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Pandemic impacts shelter status

Elizabeth Nolan
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Pandemic impacts shelter status

As it has done in other communities where vulnerable populations gather in large groups, the pandemic crisis has brought the lack of housing and shortage of supports for homeless people into sharper focus on Salt Spring.

Large numbers of people who consistently spend their days in downtown Ganges parks in good weather have already been a source of contention for other community members. With Centennial Park being a prominent gathering place, islanders have reported feeling uncomfortable with the situation, which can include open drinking and uncontrolled dogs. Now with the threat of COVID-19, people who were fed up with such behaviour are now also worried about the potential for a viral outbreak.

Island resident Brenda Deroos sent her concerns to multiple local agencies, including the Capital Regional District and the Islands Trust, after she had an unsettling experience when trying to pick up take-out food near Centennial Park earlier this month.

“I tried to walk through the park to get my noodles, but quickly realized that wasn’t a great idea,” Deroos wrote in her letter, which is filed under the Local Trust Committee’s April 28 meeting correspondence. “There were more than 30 unsavoury characters, and more than six dogs in the park. The people were drinking alcohol, smoking and swearing. The dogs were off leash, chasing each other throughout the park. I felt intimidated, vulnerable and unsafe. Of course, there was no social isolating.” 

Salt Spring CRD director Gary Holman said the local government branch is doing what it can with increased presence of bylaw enforcement officers and the maintenance staff who keep the parks clean. The CRD has also requested the RCMP patrol the area more frequently. 

The fact that many people have nowhere else to go is a deeper issue, though, and one that will be challenging to solve.

“Our society has let these people down, in my view,” said Holman. “Housing is a fundamental entitlement. If you live in Canada, you should find a way to provide housing, and we’re not doing that. On the other hand, there are rules around respect and taking care of public spaces and taking care of one another — and those rules apply to everyone, as well.”

Holman pointed out that although problems with downtown parks and Centennial Park in particular have been going on for years, the pandemic crisis has exacerbated the situation. Other people aren’t using Centennial Park much with the closure of the playground and the Saturday Market in the Park cancelled for now, which means there is more room for the large gatherings recently seen there.

Another contributing factor may be the loss of overnight shelter space at Salt Spring Community Services, which had to reduce its 30-mat capacity to just seven in order to keep the appropriate distance between people. The organization has rented out six rooms at the Seabreeze Inne to house some of its clients who would be most vulnerable to the virus, whether due to age, chronic health conditions or respiratory issues. 

There is currently a waiting list for these rooms so the organization is considering whether clients could share rooms in some cases.

Community Services is meanwhile working to build more shelter capacity, having purchased a property and two-storey house adjacent to its existing home site. Renovations are currently underway, but are hampered by lack of funding. Executive director Rob Grant said the organization has been able to find $65,000 for the project thanks to local donors, including a healthy contribution collected by the island’s faith community. They will need another $50,000 to finish it off. 

Community Services and Holman have been trying to get that support from BC Housing, but so far the provincial agency has been noncommittal.

“We’re getting good funding to do a lot at Community Services and the notable exception is BC Housing. So we’d really like to get them to the table,” Grant said.

With funding in place, the new shelter could be ready in three to four weeks and would offer at least double the current building’s capacity. Grant said the organization would direct resources to offer daytime hang-out space at the facility as long as COVID distancing rules apply. Having that space could bring some relief to the Centennial Park situation. Another strategy would be have spaces where vulnerable people could still have social groups, but in smaller cohorts of up to 10 people each rather than a bigger gathering.

“Right now the library is closed, the pool is closed. We just want to do whatever we can to offer an alternative while there is a need for people to be dispersed,” Grant said.

Holman reported the shelter issue has been one of the topics of discussion in the biweekly COVID-19 meetings being coordinated by the CRD emergency program. CRD Regional Housing staff have now started a task force specific to Salt Spring since housing is a critical component of health and safety. Access to facilities for personal hygiene is a related need.

“We’re starting to get some traction [from BC Housing], but I’m frustrated about the lack of resources for a problem that has been obvious for weeks,” Holman said.

Survey predicts challenging business future

Elizabeth Nolan
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Survey predicts challenging business future

Initial results from a survey of local businesses conducted by the Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce are in, and the future is not looking good for many of those who responded.

The chamber and the Salt Spring Community Economic Development Commission partnered on the survey to gauge the impacts of COVID-19 and to help with recovery planning. Among the 96 responses received, representing nearly 15 per cent of local businesses, 40 per cent said they would not survive the current crisis. 

Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce executive director Jessica Harkema said the findings are significant because survey participation reached across all sectors, rather than focusing on any one area.

“What was a little shocking to us is 60 per cent of the respondents are closed or not operating at any capacity,” Harkema said.

The associated impact on local employment from just the 15 per cent participation group includes 270 employees that have been laid off. More loss of employment can be attributed to contract positions and to seasonal hires that would normally have taken place this spring and summer but now will not happen.

“Everyone has been hard-hit,” Harkema said. “Businesses with big operating budgets and that are personnel-heavy are particularly feeling it and also may have the highest risk for their businesses, but it’s affecting everyone.”

Harold Swierenga, a retired professor of economics, said even if some things start to reopen this summer he doesn’t expect a quick recovery process with the island economy so heavily weighted toward tourism. Businesses and events that require large groups of customers to make it, whether restaurants or festivals, will not have the uptake they need during 2020.

“Anything that requires a crowd, I think that kind of thing will take a while,” Swierenga said. “What it does to the Saturday market is not going to be good, even if they do reinstate it.”

Harkema said survey results show many island businesses won’t benefit from the federal and provincial supports on offer. Many are also finding it difficult to find the information they need to apply, and may be misunderstanding the programs offered and/or their eligibility.

Reductions to the schools portion of commercial property taxes are one example of an area of confusion as to how much relief that might actually bring to property owners and how it might be passed on to tenants. Programs based on loans are another dubious benefit, if local business owners even qualify. Harkema said island entrepreneurs need grants, not another expense to pay.

The survey results further suggest the Canada Emergency Relief Benefit of $2,000 per month has hurt local companies’ ability to hire part-time staff, who would actually make more money staying home. The program whereby the government will pay 75 per cent of wages in order to keep valuable employees working with their current employers may not have much more uptake. 

“Most of the businesses on Salt Spring have said it won’t really help because they’ve been forced to close or aren’t viable,” Harkema said. 

Since many local entrepreneurs either rely completely on the busy summer season or enjoy a natural boost to business during that period, supports will be necessary through the winter to survive the slow-down even if the pandemic measures that closed businesses have passed. 

Swierenga observed previous hard times like the 2008 recession did not impact transportation to the same degree, so economic recovery was able to take a quicker turn back to normal than can be expected in this event. He foresees a slower return of visitors who travel to self-contained cottages or second homes and stay put there, first.

“I don’t see a steep recovery curve. I think from a tourist standpoint the summer is going to be very slow,” Swierenga said.

Harkema noted Salt Spring is unusual for its high number of businesses and the services it has that are not sustainable through the local population’s buying power alone. New business models may be created as people innovate and change to meet the current scenario that will help shift that imbalance.

“We’ve always been talking about lowering the severity of our boom and bust seasonal economy,” Harkema said. 

Survey data is still in “raw” state and Harkema will need some time to stream it into a comprehensive report. That information will be valuable when it is ready, both for the immediate need being addressed by the multi-agency COVID-19 Business and Farm Response and Recovery Task Force, and for a longer-term strategy for a more resilient island economy. 

The first recovery phase will likely last from one to two years, Harkema said. 

“Part of what this data will do is give us ammunition for advocacy with the government when we go back to normal,” Harkema said. “We know all regions are suffering right now, but our unique island economy means we have an income boost for four or five months of the year and then we go into hibernation. So, the survey will help identify our unique island needs.”

Survey data will also help with longer-term resilience planning, which Harkema envisions will take place in years three to seven after the pandemic passes. The information could guide strategy for building an island economy that is not so tied to one season. Ironically, accommodation tax revenue from the new Southern Gulf Islands Tourism Partnership had been earmarked for promoting non-peak-season tourism in the islands.

Spring pests can be prevented

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Spring pests can be prevented

By Linda Gilkeson

People should carry right on planting cabbage/mustard family plants, onions and leeks, lettuces and leafy greens, peas, broadbeans, carrots, beets and parsnips. 

A note about parsnips: Make sure you sow fresh seed (packaged for this year). Parsnips seeds are only viable for a year or so. Parsnips germinate best in cool weather, but by the time you wait long enough to discover that old seed is never coming up, the soil could be too warm for good germination.

It is still a little cool at night for peppers, squash, cucumbers, melons, corn and beans. Really vigorous squash, such as zucchini, should be fine outdoors now, as well as tomatoes. Tomatoes are more robust than other warmth-loving plants, but the general rule is to plant tomatoes when nights are mostly staying above 10 degrees C. Just be prepared to protect them with cloches or floating row covers if it turns cool after you plant. If the leaves on your outdoor tomatoes turn purplish, it is a sign that it has been too cold for them. This is a temporary nutrient deficiency induced by the cold and they should recover when it warms up. 

Beans and corn: While it is still too cold to sow corn or bean seeds outdoors, you can start both indoors anytime. Around May 1, I start beans in a tray of vermiculite. I also sow the first of my three successive batches of corn in small individual pots, one plant per pot or one in each cell of an egg carton. I sow sweet corn at least three times, two to three weeks apart, to spread out the harvest so that all the ears are not ripe at once. By the time seedlings are ready to go outside in three weeks it should be warm enough. 

Even later in the season I still start beans in vermiculite to avoid pillbug damage. If your bean seedlings end up looking like leafless green sticks (see photo) that’s a sign that pillbugs have been nibbling. The jaws of pillbugs are quite weak, however, and once bean plants have grown for a couple of weeks, they are no longer tender enough to be damaged by pillbugs. 

Spring pests

Currant sawfly/Imported currantworm: If you have currants or gooseberry bushes, tight now is the time to find the eggs of those caterpillar-like green larvae that chew up their leaves. The insects lay eggs along veins on the underside of leaves from mid-April (warm years) to the end of May (cool years). All you need to do is check the new leaves in the central and lower part of the bush for what looks like tiny stitches of dental floss along leaf veins (see photo). If they have already hatched, you will see a dense group of tiny green worms feeding together. Simply remove and destroy the leaves with the eggs or larvae. There is only one generation per year so catching them now avoids a whole lot of damage in June and they may not even be back next year.

Wireworms: These bore into potatoes, carrots and other roots as well as large seeds, such as corn. They are very fond of boring into lettuce roots. Clearing them out of a bed before you plant can be done with potato baits. First, remove all crop debris and weeds so the bed has nothing growing in it. You can prepare the bed for planting, picking out any wireworms you see in the process and then put in the baits for a week. Skewer chunks of potato on short sticks (they act as markers so you can find them again), then bury the potato piece an inch or so in the soil. Check the traps every day or two and destroy wireworms. Some bore right into the potato (just pull them out); others are in the soil beside the bait. I use a trowel to scoop up each bait chunk so at not miss those nearby wireworms. Wireworms can move several feet through the soil so placing the baits at one- to two-foot intervals in the bed is close enough. You can keep re-using the potatoes chunks for bait. Wireworms are common in sod and readily migrate into garden beds adjacent to lawns or weedy pathways; along the border of such beds is a good place to put the bait potatoes. 

Speaking of slugs: I ran into someone recently that had not heard of iron phosphate slug baits. In case you haven’t either, these work very well and unlike the old toxic metaldehyde baits are safe for birds and other animals that might eat a pellet. But you need to use them correctly: scatter very small amounts over a wide area, frequently. Putting a ring of the granules around plants you want to protect can backfire because the granules (pasta pellets) are meant to attract slugs. When they eat the iron in the pasta, it interferes with their ability to make slime, but the slugs have plenty of time to eat your seedlings before they eventually feel the effects of the iron.

Emergency fund shares dollars

Gail Sjuberg
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Emergency fund shares dollars

The Salt Spring Island Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Relief Fund continues to grow and has already put $83,033 into the hands of Salt Spring charities. 

As of Tuesday the fund had reached $160,405 of its $200,000 target.

Some $35,300 of the total distributed has been in the form of food gift cards that local charities are giving to community members in need courtesy of Country Grocer and the Upper Ganges Liquor Store.

“We are expecting a continuing increase of clients at the food bank, and with our meal/food delivery services and Tuesday market coupon program,” said Salt Spring Community Services food program manager Simone Cazabon in a press release. “The gift cards are great because they allow people to customize their food preferences and address their sensitivities.”

IWAV has also received gift cards as well as $10,000 from the SSIF emergency fund to support various operations and programming threatened by the closure of the Transitions thrift store. Half of this amount is funded by a Capital Regional District grant-in-aid.

“We are grateful for the generosity of the foundation, CRD director and other donors to care for our community, which has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said IWAV executive director Kisae Petersen. “The financial support will be used towards the outreach, counselling and transition house programs that are being accessed by women and children in our community. This contribution will make a difference in their lives as there are IWAV staff to support and guide them during these changing times.”

Foundation board chair Brian Lawson said he hopes the fund will keep growing to meet anticipated demands.

“We are not looking at a normal summer in 2020. In addition to the losses already experienced due to current shutdowns, there will be wide-ranging economic consequences of decreased summer tourism, which many individuals rely upon for their annual income. The foundation will continue to partner with donors and local charities to deal with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, including working on significant issues such as mental health and food security.”

Foundation members hope islanders will continue to support the COVID-19 Emergency Fund. They also encourage people to support a Salt Spring charity of their choice through #GivingTuesdayNow, a new global day of giving and unity set for May 5. It was created as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.

Donations to the foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund may be made at ssifoundation.ca or by mail to Salt Spring Island Foundation, Box 244, Ganges PO, Salt Spring Island, B.C., V8K 2V9. People should indicate on their cheques that the donation is for the COVID-19 Emergency Fund. 

Charities wishing to apply for a grant are asked to visit www.ssifoundation.ca or contact the foundation’s operations director Shannon Cowan at shannon@ssifoundation.ca. 

Youth video contest submissions invited

Driftwood Staff
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Youth video contest submissions invited

SWOVA Community Development and Research Society is inviting creative submissions to its 2020 youth video contest called ShowYourTruth.

Youth are encouraged to share what issues matter to them and how they deal with those issues. Submission deadline is Friday, May 15, with winners announced on Monday, June 1.

ShowYourTruth is open to students who reside in the Gulf Islands and are in any grade from Grade 3 through 12. Videos are submitted into one of three age categories. Video submissions must be no more than two minutes and can be in any genre. The official contest rules are available on the SWOVA website: https://www.swova.org/youth-video-contest/.

Kate Nash, who is the Pass-It-On Girls adult facilitator and also the Respect Project Facilitator, developed her own public service announcement about consent after working with youth for many years. She wanted to help create change herself. 

Nash believes that “youth have so much to say. They deserve to be heard! To connect with youth in these odd times, a video contest seemed like a great way to hear and promote what is important to them, what they believe to be true and the ways that they believe these issues can be addressed.”

She continued, “While working with Richard Lee’s class, a few boys made an anti-bullying video as their final project for the Respect Project. It was amazing to see their passion and see what they thought and felt in the message. There are many adults who have made PSAs and share opinions about what youth need and struggle with. We want to hear what youth think.”

SWOVA executive director Janine Fernandes-Hayden added, “We know that social-emotional learning is ongoing and important, regardless of the walls within which it occurs. In support of meeting curricular requirements in this area as well as SWOVA pursuing its goals, our team has come up with a number of opportunities for teachers and students. We also want to put something out to schools and the community that is fun, hopeful and creative.”

The public will be invited to review all video submissions and vote for their favourite between May 22 and May 29. 

Watch the SWOVA website at www.swova.org and Facebook or Instagram feeds for more details on how to vote.

Editorial: Stand together to bolster community’s economy

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: Stand together to bolster community’s economy

Hope that the COVID-19 virus “curve” is being flattened has been ignited by fewer new cases being reported in B.C.

Except for two major outbreaks at a penitentiary and two poultry plants on the mainland, other confirmed case numbers have been dropping, showing that physical distancing and other measures are having a positive impact in this province.

What is not so hopeful is the short and longer-term effect those measures are having on the economy and the financial lives of many individuals and families. Results of a survey conducted by the Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce found that 40 per cent of 96 responding business owners felt they would not survive the current crisis.

But just as heeding directives of health authorities and governments has had a clear and positive impact on slowing the spread of the virus, the economic situation can be improved by individuals’ actions.

We encourage everyone whose financial circumstances have not been so negatively affected by COVID-19 to help keep money flowing in our community. A number of restaurants are offering takeout and delivery services, including those whose menus are printed on the back page of this issue of the paper. Some storefront businesses and entrepreneurs are able to sell their products if contacted by phone, email or online. Buying gift cards now for redemption later is also extremely helpful.

This week sees the first of a series of Driftwood “Standing Together” ads promoting the importance of shopping locally, featuring photos of island business owners and community leaders. We hope they will remind our readers to make an effort to support local businesses and the people who own them. They are an integral part of our community.

Island generosity is already showing up loud and clear through the Salt Spring Island Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Relief Fund. The fund has received more than $150,000 of its $200,000 goal since being launched March 26, and more than $80,000 had been disbursed as of Monday. The foundation’s board and staff are extremely grateful for support received so far from individuals, businesses and local government.

We hope everyone with means will find a way to help keep community businesses and families afloat until some semblance of normalcy returns to daily life.

Nobody Asked Me But: Emergency prep food supplies come in handy

Shilo Zylbergold
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Nobody Asked Me But: Emergency prep food supplies come in handy

In the film Groundhog Day, Bill Murray plays an egocentric television weatherman who is fated to relive the same day again and again an infinite number of times until he finally attains redemption by doing a character makeover into a more caring person. Or as enigmatic baseball New York Yankee icon and former manager Yogi Berra once cryptically remarked, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

What I am alluding to here is the state of household solitary confinement so many of us are experiencing while we play our part in our stay-at-home-social-distancing strategy as we attempt to outlast the COVID-19 pandemic. (You can think of it as a stare-down game of “chicken” to find out who will blink first: the virus or us.) These isolation blues we are undergoing, as we hunker down in our bunkers, are giving us cause to redefine our lives to adapt to this new normal.

Let’s face it, as we sequester ourselves at home in our COVID staycations, we are becoming aware that there is just too much time in a day. Whether being lucky enough to be able to work from home or discovering how difficult home schooling can be (for both parents and kids), we find that we often have no idea of what day of the week it is and that weekends have lost any kind of meaning.

Putting structure in our day can certainly help. Interspersing activities such as bread baking, knitting and housework to break up our long periods spent bingeing on Netflix will aid in getting the time to go by more quickly. One little trick I’ve devised to distract myself is to check the house plants every couple of hours to see how much they’ve grown. Besides social distancing, frequent hand washing and avoiding touching of the face, it is necessary to maintain our physical muscle tone and core strength to remain healthy and avoid infection. When the elements or the fear of distance encroachment force us to remain indoors, it is still possible to achieve a good personal workout. Even if we don’t own a treadmill or a stationary bike, the practice of yoga or tai chi can keep us fit. Personally, I spend an hour each day walking circular laps around inside the house while listening to CBC radio or Bob Marley.

Instead of weights, I find that I can build up the strength in my biceps by simply opening and closing the fridge door several hundred times a day as I pass by (and while at it, helping myself to another peanut butter and jam sandwich to keep up the energy, jogging on the spot as I do so).

Food is another important consideration. One of the topics of contention in the “discussions” between my wife and me is the necessity of replenishing our household food supplies and how often to venture to the local supermarket to purchase groceries. We are fortunate that so far we have had friends, family and neighbours willing to do our shopping for us and drop the bags off a safe distance from our front door. Where my wife and I disagree is that although I am greatly appreciative of these kind and generous actions, I feel we are exposing these good Samaritans to needless threat as it means they have to spend more time in the stores than they would otherwise have to do. In my opinion, we should just rely on whatever food supplies we already have in the house. By these I mean those canned goods that were purchased during our fervour to follow emergency preparedness advice in the event of an earthquake, tsunami or attack from outer space, and which are now taking up space in the back of our cupboards and pantry shelves.

You probably have some of these too. You can recognize them by the half inch of dust covering their lids (which, if you dare to blow off, will reveal an expired “best before” date of October 2009). These cans may contain pressed smoked ham, or corned beef, or even baked beans in bacon fat. If you are fortunate, the labels are still intact and haven’t disintegrated.

You may also have a stack of cans of evaporated milk which you can only hope have not stayed true to their name by having had all the liquid contents dissipated into the ether while a solid chunk of white substance remains glued to the bottom of the can. Unlike my wife, I am willing to pry open the lids of these questionable cans and partake of the contents, even if doing so may unleash a new viral epidemic on the world.

Similarly, the depths of our several chest freezers are untapped with edible possibilities. If only we knew what they were! Way down near their bottoms are masses of yoghurt containers that have lost their labels over the years. These have fallen off and now lie stuck together in a frozen block of ice somewhere nearby. Perhaps that’s a lentil stew. Maybe it’s a zucchini loaf. Then again, it could be a banana bread. Didn’t we used to have a sourdough starter that we lost track of?

If the expired cans of emergency food and unmarked containers of “whatever” in our freezers are not enough to sustain us through the pandemic, there are always the myriad amounts of glass jars and plastic baggies containing all the dried beans we have grown and collected over the past 40 years. Varieties such as Tenderhill Bush, Blue Lake Pole, Purple Peacock and Trionfo Violetto ought to provide us with enough protein to see us through to the next ice age. The drawback, of course, is that by consuming and digesting all these beans we will certainly exacerbate the atmospheric greenhouse effect and thereby hasten the global warming apocalypse.

Nobody asked me, but the only thing more boring than singing the isolation blues is having to listen to someone else doing it. Thank you for letting me vent. No one knows for certain, but we may only now be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Or maybe it’s just me opening the refrigerator door again.

Lady Minto Hospital Medical Staff Association April 27 message

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Lady Minto Hospital Medical Staff Association April 27 message

Plans are being made to open up businesses and relax some of the restrictive measures that we have all been living with. This is an exciting, but also risky and scary time, and there are a few things to remember.

1. We are incredibly lucky on Salt Spring to have more space than city dwellers to get outside while still maintaining at least two meters’ distance from others. However, as businesses open, all of us may find ourselves in situations where it is difficult to keep the appropriate distance. For this reason, masks are another tool we can use to help reduce spread.  

2. Even more important will be the need for all of us to be vigilant about our health and not go to work or go out if we are ill. If you develop any new respiratory symptoms — fever, cough or difficulty breathing — you must go home and book an appointment to have yourself tested for the novel coronavirus. Employers must not only allow workers to stay home when ill, but support them to do so. Our culture of going to work when ill must stop.

In following the recommendations of Dr. Bonnie Henry and Adrian Dix to date, we have all made sacrifices but it has worked. This means we can start to relax some restrictions, but only as long as we do not trigger a surge in COVID cases. Please continue to follow the recommendations from our provincial health officer and remain responsible in the coming days, weeks and months. This way we can continue to enjoy some of the new freedoms that will be coming without causing harm to others.  

Salt Spring residents can now self refer for COVID-19 testing

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Salt Spring residents can now self refer for COVID-19 testing

April 23 – Lady Minto Hospital Medical Staff Association – Covid-19 Update

As most people know, there are COVID-19 outbreaks around the province, including one on a small island off the northern part of Vancouver Island. While B.C. has done incredibly well under Dr. Bonnie Henry’s guidance, these outbreaks tell us that the risk is still very real and present.

At Lady Minto we are looking at ways to restart endoscopies, minor procedures and non-urgent lab work while keeping staff and patients safe and minimizing the use of personal protective gear. Please be patient while we work out the best processes for these procedures. 

As we try to better understand the burden of disease in the community, there is now the opportunity for anyone in the community to self refer for COVID-19 testing. If you have symptoms and feel you should be tested, please call 811 and they will arrange an appointment for you at Lady Minto. Please do not just show up and please understand that the test is meaningless if you do not have symptoms. Please use this resource wisely.

Finally, thank you to everyone for refraining from coming to the Emergency Room with minor ailments. If you have an emergency, please come to Lady Minto. We are here to help you. For minor matters and chronic conditions, your family doctor is available and ready to help you. All the physicians on Salt Spring are taking phone calls and arranging to see in person those patients who need to be seen. Virtual care is the new normal and will be with us for the foreseeable future, so please do not delay getting help thinking that in a few weeks things will be easier or different.

Island businesses face struggle

Elizabeth Nolan
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Island businesses face struggle

Economic development advocates are warning the Gulf Islands’ quirky culture of independent cafes, shops and artisans could be in trouble if small-scale local businesses can’t make it through the current crisis.

While new federal and provincial supports aimed at small businesses have been announced this week, including a new rent subsidy promised for commercial tenants, it may not be enough to meet local needs. 

“A lot of businesses aren’t going to be here. We really have an economic disaster that our islands are facing,” said Francine Carlin, Salt Spring Community Economic Development Commission chair.

Salt Spring Sea Salts founder Philippe Marill is one of those who is worried. Although he has built up brand recognition, his regular sales venues have mainly disappeared while his expenses continue.

“I’m trying to figure out how to keep going through this crisis because we depend a lot on tourism, gift markets and craft shows,” Marill said. “I’m lucky compared to a lot of people because I have some stock for online sales, but at the same time I feel Salt Spring Sea Salt is in jeopardy if we don’t find a solution.”

Carlin said any business that relies on tourism will be hard hit, from accommodations providers to artists. Some relief may come through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit but that might not be enough to sustain recovery over the long term. Other programs, like the Canada Emergency Business Account loan, may be aimed at a different type of business.

“At the grass roots level, a lot of these programs aren’t really accessible to the micro businesses we have here on Salt Spring. Many are already carrying a lot of debt and they can’t carry another loan,” Carlin said Friday. “What we’re finding is the avalanche of material coming in every day leaves you numb. And some things announced haven’t even come in yet, like the wage subsidy.”

Moby’s Pub is one of the valued local businesses that does not appear to qualify for much help, including BC Hydro relief. Owner Dale Schweighardt said when restaurants and bars were ordered to close to the public he had just stocked up on perishables, anticipating a busy spring break. While he gave the produce away to staff, beer in the kegs will not be useable by the time doors open again.

“If social distancing is enforced for a lengthy period, it could mean the end of live music for a long time,” Schweighardt said. “I’m hoping restaurants will be allowed to do something by June or July — without the profits of summer it’s hard to survive the winter.”

Moby’s has not been serving take-out but Schweighardt said he may start doing so soon and will hopefully do enough business to continue until times are better. He is optimistic that will be the case.

Mouat’s Trading Company president David Toynbee said he has been working with multiple tenants of commercial units owned by the organization, and has been able to offer an arrangement to defer rent payments. Tenants can decide whether to tack the missed payment on to the end of their lease or to amortize it over the lease period. 

The Canada Emergency Business Account provides a $40,000 zero-interest loan, of which $10,000 may be forgivable. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday the payroll eligibility requirement had been extended in both directions, allowing businesses that paid out between $20,000 and $1.5 million in 2019 to qualify.

Of the three financial institutions with Salt Spring offices, only Island Savings was able to provide data on the take-up. Credit union manager Jeff Knutson reported the local branch had processed 26 applications for island businesses for a total of $1,040,000 as of Friday afternoon. 

Entrepreneurs who don’t qualify for the program or can’t afford to make use of it had been calling for help with their commercial rents, which was announced as another new support on Thursday. The program will seek to provide loans to commercial property owners who in turn will lower or forgo the rent of small businesses for the months of April (retroactive), May and June. Business owners will have to wait for the funding though, and many have already reported struggling.

“We’re willing to work with tenants to make it through this,” Toynbee said.  

Mouat’s is feeling the crunch into its operations, as well. The Old Salty shop and Mouat’s Clothing have been closed — the latter with an entire shipment of spring and summer wear just arrived, now sitting behind closed doors.

Linda Koroscil has also shuttered her Love My Kitchen kitchen supply store, which she feels would be too risky to leave open with all those surfaces inviting to be touched. She is currently looking into which federal and provincial support programs she can apply for, but in the meantime has received relief from her landlords, Pharmasave owners Gary Utter and Linda Ramsey. 

“I’m feeling very lucky. They’ve been incredibly supportive, as well as the Viponds, our management company,” Koroscil said. “I’m feeling positive that we’ll be coming back into some sort of normalcy at some point.”

Representatives for Grace Point Square and Murakami properties were contacted but did not respond before the Driftwood’s press time.

Carlin observed some small business owners can’t afford to pay rent later or even pay a portion of it.

“Many don’t have the ability to negotiate with their landlords in a positive way, and the landlords have to find a way to cover expenses as well. But we hope that’s not at the expense of the tenants, because we need these tenants to be here after this is all over,” Carlin said. 

Carlin said a locally-created response program is critical, and fortunately many different island organizations have realized that and are working together on a plan under the COVID-19 Business and Farm Recovery Task Force. A campaign to support businesses by buying a gift certificate from a central website hub will be launched by the end of April, as just one effort at long-term support and eventual economic recovery. 

The provincial government announced Friday that it will help by further reducing the school property tax rate for commercial properties to achieve an average 25 per cent reduction in the total property tax bill for most businesses. This will enhance the 50 per cent reduction to the provincial school property tax rate that was originally announced for classes 4, 5, and 6.

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