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ROWELL, Dr. Peter Frederick William

Driftwood Obituary
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ROWELL, Dr. Peter Frederick William

Dr. Peter Frederick William Rowell
April 21, 1928 – November 12, 2019

Peter was born in Ponteland near Newcastle on Tyne – a Geordie who grew up in the mining village of Greenside where his folks had a pub. He attended Barnard Castle School where he excelled at cricket and rugby. At 16 he was one of the youngest to play cricket for Greenside in the Tyneside senior league.

He graduated from Newcastle Medical School in 1954 then spent three years as a G.P. and surgical registrar on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland where he met and married Jean MacLean, a school teacher. They moved to Angmering in Sussex where he had a family practice for eight years. They had three daughters; Sheena (Kirkham), Susan (Stepaniuk), and Fiona (Sollitt).

In 1965 they decided to immigrate to Australia but first trek across Canada in a Land Rover and caravan to Vancouver. Instead, they stopped off at Sylvan Lake, Alberta, and remained there for 10 years. They moved to Salt Spring in 1974 where he had a family practice before retiring at the age of 76. His wife, Jean, died in 1982 and he married Maureen (Clarke) in 1986.

He enjoyed the camaraderie of the Egg Heads Club and the PGA Golfers, and winters spent golfing in the California desert with Maureen. He was always quietly proud of his three daughters and their achievements, and his 8 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Peter was a well respected physician and member of the community, and he was much loved by his family.

A celebration of his life will be held in the Spring.

STEVENSON, Anne

Driftwood Obituary
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STEVENSON, Anne

Anne Stevenson

Anne Stevenson passed away peacefully on November 23 at Greenwoods Eldercare on Saltspring Island. Anne is predeceased by her loving husband Ken Stevenson who passed in 1992. Anne is survived by her 5 children; Gord, Colin, [Susan] Bob, [Dawn] Deb, Cindy [Bob], 3 grandchildren, Josh [Noemi], Sidney, Robyn [Eric], 3 great grandchildren, Katelyn, Landon, and Rebecca. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the dedicated and loving staff at Greenwoods Eldercare for their loving and caring compassion for their Mom.

Donations will be gratefully received by Greenwoods Eldercare Society. The website for donations is www.greenwoodseldercare.org.

We miss you already Mom and we will carry you in our hearts forever.

Service will be held at The Saltspring United Church, 111 Hereford Ave., Ganges at 2 pm. Monday Dec. 2, 2019.

Housing advocates rally at Trust office

Gail Sjuberg
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Housing advocates rally at Trust office

Over 100 people gathered at the Islands Trust office on Friday morning to speak out about the ongoing housing crisis on Salt Spring.

The rally was organized by Salt Spring Solutions, a group dedicated to building awareness and advocating for a fix for the island’s lack of affordable housing. Demonstrators gathered to hear housing advocates speak out about the various issues causing the crisis, as well as demand action in the form of a bold plan from local government officials in response to the issue.

Salt Spring Solutions spokesperson Jason Mogus said that the issue has been on the minds of local government officials for years, and that “when it comes to an actual plan that is going to give systemic and bold solutions; it’s not happening. We feel like we need to remind the Trust, the CRD and NSSWD that people need action now.”

“It’s really easy to punt the ball or come up with incremental solutions that might lead to a few cottages here and there, which is what the current cottages bylaw will do. What we need are bolder solutions that will help with the climate emergency and help with the housing crisis,” he added. “There’s still this resistance to homes and density in town, when all these forests are getting cut for big mansions being built far from town, which makes people have to drive into town. We want to see the Trust make some tangible changes towards these things.”

Also speaking at the event were Islands Trust trustees Laura Patrick and Peter Grove. The trustees both spoke about the progress made since last year’s local elections. However, Patrick and Grove disagreed on the effectiveness of different bylaws. Grove touted the benefit of Bylaw 512, which changes seasonal cottages into permanent residences. Patrick, meanwhile, feels that staff time could be better spent elsewhere.

Other steps taken by the Trust include a new temporary use permit for suites, cottages and tiny homes for full-time residency. That bylaw (#471) will be discussed at Tuesday’s LTC meeting.

For more on this story, see the Nov. 27th issue of the Driftwood. 

Quesnel sets Dec. 5 deadline

Elizabeth Nolan
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Quesnel sets Dec. 5 deadline

Salt Spring Metal Recycling will no longer be accepting materials after Dec. 5 as business owner John Quesnel has decided he is done with fighting bylaw enforcement.

The property at 251 Fulford-Ganges Rd. is currently zoned as Industrial 1 (soon to be transferred to General Employment 1), which allows indoor recycling only. Complaints about outdoor noise and possible environmental issues have continued to dog the business since the present location was established in 2015.

Quesnel told the Driftwood that he is simply tired of the situation and intends to sell both properties where he has offered the service: the current space on Fulford-Ganges Road and the previous site, a split-zoned rural and agricultural property at 440 Rainbow Rd.

“Our Islands Trust has given me the ultimatum of shut down or face $1,000-a-day fines,” Quesnel posted on the company’s Facebook page. “I recycle millions of pounds of material annually. The Trust is to ‘preserve and protect’ our island and I do more cleaning up this place than any other. Yet somehow I am the enemy.”

Islands Trust bylaw enforcement officer Warren Dingman could not reveal exactly what enforcement action has taken place, but said a Nov. 1 deadline for compliance on some issues was delivered. He confirmed the outdoor sorting and storage of recycling materials was one of the problems.

Quesnel closed the doors at his original location at the end of July 2014 after many years of contention with neighbours, a failed temporary use permit application and eventual legal action from the Islands Trust. He took possession of the Fulford-Ganges property in January 2015 and re-opened for business shortly after.

Trustee Laura Patrick said she has recently discussed both properties with Quesnel and offered to help him look into the options further, since she was not yet elected when the Rainbow Road site was being used, or when the Fulford-Ganges Road site was briefly considered for upzoning under the Industrial Lands Project during the summer of 2018. Upzoning would have made Quesnel’s operation legal.

As a result of that inclusion, a petition signed by 31 residential neighbours was submitted in October 2018 opposing any variance allowing heavy industrial uses at the Fulford-Ganges property. The Islands Trust quickly withdrew the upgrade from the project.

“The volume of bylaw enforcement complaints generated by current operations on the subject property suggests that it is better suited for the indoor uses permitted under the proposed GE1 zone, and as such staff do not recommend any bylaw amendments that would permit the intensification of current uses on the property,” an August 2018 staff report states.

Patrick said that complaints have not ceased since the Industrial Lands Project concluded. (The related bylaws are currently waiting approval from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.)

“There have been numerous complaints about the outdoor activities on this property from many parties. Bylaw enforcement has been seeking voluntary compliance with the owner,” Patrick wrote in a public Facebook posting.

Speaking to the Driftwood last week, Patrick noted that waste removal is a common problem across the southern Gulf Islands, where private business owners have frequently stepped in to provide services in the absence of any public body doing so. Often those stepping in to the gap have not secured proper zoning first.

“We’ve got to find solutions that work for the community first and foremost, because these are needed services,” Patrick said.

“We have to have a wider community discussion about managing our waste in an environmental and land-use compliant way. Let’s solve this for John and for the greater island, because this is a service we need and want.”

Blain safety issue raised

Gail Sjuberg
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Blain safety issue raised

People who regularly walk on Blain Road have raised alarms about the potential for pedestrians to be hit due to a lack of white lines in a key spot.

Janet Raynor is a caregiver for seniors who regularly walks with her clients on the road where the Greenwoods and Braehaven residences are located. A white line used to clearly delineate the paved pedestrian area on the right side of the road going up Blain from Lower Ganges Road. It is now completely obliterated so that vehicles turning right onto Blain would have no idea that the right side of the pavement is for pedestrians. A “Pedestrian Pathway” road sign is located in the area, but without the painted lines it is not possible to accurately assess the situation.

Raynor has seen several near misses in recent months.

“This affects seniors and it is so dangerous,” she said. “There just needs to be something there.”

Kit Lewis, who is in her 90s and regularly walks in the area, said she has nearly been clipped in the pedestrian pathway as a car turned onto Blain.

However, unless a do-it-yourself solution is found, walkers will have to continue to use the area at their own risk. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure told the Driftwood that no painting will be done on Salt Spring until the spring.

“Line painting is done annually in the spring, as winter sanding, salting and plowing wear paint away and make lines less visible. The ministry will look to include this section in next season’s line-painting on Salt Spring Island.”  

Gogo brings Coal & Wood Show to Mahon Hall

Gail Sjuberg
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Gogo brings Coal & Wood Show to Mahon Hall

A Salt Spring audience can enjoy a musical immersion in Vancouver Island social history during an evening called John Gogo – Coal & Wood Show at Mahon Hall on Thursday, Nov. 21.

Gogo is a proud fourth-generation Vancouver Islander from Nanaimo, whose ancestors earned a living in the logging and coal-mining industries. He even spent two years working in the woods as a chokerman before becoming a professional musician.

Songs for the show have been written over the last 30 years, with some first released on an album called Coal & Wood in 1990. Gogo added to the collection with Coal & Wood (Revisited) in 2015. According to Gogo’s website, the songs “explore the unique and layered lives of heroes and villains: the visionary Finns of Sointula, the notorious Dunsmuirs, labour martyr Ginger Goodwin, the ghost of Clarence Ballance and the infamous Brother XII of De Courcy Island.”

But he was not finished exploring the concept after his Coal & Wood (Revisited) album was released.

“About two years ago I thought it would make a good show,” he said, adding that an introductory song and another one for the end were since written.

The closing number asks people to reflect on what privilege means to them, in light of the treatment of visible minorities in Canada and B.C. Gogo’s ancestors’ lives were not easy, he notes, but they did not deal with the same challenges as workers of Chinese or South Asian backgrounds.

Gogo’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather all have the first name of John, and he will represent each of them throughout the evening.

John Gogo – Coal & Wood Show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door.

For more on this story, see the Nov. 20, 2019 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

Mayne expands mushroom fest

Gail Sjuberg
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Mayne expands mushroom fest

Mayne mycophiles had an eventful weekend, as the Mayne Island Conservancy held its first ever Maynely Mushroom Extravaganza on Nov. 15 and 16.

The conservancy has had an annual mushroom-based event in the past, but this year program committee chair Deb Foote wanted to bring a bit more to the table. Previously, the event consisted of a mushroom identification event where people can bring in their collections and have them identified by local experts. This year, Foote and her team added a mushroom-tasting event with guest speakers, a guided mushroom walk in the Mount Parke area, as well as a movie screening on the fungi with chaga tea and popcorn.

As she was considering an expansion of the annual event, Foote looked to similar festivals around the area for inspiration. Galiano Island holds a festival earlier in November, and others are held in the Lower Mainland as well as on Vancouver Island.

“I see that there’s all these events that go on around the province in the fall and I thought that we needed to do something more than just opening up the hall for people to throw their mushrooms on a table,” Foote said.

Speakers for the weekend included Sharmin Gamiet from the Fraser Valley, Paul Kroeger from the Vancouver area as well as locally based student Sierra Steele. Gamiet’s experience with fungi goes back three decades, and she has been leading excursions into mushroom habitats around the province. She spoke on the role mushrooms have on the health of the forest. Kroeger was one of the founding members of the Vancouver Mycological Society and has been researching the effects of microdosing psychedelic mushrooms for treatment of mental health disorders. Steele’s research into the health benefits of various mushrooms rounded out the speaker program. Friday’s talk also included mushroom canapés served by different local chefs.

On Saturday morning, amateur and professional mycologists gathered at Mount Parke for a guided walk through the natural habitat of many mushrooms. Experts were on hand to help identify the local varieties and explain how the mushrooms influenced the growth of the forest around them. Saturday’s program continued with the mushroom identification event and a discussion on where to find local varieties.

Mayne has seen a proliferation of mushroom growth this year. Recent years have seen a change in the forest ecosystem due to overgrazing by deer, Foote explained, which has affected the amount of mushrooms available. She said she hoped the new growth would have a regenerative effect on the forest, as well as the network of mycorrhizal fungi that extends beneath the forest floor.

“A little patch that’s the size of your foot contains miles and miles and miles of mycorrhizal fungi,” she said. “Hopefully this mushroom growth that we’ve seen this year will have some regenerative elements for this region as well.”

Saturday’s events ended with a movie entitled Know Your Mushrooms.

She hopes to grow the festival for next year, potentially including an art element and some other ideas like spore printing and children’s activities.

For more on this story, see the Nov. 20, 2019 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

Old Boys maintain undefeated streak at GISS

Contributed Article
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Old Boys maintain undefeated streak at GISS

By FRASER HOPE

DRIFTWOOD CONTRIBUTOR

Old Boys manager Graham Tweddle used the well-tried tactic of “deflection” in calling to arms all Old Boys to defend the “Fortress GISS” record of being undefeated at the Rainbow Road stadium since late 2016. 

The “deflection” was that Old Boys FC had not played at the field because it was out of commission for most of that time. Team management had unfortunately not received any replies from the CRD in regard to the possibility of the Alternative Approval Process being utilized as a fundraising vehicle for new shorts to help boost the morale of the team after the bruising loss to Cowichan Classics and the cancellation of the Castaways visit last weekend. 

With the extra time for healing body and mind, fans piled into the stadium expecting a full roster of Old Boys ready to do battle with Vic West 48s. Despite the sunshine and great field conditions, early signs gave Tweddle cause for concern as there were more practice balls than players. In fact, there were two balls for every player! 

Eventually, 12 Old Boys turned up with socks and under team rules the last player to turn up has to play for the opposition if they are short-handed. There was much speculation that Howe had waited at the bottom of Rainbow Road to ensure that he would be last to arrive and be able to play for the opposition “legitimately.”

The sun peeked through the clouds as the whistle blew and immediately Old Boys attacked with a through ball from Dave Toynbee that gave McCormick a fleeting chance at goal. Ben Cooper, as always, got into the action with a run that started on his own goal line and ended up in the Vic West penalty box for the first real chance of the game.

Martin Thorn showed his determination as he raced back 40 metres to save a throw in. A defensive give-away gave the visitors a chance but goalkeeper Richard Steel saved an almost certain goal from Julio the Vic West danger man. Shortly afterwards a free kick to Vic West beautifully flighted came off the crossbar and thankfully for Steel rebounded out to be taken safely.

As if to take strength and confidence from his escape, Steel launched a massive downfield kick which eluded the defender and allowed Toynbee a clear route to goal, which he duly dispatched for a 1-0 lead. After a prudent restart the referee blew for half time.

As in the first half, Old Boys made good use of speed and pace on the wings with Toynbee and Rainer Funk providing attacking opportunities. Unfortunately, Toynbee, in making a cross into the goalmouth, lay injured on the far touchline. The game restarted with no medical assistance being offered until two spectators hurried to assist him to the bench for treatment. At one point it was mooted (in jest) that the game should be abandoned to allow a helicopter airlift from centre circle. Toynbee is expected to miss a few games.

This seemed to disrupt the Old Boys rhythm, which had been more Tik Tok (15-second videos in slow-motion app for phones) than Tiki Taka, their preferred mode of play. A well-timed intervention by Tweddle obviously trying to impress family in the stands saved the lead when a goal seemed inevitable. 

Mike Davis brought proceedings to an end with a nifty piece of footwork that left his opponent floundering, which exemplified the 110 per cent effort by the Old Boys and Vic West to provide an entertaining spectacle in the November sunshine. (That’s for you, Betty.)

All thoughts are now focused on the new streak/run for the socks at Fortress GISS next Sunday at 10:30 a.m. when Old Boys face Centaurs 48s, a different horse for courses.

Viewpoint: Treat climate as priority

Contributed Article
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Viewpoint: Treat climate as priority

The following was sent to the Salt Spring Local Trust Committee and filed with the Driftwood for publication.

By PETER LAMB

We are in a climate emergency and Trust Council has joined hundreds of other communities around the world in recognizing that urgent action is needed to reduce the level of GHG emissions and to adapt to the unprecedented climate-induced risks. Our severe windstorm last December and regular news stories are sober reminders that the climate is changing and is expected to worsen.

While every individual, community organization and business needs to respond, it is critical that local government step up to establish appropriate policies and bylaws that will responsibly manage or regulate the progress toward meeting emission targets as well as the projected impacts on our island community.

Yet, we see the Local Trust Committee wrapped up with topics that are diverting your attention and staff resources. Today, your top priorities are listed as:

• Water sustainability

• Affordable Rental Housing

• Regulate Cannabis Production

• Industrial Land Uses-update OCP and LUB

• Development Approval Information (DAI)  Bylaw

To which you are proposing to add ”Strategic Priorities – Update the OCP through incremental steps in consideration of the strategic priorities“ and you have discussed with the Advisory Planning Commission the appropriate wording to “implement the climate change mitigation plan and adaptation measures.” But neither appears to have made the “top priority” list, and protecting the Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystem, a tangible climate action, is still considered a strategic priority.

Trustees, while the DAI Bylaw may be related, there can be no more critical or urgent issue for Salt Spring than dealing comprehensively with the climate crisis we are now facing. Your OCP (Section A6) already contains objectives and policies for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency that allow the LTC to take action now. Section A5 also provides the basis for taking action to protect the island environment. Such actions go well beyond the proposed CDF protection and DAI initiatives.

As you know, there is extensive work being undertaken now on an updated Salt Spring Climate Action Plan that will be recommending specific actions to be taken by the CRD and Islands Trust. The LTC should be ready to implement the relevant recommendations as soon as the revised plan is released, scheduled for March 31, 2020. 

You must treat the climate emergency not only as a priority but as the top priority and get staff working on the necessary bylaws to give effect to these policies. If necessary, consider additional funding in the 2020/21 budget to retain more staff or outside help. Updating the OCP, even incrementally, is a slow process that may well be necessary to deal with other climate-related actions.

At your next LTC meeting on Nov. 26, be strong and make addressing the climate emergency your top priority and direct staff to adjust its work program accordingly. 

Editorial: Trust exercise

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: Trust exercise

As the land-use authority on Salt Spring, the Islands Trust gets blamed for all sorts of local ills.

Elected officials on the Local Trust Committee are there to represent the public’s wishes, and if their work does not seem to reflect community reality, dissatisfied grumbling is apt to turn into outright protest. During the past electoral term the LTC was visited by multiple organized events, with islanders turning out in droves to variously demand action on several issues. Another rally on housing is being assembled this Friday at the Islands Trust office.

Community protest, along with public engagement by the trustees, in fact had direct impact on the LTC’s strategic goals for this term. Increasing the availability of affordable housing is on that list, and is currently represented by a priority project to legalize seasonal cottages for long-term rental, with a targeted wrap-up date of spring 2020. Climate change adaptation and Douglas-fir protection are also on the list.

The local government process is, by B.C. law, one that requires many prescribed steps and therefore takes some time to bear fruit. That may be frustrating for those who want to see action now.

The Islands Trust is but one organization responsible for local regulations, however. Since the North Salt Spring Waterworks District has reached its supply limit from local lakes, water has become the major obstacle to increasing density in the village area — the most environmentally friendly place to do that.

While the LTC has explored its ability to require rainwater catchment on new developments downtown, and recently moved to require such systems in the cottages bylaw, regional health authority Island Health has so far refused to okay rainwater as a potable source for multi-family developments. It’s these developments that have the best chance to significantly increase housing stock in a short time.

The Capital Regional District could also be encouraged to increase incentives for rainwater system installments with more grants and rebates. Provincial funding support is no doubt warranted.

With a climate change emergency proclaimed by multiple government levels and the housing crisis recognized all around the province, finding coordinated solutions is paramount. Island voices have proved loud enough to get local officials listening. Let’s see if they can move up the chain to catch regional and provincial ears as well.

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