Home Blog Page 83

The End of Preserve and Protect: A Short History

Contributed Article
-
1
The End of Preserve and Protect: A Short History

By RONALD WRIGHT

For 50 years the Islands Trust has worked to protect our spectacular yet vulnerable islands from mass development. This has been no easy task, as the Gulf Islands are not only one of Canada’s greatest natural treasures, they may also be the very last, except parks, to survive unspoiled so near big cities and airports. Without the Trust’s protection under B.C. law, these islands’ fragile ecology would have been overwhelmed decades ago.

News reports late last year told of uproar and discipline problems on Trust Council, our governing body of 26 trustees (two from each main island). In November, the council pulled many hours of video-recorded meetings from its website. It seems a deep rift has opened — between trustees who support the mandate they are sworn to uphold, and those trying to undermine it — during a major rewrite of the Trust Policy Statement (TPS). The TPS is a crucial document that controls how the Islands Trust Act is applied on the ground, setting standards that each island’s official community plan (OCP) and land use bylaw must meet.

It is no coincidence that, at the same time as this TPS upheaval, Salt Spring’s trustees are also engaged in major zoning and land-use changes to our OCP, which they call merely “a targeted update” for affordable housing. But like their failed Bylaw 530, the zoning changes they have in mind would unleash private development, do nothing to ensure affordability, and may well be unlawful under the existing TPS. Hence the haste to change both policy and plan before their term runs out next year.

First some background. Fifty years ago, B.C.’s population was 2.4 million, less than half what it is now. Yet our endless real-estate scramble was already underway by the late 1960s. Provincial governments of both right and left became worried about the islands’ fate. One of the most alarming examples was Magic Lake Estates: 1,200 half-acre lots on North Pender, which had fewer than 500 residents at the time.i

In 1973, the province set up an all-party standing committee to visit the islands, consult with residents, and seek a lasting solution. The committee identified subdivisions and over-development as “the priority concern.” The Gulf Islands, they reported, “are too important to the people of Canada to be left open to exploitation by real-estate developers and speculators.”ii

In 1974, the Islands Trust Act was passed unanimously with its famous mandate to “preserve and protect” the islands’ “unique amenities and environment for the benefit of the residents of the trust area and of British Columbia generally.”iii

But it wasn’t long before speculators, developers, logging firms and tourism investors fought back. The early 1980s saw a push to abolish the Trust altogether.iv Foes of the Islands Trust Act tried to sow confusion over the wording of its mandate. What exactly was protected? Did “environment” mean only the natural environment, and what were “unique amenities”?

So in 1986, Trust Council and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs published Position Paper Number 1, giving specific examples and definitions that left no room for doubt about what is preserved and protected: “approximately 500 islands and the extensive coastline and sheltered waters; diverse and unusual natural features, vegetation and wildlife; almost continuous tree cover; a unique water supply situation [with] heavy reliance on groundwater sources.”v

Fresh water is scarce on small islands in salt seas. Their only water for drinking and farming is what falls on them. How much of it stays on these hilly islands instead of running to the sea depends above all on woodlands. Woods are the keepers of water, and unbroken older forest with a thick spongy floor keeps it best. Human disturbance must therefore be restricted.

The paper also defined what is meant by the “benefit” for Trust residents and the province: “A benefit must be sustained and long-term, and must not be at the expense of the amenities or environment of the islands.”vi

On “unique amenities” the Trust Act‘s wording was sure-footed and precise: the Oxford English Dictionary defines unique as “one of a kind” or “unparalleled.” Unique amenities are, by definition, things not found elsewhere.

Only the province holds the power to change that mandate.

Yet in September 2023 — after an unknown number of trustees held a secret in-camera meeting — Trust Council made this announcement: “Trust Council’s view is that unique amenities are broad-ranging and may include issues such as, but not limited to, housing, livelihoods, infrastructure and tourism.”vii In short, an open-ended list of things that are not unique at all.

In a further announcement last year, Trust Council claimed they had consulted “all previous legal opinions” on the meaning of the Trust Act.viii But later admittedthey didn’t even have the 1986 Position Paper Number 1 in their “deliberations.”ix An odd legal precedent to ignore, especially since a 2021 expert report had drawn Trust Council’s attention to the Paper’s importance.x

These goings-on raised such alarm that 34 former trustees sent an open letter to the provincial government and the Trust last May. “This expansion and interpretation of ‘unique amenities’ has the potential of influencing or compromising environmental policies,” they wrote. “The Trust is limited to regulating land use in order to preserve and protect the natural environment and rural character of the Trust Area.”xi

On Oct. 16, 2024 — only three days before the provincial election — Trust Council wrote its own letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs. This repeated the old falsehood that unique amenities are “undefined,” and formally asked for a full “review of the Islands Trust’s mandate, governance and structure . . . similar in scope to the work . . . that led to the creation of the Islands Trust 50 years ago.” xii

Given the enormity of this request, one would expect Trust Council to pause its own chaotic efforts until the province replies. But no. The TPS drafting continues in meetings “of the whole” held every month.

And despite its disciplinary woes — or maybe because of them — Trust Council is planning to scrap the Trust’s clear “Standards of Conduct,” the first item of which states: “the chief functions of a trustee are to serve the public, advocate the Trust mandate, and adhere to the Trust Policy.”xiii 

The new wording they plan to adopt instead makes no mention of the Trust’s mandate whatsoever.

The writer is a Salt Spring resident and author of several non-fiction and fiction works, including Time Among the Maya, Stolen Continents, A Scientific Romance and A Short History of Progress, his 2004 Massey Lecture.

– i https://islandstrust.bc.ca/document/north-pender-island-lta-2021-census-profile/ [Stats Can] N. Pender has about 2,500 today. See also The Islands Trust Story by Peter Lamb, 2009:3

– ii Lamb, 2009:4

– iii Islands Trust Act “Object” (mandate) 1974.

– iv Lamb 2009:11

– v Position Paper No.1, Islands Trust, Ministry of Municipal Affairs, November 1986:4.

– vi Position Paper No.1, 1986:5

– vii Islands Trust Council Statement, Sept. 26, 2023

– viii Islands Trust Council Statement, Jan. 18, 2024

– ix Chair Judith Gedye quoted in Times Colonist by Frants Attorp, May 16, 2024: https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/comment-different-ideas-about-unique-amenities-in-the-gulf-islands-8754219

– x The Islands Trust Object: Past, Present, and Future Discussion Paper presented at March 2021 Trust Council Meeting, page 5, Section 1.4.

– xi Former trustees’ letter see: May 22, 2024, p.4 Gulf Islands Driftwood in full.

– xii Trust chair to Minister Anne Kang Oct. 16, 2024, p.1-4

– xiii Standards of Conduct p.1, Item 1.1.1.


Editorial: Exercise choice in response to madness

Driftwood Staff
-
0
Editorial: Exercise choice in response to madness

We would really rather not talk about the madness and upheaval emanating from the dissolving democracy to the south of us.

We would much rather focus on what’s happening close to home, or perhaps within our provincial riding, as illuminated by our new MLA Rob Botterell in this week’s paper, or the broader Islands Trust area, of which we are an integral part.

But saying and doing nothing in response to threats of annexation and economic punishment is not really an option for our community or any other in Canada.

Canada’s elected political leaders are to be applauded for working to break down interprovincial trade barriers that have been criticized for so long. They and other groups are also seeking other ways to mitigate the impacts of not only tariffs but the general instability that has erupted in the U.S. since Jan. 20.

Canadian individuals, business, labour and not-for-profit groups have commenced action as well, with “buy Canadian” promotions enthusiastically launched. A cheat-sheet-sized list of food products with Canadian companies to patronize and American counterparts to avoid has been widely circulated, for instance, and the madeinca.ca website is a more fulsome resource to explore. Locally, both Salt Spring Thrifty Foods and Country Grocer stores have implemented labelling of Canadian products, which is much appreciated by customers. It’s also heartening to see how much Canadian-grown produce can be bought in February.

Buying local and second-hand is another way to express displeasure with American tactics while benefiting business owners, nonprofit organizations and producers across many industries, keeping money circulating locally.

Will such actions make a tangible difference to Canada’s prospects or create a message that might be heard across the border? If enough people participate nationwide, perhaps.

Focusing on economic impacts leaves much mayhem and cruelty unaddressed. But making different choices about whose goods and services we purchase is the easiest and most immediate way to make a statement at a time when silence and apathy is not a reasonable option.

Viewpoint: For the love of a kennel

Contributed Article
-
0
Viewpoint: For the love of a kennel

By JAIME HALAN-HARRIS &

JACKSON HALAN-HARRIS

There’s no doubt that our island community benefits from a kennel.

We, Jaime and Jackson, of Salty Dog Retreat Kennel and Rescue, thank the community for your continuing support. We appreciate you sharing thoughts and concerns with us. There are some things we’d like to bring to your attention.

Back on Dec. 20, 2023, the truth was reported in the Driftwood: The Dec. 14 meeting of the Salt Spring Local Trust Committee (LTC) agreed with passionate public opinion in support of a kennel, advising Salty Dog Retreats to submit a land use planning application.

There have been many challenges in recent months. Our lawyer John Davies is consulting with Islands Trust staff to prepare yet a fifth application. We’re informed that every applicant has the right to have their application heard and decided by the LTC. Since Dec. 20, 2023, however, we’ve spent $15,000 on four applications, which we feel have all been rebuffed without due process.

Consider this. Since July 2024, we have been providing free accommodation and free retraining for 26 rescue dogs received by Salty Dog from community members who cannot continue to care for their dogs; 22 of these dogs have been successfully re-homed. It makes us very happy when we’re able to find homes for sweet rescues who deserve and thrive in loving care.

We would welcome your assistance. To help cover our costs, you can sign up to sponsor a rescue for a small monthly amount. These are dogs that, if turned over to the authorities, would likely be euthanized. We’ve not been accepting new rescues since last July. Dogs in crisis — due to an owner’s emergency — are a frequent occurrence, for which we accept rescue calls for pickup 24/7. Salt Spring depends upon our volunteer community resources.

We ask you to please clear your minds of the negative gossip you may have heard. Without police or Residential Tenancy Branch assistance, it took us months to clear our property of unwanted tenants. A very difficult process.

We would very much appreciate letters of support to the LTC for their Feb. 13 and March 20 meetings. Please contact us for further information; you can also get on our mailing list.

Simply put, our island community deserves a kennel. We’ve done our best to continue providing an essential service to dogs and their owners. We love our dogs and give them the best care. I’m happy to tell you that recently a group of university students volunteered to help clean portions of our property, and it’s made a big difference. They’ll come back to help some more.

Also, we are exploring a process of seeking status as a registered charity to facilitate greater community support. Together, we can continue to have loving canine care on our beautiful island.

SugarBeat releases new CD

Gail Sjuberg
-
0
SugarBeat releases new CD

Editor’s note: This story references a Feb. 14 musical event at Mateada, but it has been cancelled due to illness.

One of Salt Spring’s favourite bands has released its first CD — called Roots — and is inviting the island to celebrate with them on Valentine’s Day.

SugarBeat is comprised of Greg Pauker on guitar and vocals; Sarah Dawn Morris on vocals and percussion; Dave Roland on bass and vocals; and Mike Stefancsik on drums and percussion.

Roots showcases the veteran performers’ talents in songwriting and musicianship.

“I’ve been pretty proud of what we’ve come up with, and it’s got some catchy tunes,” said Pauker, who is also known internationally for his sound engineering and design work.

It was after Pauker returned to Salt Spring in 2020 after six years of working in Atlanta, Ga. that SugarBeat was formed, although some members have performed with others for years in various incarnations, from Salt, to Beat and the Sneaks, The Party Band and Sea Biscuit.

It didn’t take long for Pauker, Morris and Stefancsik, plus original bass player Bob Delion, to think about creating an album of R&B-infused original songs. Roots consists of three songs written by Morris, three by Pauker and one by Delion.

“And the one thing we really like to do is capture it all with all of us playing together,” said Pauker, explaining that they recorded multiple takes of each song and then agreed on the best one, rather than recording parts and putting them together later.

The band considered putting the album on vinyl, or a USB stick to accommodate the higher-definition files created, but in the end went with a CD as it’s the most universally accessible format.

People attending this Friday night’s event at Mateada will receive a copy of the CD with their tickets, which cost $40 per person or $60 for a couple. (Tickets are available through mateadaguayaki.com or at Windsor Plywood.)

For the Mateada gig, the band will be joined by guest saxophonist Alan Ett, a multi-talented musician and producer from Los Angeles who recently moved to the island. Claire Lawrence did the sax work on Roots.

The evening will feature a presentation set of songs on Roots, and then a set of uptempo music that will get everyone dancing.

Pauker and Stefancsik have high praise for their bandmates.

Not only is Morris a great songwriter, they said, but she consistently gives her all to whatever she takes on.

“She just brings it home every time,” said Stefancsik, “whether at rehearsals or live shows. Whenever she’s behind the mic it’s all feeling and power. The only way I think she can perform is to put all her heart and emotion into her song.”

With such a long history of playing together, Pauker and Stefancsik communicate easily on stage.

“Let’s just say that I can always tell when he’s having a good night,” laughed Stefancsik, who was a touring musician as a younger man.

While bass player Delion is no longer part of the band, one of his songs is on Roots, and Pauker and Stefancsik love it. As a sort of celebration of Canada, it’s particularly timely, they said. Delion is set to sing the song at the Mateada event.

Doors open at Mateada at 7 p.m. on Feb. 14, with music starting at 8 p.m.

Saturna parcel funds raised

Robb Magley
-
0
Saturna parcel funds raised

Hundreds of acres of undeveloped waterfront land on Saturna Island will stay that way, according to the BC Parks Foundation, which announced the final half million dollars needed to purchase the property was raised in one month. 

A campaign launched to protect the land was successful, according to foundation CEO Andy Day, through the dedication of the original landowner’s family, the generosity of individual donors and the commitment of several conservation partners.  

“This is about the power of community,” said Day. “From small donors to major contributors, each and every person played a part in protecting this place forever.” 

At over 300 acres in total, the project is among the largest recent conservation projects for private waterfront in the Gulf Islands. The parcel at the southeasternmost tip of Saturna Island borders the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, and boasts three kilometres of coastline, extensive marine ecosystems, old-growth trees and Garry oak meadows. 

Day said that after major contributions from Wilson 5 Foundation, and Environment and Climate Change Canada, a “final push” of $500,000 was needed to get across the finish line, noting gifts from the BC Marine Parks Forever Society, Ilka and Allen Olsen, and the Bloom Alter Ego Trust. 

“It shows what we can accomplish when we come together around the things we value,” said Day. 

The property supports several at-risk species, according to the foundation, including the blue-listed northern red-legged frog and great blue heron. It lies within the coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone, among the rarest — and, according to the foundation, least protected –– ecosystems in British Columbia, supporting threatened plants as well. Organizers have said species found there include the slender popcornflower, purple sanicle, and the endangered white meconella and Lindley’s false silverpuffs. 

The project received strong support from the Saturna Island Marine Research and Education Society (SIMRES), which in addition to making its own financial contribution played a key role in community outreach and raising awareness about the campaign. 

“SIMRES supports the purchase by the BC Parks Foundation,” said SIMRES president Maureen Welton, “and is very pleased that this special Saturna property will be undeveloped and preserved as a conservation area in perpetuity.” 

Next steps will involve working with the community, First Nations and conservation partners to develop a management plan that safeguards the parcel’s sensitive ecosystems while allowing for “safe and responsible light recreational use.” 

“We all know about climate and species loss and the problems we face these days,” said Day. “Protecting a place like this is a gift that keeps giving for wildlife and people now and far into the future.”

Luckham resigns as Trust chair

Driftwood Staff
-
0
Luckham resigns as Trust chair

Among all the possible elections that may be held in March, at least one is now a certainty: the Islands Trust Council will vote in a new chair at the start of its next meeting Tuesday, March 11. 

Current chair Peter Luckham announced Tuesday, Feb. 11 that he would be stepping down from both that leadership position and as chair of the Trust’s Executive Committee effective March 11. 

“After careful consideration and for personal reasons, I have decided to step down as chair,” said Luckham via a press release Tuesday, adding it had been an honour to help guide the work of the Islands Trust. “I extend my thanks to all trustees who have worked with me to represent their communities and advance the preserve and protect mandate.” 

Luckham will continue to serve as a trustee for the Thetis Island Local Trust Area , where he was first elected in 2005; he has chaired Trust Council since 2014, acting as the body’s primary spokesperson. 

Trustees will elect their new chair from among current Trust Council members, and a review of Executive Committee member appointments to Local Trust Committees (LTCs) will begin “within a few days of the election,” according to the press release. Most LTCs are comprised of three trustees –– two elected every four years, and a chair appointed from the Executive Committee.  

“I look forward to continuing to collaborate with trustees and staff through the balance of this term of office,” said Luckham, “and wish my successor all the best.” 

Repair Cafe at Meaden Hall Feb. 8

Contributed Article
-
0
Repair Cafe at Meaden Hall Feb. 8

SUBMITTED BY TRANSITION SALT SPRING

Transition Salt Spring is gearing up for another year of community empowerment and environmental stewardship with the return of the Repair Cafe in 2025.

The first event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Meaden Hall. This event promises to be a fantastic experience for Salt Spring Islanders eager to mend their beloved but broken belongings.

The Repair Cafe offers a unique opportunity for residents to bring in malfunctioning small appliances, electronics, garments of all kinds in need of hemming, patching, darning and mending, and pretty well anything else you can carry in. Spearheaded by Transition Salt Spring’s Climate Coach Program, the heart of this initiative is the dedicated team of 30 or so skilled, committed volunteers who generously donate their time and expertise. From fixing toasters, lamps and stereos to mending sweaters, pants and purses, these “fixers” strive to breathe new life into items that might otherwise be discarded. Without our volunteers there would be no Repair Cafe.

Andria Scanlan, Transition Salt Spring’s Climate Action coach and Lighter Living program lead, underscores the significance of this event in fostering a culture of sustainability and community resilience.

“We have been indoctrinated that once something doesn’t work anymore, the only option is to throw it away! We discard so many things because some portion is broken and we lack the means to repair them,” Scanlan stated passionately. “It hasn’t always been this way. There was a time when new items came with service manuals, you could take them apart and fix them yourself, or find a shop that would do it for you. That isn’t the case anymore. Big business and capitalism continue to build in obsolescence and tell us to buy new now. We are ruining our planet. When we all make small changes — which we must — the cumulative impact can be monumental.”

Scanlan also proudly highlights the skill of Salt Spring’s Repair Cafe volunteers: “Our fixers have an incredible 90 per cent success rate on the well over 300 items brought in last year, which exceeds the global average of 80 per cent.”

The Repair Cafe operates on a first-come, first-served basis, with each participant allowed to bring two items for repair (one textile/clothing item and one household item). While the services are free, donations are welcomed to support ongoing sustainability efforts. Tools and materials are provided onsite to ensure a seamless repair process, while also giving attendees an educational glimpse into the art of fixing.

Beyond its practical benefits, the Repair Cafe seeks to forge connections across generations and backgrounds, celebrating the wealth of knowledge within the community.

“Repairing things together strengthens our neighbourhood bonds and island resiliency,” Scanlan added.

This ethos of collaboration reflects the origins of the Repair Cafe movement, which began in Amsterdam in 2009 and has since spread globally. On Salt Spring, the initiative has been supported by a Capital Regional District waste reduction program grant and, more recently, by the 100 Men Who Care Salt Spring chapter.

In addition to reducing waste and minimizing carbon footprints, the Repair Cafe helps participants save money and conserve resources. By demonstrating the joy and simplicity of repairing items, the event champions a sustainable lifestyle accessible to all.

As Salt Spring Islanders prepare to gather at Meaden Hall, they are invited to participate not only in fixing their possessions but also in contributing to a brighter, more connected community. Whether it’s learning a new skill or finding renewed value in cherished belongings, the Repair Cafe offers a pathway to sustainable living and collective empowerment.

For more information and updates on the Repair Cafe, visit Transition Salt Spring’s website or join the conversation on social media. Together, let’s repair, reuse and reimagine a future where every item gets a second chance.

Letters to the editor: Feb. 5, 2025

Contributed Article
-
0
Letters to the editor: Feb. 5, 2025

Politics of fear

Although I believe the universe is utterly indifferent to what happens here on Earth, I am now praying for Canada — for the dream that brought me and my family to these shores 65 years ago.

That dream is crumbling before our very eyes as a capitalistic predator with a psychopathic love of money, power and attention starts to wreak havoc and revenge on our beloved nation, one that represents everything he despises: a (semi-functional) democracy; freedom of speech; rules to protect health, worker rights and the environment; and social programs to share at least some of the wealth.

There is every possibility the current trade war is but the opening salvo in a wider strategy to bring Canada to its knees and make us more amenable to the idea of becoming the 51st state. Will the MAGA regime be able to take over Canada without firing a shot? Think what will happen when bankruptcies and unemployment become rampant, the cost of groceries goes ballistic, and inequality is so extreme violence breaks out in the streets.

Trump is clearly following the dictator’s playbook: destroy free elections, take control of the judicial system, install oligarchs in key positions of power, purge the government of opponents, and use a multitude of threats to silence dissenters. The idea is to make everyone’s lives even more precarious and induce a general state of fear. Elections really do have consequences.

I do not want to live in fear. In fact, I will fight to my dying breath not to do so. To survive what lies ahead, we, as Canadians, must remember there is much more at play than pure economics, and we must be prepared to share. Freedom from tyranny comes with a cost.

FRANTS ATTORP,

Salt Spring

_____________________________

Asleep at the switch

I agree strongly with the Green Party of Canada. Too many of us, politicians and public, you and me, are far too meek and mild in our general response to Trump taking over Canada by economic force.   

We, the public, need to raise the issue and the bar on this. Denmark, for e.g., has already informed Trump the E.U. will fight with force if necessary to defend Greenland’s autonomy. 

Send your views to Canadian politicians,  (MPs and party leaders) and friends in your loop. Canada is asleep at the switch, or the public not sophisticated enough to realize Trump’s real danger to democracy.

RON HAWKINS,

Salt Spring

________________________________________

Let’s buy Canadian

After the unprovoked economic aggression initiated by the Trump administration just weeks after Canada sent water bombers to help extinguish the L.A. wildfires, many islanders are rightfully going out of their way to avoid buying American goods.

Currently, evaluating where a product is made often means tracking down a fine print label and squinting to read it. Buying Canadian would be easier if Canada required highly visible country of origin labels on all food products. I created a petition calling for this requirement available at change.org/madeincanada.

RILEY DONOVAN,

Salt Spring

____________________________________________

Long-term solution

It’s a tariff war! The game that nobody wins!

Many of our neighbours to the south have been led to believe that a tariff is money paid by the country exporting goods that goes straight into the bank account of the importing nation. Sorry boys and girls, tain’t so. The tariff is paid by the IMPORTER to the government before the goods can be released from customs. Not many are willing or able to absorb this expense, so it is passed on to the consumer who buys it.

But why a tariff in the first place? The line of B.S. we are being fed is that it’s to make us stop the flow of drugs and other nasty stuff from Canada to the Excited States of Hysteria. But isn’t that the task of the American border security? Canada’s job is to control what comes into OUR country. I’m sure our border security officers are doing all they can to catch the bad guys bringing illegal stuff here that could make its way to the states.

It would appear that the issue is the inability of the U.S.A. to curb the flow of contraband and they need us to do it for them. I can’t see that as a long-term solution, so I guess they will need to build a wall from sea to shining sea, following the longest undefended border in the world. Our end will run straight into the Peace Arch directly below the words “Children of a Common Mother” on their side and “Brethren Living in Unity Together” on ours.

MIKE STACEY,

Salt Spring

________________________________________

More solar info

I found last week’s short letter “Solar numbers in” from the Salt Spring Community Energy group interesting but insufficient.

It would be good to see the Driftwood do a longer article about this community-funded project and its outcome. The letter gave figures of electrical energy output over the past 10 years, but that total seemed fairly modest, but also hard to judge without more context such as: the cost of the initial equipment and installation; the value of the power generated over the same 10 years; how productive the panels are today versus when they were first installed; how many more years will this system be productive; are there upgrades available to improve the current output and how much would that cost; how many square feet of roof space does such a 21-kW system require; etc. This type of longer-term performance data for a system right in our neighbourhood would be helpful in considering a solar energy installation.

DARYL LOGAN,

Salt Spring

SD64 to review ‘non-mandated’ school programs

Robb Magley
-
0
SD64 to review ‘non-mandated’ school programs

Ominous though it might sound, school officials said putting an educational program under review does not mean it’s on the chopping block, even as the second phase of the Gulf Islands School District’s (SD64) new — and now annual — process of examining non-mandated programs begins. 

“I don’t think anyone should leave this meeting feeling like because we did have to close the international program, this is what’s happening this year,” said school board trustee Tisha Boulter at the board’s Wednesday, Jan. 29 meeting. “It sounds like we’re foreshadowing something, [but] we’re just reviewing; it’s our actual duty to do such a thing.” 

The district’s Education Committee had suggested initiating an annual review of all educational programs not mandated by the province, identifying the Gulf Islands International Program (GIIP), the Saturna Ecological Education Program (SEEC), Late French Immersion, the Gulf Islands School of the Performing Arts (GISPA) and the Trades Awareness, Skills and Knowledge (TASK) programs — with each to be reviewed in phases.  

The first phase reviewed GIIP and SEEC, with trustees ultimately announcing the end of the 25-year-old GIIP in November 2024, citing both financial pressures and declining enrolment. French Immersion and TASK are set for the second phase of review. 

Some trustees seemed uncomfortable with TASK being up next, although it was unclear whether switching the list around would make a difference in the long run — and possibly delay the review process program supervisors had already begun. As the timeline stood, any decisions wouldn’t be made until spring at the earliest, with the review brought to a public meeting in May. 

“And everything would be going to run in the fall regardless,” said secretary-treasurer Jesse Guy. “The earliest [any program] would be stopped is the following year.” 

The educational program review is comprehensive, focusing on each program’s “original purpose, its current state, its alignment with the district’s strategic goals and whether it should continue in its current form,” according to a staff report. Trustees have said the review was to ensure alignment with the board’s strategic priorities, which necessarily includes the financial limitations of the district. 

Trustees suggested under the same discussion programs such as Feeding Futures, Early Learning and Inclusive Education should be included. And while some programs on the review list do fulfill provincial mandates, Mayne Island trustee and board vice chair Deborah Luporini noted the courses themselves are not. 

“I hear the comments about the TASK program,” said Luporini. “But I don’t think the ministry is saying we must do a program like this; they’re saying, ‘we have a course code if you do, and you can count it towards graduation.’”  

“It was very hard to make the decision about [ending] the international program,” said Salt Spring Island trustee Rob Pingle. “I do think it’s beneficial to understand all our programs, whether they’re globally initiated or provincially mandated with ‘local flavour’ to them.” 

Ultimately the board stuck with French Immersion for phase two, along with either GISPA or TASK, prioritizing whichever had the most staff work already completed. Review templates will be distributed to program coordinators and principals in February, with those expected back in March and final reports presented to the district board’s Committee of the Whole at a meeting on Wednesday, April 23. 

“As we work through all of these, we have the time for talking to the community,” said Saturna Island trustee and board chair Chaya Katrensky, “being involved and not rushing it. It’s a lot of work.” 

Future reviews for the remaining programs under consideration will begin in the fall.

Fairy Creek doc screens at ArtSpring

Contributed Article
-
0
Fairy Creek doc screens at ArtSpring

BY STEVE MARTINDALE

For Salt Spring Film Festival Society

The Salt Spring Film Festival’s Best of the Fests series at ArtSpring wraps up on Wednesday, Feb. 19 with Fairy Creek, a new documentary chronicling the Ada’itsx Valley anti-logging blockades, presented by attending filmmakers Jen Muranetz and Sepehr Samimi.

Visceral frontline footage of environmentalists facing off with loggers and the RCMP makes up the core of this engaging documentary, which captures the action from ground to sky as protestors form barriers with their bodies at road level, while activists dangling amidst forest canopies are removed by police officers dropping from helicopters hovering above the trees.

The largest civil disobedience action in Canadian history — attracting tens of thousands of protestors and leading to nearly 1,200 arrests — the Fairy Creek protests ultimately resulted in a provincial injunction protecting the pristine Vancouver Island valley from being logged. Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar announced just last week that temporary protections in the Fairy Creek watershed have now been extended through September 2026.

This gripping immersion into the conflict features a number of Salt Spring residents on the frontlines and will be of particular interest to anyone who participated in the protests.

“Many Salt Spring Island residents spent a lot of time and energy at the Fairy Creek blockade,” said Muranetz, “so we are looking forward to bringing this film to a community that cares deeply about this story.”

With an array of likable and articulate characters representing a range of perspectives, Fairy Creek is an urgent and timely portrait of collective resistance that simultaneously explores the internal conflicts in a mass movement of civil disobedience.

Depicting the last-ditch efforts to defend one of Canada’s last remaining old-growth forests as a panoply of voices and opinions, where impassioned disagreements characterize a growing movement, Muranetz deftly documents differences in priorities, as Indigenous and non-Indigenous protestors debate the implications of true Indigenous land sovereignty.

Fairy Creek also illuminates stark disagreements within the Pacheedaht First Nation, challenging the perception of a monolithic Indigenous perspective. Some memorably uncomfortable scenes of conflict among Indigenous people spill over from the forest frontlines to urban street protests.

Muranetz produced the 2020 film What About Our Future?, which won the Nigel Moore Award for Youth Programming at Vancouver’s DOXA festival. Samimi was assistant producer and additional cinematographer on Jennifer Abbott’s award-winning The Magnitude of All Things, which screened at Fulford Hall in 2021. Following two mid-February screenings at the Victoria Film Festival, Muranetz and Samimi will be here to present Fairy Creek on Feb. 19 at ArtSpring.

Tickets are $14 each and available online at artspring.ca; in advance by phone (250-537-2102); or in person, Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

1...828384...609Page 83 of 609