bags will be adorned with a festive sticker inspired by the ancient petroglyphs of Ometepe Island. 

People can also donate to OGIFA by e-transfer to johnmoore@shaw.ca.

Anyone interested in helping in the future can join OGIFA. Membership chair Marlene Rice at mricessi@icloud.com is the person to contact for an application. Benefits include being kept up to date on the state of the coffee farmers and, notably, the purchase of coffee at wholesale prices. 

When times are tough, giving back really can restore hope. The volunteers at OGIFA are inviting everyone to “come for coffee” this holiday season. With travel restricted and a pandemic raging, keeping international friendships alive is more important than ever. Holiday edition Ometepe coffee is available at Country Grocer, Salt Spring Mercantile, Natureworks and Global Village in Victoria at Hillside Mall. 

It can also be ordered via email and shipped by contacting gilliancampbell@shaw.ca for all the details.

Viewpoint: An ode to autumn nights

Contributed Article
-
0
Viewpoint: An ode to autumn nights

By Frants Attorp

As winter approaches, the daylight hours decrease, not at random, but with mathematical precision and total predictability. This has happened billions of times before, always at the same tempo, always in perfect harmony with the universal clock.

In early times, before science cast its cold, clear light on creation, our understanding of the world was subject to the phantom workings of the imagination. Hopes and fears manifested themselves in our interpretation of the shadows that danced on the cave wall and the clouds that scudded past the ever-changing moon. Is it a bad omen or an evil spirit? Are the gods happy or are they preparing to wreak their revenge? Nobody knows for sure, but the smell of the earth and the steady breathing of those who slumber offer a certain reassurance.

Here in my forest home, the stillness of a Salt Spring evening once again lays its steady hand on my restless soul. The fire has died down and the wine I had before dinner is having a soporific effect. The dishes are done and the Knowledge Network takes me and my wife back to a time before a constant flow of unsettling news made peace of mind impossible. “When you are old and grey and full of sleep, and nodding by the fire….”

Of course I realize this cozy feeling is nothing more than a romantic illusion. Consider that children, when asked whether rain happens for plants to grow or because water condenses into clouds, invariably choose the first explanation. Does anyone ever outgrow these puerile perceptions?

Newton and Darwin helped explain how the natural world works, but it took the great philosophers to connect the dots and lay bare the implications. They call it the human condition. Perhaps the best that we can hope for is to light a candle and enjoy the warm glow of the flame while it lasts.

Bedtime draws near. I brush my teeth and stare into the mirror. Lord have mercy! What has happened to my youthful self? What are those bags under my eyes, those sagging jowls and dark spots on my skin? Is there no escaping the ravages of time?

“Last scene of all that ends this strange eventful history is second childishness and mere oblivion. Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.” Damn, but the old bard had a way with words! How did he learn that . . . or did he? A river of consciousness flows from the dead to the living.

My bedroom can’t be too hot nor too cold lest I have trouble drifting off to sleep. I leave the window cracked a bit so I can savour the cool air flowing over my face and listen to the nighttime sounds of the forest. The wind picks up and strikes a mournful note as it sweeps down through the trees on Mount Tuam.

I slide under the duvet and curl up into the fetal position. My mind settles as I shut out the clamour of the modern world. Then my heart slows and starts to beat in time to an ancient rhythm, one that echoes the origins of our species. I let go and surrender to the dark mysteries of the night.

Editorial: Close the car lot

Driftwood Staff
-
0
Editorial: Close the car lot

Walking north of Ganges and up Rainbow Road has gotten a whole lot safer since completion of North Ganges Transportation Plan phase-2 work.

Approved by referendum in 2014, it’s a great addition to Salt Spring’s ever-growing pathway infrastructure created with volunteer and government resources. Now that the work is done, it’s hard not to notice nearby areas where it’s still worth one’s life to travel on foot or by bicycle. One of those is so glaring because it is just across the road from the recent improvements on Lower Ganges Road, on the strip that is locally known as the “Ganges car lot.” It’s the place where islanders have for years parked vehicles they want to sell. 

Two years ago, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, which owns that part of Ganges roadside, declared it was cracking down on the practice of cars being parked on the side of the road 24/7. Vehicles left there would be towed away, the ministry declared. While people seemed to heed the warning for a short time, the area was back to being a full-blown car lot in no time at all. Then this summer at least one camperized vehicle parked in the area was clearly being lived in, before it was abandoned earlier this fall, and then the subject of a fire last week. As an appropriate commentary on the whole situation, a “for sale” sign was then added to the empty licence plate spot. The burned-out wreck was towed away on Monday.   

Last week the Salt Spring Island Transportation Commission put the harbour side of Lower Ganges Road, which includes the car lot area, on a priority planning list for 2021, among other projects. It is an important piece of the Ganges safety puzzle, but until that work is funded and finished — which won’t be any time soon — the whole picture would be dramatically improved if that area was kept clear of vehicles that are either for sale, being lived in or abandoned. 

The transportation ministry told the Driftwood on Friday that “Public safety is always the ministry’s top priority” and that “Ministry right-of-way is not intended to be used for selling anything, and vehicles are included in this.” 

We urge islanders to help make travelling north of Ganges safer on both sides of the road by heeding the MoTI directive, and urge the MoTI and RCMP to work together to ensure everyone gets the same message. 

GISS confirms COVID-19 case

Driftwood Staff
-
0
GISS confirms COVID-19 case

Gulf Islands Secondary School has confirmed that a member of the school community has tested positive for COVID-19.

The school has not indicated if that individual is a student or a staff member, but Island Health has said that the school community was potentially exposed to the individual who tested positive on Nov. 26.

An email sent to GISS families on Dec. 1 states:

“This letter is to provide notification that a member of the GISS school community has tested positive for COVID-19. They are self-isolating at home with support from local public health teams.

“We are supporting Vancouver Island Health Authority as they undertake contact tracing to determine if any other members of our school community were in contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19, and if any additional steps are required. We are following the protocol established for these circumstances:

“The health authority is performing contact tracing;

“The health authority will determine if anyone in the school community was in contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19 while they were potentially infectious;

“The health authority will determine if anyone in the school community is a close contact that is required to self-isolate.

“Only the health authority can determine who is a close contact.

“If you are contacted by Vancouver Island Health Authority, please follow their advice.

“If you are not contacted by Vancouver Island Health Authority, it has been determined that your child is not at risk of developing COVID-19.

“To ensure personal privacy rights are maintained, we will not be providing additional details.

“The safety and well-being of our students, families and staff remains our highest priority. Please be reassured that our school will continue to implement the strict protocols and procedures we have in place so that children can continue to attend school as safely as possible.

“Students should continue to come to school while contact tracing is underway. As a reminder, please continue daily health checks to monitor your child for illness.

“We will continue to work closely with Vancouver Island Health Authority to provide ongoing communication as required.”

1...324325326...610Page 325 of 610