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Viewpoint: Diplomatic skills of a rattlesnake

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Viewpoint: Diplomatic skills of a rattlesnake

By MIKE STACEY

I have known Eric Booth for 60 years and have always admired his God-given talent for getting people all stirred up at the drop of a hat. I dream of the day when I too can start a fight in an empty room.

He is correct in stating that democracy was in great shape after the election down south because the people got what they voted for and much more in a narrowly won landslide victory. It’s probably a good thing that it went that way so nobody else got killed in a riot.

Now that the election is over, democracy is being fired, along with a substantial number of government employees and waits on death row. I’ll be interested to see who steps in to pick fruit and vegetables or do any of the other jobs that Americans in general don’t want to do once the Great Expulsion is under way.

Politically I have always travelled in the right lane, but not so far from the yellow line that I can’t see what’s happening on the other side. Sometimes I’ll see something I like, but more often than not I will be itching to swerve into oncoming traffic. Please don’t confuse my right-handedness with any kind of support for the American Baboon in Chief. Trump leans neither right nor left, but inwards toward himself. He is Republican in Name Only — a RINO — as he calls any Republican who disagrees with him and has the guts to say so. He once told a reporter that although he was a Democrat he would run as a Republican in a presidential race since Republicans are the dumbest voters. America First with tariffs on just about everything will leave many Americans up poop creek sans paddle. Right-Hand Rodent Elon Muskrat is seeing his own stocks getting knocked around pretty good, but a position in Washington, D.C. tastes mighty fine.

People are being killed all over the world, but Trump sees that as an opportunity to screw over those in dire need of help. He doesn’t seem to be bothered when people die, even when those deaths are a result of his own actions. In the Ukraine conflict he wants rights to billions of dollars in minerals before he will lift  a hand to help. Maybe . . . .

Negotiations immediately went to hell when the Ukraine president failed to kiss Trump’s ring and/or ass. It is not clear what Russia will get as its cut in this deal. Gaza would make a wonderful resort once all those pesky Palestinians and the corpses of their friends and relatives are cleared out and disposed of. These conflicts are much more complicated than they appear in the “selective news.”

Diplomacy, and giving a rodent’s rump about the other guy, are required, but Donald has the diplomatic skills of a rattlesnake and I sincerely doubt that he could find his ass with both hands and a map. If brains were dynamite he wouldn’t have enough to blow his nose. As always, I mean this in the nicest possible way.

Opinion: Housing project approval process concerning

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Opinion: Housing project approval process concerning

By JENNY MCCLEAN

I attended the public portion of the Islands Trust Executive Committee meeting on Feb. 26 at the Fort Street location in Victoria.

The reason I attended was to put in my points about the need for a housing agreement and/or a covenant to give some security to future tenants of the proposed 18-unit housing complex at 101 Bittancourt Rd.

What I learned was that the decision to allow the rezoning from Commercial to Residential to go ahead without any housing agreement or First Nations consultation as usually required was made at the Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee meeting on Salt Spring Island on Feb. 13. The posts on social media suggesting that Islands Trust red tape could hold back the project were false. The Islands Trust has unequivocally supported the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation’s rezoning from the beginning. 

The presentations from the Feb. 26 Islands Trust Executive Committee meeting can be found in the records. The major presentation was by Lady Minto Hospital Foundation (LMHF) chair Julian Clark. I made a presentation and there was a phone call from Maxine Leichter.

The housing has no controls that favour any future tenants such as any regular rights over eviction timelines, or rent controls beyond what is stipulated by provincial legislation. Although the yardstick for affordable rentals for Salt Spring is possibly unrealistic, a housing agreement of sorts could have been negotiated to ensure that lower wage hospital workers can afford the rent. However, there was none of that. The acceptance of the powers of the landlords was unequivocally endorsed by trustee Laura Patrick and was underlined by chair  Peter Luckham and then agreed to by the other members of the Executive Committee from other islands. 

The tick list provided by the Islands Trust was run through by Clark. One item was to ask if the increase in density for Salt Spring would be an issue. Julian answered this by saying that those already living on Salt Spring would use the housing, so there would be no increase in density. The run-through to show that some type of due diligence had been done was very loose. I advise anyone who thinks I am not on point with what was presented to go to the Islands Trust record of the meeting and listen to what was said.

The honest presentation was to ask for the use of housing as a temporary housing just like commercial hotel housing, except with the option for each unit to be a residential unit in the eyes of any bank lender to enable the building to be as useful as possible to the LMHF to support their bottom line. At least there was honesty around this as the purpose. Workers who can come and go and do jobs at the hospital will be welcome. Also, workers who do not need any rent control are also welcome.

Of course, that was the purpose from the beginning as it was previously described as a possible source of unallocated income for the LMHF. And for those who would like to see the financial strength of the LMHF continue as it assists the hospital’s work, there is no objection. I don’t object to that either. 

However, to bend the words of the official community plan to support this unprotected type of housing is questionable. A lot of money has been used by the Islands Trust to redefine their purpose. They have moved along from a pure state of “preserve and protect” to being a supporter of housing. The reason for this change is that Salt Spring Island is in a dire state of lack of housing for workers and families. The main reason for lack of ability to have a full community that supports parents, kids, seniors who are low income and workers in Ganges is because the housing is so expensive! Wages are stagnant, yet housing continues to increase in price.

I fully believed in the sincerity of what was being done by the Islands Trust to change its mandate. The reason I was in support is because of the lack of affordable housing options here. However, I am very surprised to see the lack of protection for workers in terms of possible job loss leading to sudden housing loss as well. Workers are people with families and not just widgets who are brought to Salt Spring Island to serve the wealthy and then be kicked out of housing as soon as that purpose is complete.

There is a huge gap in understanding of each other here on Salt Spring Island. I realized that to speak about the disemboweling of the middle class by the incredible increase in real estate in my region is not understandable to many here. To have housing that can create affordable and secure housing for those who work in healthcare, even those who are doing jobs in the kitchen that pay possibly under the median income, is important. The former Seabreeze Inne was described to our community as being there to provide housing for those who are working in support roles at the hospital and care homes, not just those who are making the higher wages associated with healthcare. I heard a presentation made on Feb. 26 that took no account of this.

Why is the Islands Trust spending so much money to redefine their purpose if they also do not support the people in our community? To hear it stated that they are not bound to create affordable housing or worker housing leads to me wondering, then, is it to support just housing density but with no overall view of the need to have many different income earners welcome in our community? Why has so much gone into redefining the Islands Trust to support a housing mandate if those who need the housing are left behind?

March 15 fundraiser set for Ukraine

Driftwood Staff
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March 15 fundraiser set for Ukraine

People wanting to support the war effort in Ukraine while enjoying a delicious dinner and fun community gathering are invited to an event on Saturday, March 15 at Meaden Hall.

Authentic Ukrainian dishes will be served, and live music from Ukrainian and Canadian musicians will be enjoyed. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. for the event running from 5 to 9 p.m.

Tickets cost $50 and are available from Francis Bread, or at the door, if available. They can also be reserved by contacting Salt Spring Friends of Ukraine group members Victoria Olchowecki at 250-537-1528 or Igor Darmokhid at darmohid.i@gmail.com.

A lively auction will also add to the fundraising effort. All proceeds fund medical aid for Ukraine, including tactical first aid kits being distributed to soldiers on the front lines. Olchowecki said 12 such kits will be on their way to Ukraine this week as a result of generous donations by Salt Spring Film Festival attendees.

Donations can also be made directly by etransfer to helpukrainessi@gmail.com.

More information about how aid is distributed or how to most effectively help can be obtained from Olchowecki or Darmokhid.

Three events on International Women’s Day

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Three events on International Women’s Day

Submitted by The Circle Education

International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8 is a global day acknowledging the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

This year’s theme is #AccelerateAction, advancing and celebrating women’s equality worldwide. Here’s how you can participate on Salt Spring Island.

• March 8, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.: Centennial Park. International Women’s Day 2025 Opening Ceremony, with poetry, drumming and song, organized by Peace Works! Rain or shine. Bring umbrellas or chairs if needed.  

• March 8, 2 to 4 p.m. Salt Spring Public Library Program Room. The library and the Canadian Federation of University Women collaborate to show the film The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters by local producer Christine Welsh.

For almost a century, the Coast Salish knitters of southern Vancouver Island have produced Cowichan sweaters from handspun wool. These distinctive sweaters are known and loved around the world, but the Indigenous women who make them remain largely invisible. Combining rare archival footage with the voices of three generations of woolworkers, The Story of the Coast Salish Knitters tells the tale of unsung heroines — resourceful women who knit to put food on the table and keep their families alive. Written and directed by Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh, this is a story of courage and cultural transformation — a celebration of the threads that connect the past to the future. For more information, see the separate story on page 15.

• March 8, 3 to 4:30 p.m.: The Fritz Movie Theatre. The Circle Education, co-hosted by the Salt Spring Film Festival, is celebrating International Women’s Day 2025 with the screening of the documentary film The Day Iceland Stood Still.

Almost 50 years ago, on the morning of Oct. 24, 1975, 90 per cent of Iceland’s women walked off their jobs and out of their homes. Fed up with the gaping inequity between the value of women’s labour and women’s wages, female employees, wives and mothers just stopped working, cooking, cleaning and looking after their children. The country came to an abrupt standstill, but a revolution had begun.

Join us for a Saturday matinee at The Fritz to watch this gripping and gleeful story about women fighting for equality and transforming their position in society. The Day Iceland Stood Still was recently voted best documentary at the Victoria Film Festival.

Tickets ($5 and cash only) available at the door. Film rating is PG for coarse language.

Photos illustrate diversity of Canada’s landscapes

Driftwood Staff
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Photos illustrate diversity of Canada’s landscapes

The diverse and distinctive landscapes of Canada are showcased this month in an exhibit of photographs by Salt Spring Photography Club members.

Landscapes of Canada: From Coast to Coast to Coast can be seen in the Salt Spring Public Library program room during the library’s regular hours and when the program room is not otherwise in use. The exhibit covers 30 photographs covering every province and territory of the country, highlighting the beauty and ruggedness of the land.

Then on Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m., club member Claudia Schröder-Adams, a Carleton University professor emeritus, will give a talk on why Canada is so variable in its landforms.

Schröder-Adams joined Carleton University in Ottawa as a professor in Earth Sciences in 1992. In biographical notes she says her interest in paleontology and paleoenvironmental reconstructions and love for natural wild places resulted in a 35-year-long field career that brought her to many remarkable places in the world.

Her research addressed phases in the history of our planet which had a greenhouse climate, vastly different from today’s earth. For the last 15 years, Schröder-Adams conducted expeditions in the Canadian Arctic, which she regards as the highlight of her professional career. In her teaching career she also enjoyed the outdoor classroom by taking students to geologically significant field sites. In 2011 and 2013 her collaboration with the Students on Ice educational organization brought learners to the Antarctic Peninsula to study the evolution of the south polar ecosystem through deep time.

Schröder-Adams retired in 2020 from Carleton University but remains active in her polar research. She moved to Salt Spring Island in 2021 and now finds time to share her images and passion with interested groups outside the scientific community.

She recently exhibited polar region photographs in the ArtSpring lobby spaces.

Salt Spring Hospice Society expands

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Salt Spring Hospice Society expands

By CONNIE GIBBS

For SS Hospice Society

Over the past few years, the Salt Spring Hospice Society has worked hard to enhance the services we provide to our community.

With one in three residents on the island being seniors, the need for hospice volunteers — and the invaluable services they provide — is greater than ever. Whether through lending a listening ear to someone’s life story, offering quiet comfort at a bedside, or walking alongside someone through their grief, hospice volunteers make an immeasurable impact. We believe their kindness, empathy and care make a lasting difference in the lives of many families on Salt Spring.

This past December, we welcomed 14 new compassionate volunteers to our organization, each one bringing their unique gifts to the table. With their energy and talents, we are expanding the scope of our services in support of those facing end of life and their loved ones. Our current services include providing companionship and daily enrichment to patients at Lady Minto who do not have families close by, community education on Advanced Care Planning, visits to those living with terminal or life-limiting illness at home, and grief support services in the form of one-to-one and group support. Our volunteers also provide invaluable respite to families by sitting vigil with those nearing the end of their journey.

Our volunteers are not only dedicated, they are highly trained. This past fall, they completed over 40 hours of intensive training, covering topics such as dementia, grief support, communication skills and the delicate ethics of end-of-life care. Each volunteer undergoes a thoughtful, personalized interview process to ensure they are well-suited for this deeply sensitive work. We are proud to hold our volunteers to the highest standards, knowing they accompany people and their families during life’s most vulnerable moments.

Volunteering with Salt Spring Hospice isn’t just about providing support to others; it’s a deeply meaningful experience that brings its own sense of fulfillment and connection. For those who choose to volunteer, it’s a chance to be present in a way that few other opportunities allow—offering comfort, empathy, and understanding when it’s needed most. It’s a privilege to help guide someone through their final days or to support someone on their grief journey.

To learn more about the Salt Spring Hospice Society and our services please visit saltspringhospice.org.

Important Upcoming Dates

Advanced Care Planning Workshop:

• March 8, 22, April 5, 26, May 3, 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Seniors Centre.

Salt Spring Hospice Society AGM:

• April 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Seniors Centre.

Fall Volunteer Training Info Session:

• May 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Salt Spring Public Library.

Mount Maxwell Road closes for improvements

Robb Magley
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Mount Maxwell Road closes for improvements

Emcon Services personnel have received short-notice approval to undertake improvement work on one of Salt Spring Island’s roughest public-access roadways, and a notorious stretch of Mount Maxwell Road will be closed for two weeks while crews improve both the surface and drainage situation there. 

Emcon’s South Island region operations manager Andrew Gaetz said Friday crews would begin work on the improvements Monday, March 3, and the road to Mount Maxwell Provincial Park will be closed on weekdays until March 14. 

Improvements will be targeted between the North Salt Spring Waterworks District gate and the park boundary, Gaetz said, with a focus to “restore a drivable road surface for the public” and improve roadside drainage so water can flow off and return to the surrounding forest. 

That section of the road leading to the popular park –– and in particular a rocky step known locally as “Big Bertha” –– received public attention last spring, as Salt Spring Island Search and Rescue (SSISAR) was called out to assist an injured person hurt near one of the unofficial rock-climbing routes in the park.  

The man had a significant leg injury, according to rescuers, who mounted a difficult evacuation that included an hour-long carry-out in a basket stretcher and two separate rope assists on steeper, more technical sections of the trails. 

And while transport from the parking lot near the scenic outlook would usually be via BC Ambulance, during this rescue the ambulance was unable to navigate “Big Bertha,” requiring the victim be carried in SSISAR’s equipment vehicle down to a staging area near Maxwell Lake before paramedics could bring him to the hospital for further care. 

Ministry officials had said shortly after the event there were no current plans to upgrade the road, given the “challenging natural terrain” and its location on an ecological reserve.  

Gaetz said crews will roughen the exposed bedrock by hydraulic hammer, which should allow materials to bind more securely; the road base will be rebuilt “properly,” he said, and raised to reduce the grade in that steep section. 

“This should reduce the number of vehicles which lose traction and spin their tires as they ascend the hill,” Gaetz said, reducing the amount of material lost and making the “fix” last longer. 

The hydraulic hammer will also be used to construct strategically placed ditches, he added, to prevent runoff from crossing roadways and scouring away that material. The ditches will be channelled into the forest to return it to groundwater. Many of the channels already exist, Gaetz said, and crews will repair them where possible and add new ones if necessary. 

Gaetz said the information regarding the closure had been posted to drivebc.ca.  

Trust launches suit against kennel

Robb Magley
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Trust launches suit against kennel

Nearly two years after a relocation to Blackburn Road, the owner of an unpermitted kennel operation on Salt Spring is facing legal action from the island’s Local Trust Committee (LTC). 

A civil suit was filed with B.C.’s Supreme Court Friday, Feb. 14 against SaltyDog Retreat owner Jaime Halan-Harris, asking the court for an injunction requiring she cease kennel operations and use of the 10-acre property for storage and accommodation of travel trailers and recreational vehicles in contravention of the island’s Land Use Bylaw.  

The lawsuit also asks the court to order the removal of all buildings and structures used for the kennel, the trailers and the RVs, and for an award of court costs, although it does not seek damages. 

Halan-Harris, who has at different times described the business as a dog rescue and a “vocational rehab program and therapy for youth who were homeless,” has taken in lost animals and provided rescue and pet shelter services to islanders at her own expense since 2018. In March 2023, the business relocated from its former site on Rainbow Road to the parcel on Blackburn Road; a temporary use permit (TUP) application to operate SaltyDog there was denied by the LTC in November that year.  

The lawsuit notes the property is “split-zoned,” with the majority zoned as Rural Watershed 1 (RW1) and a “small portion along the northern boundary” zoned as Rural (R); it claims that Halan-Harris has provided daycare, boarding, training and grooming for dogs, kept dogs for the purpose of adoption and sold dogs on the area zoned RW1 and used the property “for the storage and accommodation of at least 10 travel trailers and recreational vehicles” on the portion zoned R.  

A kennel is not a permitted use within RW1 zoning, according to the court filing; neither, it notes, is the storage and accommodation of travel trailers and RVs permitted on properties zoned R. 

“[Halan-Harris] has not complied with the Local Trust Committee’s demand and continues to use or allow the property to be used for a kennel and the storage and accommodation of travel trailers and recreational vehicles,” reads the lawsuit. 

“There are no exceptional circumstances in this case for the Court to refuse to issue the injunctions sought by the Local Trust Committee.” 

Halan-Harris said on the morning of Monday, Feb. 24 that she had not yet been served with the Notice of Civil Claim.

“Taking legal action is a last resort for local trust committees,” said LTC chair Tim Peterson in a press release issued Feb. 26. “We have explored every avenue to encourage compliance with zoning regulations. Upholding the integrity of our land use bylaws is essential to preserving and protecting the natural and residential character of Salt Spring Island. This action ensures accountability and fairness in land use practices.”

Jazz series launches at Harbour House

Gail Sjuberg
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Jazz series launches at Harbour House

Salt Spring jazz music fans will have another regular way to get their fix with the initiation of a weekly Jazz at the Harbour House series. 

Starting Wednesday, March 5, people can take in live jazz from local and visiting musicians every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. in Woodley’s Restaurant at the Harbour House Hotel, whether enjoying dinner or just having a drink. 

Saxophonist Iain Duncan is the series founder, who was inspired by positive responses he received from by-donation jazz shows he presented twice in the ArtSpring gallery space and at Mateada on a monthly basis last year.

“We found that our crowd likes to come out earlier, likes to come for dinner time and seems to be happy to come out on weeknights,” he said. “So I’m just essentially moving the series, doing it the exact same way we did it at Mateada, but at the Harbour House.”

Duncan said hotel general manager Kelly Armstrong is excited to host the weekly event at Woodley’s.

With so many excellent jazz musicians both on Salt Spring Island and in the region, Duncan said, there is no shortage of talent and experience to draw from.

“What I did was talk to some of the wonderful colleagues that I’ve met here and line up a few configurations and suggested to everybody that we want to make it a mixture of out-of-town and local people. That’s what I was doing at the Mateada as well.” 

The first show on March 5 sees Duncan playing with his good friend Nick Peck, “who is originally from England and an amazing piano player. He’s certainly one of the best in the province.”

They will be joined by Victoria bass player Ryan Tandy, who is part of several ensembles in the city.

The next four events are as follows:

• March 12: vocalist Kate Trajan and friends;

• March 19: Iain Duncan with pianist Mary Kastle and Ryan Tandy on bass;

• March 26: Mary Kastle, Simon Millerd (trumpet) and Daniel Snowden (bass);

• April 2: organist Chris Gestrin with Iain Duncan and Bert Hollingsworth (guitar).

Duncan said offering the music on a by-donation basis has worked extremely well, with some people’s generosity helping to ensure retirees on fixed incomes, for example, are able to attend. 

“We wind up making an average that’s the same as if we had charged a regular cover charge, but we’re able to have people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to come, and that’s been really well received.”

He said the format will allow attendees to have dinner and/or drinks and conversation, rather than it being a “recital” situation. 

Reservations to secure a table can be made through the Harbour House at 250-537-4700.

Duncan studied music at Capilano University (then a college) as a young man, but ended up pursuing computer science and working in that field. He then started taking music/jazz courses at Vancouver Community College, and when he moved to Victoria in 2014 pursued a master’s degree at UVic, studying with world-class computer music professors. He is now working on his PhD in that field. 

Duncan, who moved to Salt Spring in 2022, is grateful to a number of people who have helped develop the jazz series behind the scenes, including Grace McNab, who coordinated the Capilano University jazz music program for many years and retired to Salt Spring. McNab can be seen playing piano at the popular every-other-Sunday afternoon Jazz Jam at the Legion. 

VILLADSEN, Keld

Driftwood Obituary
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VILLADSEN, Keld

With sadness we announce that Keld Villadsen passed peacefully in the comfort of his own home on Feb. 2, 2025. He leaves behind his wife Inge, his children Joan (Dave), Johnny (Tracey), Jeane (Wolfie), Tina (Norman), his twelve grandchildren and his eight great-grandchildren; also his sister Birte (Russel) and brother Flemming (Jody).

He will be greatly missed by his family and community members.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Lady Minto Hospital Foundation.

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