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Editorial: Travel trials

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: Travel trials

It’s been a stressful six months for Salt Spring Island ferry travellers.

The replacement of the tried-and-true Howe Sound Queen with the smaller Quinitsa on the Vesuvius-Crofton route in June turned out to be a disaster, regardless of how BC Ferries tried to spin the tale in its favour. That the corporation has decided to bring the Bowen Queen on to the route next spring indicates that reality could no longer be ignored when it came to the Quinitsa’s inadequate capacity during spring and summer months.

More recently, people travelling between Fulford Harbour and Swartz Bay have been thrown off course by the Queen of Cumberland being late in some of its arrivals and departures. While the Skeena Queen is getting its mid-life refit, the Cumberland is the replacement vessel on that route (except for the Christmas holiday period, when the Bowen will be on duty there). While people are delighting in the replacement vessel’s lounge amenities, using its upper ramp to accommodate as many vehicles as possible is a time-consuming process. But if the Cumberland gets off its schedule, people wanting to connect with a Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen vessel are sometimes unable to do so. It’s no surprise that BC Ferries often issues “delayed sailing” notices for Route 5 between the Southern Gulf Islands and Swartz Bay, which the Cumberland normally serves.

As inconvenient as it may be, anyone needing to get off or on the island at a specific time via the Fulford-Swartz route in the next few months is advised to give themselves as much time as possible to incorporate possible ferry delays into their plans. On-time performance for the route has certainly improved since the vessel’s first week on duty, but as of last week it was still not matching the Skeena’s stellar 95 per cent or better on-time record.

Travellers should perhaps never assume that a particular BC Ferries sailing will be on time, or that a ferry will never break down — witness the Salish Raven experience last Thursday — but it’s safe to say that is moreso the case these days.

People can check bcferries.com to determine if a ferry is late or not, sign up for service notices that will advise via email about tardy ferries or follow BC Ferries on Twitter. Arriving at terminals as early as possible and being armed with information are the two best ways to cope with the reality of living on ferry-dependent islands.

LORENTSEN, Bunny Agnes

Driftwood Obituary
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LORENTSEN, Bunny Agnes

Bunny (Agnes Helen) Lorentsen
(1923-2019)

Bunny passed away surrounded by the love of her family on October 31, 2019, at the age of 96 years. She was born and raised in Chilliwack, BC and later served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WW II. It was then she met her lifelong partner Louie (Lauris) Lorentsen. They raised 5 children while living and working in various coastal communities of BC. She and Louie retired to Salt Spring Island where they were active members of the Rod and Gun Club and Sons of Norway. Bunny is predeceased by her son, Larry and survived by her husband Louie; her children Louise, Lynne, Lenore, and Lorne; eleven grandchildren; and 10 great grandchildren.

There will be an informal celebration of life between 2 and 4 Saturday, December 1 at the Harbour House Hotel on Salt Spring Island. In lieu of flowers, a donation to Salt Spring Island Hospice Society would be appreciated. Bunny will be sorely missed by all her family and many friends.

DOW, Barbara Joanne

Driftwood Obituary
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DOW, Barbara Joanne

Barbara Joanne Dow
Born Prince Rupert, July 28, 1943
Passed Sannich, September 27, 2019

Pre-deceased by her partner of over 20 years Alan MacDonald, her parents Ralph and Agnes Gaudry. Survived by her brothers Robert (Marilynn) Campbell, Doug (Sheila) Gaudry, along with her four sons’. Robert, Bruce (Kathleen), Gregg (Leah) and Dale (Jennifer). Proud grandmother to, Tyrone, Samantha, Anthony, Benjamin, Kyle, Connor, Graeme, Kalem and Lilly. She also leaves behind her dog Terra.

Barbara, “Barb” to her friends was a strong, tough and caring woman. A proud mother and grandmother, an artist, and a true friend to many. She lived on Salt Spring for almost 30 years, raised four boys, worked at BC Ferries from 1981 to 2003, and first lived and then retired in Youbou, from 2000 to 2019.

The family would like to thank Wes and Lucy for all their help, and for being there for mom. We would also like to thank all the Doctor’s and Nurses at both Duncan Hospital, Royal Jubilee and Sannich Peninsula Hospital for the amazing care they provided our mother.

Donations may be made to Branch 92 of the Royal Canadian Legion.

She will be forever loved and forever missed.

BAILEY, Roderick Charles

Driftwood Obituary
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BAILEY, Roderick Charles

Roderick Charles Bailey

June 17, 1928 – November 9, 2019

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Roderick Charles Bailey, son of Mary and Charlie Bailey, Okotoks, Alberta, born June 17, 1928, our beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. Rod is survived by his son, Marshall (Laura), daughter, Leah (Catherine) his very special friend, Irene Currie, his brother David, sister, Mamie and former wife, Jean McKinley. Surrounded by family, Dad left us peacefully on November 9, 2019.

Rod was grandfather to Rod Bailey (Marcie), Robin Bailey, Chris Stone and Ashlynn Stone and great-grandfather to Thomas, Fletcher, Nevaeh and Chloe.

Rod was predeceased by his wife, Kathleen Bailey (nee Standbridge), his mother-in-law, Kathleen Charbonneau, his sister-in-law, Patricia Heller and is survived by Kay’s sisters, Bea Brady and Anne Shaw (Alan).

Rod was a native of Okotoks, Alberta where his family ranched and farmed for many years. As the middle child, Rod knew that his future lay away from the farm. Rod obtained certificates in electric welding and diesel at Olds College, Alberta and attended the Christian Leadership Training School at Naramata, BC where he met and fell in love with Kathleen.

Following graduation from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Agriculture specializing in Animal Husbandry and Agronomy, Rod became an agricultural development specialist and administrator. Rod began his career with the BC Department of Agriculture as a District Agriculturist in Vernon, BC. Rod then served in Ubon, Thailand under the Canadian Colombo Plan for 2 years. Returning to BC, Rod again served with the BC Department of Agriculture followed by the United Nations, Food and Agriculture Office, in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar). Rod then completed graduate work from Colorado State University in rural sociology and University of Wisconsin in resource development and research methodology.

Following his overseas assignments, Rod and Kay wanted to ensure the kids could complete middle and high school without interruption, so following a brief stint as District Agriculturalist in Killarney, Manitoba, Rod became the area development officer and then general manager of West-Man Regional Development Corporation in Brandon, Manitoba from 1966 – 1974.

Following an initial time with Agriculture Canada in rural development, Rod was named Deputy Minister for Agriculture in Manitoba where he served under Minister Bill Uruski and J.E. Downey. Following that, Rod was invited back to Agriculture Canada under Minister Eugene Whalen as Assistant Deputy Minister for regional development.

Following his retirement from Agriculture Canada, Rod did additional development work in Pakistan and Kashmir. His final retirement from overseas development work brought him to Salt Spring Island in 1997. Rod then assisted the BC Cattlemen’s Association with strategic planning before his final retirement from domestic development work.

Then Rod found a new passion – restoring old farm equipment including tractors, binders and threshing machines as well as other farm equipment such as grinders and tools. He became a member of the Farmer’s Institute of Salt Spring Island and joined a wonderful team of like-minded gentlemen including Merv Walde, Ted Dodds, Robin Reid, Bruce Manley, Larry Fraser and others.
The family would like to thank Dr. Reznick and the wonderful medical team of nurses and assistants at Lady Minto Hospital, Salt Spring Island. In addition, we are grateful for the assistance of the medical team at the Canadian Cancer Society headed by Dr. Zito.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at the Clubhouse, Brinkworthy Place, 135 Brinkworthy Road , Salt Spring Island, starting at 2:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society, Lady Minto Hospital Auxiliary or the Salt Spring Farmers’ Institute.

MP May resigns as leader

Gail Sjuberg
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MP May resigns as leader

Member of Parliament Elizabeth May stepped down as leader of the Green Party of Canada effective immediately on Monday.

May will stay on as parliamentary leader, with the party’s deputy leader Jo-Ann Roberts becoming the interim leader. A new leader will be chosen at the party’s convention in October of 2020. May had also been considering a run to be Speaker of the House of Commons, but has decided against that idea and will work with her fellow MPs on the opposition bench, though she did hint at a speakership run after the next election.

The decision was made a long time ago, May told the Driftwood on Tuesday, but the timing of the announcement was made to ensure the party has time to establish a new leader before the next federal election.

“The reality is in a minority parliament, we should be election ready as soon as possible. Knowing that I wasn’t willing to lead the party into another election, that meant getting started soon on setting up a leadership race,” she said.

May’s announcement comes after the party got the best electoral results in its history in October. Across the country, over one million voters voted Green, which was the party’s second best turnout under May’s leadership. In 2008, the party received 6.78 per cent of the popular vote, just over 2019’s 6.5 per cent.

“The future is very bright. Right now, we have a lot of momentum. We have built substantially across the country,” May said, stating that there were 50 ridings where Green candidates got over 10 per cent of the popular vote.

“These are big gains, and they show we have room to grow and to build,” she added. “I will be supporting and working with a new leader going into the next federal election campaign. I find that very exciting.”

May will be staying on as MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands and hopes to run for re-election in the next federal election.

May has been thinking of her successor, and has a few ideas of people who could take the reins in 2020, including former candidates and others. However, rules have not been set about the convention, and those will be announced at a later date.

“It’s time for the Green party the next generation. It’s like the serialization from Star Trek to Star Trek the Next Generation,” May said. “We’re ‘boldly going where no Green has gone before.’”

For more on this story, see the Nov. 6, 2019 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

Fulford terminal upgrade drags out

Elizabeth Nolan
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Fulford terminal upgrade drags out

Long-delayed plans for Fulford ferry terminal improvements were once again a topic of discussion between the Salt Spring Ferry Advisory Committee and BC Ferries, who held their fall public meeting at the Harbour House Hotel on Thursday.

FAC chair Harold Swierenga raised Fulford as an issue of concern, noting that although terminal upgrades have been on the books for the past decade or more, the terminal does not show up among the 12 projects listed as having an active development plan on the BC Ferries website. Ferry traffic that blocks regular vehicle traffic in and out of Fulford village on busy sailings meanwhile continues to pose a public safety issue, he said.

“Can somebody tell us where it stands and where we’re going here with it? Because this has been a very discouraging exercise over the years,” Swierenga said. “The problem identified with the road is still very much there . . . In the summertime it’s still a very critically dangerous situation.”

A master plan that BC Ferries presented in July 2011 included two phases of improvement. It was to start with the short-term solution of developing Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure right-of-way on Fulford-Ganges Road as a holding lane, and was to include a marked shoulder for pedestrians. Work was intended to begin as early as spring 2013.

By 2015 that plan had not advanced and was deemed to have become too complicated, with costs projected to be at least 10 times the original estimate. BC Ferries announced an accelerated project instead that would skip straight to phase two. It would eliminate the need for an on-road holding lane by extending the terminal compound space to fit 145 vehicles plus a bus turnaround and a passenger pick-up/drop-off area. The upgrade was expected to be completed for 2018-19.

Work failed to advance once again due to complications with a private property the ferry corporation would need to purchase to complete the terminal expansion.

BC Ferries executives said they weren’t sure why Fulford terminal didn’t appear on the website, as the plan is still active despite the ongoing challenge in property negotiations.

“If you look at our statements, the terminal development plan is supposed to be wrapping up in this fiscal year, in March,” said public affairs manager Darin Guenette, adding the physical changes to the space are slated to be done in four years or fiscal 2022-23. The next steps after the terminal development plan is finished this year are detailed design and costing, and then construction.

Terminal development plans for Crofton and Vesuvius are currently underway. Members of the public can view draft concepts and submit survey input on two options proposed for Crofton here.

For more on this story, see the Nov. 6, 2019 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

Grant Lawrence and friends share songs and stories

Elizabeth Nolan
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Grant Lawrence and friends share songs and stories

Acclaimed author, broadcaster and raconteur-extraordinaire Grant Lawrence comes to Fulford Hall Nov. 15, bringing his hit Stories and Songs show to Salt Spring.

Community members should expect a highly entertaining evening filled with true stories about outlandish coastal characters mixed with great live music.

Lawrence last appeared on the island almost exactly nine years ago for the launch of his award-winning first book about life on Desolation Sound, Adventures in Solitude. The well-attended evening at the ArtSpring gallery included songs performed by Lawrence’s wife, three-time Juno nominee Jill Barber. He has since written two more well-received books, one detailing his love of hockey and the team of Vancouver musicians he put together, and another recounting stories from the road during his two decades as frontman of The Smugglers.

The upcoming event at Fulford Hall will see Lawrence recount (with visuals) some of the stories from all three books, as well as his podcasts. The evening will resemble that 2010 launch except in a souped-up format with more content and the addition of more great musicians. In addition to Barber, the show includes Vancouver’s Ashleigh Ball (Hey Ocean!) and Salt Spring’s young folk hero Luke Wallace.

While all of his books have been popular, people can’t seem to get enough of the world first explored in Adventures in Solitude. Lawrence has gone deeper into some of the back stories of Desolation Sound characters like the Cougar Lady, Bernard the German and the Russell Island Hermit in his subsequent podcasts.

“They all came to somewhat fascinating ends. Tracing the histories of these people has been really interesting,” Lawrence said.

Kids might show up at the event wanting to hear more about the mysterious Spaghetti Bandit, who quietly helped himself to supplies at a number of Desolation Sound cabins in the off-season. Lawrence has recently been working on more stories about a woman who farmed oysters on the sound for 40 years and hosted the nude potluck that famously figures in the first book.

“I’m fascinated by what’s really happened on our coast‚ the types of people it attracts, from the early settlers to the hippies and draft dodgers to the present day,” Lawrence said. “I’ve found that wherever I go on the coast, people relate to those stories really well.”

The evening has in fact proved a hit all around the province, with previous tour dates in the southern Gulf Islands, the northern islands, the B.C. Interior and the Lower Mainland. Lawrence said it’s all been good practice for Salt Spring’s discerning community of artists, musicians and writers. Next Friday’s show starts at 7:30 p.m, concludes at 9:30 and includes an intermission.

The evening is presented by Salt Spring Books, with partial proceeds going to the Salt Spring Gymnastics Association.

The show is also at the south Galiano Community Hall on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

For more on this story, see the Nov. 6, 2019 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

Pender podcaster interviews locals for stories

Gail Sjuberg
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Pender podcaster interviews locals for stories

Ever wonder what the people in your community did before they came here? One Pender Island man is looking to find out.

In January 2019, Chris Wakaluk started asking people on Pender Island for the stories of their lives before coming to Pender. The project, a podcast called The Stories that Brought You Here, started as a creative outlet for Wakaluk, and turned into a way to document and get to know the interesting stories behind the people who call Pender Island home.

“We don’t really know much about people’s experiences before moving here,” Wakaluk said. “The goal is to find out why they were driven to come to the island and what they were doing before they got here.”

Since he started, Wakaluk has spoken to 35 Penderites and is looking to expand his podcast into the future. His conversations have two grounding questions: What did you do before coming to Pender? And who on the island has helped you? Aside from that, the conversations vary widely from person to person. To Wakaluk, the podcast has been a great way to showcase how helpful the people on Pender are to each other.

“It has been really amazing to hear through 35 of these that one person after another has been helped by so many people,” he said. “Often they don’t even know where to start. I’ll attempt to get them to name a few people who have really stood out to them, but it has really been fascinating to hear that this island is a really supportive place.”

Wakaluk chose podcasting because it lends itself nicely to the kinds of stories he wants to tell. He releases a new episode roughly every two weeks, and that episodic format allows him to reach out to someone, interview them, edit and produce the episodes, as well as work at a full-time job. Each podcast takes roughly 10 hours to complete, and having the two-week schedule allows him to take the time to create something worthwhile.

“Podcasting was the best way to go about doing this, because the technology is available to bring it to a wider audience,” he said. “If I had attempted this 15 years ago without the medium of podcasting being as widespread as it is now, I don’t think it would have worked.”

The Stories that Brought You Here is available online at https://thestoriesthatbroughtyouhere.podbean.com/.

For more on this story, see the Nov. 6, 2019 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

GISS boys win big at tourneys

Gail Sjuberg
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GISS boys win big at tourneys

Two local junior boys volleyball teams competed in the mid-island championship tournament held at Gulf Islands Secondary School last Tuesday.

The A team won the tournament, with six match wins and zero losses. They will be advancing to the island championships held this weekend at the high school. The B team also did well, as the young squad netted their first ever win against Queen of Angels School.

This was the first playoff tournament for the teams, and both showed significant improvement over the beginning of the season.

“Many of the ‘B’ team players hadn’t played volleyball at all before last month, and some hadn’t really played organized team sports before,” said coach Doug Clayton. “Great progress overall.”

“As they started as complete rookies, it’s pretty exciting to see them starting to play better and better volleyball,” he added.

The B team’s win was a big step forward for the boys. They have had close games in the past, including some where they scored over 20 points.

“The boys were jubilant, and understandably so,” Clayton said. “Finally coming out on top was a massive group accomplishment.”

The win also primed the boys for next season, since players from the B team will be moving up to the Junior A team. Clayton explained that Queen of Angels is one of GISS’ biggest rivals and the win will inspire the local boys to improve even more for next season.

Based on their performance at the tournament, the A team is poised to do well in this week’s island championships tournament where they will be competing against teams from across the island region. The winner of the competition will advance to provincials in Kamloops later in November. 

“That will be very good volleyball,” said A-team coach Kellie Booth. “It will be very exciting because the teams will be much more closely matched. It should be some good ball.”

This year, GISS was able to put in two junior teams because of a large class advancing from the middle school. Booth explained that having that many boys playing will be a “very positive thing going forward for the program.”

“These kids have really shone. Volleyball, because you’re in such a small space and it’s a fairly complex sport, you have to work together. It’s the epitome of a team sport . . . It’s not like other sports where one player can take the ball to the other end and score. That can’t happen in volleyball,” she added. “I’m just so pleased and proud of them all.”

The A team will be competing this Friday at 1:45, 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday game times are to be determined.

Viewpoint: Takers must start to care

Contributed Article
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Viewpoint: Takers must start to care

By N. Kidson

I am temporarily nesting in a small, simple cabin over the winter months. It overlooks a green, dreamy lake mirrored in magnificence by a thick array of trees standing tall and proud. Each morning, flocks of vocal feathered friends and I greet our connection to all this splendour.  This particular morning would be so profoundly different for me, a personal revelation or yet another humble conduit for the earth’s urgent message? 

It began with a glimpse of a delicate, golden leaf spiralling down in its dance to the ground. This very ordinary sight would yield the deeply unsettling reminder that unlike the leaf who in its “aliveness” gives us breath and in its “death” gives enrichment, sadly humanity only offers up our dance of destruction. We are the takers.

We take the soil, digging, extracting and contaminating. We take the water resources of lakes, streams and rivers and destroy their precious purpose of sustaining all life. We bulldoze paradise and replace it with arteries of highways, sterile big-box stores, half-empty parking lots and vast swaths of suburbia filled with larger-than-necessary houses filled with our plastic possessions.

We take over the oceans of glorious undersea gardens housing majestic creatures of the deep and fill them with toxic dead zones of our waste while endless cargo ships, floating hotels and large fishing fleets leave depletion and destruction in their wake.  We take over the skies with invisible highways choked with airplanes, belching smoke stacks and faded blue. We take over mountains, disturbing their pure and silent majesty with year-round playgrounds for our noisy, self-indulgent amusement. We take the magic out of the changing seasons with our incessant whining of dissatisfaction. We want, we want, “designer” weather days of 24 degrees, all sunshine, no humidity with only a pinch of a breeze while we roast our skin to perfection lazing on pollution-riddled beaches. We take over farmlands and gardens with pesticides in shiny containers with warning labels silencing the voices and the giving of birds and insects vital to our very survival. We take over invisible airways saturating them with radioactive “umbilical cords” feeding our addictions to high-tech “toys” to soothe the disconnect from our selves and our natural surroundings, all the while hidden dystopias of hazardous waste poison the planet while we stand in long line-ups waiting for next year’s models to arrive from “Toyland.”

We take over invisible borders of our making with arsenals of death taking lives, livelihoods and resources in our ongoing futile and pathetic quest for imagined power, glory, domination and control. All our taking has resulted in the very frightening reality of climate change due to our disrespectful, ignorant and reckless interference in nature’s wisdom and mystery. Now, we must confront the veiled, artificial existences we have so erroneously embraced for too long and replace them with ones of gratitude, simplicity and grace. We must take heed of the responsible stewardship of ancient civilizations who took but always gave back.

While the sounds of the ice drip and the song of the canary pierce the madness of our making, we must hurry now and quickly learn the giving dance of the golden leaf. We must become CARE-takers of our Mother Earth once again before the safe and comforting warmth and sound of her lullaby grows too weak for us to hear.

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