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Young adults fired up for learning on island

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Young adults fired up for learning on island

By Mitchell Sherrin

Driftwood Contributor

Salt Spring Island is now hosting a first-of-its-kind firefighting training program for high-school and college students.

“We are very excited to partner with Pender Island Fire Rescue and the Gulf Islands School District on this innovative project,” said Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue Fire Chief Arjuna George.

The Gulf Island Fire Cadet Program allows students to learn firefighting skills while collecting high-school credits, college credits and a valuable trade — all while serving the community, George noted.

“I was stunned being invited to the program because there was never any course like this in the province before, leaving me little hope of achieving my dreams of becoming a firefighter,” said fire cadet James Tromp.

Tromp commutes from Victoria each Friday for classes that run from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

“The program can be quite difficult to schedule around especially being in my senior year of high school, but it’s definitely worth the early mornings to have such a good time,” Tromp said.

The new GIFCP is much like successful apprenticeship programs with carpentry and culinary students that have been running for years at Gulf Islands Secondary School.

“Gulf Islands, Saanich and Victoria all have partnership agreements with College of the Rockies, so that this program is available to students tuition-free,” said Maggie Allison, Gulf Islands School District manager of Career Development and Community Initiatives

By the end of their studies, fire cadets will receive 360 hours of firefighting instruction, 16 high-school credits, COTR university credits and international trades certification that meets firefighting standards set by the National Fire Protection Association, said SSIFR Assistant Chief Jamie Holmes.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Holmes. “I wish it was around when I was in high school.”

Apart from $500 for textbooks and certification fees, the full program has no additional costs to students, said Holmes. COTR normally charges over $14,000 for its certified fire-training academy.

The local fire cadet program is the only one of its kind in B.C., confirmed COTR fire and compliance administrator Wendy Moore.

Each of the cadets has previously participated in the Gulf Islands Fire Cadet Camp, which runs during the spring break on Pender Island every other year.

“When I was at the camp, they asked all the cadets if they wanted to continue and I said ‘yes.’ A lot of other kids did too,” said fire cadet and GISS student Wyatt Sawchuk. “So my school’s [career] counsellor and SSIFR worked together to create a dual-credit course, and they offered it to everyone that did the cadet camp on Pender Island.”

He’s attending the program along with his sister Cheyenne.

And it’s noteworthy that there is equal gender parity within the 10 fire cadets, when women have been underrepresented historically within the firefighting profession.

“It’s a great opportunity for high school students to get involved and learn about different career paths with firefighting, or first-response careers,” said fire cadet Ella Baker.

Students from the area will  attend classes every Friday until June. Baker is among two fire-camp graduates who have gone on to university and enrolled in the cadet program.

“Being in university it is a lot of extra work, but this is something I’m really interested in, and I know it’s worth it,” said Baker.

She was born and raised on Salt Spring Island but moved to Victoria to attend university.

“I rearranged my schedule for university to make sure I don’t have any classes on Fridays.”

Most of the program participants hope to obtain a career in the emergency-response field once they complete their training. Consequently, local fire cadets like Baker could be the face of the future among regional departments.

“When I’m done the course in June, I would like to start looking for a paid-on-call position and see where that takes me.”

The writer is a lieutenant and fire-prevention officer for SSIFR.

Road resurfacing in the works

Elizabeth Nolan
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Road resurfacing in the works

Pedestrian and cycling infrastructure could be coming to Ganges Hill with new possibilities opened by a resurfacing project on Fulford-Ganges Road.

The Salt Spring Transportation Commission approved a concept for the stretch of road between Seaview and Beddis roads at their Sept. 30 business meeting. The concept will be forwarded to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to consider, with the intention that a commission-led pathway project would take place in tandem with MoTI’s resurfacing project in 2020. The ministry has not yet specified how much of Fulford-Ganges Road will be resurfaced.

“The way I see it, we have a major opportunity that’s presenting itself in front of us,” said Allen Xu, who is the Capital Regional District’s new engineering manager for Salt Spring. “We all know there are community concerns about safety and about pedestrians and cyclists sharing the roadway.”

Xu and senior CRD administrator Karla Campbell had met with MoTI staff the previous week to discuss the timeline and prospects for partnership. The ministry plans to go to tender next spring and start work by the summer.

“We really need to make a decision and act fairly quickly so we can jump on their bandwagon,” Xu said, outlining project savings from sharing the costs of an asphalt pour and equipment mobilization/demobilization among the benefits.

The commission voted to recommend a design that would include widened shoulders with paved cycling lanes on each side of the road, and a multi-use pathway on the west or “uphill” side of the road. The recommendation also calls for the bike lanes to be at least 1.2 metres in width, as well as improvements at the intersection with Beddis and Drake roads, a bus stop improvement at the base of Ganges Hill, and bus landing strips along Fulford-Ganges Road at the intersection with Cusheon Lake and Blackburn roads.

Under the agreed partnership, MoTI would be responsible for all the design and cost estimates. The CRD would contribute the costs of non-roadway improvements.

The approved concept is based on one of the options laid out by consultants JE Anderson in 2013, in a study produced for CRD Regional Parks and the local transportation commission. The rough cost estimate at the time put the price of that option at $2.35 million.

Speaking after the meeting, CRD director Gary Holman said he would be very surprised if the price hadn’t gone up since then, although some new aspects should see savings. The original concept called for a sidewalk, for example. The commission has changed that to be a multi-use pathway.

“If the pathway is packed gravel, that should shave off some dollars,” Holman said.

As well, an earlier plan for the bus stop had placed it in front of Embe Bakery, which would have required considerable construction work. Fellow commissioners agreed with member Myna Lee Johnstone, who said the bus stop would be better placed on the block north of Seaview Avenue.

Holman commended MoTI and its outgoing regional manager for committing to the Fulford-Ganges resurfacing project as its top priority for Salt Spring. The project was  first raised by the province as part of the island’s incorporation offer.

“They’re living up to that even though the incorporation initiative failed, so kudos to MoTI and Ryan Evanoff, who continued to advocate for it,” Holman said.

The ministry will now consider the SSITC recommendation and may come back with some adjustments or different ideas for the final project. The local contribution will then be calculated. Holman said another potential source of funding is Bike BC, whom he made contact with at the recent Union of B.C. Municipalities convention.

The next priority for the commission is completing North Ganges Transportation Plan improvements on Lower Ganges and Rainbow roads. The CRD is just waiting for a Heritage Alteration Permit from the BC Archeology Branch. The first phase of a project called Ganges Pedestrian Plan has been identified as the third immediate priority.

For more on this story, see the Oct. 9, 2019 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

Renowned pollster sees minority government

Gail Sjuberg
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Renowned pollster sees minority government

A Salt Spring Forum audience had access to the man whose name is synonymous with polling in Canada at an event at ArtSpring on Saturday night.

Angus Reid’s prediction for the Oct. 21 election? A minority government of one hue or another, with a Liberal-NDP-Green coalition a not unlikely scenario.

Reid said the Conservatives could get the highest popular vote, but that many of those votes are “wasted” due to their concentration in areas like Alberta and Saskatchewan. However, he said no matter how he “spins the numbers,” he doesn’t see a clear path for either the Conservatives or the Liberals to win a majority government.

And if the Conservatives have the most seats but not the 170 required for a majority, Reid asked, “Who is going to support [leader Andrew Scheer]? The Bloc Quebecois?”

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has stated unequivocally that his party would not form a coalition with the Conservatives.

Reid pointed out that a high turn-out of voters under the age of 35 is what gave the Liberal party and leader Justin Trudeau their majority government in 2015. Some 64 per cent of eligible-to-vote young people went to the polls in 2015, as opposed to only 50 per cent in 2011. He said it seems unlikely the under-35 crowd will support the Liberals to the same level this time.

“Turn-out, at the end of the day, is going to be what determines this election.”

Responding to an audience member’s statement that people’s support for certain parties tends to be immovable, Reid said that about 50 per cent of Canadians say they haven’t yet made up their mind about which way they will vote on Oct. 21. Conservative party support is much more solid, he said, with more movement across Liberal-NDP-Green lines.

“The only thing that’s interesting in this election . . . is the turnout rate for the under-35 voters and what’s going to happen with the Greens and the NDP,” he concluded.

He observed that Canadian society is “totally divided” these days. Canadians over the age of 55 — and especially males — and the under-35 Millennials having diametrically opposed world views.

“I am appalled and dumbstruck by how divided we are . . . .” he said.

Reid was critical of present-day election coverage, noting that the collapse of the mass media as his generation has known it has resulted in far less in-depth investigation of issues, and too much time spent on peripheral matters.

Prompted by the audience, he agreed that while climate change is consistently in the #1 or #2 slot of Canadians’ concerns, the parties are generally having difficulty articulating their positions on it.

“There is no consensus on the route to follow.”

Acknowledging the riding he was speaking in, Reid noted that Elizabeth May is “the most popular politician in this country right now,” adding that it “isn’t saying a lot” due to the general unpopularity of politicians.

“We really do have a leadership crisis in this country,” he said. “One of the real issues with that is that we have a tradition that our prime minister must be bilingual.”

That excludes between 80 and 85 per cent of Canadians from vying for the job.

For more on this story, see the Oct. 9, 2019 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

Jensen and Norgard at KiZmit

Elizabeth Nolan
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Jensen and Norgard at KiZmit

As Salt Spring National Art Prize month continues with associated exhibitions at Mahon Hall, ArtSpring and the Salt Spring Gallery, other venues around the island are also taking the opportunity to showcase exciting new work.

A show that opened at KiZmit on Friday demonstrates the exciting possibilities when experienced artists explore ideas. The exhibit features new techniques by Gabrielle Jensen and LeeAnn Norgard.

Jensen explained that when she was invited by cafe/gallery owner Carola Heydemann to have a show at KiZmit and to choose her co-exhibitor, she immediately picked Norgard.

“We didn’t even really know what paths the other was on. I just knew that I could trust the work and harmony between the two of us,” Jensen said. “And then when LeeAnn came to see me about what I was working on it was like, ‘Oh my god, we’re doing the same stuff’ — sort of additive and subtractive, tonal and muted palette. So the harmony was already there.”

Jensen’s new work involves both black and white and colour on treated mylar. The substrate has a natural resistance to the ink medium she’s using, which she layers on and takes off in sections with a brush. In her colour pieces, she works pastel pigment into the medium. Sanding the surface helps dictate how the ink will take and in turn informs the human figures depicted, which Jensen intuitively teases out, rather than having an image in mind that she imposes on the space.

The figures are naturally elongated because of the technique. They are also a little bit ghostly, emerging from a nebulous background in a way that draws the viewer in to learn more about these evocative characters.

Norgard has also been working in the mode of adding and subtracting elements to her ceramic works, some of which blur the boundary between sculpture and functional ware and some of which are purely decorative. She has been exploring a new direction with wheel-based forms since contributing some wall-hanging pieces to the Salt Spring Arts Council’s Easter Art Show last spring.

“Since doing that I realized I can really do a little more hand-building and add a little flare at the end, and really get creative with the texture of the additions,” Norgard said.

Norgard finds deep inspiration in natural forms. In recent years the amazing structures of different microscopic diatoms have influenced her designs; now she is returning to an earlier inspiration, the equally varied seed pods of trees and flowering plants.

“I realized I wanted to dive back in with the knowledge of how to add in bits and pieces and just be a bit more creative with the hand-building. So that’s been a lot of fun,” Norgard said.

This includes carving, altering and hand-forming elements, and creating more variation in line to make the shapes more organic. For example, a wheel-thrown mug is carved with wavy vertical lines to evoke the seed pod, with the mug’s lip slightly fluted and crimped. The soft green-toned vessel is snugged into a fitted chocolate brown saucer shaped like a ruff of sepals. Norgard’s use of spray glaze creates layered tones that add to the work’s organic quality — and provides natural continuity with Jensen’s current direction.

Youth voting encouraged

Elizabeth Nolan
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Youth voting encouraged

A new social media campaign based on Salt Spring aims to get Canada’s young people to take action on the most pressing issue of their time.

Simply Green: Mission Possible was launched on Instagram last month by two people with little-to-no experience with the social media platform. Andrew Haigh and Amy Haysom come from different generations and though both are parents, their respective children are also quite far apart in age. What unites them is an overriding concern about the planet’s future and the desire to get millennials inspired to make political change, primarily through exercising their democratic rights in the federal election this month.

“As somebody who has avoided social media like the plague it was a big step,” Haigh conceded. “But I felt the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report and science projections are so dire that we just can’t do nothing anymore. We wanted to get more young people out to vote because they tend to be more environmental, but not very good at voting.”

Haysom is a more advanced social media user, being well-versed in Facebook, but said she is also learning when it comes to using Instagram more effectively. She intuitively felt the way to get more millennials voting would be to create something that went “viral.” The team has been hoping to find the answer by adding to their story with original content and creating short videos with all sorts of people. Haigh’s 16-year-old daughter Chloe, Salt Spring’s Raging Grannies, First Nations elders and Massey lecturer Ron Wright have appeared so far. Haigh and Haysom also share other people’s posts and memes for a mix of climate-related facts, pleas and humour.

“We’ve included some fun, practical things people can do  themselves in daily life, not just broader political policy,” Haysom explained. “I think people are spending less and less time on things. They might not read a full article, but here are some readable ideas presented in a user-friendly way.”

Although the campaign is nonpartisan, Haigh and Haysom are asking people to make climate change their top priority when making their choice at the ballot box. Their hope is that youth will receive their message and send it outwards as far as possible by sharing it with others.

Haigh said he understands why many younger people are not getting to the polls, as he himself didn’t vote for a long time as a young person.

“But with things as desperate as they are, people need to get out and do it,” he said. “As Ronald Wright says in our video, we really can’t wait four more years. That’s just too many political games played.”

As for Haysom, she feels that millennials have been activated during the past month by young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who helped bring 500,000 people to a climate strike in Montreal when she visited that city on Sept. 27. She said now it’s time to keep that momentum going, and that means the Instagram campaign will have work to do beyond the 2019 election.

Simply Green: Mission Possible is launching a contest that invites youth to submit their own videos, and is looking for more active participation and celebrity interviews.

“We’re sparking the conversation and giving that daily nudge: the conversation is still important,” Haysom said.

Viewpoint: The case for a Green vote

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Viewpoint: The case for a Green vote

BY JAN SLAKOV

Why are people saying we don’t have years, just months, to make the shift towards a net zero carbon future? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made it clear that globally we need to halve emissions by 2030 to have any hope of preventing heating from surpassing 1.5°C. Obviously, to reach such a goal in 10 years requires making changes, ideally yesterday, so now.

Why did Elizabeth May get into politics? Convinced that “without fully functioning democracies, we could not escape the worst outcomes of global warming,” she felt called to work for change from within.

What to make of Elizabeth’s statement that, in a minority situation, she would only support a government that was committed to meet or exceed science-based requirements? This can sound extreme. But when we consider the drastic changes Canada and other nations made to fight fascism during WWII, when we consider what the future holds if humanity fails to make the dramatic changes that are still possible, well, “extreme” is the new normal, eh?

Left or right? In today’s context, these terms are not generally helpful. Which party is truly more “business-friendly,” a Conservative party that works with industry lobbyists to weaken environmental protections, or the Greens, whose leader has a bill requiring any new legislation to be vetted to ensure it supports a healthy small business sector?

Which party is more fiscally responsible: The Greens, who have an ambitious, fully costed platform aiming to balance the budget by 2024 and to make a fair transition to a low-carbon economy, with funding for respecting Indigenous rights, pharmacare, free tuition, conservation measures, or parties which, in government, spend money challenging legal rulings requiring them to compensate victims of discrimination, which subsidize oil and gas at the rate of over $1,000 per person per year?

Which parties care more about freedom and democracy? Ones that tell their MPs how to vote or that have a history of cheating in elections, or one whose leader wrote a book on the “crisis in Canadian democracy,” showing how everything from electoral reform to reforms in media, policing and parliamentary respect are needed to strengthen democracy?

In the struggle for a livable future, we are up against inertia. One form of inertia leads people to assume that Conservatives are better fiscal stewards. How many people know that the two prime ministers who contributed the most to Canada’s 2017-2018 debt were Mulroney and Harper, or that if the Conservatives had had their way with bank deregulation, Canada would have had a much rougher ride through the 2008 recession?

The world has more than doubled the amount of heat trapping gases in the atmosphere since politicians and oil companies knew about the physics of global heating. It takes decades to feel the full effect of that pollution. Elizabeth May is not the only Green leader who nearly gave up after stinging political defeat. Thankfully, she, Peter Bevan-Baker and others are in it for the long haul.

What about us? It’s time to stop voting for the same old, same old. We need MPs who are not “in it for you” but, as Elizabeth put it, in it “for justice, for peace and for a planet that can survive with a civilization that thrives.”

Editorial: Civic duty

Driftwood Staff
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Editorial: Civic duty

The 2019 federal election campaign is more than half over, with voting day set for Monday, Oct. 21.

For those who already know how they are voting, advance polls run this long weekend: from Friday, Oct. 11 through Monday, Oct. 14, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Salt Spring polls will open at Fernwood and  GISS.

Angus Reid, who has a long career in the polling and research business and now heads the non-profit Angus Reid Institute, was on the island last weekend as a Salt Spring Forum speaker. Except for how the Greens and NDP will fare, and the turnout rate among voters aged 35 and under, he summarized the election campaign as not too interesting. He said it is also disappointingly preoccupied with side issues of “character” rather than topics of real concern to Canadians, like climate change, health care and housing. We have to agree. Political parties seem to know that people are more likely to be moved by negative feelings to vote against a candidate rather than for a party and its plans for governing. 

Reid decried the loss of a stable mass media with adequate resources to do public interest polling, in-depth reporting and meaningful election coverage. He cited “bad polling” as contributing to the Brexit referendum and Donald Trump outcomes.

Reid noted that in the past, everyone who was politically engaged would read the same materials or watch the same TV documentary and weigh in on the information presented. Today, many news sources are suspect, so-called “fake news” is rampant and misinformation can spread like wildfire.

Even the much-touted television debates — and there was only one English-language debate this time — no longer attract a big audience.

Coincidentally, Oct. 6 to 12 is National Newspaper Week, intended to highlight the importance of newspapers in a democracy with #NewspapersMatter and #NowMoreThanEver hashtags. Now more than ever, support for newspapers and traditional media sources without an axe to grind is critical for informed decision-making and protecting the integrity of our democracy.

Also important is a chance to see local candidates and learn more about their party’s platforms. That opportunity comes our way next Wednesday at 3 p.m. when the Salt Spring Forum hosts the all-candidates debate in the gym at Gulf Islands Secondary School.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to take time to make an informed decision when it comes to voting.

BRAIDEN, Bert

Creative
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BRAIDEN, Bert

Bert Braiden

On September 25, 2019, Bert Braiden of Edmonton passed away at the age of 94 years. Bert is survived by two daughters Lorna (Ken) and Diane (Dan); two sons Jim and Ross (Tracey); daughter-in-law Shelley; ten grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; sister Sheila; and sister-in-law Anja. Predeceased by wife Mary Ellen; brother Andy, Jim and Bill; and sister Clara Mae. Cremation in Park Memorial Crematorium. Private family service at a later date.Photos, memories and condolences may be shared through www.parkmemorial.com

Grandpa was born on April 4th, 1925 in Northern Ireland. He came to Canada as a baby and settled with his parents in Sedgewick, Alberta, a small hamlet southeast of Edmonton. He was the oldest of six children and he first left home at age 14 to work in the local creamery. He joined the navy when he was 18 and, when he was 19 years old, he took part in D-Day, navigating the ship to the beaches of Normandy. After the war, he found his way to Yellowknife, where he worked in the gold mines. He met my grandmother, Edna Braiden, in Edmonton around this time. Together they raised four children while Grandpa was also tending to his business, Braidnor Construction. Grandpa and Grandma then moved to Tofino, B.C., where they played an important role in the development of the Pacific Rim Campground and the area around Cox Bay. In their later years, Grandma and Grandpa divided their time between Edmonton and Borrego Springs,

California. In addition to his 4 children, Grandpa had 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. He was a very generous man and lent to his support to all sorts of charitable causes, both in Edmonton and abroad (I am thinking of all of the ‘foster’ children he had in places like Guatemala and Nicaragua).

I loved my grandfather very much and I was blessed to have him in my life. His favourite poem at the end of his life was the Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear (1871). We read it over and over again– “they danced by light of the moon, the moon… they danced by the light of the moon”

HIGNELL, George Henry

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HIGNELL, George Henry

George Henry Hignell

October 3, 1938 – October 2, 2019

We sadly announce the peaceful passing of our dear George.

He lived his life to the fullest joy on his terms with authenticity, generosity and unending love.

He will be dearly missed by his wife Ann; son Ken, wife Lisa, grandsons Kevin and David; son James, wife Patty, grandson Jason, Natalie; grandson Connor, wife Chantal with nearly delivered great granddaughter Veronica; daughter Catherine, husband Simon, with grandsons Matthew, and Harrison and granddaughter Hannah. Further, very much part of his life were Ann’s daughters Linda, husband Roger, granddaughter Katie and grandson Ryan, Danna with granddaughter Leah and grandson Graham.

We would give our sincere thanks to Dr. David Butcher for his kind care and to all the home support and nursing staff who took such kind care of all of us.

An “At Home Celebration” will be held, Saturday October 12, 2019, 2:00-4:00pm at 2082 – 135 Brinkworthy Rd. Salt Spring Island, V8K 1A2

PARC agrees to take on meadow

Gail Sjuberg
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PARC agrees to take on meadow

The meadow owned by the Salt Spring Island United Church will be operated and maintained by the Capital Regional District Parks and Recreation Commission, after PARC voted to enter in a licence of occupation for the property and to maintain it as a community park.

According to the staff report presented to the commission, “in recent years the meadow has increasingly become a place where people are openly drinking, smoking and conducting themselves outside of the Salt Spring United Church’s intended use” and that despite signage and following other recommendations presented by the RCMP, these activities have continued and have forced SSUC to either close the meadow to the public or provide additional enforcement.

On June 19, the United Church sent a letter to the CRD, asking them to enter in a licence of occupation for the space, which would allow the district to use and enforce CRD park bylaws.

The occupation will be similar to one governing Drummond Park. In 1996, the CRD entered into an agreement with the Fulford Community Association to maintain and operate that park.

As part of their request, the church has asked to be able to continue holding community events in the space. Some events have already been scheduled, including an Indigenous arts and crafts market, a car boot sale and an annual Sunday service in the meadow.

The creek crosses the property from the north west corner to the south east corner. The letter says that the creek acts as a natural divider, with the churchyard being on the east side of the property, and the “park-like meadow” on the west side. Initially, the request was that the CRD provide bylaw enforcement for all parts of the United Church property excluding the building itself. In their letter, the church stated that they would be responsible for maintenance and upkeep north of the creek, and that PARC would cover maintenance to the south.

“I think the church should take responsibility for the fact that they have some nooks and crannies and areas that . . . I wouldn’t want bylaw enforcement officers to go into at night,” said commissioner John Gauld. “I think that it may be worthwhile considering that we just go into a licence of occupation on one side of the creek.”

“My sense of this is that there’s a benefit hidden in having the area that functionally is a park be managed and maintained as a park by PARC. That’s a separate issue than enforcement and bylaws. However, the two come together and I think that’s good,” commissioner Brian Webster added. “In the letter they’re asking for all of the outside area, other than the footprint of the building to be PARC, and I’m not sure we necessarily want to go to a place like that.”

The commission asked to amend the motion to include only the lands located west of the creek on the property.

Total costs of the new park will be $9,470, which takes all legal, signage, maintenance and bylaw enforcement costs into account. Funding for bylaw enforcement has been added as a supplementary item to the community parks budget, and potential offset could come from increased park booking revenue next year.

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