Home Blog Page 44

Hundreds registered short-term rentals

Robb Magley
-
0
Hundreds registered short-term rentals

Early data has started to trickle in on short-term rental (STR) properties, as owners and operators have been complying with B.C. legislation requiring they sign up with a provincial registry.

And while a full tally of the vacation rental market in the Gulf Islands likely remains incomplete, Islands Trust officials are slowly getting a better understanding of those operators who have opted to play by the B.C. government’s new rules — at least to some extent, according to bylaw compliance and enforcement manager Warren Dingman, who prepared a briefing for an upcoming Trust Council meeting.

Delays with updating registry data are likely understating numbers, according to briefing documents shared with the Trust’s Executive Committee Wednesday, Sept. 3, and many of the 667 listings that appear have yet to report any nights where guests stayed in July — or in previous months, according to the briefing — meaning those properties will not be listed in the data portal as “active.” 

But despite just 18 of Salt Spring’s 226 registered STRs considered active, islanders can be assured there were more than 18 properties rented in the month of July. Dingman noted many of the property listings can be found on sites like AirBnB, with calendars indicating the accommodations could be — and likely have been — booked.

Salt Spring had the most individual platform listings, followed by Pender Island with 124, Hornby with 98, Galiano with 61 and Gabriola with 55. Mayne Island had 51 and Denman 33, leaving the remainder of islands (excluding Bowen Island, which reports separately) in single digits. 

The total number of registered properties exceeded the number of host names and addresses, most notably on Salt Spring, where 172 names were linked to those 226 properties, and on Pender Island, with 86 names for those 124. That could result from multiple units on a single property, or multiple properties from a single owner — the latter of which will be unlawful on Salt Spring starting Nov. 1, as that island’s Local Trust Committee (LTC) this year opted into Bill 35’s principal residency requirement.

Bill 35 was passed to discourage residential housing from being used for tourist accommodation purposes, according to the province, and contained an opportunity for individual island LTCs to opt into a requirement that rental operators live on the property being rented.

At the time the briefing was prepared in late August, just 22 properties across the Islands Trust area have been taken down for having an invalid provincial registration. Dingman told trustees last week that the data portal presented some challenges for bylaw staff, because since the Islands Trust does not issue business licences, the portal does not allow staff to send notices of non-compliance or takedown requests.

“[And] even though we do not issue business licences, 36 operators report having such licences by providing a variety of numbers,” according to the briefing, “including the Data Portal Registry number, PIDs, PST numbers, or other numbers that I have been unable to identify.”

Some of the operators are listing these numbers as business licences on their platforms, according to Dingman, who characterized the problem mostly as an inconvenience.

“It’s just that within the data registry portal itself, the buttons that are there to send takedown notices are only available to those jurisdictions that issue business licences,” Dingman told trustees Sept. 3. “I don’t see why they can’t change that, and we can certainly send that feedback to the ministry.”

In the meantime, he said, when issues of non-compliance are found, those would simply be forwarded to the provincial short-term rental enforcement unit.

The briefing also summarized the number and type of bylaw enforcement files so far this quarter — from July 1 through Aug. 20. Across the Islands Trust there were 648 open files, with the largest number of them (165) related to STRs. Of those 165, 85 were on Salt Spring Island, with all other islands having fewer than 20 — most in single digits. 

Trustees weigh in-person council meetings

Robb Magley
-
0
Trustees weigh in-person council meetings

The Islands Trust’s Executive Committee (EC) has advanced its requests for next year’s budget, and as usual the biggest line item from them — reflecting what is arguably that committee’s most significant responsibility — surrounds holding the quarterly Trust Council meetings.

Those meetings bring together trustees from across the Trust Area every three months for decision-making, and the draft budget — for the moment — has set aside $135,000 in funding for four in-person meetings. 

That’s essentially the same as last year’s spending of $127,906 but adjusted for inflation, according to chief administrative officer Rueben Bronee, who presented budget items for the EC’s endorsement Wednesday, Sept. 3. 

But in an election year like 2026, the onboarding of newly elected trustees typically includes a fifth meeting — and without budget for it, staff recommended trustees consider holding one of those meetings virtually. Since returning to face-to-face gatherings after pandemic restrictions waned, the Trust Council has resisted shifting any of its quarterly meetings online, but budget pressures may bring the issue back to the table.

“If we were to increase [the budget] to accommodate five in-person meetings, we’d be looking at adding potentially $30,000,” said Bronee. 

“We’re making the recommendation conscious of some of the feedback we heard in the pre-budget survey as well — some strong perspective was shared on that particular budget item.”

That springtime survey had found just 18.5 per cent of respondent residents supportive of all four quarterly Trust Council meetings being held face-to-face, with more than half preferring one or two in-person meetings be held with the rest online. With accommodation, catering, meals and travel expenses, bringing the council together for an in-person meeting is expected to cost roughly $33,750 for each event— or more than $11,000 per day for a typical three-day gathering.

That number stands in contrast to that for a typical virtual meeting, which came in at around $900, according to a staff analysis presented to the Financial Planning Committee (FPC) last year.

Salt Spring Island trustee and Trust Council chair Laura Patrick mused that the rising costs of in-person meetings might present an opportunity to examine whether the meetings themselves were still being held in a way that served their purpose. The current format, Patrick noted, has been in place for decades — “four three-day meetings throughout the year,” she said — and there had been some discussion about holding monthly Committee of the Whole meetings for receiving informational reports and holding the full Trust Council meetings for more structured decision-making.

“I think from a workload perspective, for future trustees, there’s value,” said Patrick. 

“This is the time to start thinking: could we do things differently? How might that look? And what might that cost?”

Bronee said while a more detailed look at costs would be necessary to offer substantive recommendations, he felt from a budget perspective a shift in how council meetings’ workload is managed “wouldn’t necessarily” reduce staff time, although reducing the number of days in each meeting might — and shifting some number of meetings online certainly would.

“There’s a variety of permutations we can explore,” said Bronee. 

The EC ultimately left the budget number of $135,000 in place, forwarding it along with the rest of its budget requests to the FPC — meaning if it stands, at least one meeting next year will be held virtually. The FPC has twice — albeit not unanimously — sent along recommendations that the Trust Council shift some meetings online as a cost-saving measure.

“This will be debated,” said Patrick. “There will be strong feelings.”

In addition to the request for Trust Council meeting funding, other requests from EC for the draft 2026/27 budget included $50,000 for implementing a Reconciliation Action Plan, still in development; $47,600 for public communications; $40,000 for travel costs for EC members chairing local trust committees; $15,000 for attendance at UBCM and AVICC conventions; $20,000 for new trustee training and potential leadership conferences; and $15,000 each for furthering the Policy Statement Amendment Project and the EC’s sponsorship of some land use applications.

This story has been updated since publication to note a reduction in budget request for UBCM/AVICC attendence from $29,200 to $15,000.

Editorial: Proud of our Pride

Driftwood Staff
-
0
Editorial: Proud of our Pride

Two decades have passed since Salt Spring Island held its first Pride celebration. 

Reading newly gathered remembrances from the 2005 event, thanks to former Salt Spring Islander Deirdre Rowland and John Dolman of TJ Beans, and Driftwood coverage from that time reminds us what a big deal it was for the island’s gay and lesbian community to “step out” in a formal way.

Same-sex marriage had become legal in Canada just two months earlier through the Civil Marriage Act, following a contentious public debate. Posters advertising the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at Gulf Islands Secondary School had been torn down almost immediately when the group was established the year before. Bill Turner, the GSA teacher rep at the time, and a board member of Gays and Lesbians of Salt Spring Island (GLOSSI), said at the first Pride’s powerful panel discussion that “homophobia is alive and well and living on Salt Spring Island, as well as the rest of the world.” 

When it comes to 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, much has changed for the better in Canada and parts of the world since 2005, but the converse is also true. Same-sex marriage is only legal in 38 of 195 countries in the world, it is still illegal to be an LGBTQ person in approximately 65 countries, and the pressure from some socially conservative groups and politicians to limit or roll back rights in numerous jurisdictions, including Canada, seems relentless. 

In their 2025 Pride message on page 7 of this paper, the board members of Diverse and Inclusive Salt Spring Island (formerly known as GLOSSI) articulate this moment well: “With social conservatism and authoritarianism on the rise again, it is a call to action: now is the time to gather, know our neighbours and pledge to support one another, come what may.”

Islanders of all gender identities have come to embrace the annual Pride celebration, particularly through watching or walking in the parade, but by participating in other events too. It shifted to a mid-summer affair for a couple of years, but has returned to its September origins for 2025.

This year, more than ever, it’s important to express support for the rights of people of all genders on Salt Spring and around the world; to celebrate love and diversity and — because it’s Salt Spring — have a ton of fun at the same time. 

Letters: Sept. 10, 2025

Contributed Article
-
0
Letters: Sept. 10, 2025

Emphasis on care, respect and renewal

My name is Becky Pilon, and I am the spa manager at Lightwater Cove. I am also a proud member of the Michipicoten First Nation. I am writing in response to last week’s Driftwood article about Lightwater Cove.  I would like to share a personal perspective on what Lightwater Cove truly represents.

I have known the owners Monika and Greg Phillips for four years, and in that time I have seen firsthand the dedication, care and respect they bring to their stewardship of Lightwater Cove. First and foremost, Lightwater Cove is a working farm. The farm stand provides fresh food to the community, and the majority of the employees here are farmers, gardeners and landscapers who devote their work to maintaining and nurturing the land. This farm identity is at the heart of Lightwater Cove, and it will continue to be a farm and continue to operate in this way for years to come.

Alongside its farming roots, the property includes botanical gardens, orchards and its ongoing efforts with individuals like Sequoia honour native plants and ecosystems. Through hosting groups, Monika and Greg have welcomed meaningful conversations and knowledge-sharing, including with the K’ómoks First Nation and the Tsawout First Nation, as well as with community members seeking to learn and grow together in relationship with the land.

On a personal note, Monika and Greg have not only kept me employed but have also contributed to my livelihood and stability, as they have for many others in the community. Their ongoing support of local employment and businesses is significant and should not be overlooked.

It was disappointing to see that the Driftwood did not reach out to Monika or Greg for comment before publishing such a serious article. Offering them an opportunity to share their perspective would have brought balance and fairness, which I believe is an important part of professional reporting.

For me, and for many others, Lightwater Cove is a place of care, respect and renewal. It honours Salt Spring’s legacy of farming and gardening, fosters meaningful work and creates space for shared experiences that connect people more deeply with the land and with each other.

Becky Pilon, Spa manager, Lightwater Cove, Salt Spring

Trust should reconsider approach

I was disheartened to read of the legal proceedings brought against Lightwater Cove by the Islands Trust regarding alleged non-compliance with land use requirements.

From my perspective, the owners have treated this property with great care and respect, transforming it into a beautiful place which nurtures the land and its visitors. 

The vast majority of the property is dedicated to gardens and orchards, employing local gardeners and landscapers. The home highlights craftsmanship of local artisans, and the property is a place where community and stewardship are actively practised. There is the luxury bed-and-breakfast style offering, but it is primarily operated as a farm and land-based business that reflects deep respect for the coastline and surrounding environment.

I sincerely hope the Islands Trust will reconsider its approach and acknowledge the value of this well-kept, community-minded property — a place that reflects the very spirit of care and sustainability that our island strives to uphold.

Hannah Mazza, Salt Spring

Port Angeles corner an inspiration

Not long after walking off the Black Ball Ferry in Port Angeles, Wash., you come to a corner that is the best welcome to any town. A fabulous open building greets you. Basically it’s a large roof on posts. Flowerbeds surround the square.

The junction of the two roads reminds me of the way you enter Ganges coming from Fulford-Ganges Road — the first glimpse you get coming into Ganges.

This covered junction in Port Angeles is host to the farmers’ market, art markets, music events and much more.

When our old firehall needs to be repurposed, I hope the clock tower, in characteristic red and white, could remain. It can be the central point of a covered square very similar to the one in Port Angeles. The area could serve as an overflow Saturday Market, offer space to Saturday and Tuesday market vendors and entice locals and tourists alike to sit, lick an ice cream cone and enjoy a central meeting point across from the park. It could even house our tourism office and serve as an open air art gallery for local visual artists.

I hope our Local Community Commission, Islands Trust, Chamber of Commerce and any other powers-that-be will consider using Port Angeles’ market as an example of a relatively easy way to remake our firehall area into a welcoming, pedestrian-friendly square while preserving our local heritage.

Margriet Ruurs, Salt Spring

Cove zoning solution offered

I was seething with outrage after reading last week’s Driftwood. Flinging the paper at the cat, I took to the keyboard, determined to raise hell in defence of the island’s beleaguered small farming community.

The heavy-handed Islands Trust has launched legal action against Lightwater Cove for alleged minor infractions of zoning regulations. The subtle difference in definition between “agriculture” and “full-on luxury resort” leaves the issue open to interpretation. Some critics feel that “Salt Spring Eco Lodging Company Ltd.” failed to ensure that their mallards and Muscovies were in alignment before shovelling cash into the dude ranch, but who could possibly have seen this coming?

As the owners claim, the oceanfront guest house rentals, spa, sauna, swimming pool, etc. are “secondary” to the farming activities and the revenue generated by each of these endeavours will remove all doubt. Obviously the investment involved in the construction of that rustic farmhouse pictured on page 3 of the paper will be recovered with farmstand sales in a very short time, but passing off wealthy guests as migrant farm labourers could prove challenging. As always, I have the solution!

Visitors vacationing at the cove will  self identify as “livestock”and stay in very comfortable “barns.” When the Islands Trust Zoning Swat Team raids the place, those guests wandering around outside will say “moo”or “baa”or “oink,” while those in the hot tub will utter “quack quack” while flapping their arms. I see no reason for this plan to be anything other than a roaring success, but in the unlikely case that the Trust sees through the charade, Lightwater Cove can always be upgraded to the standards required for a homeless shelter. No need to thank me; just glad I could help.

MIKE STACEY, SALT SPRING 

Proud of icon

I stand with Neil Young’s new song called Big Crime. It directly points a finger at the growing fascist regime to the south of us. 

I am proud of this Canadian icon for his bravery in speaking the truth in an ever-increasing climate of fear and intimidation. And more of us need to speak out. 

You can see the video on Neil Young’s website.  

Bodhi Sturrey, Salt Spring 

Participate in Trust process

I want to express an opinion about participating in a democracy: it’s important to join in.

We are watching the world change. Fewer and fewer people are allowed to take part in government, plus fewer and fewer people actually take advantage when they are allowed.

We have the chance to voice our opinions about the Islands Trust Policy Statement. There is the chance to participate in a Zoom meeting tonight (Sept.10) — call (250-537-9144 or go to the islandstrust.bc.ca website to register) — paper copies of the draft document are at the library, or you can read it on the Trust website.

Feedback can also be shared through the online survey, by email at islands2050@islandstrust.bc.ca,  by phone at 250-405-5151, or directly with your Islands Trust trustees.

Personally, I want the trustees to know exactly what I care about and what I want them to preserve and protect. I will be letting them know. I urge you to do the same.

Debbie Magnusson, Salt Spring

See full picture 

I read your recent article regarding Lightwater Cove with concern, and I feel it’s important to add another perspective.

While the lawsuit focuses on the property through the lens of bylaws and zoning, what I have personally witnessed at Lightwater Cove tells a very different story. The most striking thing is the environmental stewardship. Native plants have been reintroduced, natural water flows restored and in turn many plant species that had disappeared from the area are returning. These are not claims made for publicity. I have seen these changes with my own eyes.

The scale of ecological renewal that has taken place there is significant. The land is healthier now than it has been in decades, and that is the direct result of long-term care, investment and respect for the island’s natural systems.

As for the concern over “resort operations,” from my perspective the actual impact on the environment and surrounding community has been minimal, especially when weighed against the environmental benefits that are already evident. What stands out most is not commercialization, but restoration.

I believe our community deserves to see this full picture: alongside the legal dispute there is a genuine, sustained effort to heal and steward land that is part of Salt Spring’s heritage. That effort should matter in how we understand and talk about Lightwater Cove.

Jordan Ettinger, Salt Spring

Black likes Trump

In reply to Paul McElroy’s latest column, “Assault on Democracy Unfolding to the South Impossible to Ignore,” I offer the last two paragraphs of the latest Conrad Black column in the Sept. 6 National Post:

“Trump has prevailed against overwhelming media opposition, was heavily outspent in last year’s election, faced utterly spurious indictments, and was even given insufficient security protection against potential assassins in his campaign. He is widely portrayed as a boob and a gangster but in his career prior to being inaugurated president, as a quality builder and developer, immense reality television star, and innovative political strategist, he achieved more than any president except those vital to the founding of the country (Washington, Jefferson, Madison), and the victorious commanders of great armies in just wars, (Grant, Eisenhower), and possibly Herbert Hoover for his administration of relief to war-ravaged Europe after World War I. In 2016 he saw a level of public discontent that no one else recognized and became the first person elected president of the U.S., never to have sought or held any public office or high military command.

“No one has ever been so severely and illegally obstructed as president and as a presidential candidate as he has, and he has become a considerable president in reorienting the country club Republican Party of the Bushes, McCain and Romney, to crack the Democratic fiefdoms of working class and ethnic minority votes, and in producing and broadening prosperity, shaping up the Western Alliance, ending the invasion of the United States by illegal immigrants, attacking the forces of wokeness in the universities, forcefully reducing crime rates, drastically reducing the fiscal and trade deficits, attracting in seven months nearly $15 trillion of new investment to the United States, destroying the Iranian nuclear military program and evicting men from girls’ sports and requiring mature approvals of trans-gender changes. This will not be undone by venomous and ignorant piffle from the media, especially the Trump-deranged and chronically bigoted Canadian media.”

William Steiner, Salt Spring

Canadian surgeon speaks on situation in Gaza

Contributed Article
-
0
Canadian surgeon speaks on situation in Gaza

BY PHIL VERNON

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, islanders have a unique opportunity to learn about the situation inside Gaza through the eyes, mind and heart of a physician. 

Saskatchewan born and raised, Dr. Deirdre Nunan is an orthopaedic trauma surgeon who has dedicated the last decade to working in international humanitarian contexts in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Haiti and more. She has served multiple missions in Gaza in the past year and a half — returning to Canada just one month ago.

What’s happening, she said, is “absolutely catastrophic for the Palestinian people and completely preventable. Being there you have a profound sense of the injustice of the situation.”

As part of a dedicated and highly skilled team of operating room surgeons, Nunan and her team are daily faced with bombing casualties with multiple life-threatening injuries. While other members of the team address a patient’s complicated internal injuries, she may be staunching the flow of blood from a massive leg injury of the same patient before amputating the limb.

Having the opportunity to do such hands-on work with her Palestinian colleagues, who she says are “the most heroic people I’ve ever met in my life,” is what makes it meaningful. Yet she fears for the safety of her friends, colleagues and their families;  both the European Hospital where she worked in the spring and Nasser Hospital where she was posted most recently have suffered serious bombing attacks.

Nunan will be speaking at All Saints by the Sea Anglican Church this coming Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. in the upper hall. By sharing her firsthand experience and witnessing of the human face of the conflict, Nunan hopes to inspire us to act, connecting with others in initiatives here and around the country.

Admission is by donation to the presentation, which will include a slide show and Q&A session. Funds raised go to support Grown by Our Hands, a grassroots community initiative launched from within Gaza promoting home-based food production, providing families with seeds, tools, soil and training. Initiated by a friend,  Nunan said Grown by Our Hands gives her “an immense degree of hope.”

Nunan will also be speaking in Nanaimo on Sept. 11, Duncan Sept. 12 and Victoria Sept. 14.

For further details, email pcvernon@gmail.com.

Flamenco and more from Seffarine group

Driftwood Staff
-
0
Flamenco and more from Seffarine group

Caravan World Rhythms (CWR) returns to Salt Spring near the end of this month with a focus on music and dance from Andalusia, North Africa and beyond. 

Seffarine was founded by vocalist Lamiae Naki and multi-instrumentalist Nat Hulskamp out of their love for each other and the culture of Andalusia, according to CWR’s Robert Benaroya.

“Seffarine’s music embraces Morocco’s cultural collision between Arabic, Iberian and West African cultures, forging vibrant original music deeply rooted in their backgrounds in flamenco guitar, oud and Arab Andalusian music,” said Benaroya. “Nat and Lamiae built an international quintet bringing in all-star musicians from Iran, the U.S. and Spain, who infuse the sound with textured instrumentation and inspired improvisation. Sweeping kamancheh (Persian spike-fiddle) ornamentation plays off gritty bass grooves and explosive flamenco footwork, with Lamiae’s fluidly riveting voice at the centre, sending up sheets of cascading Andalusian melodies punctuated by the catchy hooks of North African Chaabi. They are joined by the acclaimed, fiery flamenco dancer and percussionist Manuel Gutierrez from Spain, and Cuban bass player Yosmel Montejo.”

Seffarine takes its name from the ancient metalworking square in Fez, which is famous for the complex rhythms that ring out from the blacksmiths’ hammers, and where Naki’s family members are well known as masters of the tradition.

According to the Chicago Reader, “Seffarine’s music can melt the coldest hearts.”

The show takes place at ArtSpring on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m., with tickets available now through ArtSpring, online and at the box office. 

Indigenous musicians highlighted Saturday 

Gail Sjuberg
-
0
Indigenous musicians highlighted Saturday 

Three different acts perform at Sweetwater/Roundable event

Following on the success of the second Indigenous Peoples Weekend (IPW) held on Salt Spring Island in June, this Saturday, Sept. 13 puts the spotlight on music by artists from the island and beyond.

Presented by the Sweetgrass Arts and Music Society in collaboration with ArtSpring’s Roundtable Committee, which promotes local events at the arts centre, the Sweetgrass Arts and Music Indigenous Showcase sees three different acts take the stage at ArtSpring from 7 to 10 p.m.

Kai Barrette, a rising local youth artist, opens the evening. 

“[Barrette’s] vocals and guitar work promise to stir the heart and set the tone for an unforgettable evening,” says ArtSpring promotional material about the show.

A high-energy Métis kitchen party follows  with stepdancer Danielle Enblom, fiddler Pierre Schryer and guitar virtuoso Adam Dobres “celebrating the rich cultural intersections of Red River Métis, French Canadian, Irish and Scottish traditions — an irresistible blend of music, dance and heart.”

Closing out the evening is a blues storm from Auntie Kate and the Uncles.

“Born of Salt Spring roots and Coast Salish lineage, Auntie Kate brings raw blues energy and powerhouse vocals, backed by longtime collaborators Tom Bowler and Dave Roland. With decades of musical synergy, this trio will leave you dancing in your seat and feeling the soul of the West Coast blues tradition.”

The Sweetgrass Arts and Music Indigenous Showcase is made possible with support from a Salt Spring Island Foundation Indigenous Priorities Fund grant.

Tickets are available through ArtSpring. 

Sweetgrass Arts and Music Society president Sherry Leigh Williams said the society’s mandate is to uplift Indigenous voices, “as they are often under-represented in the local scene.”

She said IPW in June brought together elders from local nations as well as many Indigenous people from beyond the territory.

Williams said the event “created a sense of belonging and the event was educational and healing as we worked together.”

She observed that “so many Indigenous people on Salt Spring are displaced, not having lands, or rights, coming from as far away as the East Coast and the far north.” 

Williams also promotes all local musical events through the Salt Spring Music Events Facebook page she manages. 

ArtSpring’s website explains that the Roundtable Committee was formed in 2023 as an advisory group leading up to the 25th anniversary celebrations of April 2024. 

“It now continues as a robust volunteer community committee,” it states, “comprised of local artists, advocates, guild members, original stakeholders in ArtSpring’s origins and newcomers to imagine and execute public programming for the community. It represents connecting the art of community spirit with the spirit of community art.”

Paving confirmed for Sept. 8 to 12

Robb Magley
-
0
Paving confirmed for Sept. 8 to 12

The final “lift” of asphalt is being laid on Fulford-Ganges Road from Sept. 8 to 12, in what the contractor for the year-long improvement project is calling the “end of serious interruptions” on Salt Spring Island’s busiest thoroughfare. 

“Crews will continue working on the road throughout September and October,” said Northridge Excavating Ltd. project manager Bob Mitchell. “[But] traffic disruptions will continue to decline as we close-out the project and put the finishing touches on.”

Mitchell warned drivers could expect heavy truck traffic in and around the project throughout the week of paving, but said with the exception of the northernmost section still under construction by Drake Road and Seaview Avenue — an incomplete section officials said is awaiting a final design — it would mark the “end of serious interruptions on Fulford-Ganges itself.”

“Further significant works will be paving the side roads, driveways and roadside swale,” according to a construction update Wednesday, Sept. 3, “but we expect the traffic disruption to be much less than the main-road paving.”

Work on those side roads will take place Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Mitchell said. Drivers should expect delays, note that the posted speed limit through the entire project — from Cranberry Road to Seaview Avenue — remains 30 km/hr and watch out for raised round steel castings in the roadway until paving is complete, he added.

Salt Spring LTC sues oceanfront ‘resort’

Robb Magley
-
1
Salt Spring LTC sues oceanfront ‘resort’

A $10-million luxury oceanfront retreat — featured last fall in the New York Times — has been sued by Salt Spring Island’s Local Trust Committee (LTC), which alleges the owners of the 31-acre agriculturally zoned property are operating a commercial resort in contravention of the land use bylaw.

The LTC is seeking a declaration from the Supreme Court of B.C. that the contraventions were taking place at Lightwater Cove, located on the island’s south end — and wants a court order halting operations, which it says include rooms, a spa, steam room, hot tub, sauna and swimming pool. 

The only uses allowed for properties within the Agriculture 1 (A1) zone, according to the lawsuit, are single-family dwellings and “agriculture, farm buildings and structures.”

In its court filing, lawyers for the LTC also said several retaining walls built at Lightwater Cove were within 15 metres of the natural boundary of the sea — also not permitted under Islands Trust land use bylaws — and it wants the court to order property owners to remove those walls.

In a response filed Aug. 19 on behalf of the Salt Spring Eco Lodging Company Ltd., which says it owns the property, legal representatives argued the “alleged commercial purposes” — oceanfront guesthouses “starting at 420 Canadian dollars per night,” according to the New York Times — were secondary to the company’s agricultural uses at the property operating under the name Lightwater Farm, which include maintaining an orchard of more than 1,000 fruit trees.

Further, according to the response, the guesthouses are bed and breakfast operations on two distinct land parcels comprising the Lightwater property — both of which it said were managed by “permanent residents” of each parcel. Both lie within the Agricultural Land Reserve, according to provincial records. 

The response noted extenuating circumstances surrounding the retaining walls, and said the farm “functions as an agricultural hub” for activities including the fruit trees, seed cultivation, a vegetable farm that supplies a farm stand and local businesses, and a flower farm producing “native botanical and medicinal plants for herbal extracts.”

The larger 5.2-acre waterfront parcel, 251 King Rd., was assessed by the province in 2024 as farmland with a land value of $258,625 and buildings valued at more than $9 million, according to BC Assessment. 

The smaller waterfront parcel at 301 King Rd., which BC Assessment said was 2.82 acres in size, is also assessed as farmland — with buildings valued at $764,000 and land at just $2,805.

A 2022 press release noted Lightwater Cove opened to its first guests that year, describing itself in part as “an oceanfront sanctuary to delight your senses.” Lightwater Cove’s LinkedIn page describes “a nexus for wellness and rejuvenation” and a “heritage organic farm blossoming with orchards,” listing its industry as “hospitality” with specialties being “wellness, spa, corporate retreats, wellness retreats, intimate weddings, accommodation and elopements.”

Award-winning ‘Living Languages’ exhibit at library

Robb Magley
-
0
Award-winning ‘Living Languages’ exhibit at library

In the centre of the just-landed travelling exhibition at Salt Spring’s library, visitors will find a set of columns, just off-kilter enough to be noticeably disconcerting.

The piece, which presents photographs and text about early colonization, is appropriately called Disruption, and is a focal point for the award-winning Our Living Languages: First Peoples’ Voices in B.C. exhibit. Shown for the first time on Salt Spring Island, the interactive offering is the product of a collaboration between the Royal BC Museum and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, and will be in the library’s community program room for several weeks, according to exhibit docents Eartha Linnell and Jenn Werner. 

Through listening stations, touch screens, multimedia presentations and First Nations art, Our Living Languages invites viewers to learn more about Indigenous languages in B.C. — and to celebrate their remarkable resilience in the face of change. Something in the neighbourhood of 64 per cent of Canada’s Indigenous languages originate in the province, Linnell said, making the region a “hot spot.”

“There are recordings and videos made with elders of the different Indigenous communities in B.C.,” said Linnell. “It represents 36 languages; there were two recently recognized languages, the pentl’atch and Klallam languages, just added to the travelling exhibition.”

“Disruption” is meant to be slightly off-putting, she said. It speaks to the broken connections, the loss of identity that occurs when people are denied use of the words that have always helped scaffold their culture. The First Nations’ languages are so thoroughly grounded in context, Linnell said, they became wholly inseparable from the speakers’ histories — and the suppression of those languages, particularly in the absence of a written record, amounted to an erasure of history. 

“Every story was told orally,” said Werner. “Nothing much was written down. It was mostly pictures and stories passed on by elders and ceremony.”

Many of those elders were tapped to record speaking parts for Our Living Languages, providing the voices behind the words — at a time when it’s increasingly critical to pass the knowledge forward. 

“That’s part of what makes this exhibit so precious,” said Werner. “As those elders age, it’s become even more important that young people carry on the traditions.”

At an orthography station, visitors can press buttons to hear many of the more common — and sometimes challenging — pronunciations of what are often unfamiliar symbols. Another offers a wealth of short videos describing efforts both completed and underway to help these languages find continuing voices to speak them. 

“All these different ways people are revitalizing the languages,” said Linnell, “like mentor programs, language ‘nests’ — where the young people feel surrounded by the language, even before they’re speaking — and immersion programs. It’s nice to see some success, some inspiration.”

The original feature exhibition the travelling version was based upon is now a permanent fixture at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. The exhibit won the annual American Alliance of Museums Excellence in Exhibition Competition in 2015, selected over many of the world’s most innovative and progressive museum offerings. 

Our Living Languages arrived on Salt Spring Island after its time at the White Rock Museum ended, and opened to the public Aug. 29. It will welcome visitors at the library here until Oct. 28.

Linnell and Werner said while there would be several school and home-school groups booking times to enjoy the exhibition in the coming months, exhibit hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

For information, visit saltspring.bc.libraries.coop/our-living-languages.

1...434445...608Page 44 of 608