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KINNEAR, Roberta Annie

Driftwood Obituary
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KINNEAR, Roberta Annie

Roberta Annie Kinnear
July 3, 1936 to October 28, 2020

Roberta passed away October 28, 2020 at home. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Roberta had three sons: John (Val) of Regina, Saskatchewan, Roy (Barb) of Salt Spring Island, BC, Errol (Ruby) of Qualicum, BC, and two daughters: Robina (Bill) of Kitchener, Ontario and Glynis (Fred) of Marshfield, Missouri; 14 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild.

Roberta was born in Newtownhamilton, Northern Ireland. She was predeceased by her husband Andrew, who passed away in 2009. In 1964 Roberta and Andrew moved to Canada with their 5 children, first living in Winnipeg, MB and then Newmarket, ON, before settling on Salt Spring Island in 1969. Roberta and Andrew owned several businesses at different times on the island, including the Butcher Shop, The Deli and the Vesuvius Store. Mom also worked at Lady Minto Hospital for a number of years. Mom was a quiet and gentle person who loved to knit and for awhile sold her hand made items on consignment at Coastal Currents. Our family is blessed to have so many wonderful knitted heirlooms.

Mom was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother. We will always love mom and miss her and her sweet Irish lilt.

Thank you to the caregivers at Community Health Services for providing such wonderful care of mom and providing services that allowed mom to stay in her home, which was very important to her. Tracy, thank you for being there for mom, she enjoyed spending time with you. Thank you to Dr. Reznick for his compassionate care of mom. We would like to thank Colleen and Geoff for always being so kind and thoughtful and the waves from the road.

As per mom’s wish there will be no service and she will be cremated and placed beside dad in her niche at the Salt Spring Community Cemetery.

Olsen wins second term as MLA

Driftwood Staff
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Olsen wins second term as MLA

The Green party’s Adam Olsen has held his seat as the MLA for Saanich North and the Islands.

With 72 of 118 polls reported on Saturday night, Olsen was determined to be the winner with 4,893 votes (53 per cent), followed by the NDP’s Zeb King with 2,585 votes (28 per cent) and Liberal candidate Stephen P. Roberts earning 1,743 votes (19 per cent).

Province wide, the NDP earned a majority government. At 10 p.m., the NDP was leading or elected in 54 ridings, with 44 needed for a majority. The Liberals were leading or elected in 30 seats and the Greens had 3 seats.

Speaking on Saturday night, Olsen said that despite the Greens no longer holding the balance of power in the legislature, voters in his riding are sophisticated and know that the “legislature is made of up 87 independent representatives from their community elected to go do a job. A huge amount of work gets done in the constituency. That is what I am going to continue to build on.”

“There is a lot of productive work that gets done in the legislature and we are going to ensure we fulfil our role on the behalf of British Columbians,” he added.

Final vote tallies from the election will not be known until Nov. 16, according to Elections BC, due to the record number of mail-in ballots that cannot be counted until their validity is verified.

Some 470,000 mail-in ballots had been received by Elections BC as of Oct. 24. More than 700,000 mail-in ballot packages had been requested.

Ballots from advance polls were counted along with those cast today. More than 681,000 British Columbians voted in advance polls compared to 614,000 in the 2017 B.C. election. 

In the 2017 B.C. election, Olsen won the riding over NDP incumbent Gary Holman with almost 42 per cent of the popular vote. Holman had 30.56 per cent and Roberts had 26.46 per cent.

Quinitsa returns to Vesuvius-Crofton route

Driftwood Staff
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Quinitsa returns to Vesuvius-Crofton route

The MV Quinitsa will return to service between Vesuvius and Crofton for the winter months starting with the 12:55 p.m. departure from Crofton on Saturday, Oct. 24.

BC Ferries says that “although the overall capacity of the MV Quinitsa is reduced from the vessel it is replacing, the Bowen Queen, it has more overheight capacity and is capable of loading and discharging the mix of commercial and passenger vehicle loads more efficiently. This will allow for shorter turnaround times in port, assisting the vessel to maintain the posted schedule throughout the winter. “

The Quinitsa has washroom facilities available on the car deck during the voyage. 

Child hit by tree during windstorm making good progress

Elizabeth Nolan
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Child hit by tree during windstorm making good progress

The West Coast’s first major wind event of the season caused traumatic injury to a young island girl, as well as numerous power outages and tree damage on Salt Spring.

Six-year-old Priya Pilheden was hit by a falling tree during the Oct. 13 windstorm but was making good progress at BC Children’s Hospital last week.

Salt Spring Fire Rescue reported their crews assisted BC Ambulance with an extrication and patient care as one of nine calls related to the storm they attended between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. last Tuesday.

Robyn Oakes, a friend of the Pilheden family who organized a GoFundMe donation campaign, explained on the campaign page that Priya suffered a broken leg, a fractured skull and a brain injury when a tree fell on her in the woods. Her parents Jona and Vidya Pilheden and baby brother Kailash were staying in Vancouver while the young girl received ongoing treatment and testing.

“The doctors at Children’s Hospital are feeling very confident Priya will recover from her injuries,” Oakes said Friday, after receiving a report from Vidya over the phone.

“She has such a strong spirit — she is, as the first responders called her, ‘one tough cookie.’ They are hoping at some point soon they will be able to finish Priya’s recovery at home, and their lives will be able to regain normalcy once again.”

The GoFundMe campaign reached over $20,000 in donations in the first 24 hours. Community members reacted with disbelief and compassion for the young family, who already face health challenges with their infant son. A donation jar has also been placed at Barb’s Bakery and Bistro.

“This little girl is the same age as my little boys and lives on our street,” wrote islander Shane Hubenig. “Accidents like this can happen to anyone; when they do, we need to rally and help, and be present. That’s what true communities do. May Priya receive all the healing energy we can muster, and the family receive the material needs we can help with.”

“Jona and Vidya are so overwhelmingly grateful for all the love and support from our community,” Oakes said in response to the many supportive comments. “When they read all your words of encouragement, and hear your sweet messages, they are moved beyond words.”

The fundraiser can be found at gofundme.com under “Team Priya emergency medical fund.”

Eight of the calls Salt Spring Fire Rescue attended last Tuesday involved trees or branches down on hydro lines or across the road. Trees blocked the 600 block of Isabella Point Road and Broadwell Road near Duck Creek, and caused other damage throughout the island.

“As emergency calls come in during these events we set up area command, at Hall #1 downtown, and prioritize them based on the information we receive from our 911 dispatchers,” Assistant Fire Chief Jamie Holmes explained in an email. “Most of the calls involve a single apparatus responding to ensure no fire or life safety issues are present and then updating BC Hydro, [Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure contractors], or other emergency agencies. Our crews try and flag the affected area to let the public know we’ve investigated the situation if we have to clear for another call.”

Ferry service at Vesuvius was temporarily suspended at mid-day on Oct. 13 because of a power outage at the terminal. BC Hydro reported more than 100,000 customers had lost power in the Lower Mainland, on the Sunshine Coast and on Vancouver Island, with most customers restored as of Wednesday morning.

Salt Spring Old Boys: The Boys Are Back In Town

Contributed Article
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Salt Spring Old Boys: The Boys Are Back In Town

By FRASER HOPE

DRIFTWOOD CONTRIBUTOR

“Guess who just got back today 

Them wild-eyed boys that had been away 

Haven’t changed that much to say 

But man, I still think them guys are crazy . . . .”

Thin Lizzy, 1976

Apologies to Thin Lizzy for comparisons with the Salt Spring Old Boys FC, but the lyrics don’t lie! The Driftwood is pleased to offer a “twofer” Old Boys report of games on Oct. 4 and 18 to make up for the missing opening game report of the Old Boys 2020-21 season. 

This reporter wishes he had a good excuse for being MIA on the reporting scene but can only blame lack of game report fitness after the long COVID lockdown.

There has been considerable activity on and off the field as Old Boys FC Management prepared for the possibility of a new season. New signings prior to the transfer deadlines; search for a more successful solution to a lacklustre season which promised much but fizzled out with suggestion that manager Graham Tweddle may have run out of strategies to motivate the dressing room.

He could be facing the “shoogly peg syndrome” that all great managers ultimately face with Arsene Wenger, Maurice Phochettino and even Pep Guardiola being recent examples. Old Boys FC asked their Spanish contact with his inside knowledge of the inner workings of Man City to secure a sensational move for Pep along with Aguerro from City to Salt Spring after a series of poor results at the start of the Premier League. Alas it all fell through! Maybe something was lost in the translation?

Management realized the mooted stadium replacement would have to be put on hold as finances were depleted as Longtime season ticket holders were asking for reimbursement for games cancelled last season and the return of funds pledged for the new season. The hoped-for TV revenue for showing old videos of Old Boys’ past seasons did not materialize. The new car parking arrangements on Rainbow Road were scaled back as social distancing rules restricted tailgate parties, which cut into soft drinks and tissane sales for the Team Cooler Inc. The attempt to replicate The Wembley Way was much reduced but in a nod to the host team GISS Scorpions, a Yellow and Black sidewalk was completed.

New signings became a priority as South Vancouver Island Classics Soccer Association rules to conform with Dr. Bonnie Henry’s advice meant that all prospective squad players would have to sign a waiver absolving everyone and anyone from legal proceedings resulting from any acquired viruses or injuries. Much soul searching — and let’s be honest, arm twisting — allowed Old Boys FC to field a team to meet Vantreights in the first home game of the season at GISS field on Oct. 4 before a large crowd, who were mainly present if lack of fitness meant player resuscitations could be necessary.

As to the game itself, the “Usual Suspects” were bolstered by the return of the injured David Toynbee, anxious to return to the fray, and Bruce Winstone in goal. With COVID rule adjustments that seemed Byzantine in their application, the game kicked off under dreich conditions, an East Coast Haar, on the pristine GISS field — thanks, Mike and the Mechanics (grounds staff!). I have been listening to too much Deezer, Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz streaming services over lockdown.

Soon Scott Howe had his first of the season shout of “anguish” as his misdirected clearance made players and fans scatter on the bleachers, but quickly made amends with a fine through-pass initiating an attack on goal. Within five minutes of the season start, the Old Boys were remembering the skills drummed into them by many sessions at Portlock under Tweddle’s supervision — the peg not so shoogly after all. A skillful attack with fine approach work by Rainer Funk and Stefan Cermak saw Toynbee unleash a shot to give the Old Boys a lead and Toynbee his first points in the search for The Golden Boot Award.

“No contact” is the main adjustment that both sides seemed to have missed in the pre-match briefing by the officials as players were felled like trees on a Beddis Road clearcut. More chances fell to Old Boys strikers but were missed with one set-up by Cermak seeing Mike McCormick searching in his bag for a sand wedge with the ball sailing in a high arc over the goal. Against the run of play, Bruce Winstone made a fine save, paying back his high transfer fee. Press box members were unanimous in observing his resemblance to the Liverpool keeper Allison, with both showing a relaxed calm while controlling the ball in the box that was not entirely transmitted to the rest of the defences both at the Kop and Rainbow Road. The heart is always going to be in the mouth as far as his Old Boys goalkeeping career goes. Same old same old!

Substitutions came fast and furious as the long lay-off took its toll on pulmonary-cardiac efficiency, but David Eadie spying the Vantreights’ keeper a little off his line launched a well-judged arcing shot from 35 metres out that increased the lead to 2-0 at half time.  

There was little or no team-tactics talk as Tweddle, confident of his now strong hold over the dressing room, decided silence was the best option. Overconfidence allowed Vantreights at last to unlock Winstone’s goal, cutting back the lead with the pressure only being relieved by two goal-saving efforts by Bruce “Allison.” Ye of little faith!  Awakened by the close calls, the Old Boys regained their composure with Funk and McCormick setting up Toynbee for his second goal and a restored two-goal lead.

A long Donny Brown launch out of defence gave McCormick the chance to show his two-footed skills by drilling a fourth goal into the bottom left corner with his left foot. A late consolation goal for Vantreights brought up the final whistle to give the Old Boys a well-deserved first win of the season. With respect for social distance, a call for three cheers for both teams and the referees substituted for the traditional handshakes.

It has to be noted that Dan the Man referee and his two assistant referees were commended for their excellent officiating. I cannot recall any team in the past praising the two young assistant referees who were excellent in the clarity and neutrality of their decisions. Congratulations to Salt Spring United’s Malcolm Legg, who is in charge of referee training, and his fellow officials.

Yes! Thin Lizzy have it nailed! “But man, I still think them guys are crazy . . . . “

————————————

Second Chapter, Verses 1 to . . .

Ronaldo Scores! Winstone Shuts Down the Opposition! Old Boys Win!

Chapter II in the Old Boys’ search for redemption saw them challenge visitors Zgoda at GISS Rainbow Way on Sunday, Oct. 18, hoping to continue their winning ways. 

The tactics of applying “social distancing” on the field follows the Old Boys’ devotion to the tiki-taka style of short frequent passing amongst players that was so successful against Vantreights. The two-metre social distancing rule has been admirably followed by the majority of Salt Springers with the only down side being that many drivers carry the two-metre regulation distance into their driving style, no matter the distance or road conditions. This reporter has resorted to “Two-metre Driving Distance Shaming” as he gives the following driver the 1,000-metre stare into the rearview mirror.

I digress! Back to Maverick! The Old Boys were bolstered by two new signings who were able to join the club after requisite quarantine — Jude Shugar and Ronald Barrett — so 15 fully fit Old Boys were available to play the most unpredictable team in the league. Depending on the day, Zgoda are either unbeatable or end up beating themselves. Always a skillful and entertaining spectacle!

Manager Graham Tweddle, now comfortably in charge, sent out his fittest, fastest squad  . . . maybe that should read “the first 11 players to turn up for pre-match warm-up.”  

The Thanksgiving mini break allowed for recharging of batteries and healing of injuries and the first half saw end-to-end encounters but no goals as Zgoda was unable to break down the solid defence of Scott Howe, Donny Brown, Ben Cooper and Dennis Shaw, ably marshalled by goalkeeper Bruce Winstone, aka “Allison.” 

At the attacking end, combination strikers Mike Davis and Rainer Funk, rotating with David Toynbee and Mike McCormick, enabled by speedy wing halves of Shugar and Stefan Cermak and a midfield of Mark Aston and Matt Johnston, were thwarted by a Zgoda keeper who made up for his lack of inches, sorry, centimetres, by being a very last line of defence. It must be pointed out that Old Boys made his task much easier by repeatedly finding the large target painted on his midriff or vainly trying to get the security guard at Windsor Plywood to “please return our ball, Mister.”

The only highlight of any significance saw the first yellow card of season given. No, it was not Red Mist Aston, or bungling Ben Cooper but Scott Howe who carried out a textbook professional foul in preventing an attacker from getting clear on the wings. “It was a fair cop, Your Honour,” as Howe admitted, returning to his defensive position suitably chastised. Differences of opinion on referee rulings meant the official had to translate into Polish and Glaswegian for the visitors’ clarification and justification for his calls. Half-time came with Old Boys frustrated by Zgoda’s goalkeeper and also wary of Zgoda’s ability to surprise with counter-attacks.

Half time saw little commentary, but Shugar lost a partial replacement tooth, which of course led to the obvious retorts from teammates and spectators like “Sweet Toothless Shugar.” His retort was: “Mother told me there would be days like this!” Reporter Hope was unable to interview Tweddle on tactical and player adjustments for the second 45 minutes to break the im(pass)e. Early on, Cooper was subbed by Shaw. Like speed for speed!

Aston lay down to seek a substitution as his Ibuprofen failed to provide any end to joint and muscle pain. Towards the last 15 minutes of the game, the Old Boys’ intense fitness regime began to pay dividends. Laying siege to the Zgoda net and eventually after a series of scrambled corner kicks in front of the net, the new boy “Ronaldo” Barrett, our Brazilian signing, stabbed the ball home for the lead.  

A 1-0 lead for Old Boys! Hmmm! Could they hold on for the win or would they succumb to a draw, or worse, lose 2-1 in the dying seconds? It was a scenario not unknown in past history. “Squeaky bum” time!

In the last minutes, the Old Boys raced up field with Shugar in full flight. Dziadek Defender, a former Gdansk shipbuilder and works football player, now well into his 70s, neatly clicked Shugar’s heels to impede a sure shot at goal. There seemed to be some dispute about whether the foul occurred inside or just outside the penalty box. Shugar stepped up to take the penalty and shot to the keeper’s right, who pushed the ball to temporary safety, but ever-alert McCormick fed the rebound to Shugar, who managed to squeeze the ball into the far corner for the 2-0 lead. Just moments after the goal the referee blew the final whistle. 

It was a tight, nervous game that pitted the Zgoda goalkeeper against the Old Boys, but with an always possible surprise win for Zgoda on the counter-attack.

Post-game analysis around the socially distanced soft-drinks cooler reached a consensus that the three new boys — Bruce, Ronaldo and Toothless Shugar — would be great assets to the team. 

Old Boys face the Beast next week when they host Centaurs FC at the same place, same time and with hopefully the same result!

There is still a final report that needs to be published: The Annual Golden Boot Awards and Summary Minor Trophies. It’s more House of Horrors than a Hall of Fame Ceremony. Halloween is coming up, so that might be an appropriate time.

School district configuration debate continues

Elizabeth Nolan
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School district configuration debate continues

The Gulf Islands Board of Education continues to grapple with how to configure schools in order to meet a significant operating deficit, and whether or not making that decision next month is the best idea.

A large portion of the board’s last business meeting, held over Zoom on Oct. 14, was devoted to the district’s configuration review. Trustees raised a number of areas where they would like more information from staff and are set to get those answers at the Oct. 28 committee-of-the-whole meeting. They are expected to vote on a reconfiguration motion at the Nov. 18 board meeting.

Galiano trustee Shelley Lawson said she had a different motion ready that would put the brakes on the process at least until January 2021. She decided not to raise it until after hearing the new information on Oct. 28.

“I’m not confident I can make a decision on one of the configuration scenarios in November,” Lawson said, adding, “I don’t feel the scenarios we received in September really address the concerns that drove this process forward.”

Parents have also said that November is too early to make a decision. Asking the board to “press pause” on the process was the number-one point in a “five-by-five campaign” created by parents to help other parents submit feedback by selecting from a series of pre-written statements.

Galiano Island constituents have been especially vocal about concerns with the configuration review process, and the suggested shift that would send most students on the southern Gulf Islands to Pender for grades 8 and 9. That option has been flagged as the best case of five potential reconfiguration scenarios that staff modelled to show how different variables could either create savings or add to expenses.

Caitlin Pencarrick Hertzman, chair of the Galiano Parent Advisory Committee, told the board families are still struggling with COVID stresses, including how to send their kids to school safely, and said this is not the right time to address configuration questions.

“A lot of people are actually just shocked that we’re dealing with both of these at once, along with the anti-racism work the district is committed to,” Hertzman said.

She further described problems with the board’s consultation process, which she said involved two years of looking at big-picture ideas but ended very quickly once some specific options were announced.

“And that looks really bad,” she added.

When the board voted to study the district’s configuration in October 2018, trustees agreed it would be a good idea to look at something that hadn’t been reviewed since the new high school opened and the middle school was created 25 years ago. The motion was to “review configurations that support the best educational outcomes for students in addition to maximizing cost-effective education delivery.” A large operating deficit has made the second objective particularly pressing.

According to a Frequent Questions and Answers document on the SD64 website, the current configuration and B.C. Ministry of Education funding model will require the district to overspend its enrolment-based revenue by $1.1 million each year.

A funding protection grant triggered by the closure of the Windsor House school in North Vancouver and the resulting loss of 210 students has actually produced a $1.1-million surplus for 2020-21. This grant will be reduced by 1.5 per cent each year, or around $300,000, until the operating revenue aligns with actual enrolment revenue. That is expected to take place in 2027 — but the grant may not cover the operating deficit as early as 2024.

The district says it will not be able to balance the budget, as required by legislation, without making changes to configuration. And the longer it waits to take that step, the less surplus money there will be to make the configuration change a positive one.

“Delaying balancing the budget erodes the potential benefits of funding protection and decreases the district’s ability to update curricular resources, invest in classrooms, and bring much-needed funds to arts, music, athletics and specialty programming,” the FAQ states.

Parent concerns about the Pender Hub proposal, with a mandatory junior high program for southern Gulf Islanders and optional senior high to be added to the current school, are largely centred on decreased opportunities for kids in the southern Gulf Islands. Educational and social limitations are predicted, as many wonder how the smaller Pender school could offer things that Gulf Islands Secondary School does, such as sports teams, special clubs like robotics or electives such as metalwork. Parents have also questioned whether facilities like Pender’s gym will be sufficient for older, larger students.

Trustees have also been working through those same concerns.

“I certainly don’t want to be taking opportunity away from any student in this district,” said Mayne Island trustee Janelle Lawson.

Lawson reported a majority of Mayne Island parents favour the Pender Hub idea, but said she’s not sure she can support making the grade 8/9 years mandatory.

Pender trustee Greg Lucas noted his community’s school was designed with provision for high school classes and said principal Adrian Pendergast is confident the gym and other areas are sufficient. Lucas added the school has an excellent music program led by a teacher with a doctorate and already has a soundproofed music room. As well, he indicated Pendergast is excited about the possibility for growing the school and has a vision for its future programming.

Chaya Katrensky, trustee for Saturna Island, noted there is a lot of focus on making sure the Pender school will have the same sort of offerings as GISS.

“I think we need to recognize there’s incredible value in offering difference as well,” Katrensky said, noting the success of the Saturna Ecological Education Centre, which attracts students from all over the province. A focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at Pender has been suggested as one possibility.

Salt Spring trustee Tisha Boulter said she thinks staff have presented good options and that it’s fiscally responsible to make a decision in November so there will be enough money to make the big changes proposed.

“I’m not sure the extra time is going to warrant a better result when it comes to the data that comes in,” Boulter said.

Collaboration leads to flu-shot clinic

Elizabeth Nolan
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Collaboration leads to flu-shot clinic

Islanders who are eligible for publicly funded flu shots will find an innovative approach to ensuring they get their vaccination done this fall.

Health-care providers from the public and private streams have come together to vaccinate as many people as possible during three days of appointments taking place at the Gulf Islands Secondary School gym from Friday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 8. The event will see 12 family doctors, 10 Lady Minto Hospital nurses, Island Health’s public health nursing team and pharmacists from Pharmasave and Country Grocer providing immunization shots and nasal spray in a large but COVID-safe group setting.

Public health nurse Calico Chang said she was starting to put together Island Health’s regular one-day community flu clinic when the idea for a larger event came up in discussion with Lady Minto Hospital chief of staff, Dr. David Butcher.

“We quickly realized if we could bring together all our collective manpower and strength, we could serve the community better,” Chang said. “We’re hoping to immunize up to 1,200 people, which is pretty challenging to do in a safe way, but we’re very sure that we can do that . . . The flow will be quick and very safe.”

Most doctors are not seeing as many patients in person since the pandemic struck, so having the flu clinic will leave appointment times open for people with other needs. Family physicians are happy to serve at the alternate location, though: Dr. Clare Rustad reported she is “obnoxiously enthusiastic” about immunizing people. That sentiment is shared by Jenny Redpath, a nurse and nursing educator who works at Lady Minto Hospital.

“It’s kind of a unique opportunity because we’re one of the few communities that’s really been able to bring all these partners together,” Redpath said.

As she pointed out, Salt Spring’s community clinic is perhaps unique in the province in that pharmacists with be working with the health authority to make sure the high need is met. Flu clinics have already started at the two participating island pharmacies and interest has been extremely high this year.

“Ultimately the goal is to put less stress on the health-care system so that people who are coming in with symptoms that may be interpreted as COVID and are actually flu can be ruled out. And you don’t want both at the same time,” observed Rob Lowrie, a community relations director at Country Grocer.

“The flu can affect the lungs, and with COVID that’s obviously the issue,” agreed Pharmasave pharmacist Henry Lopez. “So we want to protect people from having both COVID and flu, because that could be fairly detrimental to their health.”

Country Grocer and Pharmasave are also sharing donation of disposable masks and other supplies for the event, while the grocery store will be providing refreshments for all patients following their immunization. The Lady Minto Hospital Ladies Auxiliary is meanwhile providing advertising dollars and all the supplies for two of the three days.

Chang said the planning team is working with public health guidelines to ensure the smooth and safe flow of patients. The online booking program schedules appointments every five minutes and people should arrive right at their designated time. There will not be more than 50 people in the gym at one time, and a touchless system will be used to sign in, with help from volunteer ambassadors.

Salt Spring Fire Rescue and Salt Spring Ground Search and Rescue members will be on hand afterwards to check on patients, who will wait for 15 minutes in their cars before leaving. There will also be properly spaced seating in the gym where people who don’t have cars can wait.

Booking for appointments is done through islandfluclinics.ca. People who are eligible for the free shot include children six months to less than five years of age, pregnant women, seniors 65 years and older, residents of any age living in residential care, assisted living or other group facilities, Indigenous people, children and adults with certain medical conditions and those who are very obese. Also eligible are the close household contacts of any of the above and people who work with poultry.

“From the public health standpoint there are certain risk factors that put people at higher risk, but anyone that’s going to come into contact with anyone that has those risks would be advised to get the flu shot. So the chances are that most people would qualify for the publicly funded flu shot,” Redpath said.

People are asked not to make or keep their appointment if they have cold or flu symptoms. They should arrive with a mask, wear a short-sleeved shirt and bring their government services card or other ID. For more information, see islandhealth.ca/flu.

Editorial: Sure-shot offer

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: Sure-shot offer

While researchers work frantically on a COVID-19 vaccine, one potentially deadly virus is already mapped out.

Flu vaccines started to be available on the island last week, and even though health officials encourage widespread immunization each fall, this year it will be especially important to heed their advice. On Salt Spring, a huge cross-section of the health community has come together to make sure the process is as safe and easy as possible, even as the coronavirus pandemic has made access to doctors’ appointments more limited.

Even if COVID has yet to make a big impact on our island community, a bad flu season can be a grave concern. According to Immunize BC, thousands of people are hospitalized from influenza and its complications in Canada each year, and many may die during years with widespread flu activity. Getting the flu could also put people more at risk for other infections if their immune systems are low.

The negative financial impact of having to take time off work to recover from the flu could for many locals be worse than waiting for a COVID test result. High school students now working under the concentrated quarter system can hardly afford to miss a day of school, much less a week or two. Most of all, reducing the strain on the health-care system and the risk to people working in it will be crucial for managing the surging “second wave.”

B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, has recommended everyone who can get an immunization to do so by the beginning of November. Salt Spring’s community flu clinic, happening at the Gulf Islands Secondary School gym from Nov. 6 to 8, should make it easy to follow her advice. The clinic is available to anyone ages six months and up who qualifies for a free shot. Multiple appointment times will serve up to seven people at each session. Organizers are planning for a quick transit between sign-in and exit and the gym will provide all the space needed to keep stations at a safe distance.

With so many people eligible to be immunized for free, either through their own risk factors or through close contact to others, now is the time to take advantage of the offer.

Islanders should visit islandhealth.ca/flu to book an appointment ASAP.

In Depth: Equestrian use of Burgoyne Bay park compromised

Contributed Article
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In Depth: Equestrian use of Burgoyne Bay park compromised

By AMANDA SPOTTISWOODE

The following statement comes from the BC Parks website: “Inherent in this mandate is the requirement to maintain a balance between BC Parks’ goals for protecting natural environments and outdoor recreation.”

I’m not sure how the current work being undertaken in Burgoyne Bay as described in last week’s Driftwood fulfils the “outdoor recreation” part of the requirement, since a large part of the park has now become user unfriendly for walkers and equestrians.

Burgoyne Bay Park is one of the only places on the island that has officially sanctioned horse trails. A horse is clearly shown on the sign at the entrance to the main trail. It was a lovely easy circuit that we often rode, stopping for tea along the way and greeting and being greeted by other park users. Someone had better scratch the horse icon off the sign, as most of the trails are now impassable to horses. 

The first indication that something was amiss for us horse lovers, was the “squeeze” gate installed at the entrance to the big field. Walkers and dogs could get through but it is just small enough to preclude horses from that part of the park. At this point I anticipate that there will be readers of this letter who point out that that part of the park is no longer designated a multi-use trail, which would include horses. I have studied the most recent trail maps posted around the park and technically that trail is now a “hiking” and not a “multi-use” trail. The point is that it always was a horse trail — one of the prettiest in the park with sweeping views of the valley and Mount Maxwell. There is no reason to exclude horses from this part of the park.

Next was the closure of the trail along the back of the park and the removal of the bridge. Walkers can, and will cross that creek with or without a bridge, but we on our horses cannot and I suspect that a lot of senior walkers will be deterred from scrambling down the bank and up the other side. In addition, the “swales” mentioned in last week’s article (I’d call them ditches) pose a serious hazard to those walkers who use walking poles and, you guessed it, horses. Just another reminder here that horses in the park are perfectly legal. 

Those swales have also been dug on the trail that goes up the hill (a “multi-use” trail), which makes it useable only by those fit enough to jump over the soggy ground in the bottom of each swale. My horse sunk in one up to her fetlock. The swales reminded me of the state of the Fulford-Ganges Road, which is increasingly becoming a real roller coaster ride.

Finally, once you’ve crossed the bridgeless creek, the way into the back of the park has been blocked by a splendid new fence, again passable by walkers and dogs, but not by horses. The subject becomes a little murky here because to access the trail back into the park one has to “trespass” for about 200 metres on the property owned by the CRD and on which the sewage plant is located. According to my topographical trail app, the park boundary is inches to one side of the road and it would be perfectly possible to make a trail that stays within the park. Once past the first fence on the trail back down to the fields, there is a second fence with a completely erroneous sign declaring that if you pass the fence (going towards the CRD property) you are trespassing on “private property.” Again, I refer to my app that clearly shows the park boundary and shows that you are still well within the park for several hundred metres past the sign. And am I right in my supposition that CRD property is not “private” but owned by the regional district and therefore taxpayer funded?

I’m not an expert, but I think there must have been less extreme measures that would have had the same result in terms of preserving and protecting the park and improving habitat for various species. How about instead of the “swales” that culverts be installed to allow the passage of water under the trail and safe passage of hikers along the trail? 

How about a new bridge that is designed in such a way as to not interfere with the creek flow? The current “improvements” will likely have an impact on the diversity of users that I have seen in the 25 years I’ve lived on Salt Spring. It will become a place for scientists and environmentalists to the exclusion of walkers and horse riders. Burgoyne has always been one of Salt Spring’s natural attractions for residents and visitors alike, but I suspect that the hidden agenda is to discourage these “ordinary” users.

In case it needs noting here, humans are also part of the eco-system and the availability of recreational areas for outdoor activities, such as hiking, walking your dog and horseback riding, is vital to the health and well being of us all. Oh, and perhaps some of the money being spent on these environmental upgrades would have been better directed towards cleaning up the beach, which is currently littered with abandoned boats and garbage, leaching who knows what pollutants into the bay.

Art show forges bond between word and image

Elizabeth Nolan
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Art show forges bond between word and image

Two streams of creative expression that are unusually strong on this island come together at ArtSpring this month as Collaborations, a show in which the written word and visual arts interact with and influence each other in new ways.

Collaboration takes several forms at the show, which was developed during the strictest COVID-19 distancing period. Partners were expertly matched by show curator/creator Margaret Day, and some did not know each at all before the event. 

In some cases visual artists have produced work that reflects, or is inspired by, their partner’s existing written material. In some cases reflection goes both ways, as each one of the pair reacts to the other’s work. In others there is a complete inter-marriage where entirely new content has been developed through the exercise.

A strong example of the latter category comes from Thea Chapman and Richard Steel, two people who got to know each other through the show. They sat down and talked for a long time before they approached any creative work. What they found was although they had different backgrounds, they experienced many similar challenges as young people. Common themes included the multi-generational trauma of war; entrenched family expectations around gender and tradition; and the heightened value of the male family lineage, among other things.

Despite these deep topics, the work that came out of the discussions as Story Lines does not feel heavy. Steel wrote two fictional short stories that contain many of the arising themes within narratives that allow for healing and growth.

Chapman meanwhile brought together actual mementos from the two partners’ lives as the base for a series of artwork in different mediums, like stories that branch and change slightly with each retelling. The mementoes — including a tiny stuffed rabbit that accompanied Steel to boarding school, and a mythical figurine Chapman acquired as an adult — are placed in boxes à la Joseph Cornell and become the subject of photos, which are then incorporated into folding picture books. They also provide the imagery for prints, encaustic works, 3D paper models and more. Each medium allows for a different interpretation or perspective of how that object is seen.

Chapman’s artworks are a delight to discover, and equally so is Steel’s talent for story writing; until now, the island has mainly seen his nonfiction work for the Salt Spring Arts Council and Salt Spring Forum.

Two young artists raised on Salt Spring similarly used a creative exercise to create work separately but very much in collaboration. Now living on two different coasts, visual artist Tai Whelon and poet Taryn Muldoon decided to start with something that was outside both their regular mediums, and settled on sending each other a sound to start the creative process. They each listened and responded through their individual art, and then sent the results on for a second round. As they describe, “each part of the project is interwoven with the other in deepening layers.”

An example of the result is Muldoon’s beautiful poem Before Miles Cleave Us, a love letter expressed in elegant, spare lines that burst with imagery: “When you go, our ribs will be rubble./ I want to cinder at your feet,” she writes. Whelon’s corresponding imagery of the cinder’s path is equally spare yet evocative, an abstract storm of black marks on white paper that could be the remains of the heart reduced to ashes. His second work reverses the scheme with a delicate webbing in slivery white chalk over black paper, with deeper black shadows.

For more on this story, see the Oct. 21, 2020 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

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