Home Blog Page 35

Seniors Centre offers new foot care service

Contributed Article
-
0
Seniors Centre offers new foot care service

By GAIL NEUMANN

FOR SALT SPRING SENIORS

Salt Spring Seniors Centre has stepped up to add a new program for seniors who need foot care but do not have access to a specialty nurse. 

Starting this month, seniors will be able to book an appointment for medical foot care at the centre. Transportation for appointments may be requested through the medical rides program for those unable to get there on their own. 

Rose Bunyan has agreed to spearhead the program. She is a specialty nurse trained in medical foot care. Rose came to the island as a young child and married into a local family. She is now raising her own family here. 

Rose continues to work at Lady Minto Extended Care Unit, and for several years has provided hands-on-education for new care aides, first through Vancouver Island University and now Discovery College. She started her career as a care aide, then wanting more challenge, studied to become a nurse. Later, when she realized the need in our community, Rose expanded her practice to become a specialty foot care nurse. The Salt Spring Seniors Services Society is delighted to welcome Rose and to provide the place for the clinic, and rides if necessary, to make this service available for seniors who do not yet have a foot care nurse.

Rose explained why seniors might require a specialty nurse as opposed to an esthetician to treat their feet. Estheticians, she says, provide a great service for many people. They provide basic nail care and it can be very pleasurable. Estheticians can also check your feet for problems and make recommendations. 

But a medical pedicure is more appropriate for people with pain or discomfort in their feet. If their nails are thick or growing sideways, or if they have troublesome corns or calluses, it’s time for a medi-pedi. Before people can no longer get their shoes on, they should consult a foot specialty nurse. 

Clients can be assured of sterilized tools and appropriate medical interventions that take into consideration general health issues, including diabetes, use of blood thinners and skin problems. 

Without proper treatment, those with foot problems can lose mobility and that impacts their general health. Clients who have trouble reaching or seeing their feet, and who attempt self-care may accidently wound their feet and risk infection. Professional foot care is a good investment for general health. 

The first visit includes a consultation with a quick assessment of walking, an examination of skin, a quick medical history and list of medications. Any foot problems will be discussed.

A typical visit will begin with a thorough cleaning of the feet. Best practices no longer include a foot soak. The next step is to clip and file the nails. An electric file is used to treat thickened nails. The feet will be examined for corns and calluses and treated as necessary. The visit will end with a foot moisturizer. 

A foot care nurse can provide education in foot care and recommend shoes that may help. The practitioner can also refer the client to a physician, home support or community nursing as needed. 

The frequency of appointments needed varies depending on nail growth. It could be every six weeks, every two to three months, or even just twice a year. 

At a time when current foot care nurses are retiring or restricting their practices to their private offices, it can be difficult to find a practitioner. The Seniors Centre provides clients with an outing, including a ride, if needed, and a social time along with excellent foot care. 

An appointment will take approximately an hour. Between clients the practitioner requires 15 minutes to clean the working space and update patient charts. Rose has agreed to provide service to up to four clients in a day. She will begin with one clinic a month. 

In British Columbia, foot care is a private pay service, but Island Health is developing a program to help clients who find the cost a burden. At this time Rose charges $80 per regular client visit at the centre. This is a discount from her home visit charges. 

For more information or to book an appointment, please call Salt Spring Seniors at 250-537-4604. As soon as you have an appointment, if you require a ride, phone 1-844-940-6617.

Keech, Norma Lucille

Driftwood Obituary
-
1
Keech, Norma Lucille


Dec. 1, 1923 Oct. 15, 2025

The family would like to announce the passing of their mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Norma Lucille Keech (nee Rowe) on October 15, 2025, in Creston, BC, at the age of 101 years.

Norma was born on December 1, 1923, in Sedgewick, AB, to parents Jean and Ken Rowe. Norma was predeceased by her husband George (Bud) Keech in 1996.

Norma will be lovingly remembered by her daughters Linda (Roy) Root, Beverly (Tim) Boborosky, and Brenda Rintoul, grandchildren Christie Hall, Shannon (Brett) Stephenson, Cory (Nikki) Root, and Kendall (Rebecca) Pratt, as well as 11 great grandchildren.

No service will be held as per Norma’s wishes.

In lieu of flowers, friends wishing to make a memorial contribution may do so to the charity of their choice.

Condolences for the family may be offered at www.crestonvalleyfuneralservices.ca

Funeral Arrangements entrusted to Creston Valley Funeral Services.

Rain potentially delays roadwork further

Robb Magley
-
0
Rain potentially delays roadwork further

Rain notwithstanding, road crews are expected to be working on the Fulford-Ganges Road project this weekend, according to the project’s contractor — but uncooperative weather conditions have indeed delayed the “final lift” of asphalt paving that had been planned for this week, shifting a hopeful completion date into November.

Northridge Excavating Ltd. project manager Bob Mitchell said that ideally the major paving work at Seaview Avenue and Cranberry Road would be done this coming Monday and Thursday, as those days are forecast with the least rainfall.

“If the weather doesn’t hold, then the works will go into the first week of November,” said Mitchell in an update Friday, Oct. 24, adding he expected that would complete the remaining earthworks along Fulford-Ganges but that in the meantime drivers and pedestrians can expect daily work — with traffic control — on the west shoulder of Fulford-Ganges Road.

Mitchell said crews were engaged in a “very technical piece of heavy civil work” on Alders Road all the way down to the water’s edge — creating a particularly hazardous work area he encouraged islanders to avoid.

Alders Road will remain unpaved until that work is complete, as ongoing works there could damage new paving, Mitchell said, adding that the posted speed limit through the entire project — from Cranberry Road to Seaview Avenue — remains 30 km/hr.

The Fulford-Ganges Road Project is a $22.9-million effort, chiefly focused on the Ganges Hill section, where Ministry of Transportation and Transit officials have said work would include stormwater improvements, resurfacing, widening and paved shoulders for pedestrians and cyclists.

Geezers return to stage with Expect Delays

Gail Sjuberg
-
0
Geezers return to stage with Expect Delays

Sid Filkow may not look like one of Salt Spring’s oldest residents, but he sure does act like it.

Actor, playwright and lawyer Filkow first became a “geezer” 30 years ago, when he and the late Arvid Chalmers brought their characters Bert and Les — a.k.a. The Geezers — on stage as part of a Salt Spring Hysterical Society comedy night.

Once born, The Geezers took on a life of their own and began headlining their own shows, with special guests joining them in their antics, or were part of other Chalmers-Filkow themed productions like The Topic of Cancer and You Can Lick Your Prostate.

Sadly, Chalmers died suddenly in 2016 at the age of 68 from a heart attack in Mexico, where he spent the winter months.

But the notion of two old codgers getting together to talk about the perils of life in older bodies, plus “current affairs” — whether derived from Salt Spring or world happenings — as The Geezers always did, has clearly endured.

When last fall Filkow mounted a theatre production called Sutureself, featuring four one-act plays he’d written, he included a Geezers segment with Patrick Cassidy playing the role of a guy named Bill. They had done a few public appearances together and were having a blast, so thought it only made sense to include themselves in Sutureself.

It turned out that people loved seeing The Geezers again and said they wanted more.

“So I guess that was part of the inspiration or the thinking [to do a full Geezers show],” said Filkow. “Well, they want Geezers, we’ll give them Geezers.”

So on Tuesday, Oct. 28 and Thursday, Oct. 30, audience members will get their wish with The Geezers’ show called Expect Delays running at ArtSpring at 7:30 p.m.

The title gives people a hint about one topic that will be addressed: the Ganges Hill road construction project that is heading into its 14th month.

“We’ve got eight or nine or a dozen things we want to touch on,” said Filkow. “We’ve got a few things to say about those . . . with room in there for the usual whatever spark comes up, if any.”

Traditional Geezers material will be included about aging and things like forgetting, “disappearances — things just disappearing” and “common things that people talk about all the time, but nobody does anything about,” said Filkow.

How does Cassidy feel about being asked to fill Chalmers’ beloved theatrical shoes?

“I was concerned about it originally,” he said, “and then I just kind of put that on a shelf and realized that this is going to be a huge challenge, and I’m very, very scared, which is why we do theatre, or at least why I do it.”

Though Cassidy is only 66, he describes himself as “an old soul from way back. My mother told me when I was six years old that I had old-man wrinkled hands,” adding emphatically, “but they’re not small!”

People may know Cassidy best for playing Ebenezer Scrooge in Christmas With Scrooge for many years.

Both Cassidy and Filkow expressed gratitude to Christina Penhale of Graffiti Theatre for doing such a great job in the producer’s role for Expect Delays.

Tickets for the Tuesday and Thursday shows are available through ArtSpring.

French music in focus at Bach on the Rock concert

Contributed Article
-
0
French music in focus at Bach on the Rock concert

By MARGARET FISHER

FOR BACH ON THE ROCK

Bach on the Rock, Salt Spring’s own chamber orchestra and choir, kicks off this season’s theme of Music Around the World with a program of late Romantic and early 20th-century French music.

The opening work, Charles Gounod’s elegant and sparkling Petite symphonie, showcases nine of our local wind players in a delightful chamber piece.

Our second offering is Arthur Honegger’s Pastorale d’été, in which the string players join the winds. Honegger wrote this symphonic poem while in the Swiss Alps in the summer of 1920, and it seems to capture the feeling of a summer dawn in those mountains, with a beautiful theme on the French horn.

Gabriel Fauré’s beloved Requiem is featured in the second half. The Bach on the Rock Chamber Choir is excited join the orchestra for this work, along with two very talented soloists we’ve had the pleasure of working with before, Gwen Jamieson (soprano) and Louis Dillon (baritone). Fauré’s own comment on the piece captures the essence of it beautifully: “It has been said that my Requiem does not express the fear of death and someone has called it a lullaby of death. But it is thus that I see death: as a happy deliverance, an aspiration towards happiness above, rather than as a painful experience.”

Our intermission will certainly be very much alive and happy featuring our very desirable offerings of both eat in and “to-go” goodies.

The concert takes place at All Saints by-the-Sea on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets ($30 for adults and $5 for students/youth) are available online or at the door.

Morning quake more heard than felt by islanders

Robb Magley
-
0
Morning quake more heard than felt by islanders

No damage was reported from a magnitude 3.1 earthquake that rattled Salt Spring homes from its epicentre under the sea this week, estimated to originate from a point less than 100 metres off the island’s south-end shoreline.

Light-to-weak shaking was reported to Earthquakes Canada for the 5:30 a.m. quake, which had a calculated depth of just 14 kilometres at a point roughly 1.6 kilometres southwest of Beaver Point Tuesday, Oct. 21. Online reporting, using the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale, generally rated the quake MMI III, a “simple rolling” earthquake that tilts sideways along one direction. 

Residents of Salt Spring who were awake — or awakened — reported weak shaking, at first confused with now-familiar vibrations from heavy road equipment working outside homes; North and South Pender islanders also reported the quake was heard more than felt, as windows rattled and pictures turned on their shelves. Most reports suggested the event only lasted a few seconds.

Two similar quakes were felt on Salt Spring last fall: a 4 a.m. magnitude 3.8 on Sept. 26, 2024, centred underwater east of Saanichton between Sidney and D’Arcy islands; and a 2 a.m. magnitude 3.5 on Oct. 4, 2024, that time centred beneath the ocean at a rough halfway point on a line drawn between Fernwood Dock and the mouth of the Fraser River.

Tuesday’s earthquake, like those last year, was under the threshold for an early-detection system initiated by the province last year, designed to warn both the public and emergency services managers of quakes greater than 5.0 magnitude, with theoretically as much as 10 seconds of lead time before they hit.

Time given to Tsawout to consider Kings Lane zoning

Robb Magley
-
0
Time given to Tsawout to consider Kings Lane zoning

A pause in the process to honour a First Nations request won’t necessarily delay a 50-unit affordable housing project, last week’s Salt Spring Local Trust Committee (LTC) meeting heard.

And since there’s concurrent work that can be done in that interim — and since Tsawout First Nation representatives have indicated they fully intend to provide comment on that project, but need time to consider it at their own meeting, according to staff — LTC voted Thursday, Oct. 16 to stop short of passing third reading of the bylaw that would rezone property at Kings Lane.

The Gulf Islands Senior Residence Association (GISRA) originally acquired that land to build another seniors’ housing complex, similar to the Meadowbrook independent living residences it currently operates — and in 2020, the LTC rezoned the property to allow 50 such housing units. 

But as the market shifted, GISRA said, the seniors’ housing model wasn’t economically viable for the society; and with so few options for workers on Salt Spring, a move towards creating more broadly available affordable housing began — shepherded by local trustees, Salt Spring’s Local Community Commission and Capital Regional District director Gary Holman.

The LTC plans, through amendment of Salt Spring’s Land Use Bylaw, to create a new “R13” zone specific to the Kings Lane property, permitting the use GISRA envisions. Trustees agreed Thursday the project was consistent with the Islands Trust’s extant Policy Statement and passed the first two readings unanimously, while agreeing to wait for Tsawout’s comments to arrive before proceeding to the third. 

“So that will be coming, ideally before November,” said regional planning manager Chris Hutton.

“But for the purposes of where we’re at right now, there’s a housing agreement process that needs to be completed [anyway] before we move this application forward to third reading.”

According to a staff report, Tsawout First Nation requested a 30-day extension of the referral period as they believe the amendment to the land use bylaw that would effect the rezoning is likely to adversely affect their rights and title interests. 

Islands Trust staff, trustees and indeed proponents have characterized the rezoning for the parcel as “relatively minor,” as it would not materially change the number of dwellings already permitted from an earlier LTC decision on the property.

Viewpoint: Find solution to non-operational EV transport on ferries

Contributed Article
-
1
Viewpoint: Find solution to non-operational EV transport on ferries

The following letter was send to BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez, B.C. Premier David Eby and others, and shared with the Driftwood.

By ASHLEY AND WENDY HILLIARD

Regarding BC Ferries’ recent rule prohibiting transport of non-operational EV: We are EV owners living on Salt Spring Island. We bought our EV, a Volkswagen E-Golf, in 2021. It has been an excellent vehicle.

However, we were alarmed to learn this past summer that BC Ferries will no longer allow towing companies to transport non-operational EVs on its sailings.

This presents a major problem for owners like us, should our vehicle break down and need service in Victoria (where we bought it) or on the Lower Mainland. We risk the vehicle becoming worthless, should it become non-drivable, even if the cause of the problem is minor.

We understand the prohibition was in response to a Transport Canada bulletin regarding the safe transport of EVs on ferries. We understand the need for safety, but BC Ferries, Transport Canada and the government of B.C. must work something out to enable the transport, by licensed towing companies, of non-operational EVs on at least some BC Ferries sailings.

The automobile companies should be involved as they have a significant stake in the matter as well. Also, they have expertise to help quantify the actual risk of a fire from a non-operational EV.

We note that Transport Canada issued a bulletin on Oct. 6, 2025, reinforcing the government of Canada’s target of achieving 100 per cent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035 for all new light-duty vehicles, including interim targets of at least 20 per cent by 2026 and at least 60 per cent by 2030, as announced in Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan.

In B.C., the target of 100 per cent ZEVs by 2035 is mandated by law: the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act (ZEV Act) passed in 2019.

So, on the one hand, both levels of government are promoting/mandating EV sales, yet on the other hand, a rule has been put in place that makes it foolish for someone like us, located on an island and reliant on BC Ferries as our “maritime highway,” to own an EV. This affects EV owners in B.C. who live or travel to Vancouver Island as well.

It is therefore essential that a practical way to transport damaged EVs on BC Ferries be developed. Transport Canada and the B.C. government must work this out with BC Ferries if they are serious about their ZEV targets.

Surely, there could be rules and appropriate safety measures put in place, short of an outright ban. For example, a requirement that the vehicle must have been in its non-operational state for 14 days, say, with no fire outbreak. If the vehicle has been stable for 14 days, then it ought to be OK for a short ferry trip. There could be certain designated sailings for these vehicles.

We would agree that only licensed towing companies or other dangerous goods operators should be allowed to transport damaged EVs on ferries. No private towing. But give us some way to get our vehicles to a service centre in Victoria or the Lower Mainland.

We are doing our part to achieve the federal and B.C. government’s policy of “greening” our transportation system. Now please help us out. We look forward to your response.

Late-night washroom test a success

Robb Magley
-
0
Late-night washroom test a success

Centennial Park’s universal washroom should continue to remain open until midnight, local officials said, after a trial period of keeping later hours showed no increase in vandalism as a result.

Salt Spring’s Local Community Commission (LCC) voted Thursday, Oct. 16 to endorse that new availability, despite costs for those additional hours already having been conditionally approved as part of a draft budget. The new endorsement doesn’t technically bind commissioners to support the expenditures going forward, however.

“It’s a small, important thing we did to humanize our services,” said LCC member Brian Webster. “I just want that to be explicitly acknowledged.”

Despite high use from the public — including a reliant population of liveaboard and unhoused islanders — the washroom facility in downtown Ganges had previously been routinely closed overnight following a series of vandalism incidents that taxed staff and maintenance budgets. After troubles ranging from scratched mirrors and graffiti to open defecation and the smashing of toilets and urinals, parks staff had been closing the larger washrooms at 3 p.m. each day during the winter –– although they would leave the universal washroom open until 9:30 p.m., when it would be closed by TLC Security staff.

The universal washroom had also seen vandalism last year, but its smaller size had meant it was easier to clean –– and, while that washroom faced some extended closures for cleaning or repair, the other two would remain ready to open for use the next day. 

This year the LCC had asked that when the two larger gender-specific washrooms were closed each night, the smaller universal washroom would remain open late, with some additional security monitoring in place.

Senior manager Dan Ovington told the LCC it appeared as if there hadn’t been a greater number of reports of vandalism from keeping it open until midnight, versus when it had been closing at 9:30 p.m.

“Overall, I would say it’s been a success,” said Ovington on Thursday. “The feedback from both the security company and [CRD] staff hasn’t been much different.”

Vancouver filmmaker brings to life forgotten jazz singer

Contributed Article
-
0
Vancouver filmmaker brings to life forgotten jazz singer

By STEVE MARTINDALE

SS FILM FESTIVAL SOCIETY

Award-winning Vancouver filmmaker Baljit Sangra will present her new film Have You Heard Judi Singh? on Wednesday, Oct. 29, as part of the Salt Spring Film Festival’s popular “Best of the Fests” series at ArtSpring.

Trailblazing jazz singer Judi Singh defied expectations as a Canadian artist of mixed Black and Punjabi heritage in the 1950s and ‘60s, playing to sold-out crowds. While her ethereal, pitch-perfect voice captivated adoring audiences, the music industry failed to support her career, an all-too-familiar story for women and artists of colour at a time when Canada was a far less diverse country than it is today.

In this lively and deeply felt portrait, Sangra retraces Singh’s life through the places she lived — including Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Victoria, where Singh died in 2021 — and the intimate recollections of the family and friends who loved her, including Canadian actors Tantoo Cardinal and Rae-Dawn Chong.

Weaving together moments of brilliance and resilience, this crowd-pleaser reintroduces a gifted artist to the spotlight she so richly deserves. Having made its World Premiere at Vancouver’s DOXA Documentary Film Festival in May, Have You Heard Judi Singh? is co-presented at ArtSpring by Salt Spring Music Events and the Salt Spring Jazz & Blues Society.

Known for bringing previously untold stories to the screen, particularly those involving the South Asian community, Sangra’s documentary Because We Are Girls – an NFB production about the abuse she and her sisters endured in childhood – played at the Salt Spring Film Festival in 2020 and was subsequently nominated for a Leo Award for Best Director.

The “Best of the Fests” series continues on Nov. 12 with an already sold-out screening of The Art of Adventure co-presented by Salt Spring Arts, featuring Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster travelling around the world in the 1950s; and the National Geographic documentary Love+War, about courageous photojournalist Lynsey Addario, on Dec. 3.

All Best of the Fests screenings at ArtSpring are on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Tickets available through artspring.ca; by phone (250-537-2102) or in person (Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.); or at the door an hour before showtime.

1...343536...608Page 35 of 608