The following is a compilation of news bites from Driftwood coverage of events through the 12 months of 2025. See the print version in the Dec. 31 issue of the Driftwood for the following text and photos that highlight other happenings.

JANUARY

• Salt Spring’s first baby of 2025 wasted no time in arriving, as Luna Meadow Moshonas was born on Jan. 1 at 9:49 a.m. to parents Chrissy Courtney and Greg Moshonas and big brother Tycho.

• BC Assessment pegged the “typical” Gulf Islands home at $857,000, a roughly one per cent recovery from last year’s $850,000 number, which had represented a three per cent drop from 2023’s $874,000. But that dollar value seemed increasingly uncoupled from most islanders’ reality, as Salt Spring’s non-waterfront properties’ assessed values dropped 1.2 per cent, representing a 0.3 per cent fall among so-called single-family dwellings and a 2.3 per cent decrease in strata homes’ values.

• The new year began with Blackburn Road blocked to through traffic near the Sunrise Place intersection after heavy rain at the end of December resulted in flooding that caused erosion under the asphalt. The road remained closed at the end of the year.

• A south-end blaze destroyed a fifth-wheel trailer home on Jones Road on the evening of Jan. 7, with some 20 Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue members on scene for about four hours, and 4,000 gallons of water used to extinguish the blaze. No one was home at the time of the fire.

• North Salt Spring Waterworks District (NSSWD) CAO Mark Boysen reported that the district had submitted the $14.6-million Maxwell Lake plant and the $1.78-million Crofton Road pump upgrade as part of a grant funding request with the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund. If successful, that funding could cover up to 40 per cent of the projects and lessen the borrowing ask to ratepayers this year. No response had been received by the end of the year.

• An appeal to save Salt Spring’s Options for Sexual Health (Opt) clinic was launched. The local site was among several in B.C. threatened with closure due to a lack of funding from the provincial government. Opt board members sent a letter to Premier David Eby to request additional funding and urged supporters to add their own voices to the conversation by contacting their MLAs to ask them to support the funding request. A further year’s funding was ultimately guaranteed by the government.

• Saanich-Gulf Islands MP Elizabeth May told a crowd of about 100 people at her community meeting on Salt Spring Island that a federal Conservative party win was not inevitable in the next election, despite what polls and the media were reporting at the time. May came to the island fresh off a recent round of social media popularity, as various online users shared video clips from a Jan. 3 Parliament Hill press conference, where, among other jabs, she offered U.S. President-elect Donald Trump a counteroffer to his Canada-as-51st-state rhetoric, suggesting “maybe California would like to be the 11th province.” 

• ASK Salt Spring hosted the first of its monthly Restorative Dialogue Circles, led by members of Salt Spring’s Restorative Justice group. 

“These circles are not about winning arguments or finding quick solutions; they are about creating space to hear diverse perspectives, reflect together and build bridges across differences,” stated the group. Twenty-two community members participated in the first session on Jan. 10. 

• Armed with the lessons of history –– and with early results from recent local polling data –– NSSWD trustees set May 8 as the date for ratepayers to cast ballots on borrowing $11.7 million for a Maxwell Lake water treatment project mandated by Island Health.

• The BC Parks Foundation was successful in fundraising to purchase a 372-acre waterfront parcel at the southeasternmost tip of Saturna Island for conservation purposes. The undeveloped property boasted nearly three kilometres of coastline and hundreds of acres of marine ecosystems, old-growth trees and Garry oak meadows. An unnamed family had pledged to match $500,000, which left the rest of the remaining $1 million left to be raised from the public before a Feb. 5 deadline, according to foundation CEO Andy Day.

FEBRUARY

• On Feb. 7 Salt Spring welcomed Rob Botterell, the newly minted MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, as he seemed comfortable ticking off one campaign promise almost right away: to participate in an ASK Salt Spring circle. Botterell held the contested seat for the BC Greens in the October 2024 election, after incumbent Adam Olsen’s June announcement that he would not be seeking re-election.  

Botterell said his personal priorities included improving access to primary care via the community health centre model; a substantial investment in non-market housing, with a target of 7,500 units this year; and a commitment to work collaboratively to “permanently protect” the Fairy Creek watershed, which he said he was already working on.

• Salt Spring’s two social enterprise thrift stores were reaching out for community support after learning that Diabetes Canada would no longer come to the island to pick up the stores’ clothing discards. 

Transitions Thrift Store and the Lady Minto Hospital Auxiliary (LMHA) Thrift Shop were informed at the beginning of January — as was the Salt Spring Recycle Depot, which has hosted a Diabetes Canada bin for clothing recycling since 2016 — that Feb. 24 would be the final monthly visit by the organization’s five-ton truck. The change meant both shops would need to ensure all donated clothing was in sellable condition.

• Islands Trust Council chair Peter Luckham announced Feb. 11 that he would be stepping down both from that leadership position and as chair of the Trust’s Executive Committee effective March 11. Luckham said he would continue to serve as a trustee for Thetis Island, where he was first elected in 2005. He had chaired Trust Council since 2014, acting as the body’s primary spokesperson. 

• At first mistaken for a sunken vessel, police on Pender Island said an SUV spotted in the water 50 feet from shore there accidentally drove down the boat launch in Thieves Bay, and that the vehicle’s only occupant — the driver — was later found uninjured. Three youths called 911 around 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 16, according to Outer Gulf Islands RCMP, after they realized what they’d thought was a boat was actually a vehicle, sending police, Pender Island Fire Rescue and Coast Guard assets from Ganges to the scene. The driver’s door was found open, according to acting detachment commander Const. Marcel Taekema, which came as some relief to investigators as it suggested anyone who had been inside was likely able to escape. 

• Nearly two years after a relocation to Blackburn Road, the owner of an unpermitted kennel operation on Salt Spring was facing legal action from the island’s Local Trust Committee (LTC). A civil suit was filed with B.C.’s Supreme Court on 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 asked 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 did not seek damages. By June 15, Halan-Harris had removed all structures on the property and moved off the island.  

• Gulf Islands Secondary School (GISS) students defended their title and took home another win at the Canadian Improv Games’ Vancouver Island Regional Tournament in Courtenay on Feb. 15. The race was then on to raise funds to once more send students to join the top eight in Canada for the national event in Ottawa –– four days of shows, workshops and education in and around the National Arts Centre April 16-19 — where they finished fourth.

• Starting near the end of February, modular units stored on some Beddis Road land were transported to 161 Drake Rd., the property where a 36-unit BC Housing rental housing project was expected to be completed within six months.

• Salt Spring’s LTC delivered on early statements of support for a health care workforce housing effort, quickly lending approval to the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation’s (LMHF) rezoning application for 101 Bittancourt Rd., the former Seabreeze Inne. On Feb. 26 the Islands Trust Executive Committee gave its approval to the bylaw. 

• A seven-month investigation into a sailing journey that ended with the death of a Salt Spring Island couple concluded with evidence pointing toward an at-sea fire having occurred aboard their vessel. On Feb. 10, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada released its report, which included an assessment of data collected regarding the sailing vessel Theros, reported missing in June of last year after departing Halifax Harbour en route to the Azores. The bodies of Theros crew and well-known islanders Brett Clibbery and Sarah Packwood were discovered on July 10, 2024 in a dinghy washed up on the south side of Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia. Despite being fitted with an automatic identification system that transmitted the vessel’s location as late as June 13, the Theros was never found.

• Two Salt Spring gymnasts were making their mark in regional competition. Rylee Severn, 13, won gold on beam and floor, bronze on bars and fourth overall on vault and took home the gold medal in the Xcel Silver category at the Mount Arrowsmith competition in Port Alberni in early February. Rosemary Fehr, 9, won gold on floor, gold on vault, silver on bars, fifth overall on beam and overall gold in her category of Xcel Bronze at the Christy Fraser Memorial Invitational Competition in Langley on the Feb. 15 weekend. The two Salt Spring athletes train with the Duncan Dynamics Gymnastics Club. 

• Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue (SSIFR) passed its Fire Underwriters Survey tanker shuttle test in February, earning the department a “superior” level of tanker shuttle service. Fire Chief Jamie Holmes reminded the public to mention the accreditation when renewing or applying for house insurance, as it could result in lower insurance premiums. 

• Four Salt Spring residents were among 25 in the Saanich-Gulf Islands constituency who received prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medals in a Feb. 27 ceremony at Butchart Gardens, with a fifth awarded through a different process. Robert Bateman, Jean Gelwicks, Valdy and Ronald Wright joined some 30,000 Canadians deemed to have “made a significant contribution to Canada or their community, or who have achieved excellence abroad that brings credit to the nation,” explained an announcement from the office of MP Elizabeth May. Filmmaker Christine Welsh received a coronation medal from Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak, the national Métis women’s organization. 

MARCH

• The Salt Spring Film Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary on the Feb. 28 to March 2 weekend, with David Suzuki and Tara Cullis as special guests. Some 360 people attended the Friday night gala, up 18 per cent from 2024, with overall festival attendance up 16 per cent from the year before. 

• Islanders were supporting an island family whose four-year-old boy was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and receiving treatment at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. A GoFundMe campaign organized by friend Shael Lampard in March surpassed its $70,000 goal, with funds enabling the family to stay together in Vancouver while Jasper Danecke received treatment that continued throughout the year. 

• Salt Spring Island furniture designer and maker Peter Pierobon earned Canada’s top honour in fine craft when he was named the 2025 Saidye Bronfman Award winner as part of Governor General’s Awards announced March 5. 

• Salt Spring’s first Level-3 electric vehicle fast charger soft-launched in early March at the Mid Island Co-op “fuel bar” in Ganges. 

• The Capital Regional District (CRD) board was exploring “Anybody But U.S.” procurement options in response to tariff actions and other threats from the United States. In a pair of unopposed same-day-consideration motions, the board voted to task staff with rapid analyses of the potential impact of U.S./Canada tariffs on the work of that body, and of prioritizing Canadian-made products and services during the international trade dispute.  

• Salt Spring Island local trustee Laura Patrick was elected by Islands Trust Council members to be that body’s new chair, replacing outgoing three-term chair Peter Luckham in a vote among elected trustees. The secret balloting was launched near the start of Trust Council’s three-day quarterly meeting that kicked off March 11. Patrick won a simple majority vote over Mayne trustee David Maude and Lasqueti Island’s Tim Peterson.

• Islanders were marvelling at a freshly repaired and graded Mount Maxwell Road, making access to Mount Maxwell Provincial Park easier for all types of vehicles. Salt Spring’s Search and Rescue group had been among those lobbying for upgrades when an ambulance was unable to reach the park to transport an injured person in April of 2024 due to the poor road condition.

• Federal political parties were gearing up for an April 28 election campaign when Mark Carney, who became Canada’s 24th prime minister on March 14 after handily winning the Liberal leadership race to replace former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asked Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament on March 23. 

• Four youth sailors from the Salt Spring Island Sailing Club spent their spring break competing with students from Mount Aspiring College in Wanaka, New Zealand. Izzi Pugh Aucoin, Malikaa Clement, Maeve FitzZaland and Reuben Sol travelled to New Zealand with their coach John Hillier and parent volunteer Anna Pugh. The group finished fourth in the Silver Fleet category after competing in 37 races over a three-day period.  

• Co-creators of The Hearth community hub, operated by the non-profit Chuan Society and housed in a portable building at the former Phoenix Elementary School, celebrated the success of a four-month trial run at a closing event held March 29 and expressed hope that the program could continue in an expanded space at the site when it was expected to come available later in the year. The Hearth resulted from a few years of urging that a “warming space” be established in Ganges during winter months for island residents without secure housing. The property is owned by School District 64 and was leased to the CRD for a five-year term in 2024.

APRIL

• Mahon Hall was filled with art and nature lovers on April 11 for the opening of the Unexpected Bateman Spring Art Show put on by the Salt Spring Arts Council and curated by Zoe Zafiris-Casey. Paul Crawford, the director/curator of the Penticton Art Gallery, who initiated the Robert Bateman retrospective and held a version of the show at his gallery in 2024, was among guest speakers, as well as Bateman and Quw’utsun cultural educator Hwiemtun (Fred Roland). A different Bateman show — titled Confluence and featuring artworks and more from the collection of Bateman and his wife Birgit Freybe Bateman — ran at ArtSpring in May.

• Seventeen individuals who had applied to become members of Island Community Services (ICS) in the fall of 2024 went public with a letter sent to the ICS board requesting acceptance of all member applications by the end of February and demanding a detailed rationale for rejecting any applicants. The board responded by advising that a membership committee was “actively working on a response to the applications that is fair, objective and consistent. The matter deserves the utmost care in deliberation, to which we are committed.” Several months later the board advised that membership criteria had been altered to require 20 hours of volunteer service with the society. 

• Salt Spring trustee Jamie Harris was barred from participating in the April 10 LTC meeting when a motion to waive meeting procedure rules and allow him to participate by Zoom did not pass. Harris had not attended a meeting in person since July 2024, stating that he had lost his housing on Salt Spring. The rules stipulate that trustees cannot attend two consecutive regular LTC meetings remotely if the meetings are held in person. Harris, who was elected in 2022 on a campaign to address the island’s housing crisis, declined public invitations to elaborate on his intentions or whereabouts.

• A High Ground Hike led by the Salt Spring emergency program on April 13 provided islanders with an opportunity to meet local emergency personnel, learn about disaster preparedness and get an on-the-ground look at the tsunami hazard zone that covers most of low-lying Ganges. 

• StageCoach Theatre School celebrated its 25th anniversary with its biggest ever production — Matilda the Musical JR. — as well as a gala event at ArtSpring and the establishment of the StageCoach Legacy Fund through the Salt Spring Island Foundation.

• Former Prime Minister Joe Clark was a Salt Spring Forum guest at Fulford Hall April 23, just one of several sold-out Forum events in 2025. 

• A Beaver Point Road home near Weston Lake was destroyed by fire on April 25, though no one was injured in the incident. Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Dale Lundy said firefighters raced to the scene after a caller reported dark grey smoke coming through a rooftop. 

• Elizabeth May of the Green Party of Canada was elected Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands for the fifth consecutive time in the April 28 federal election, earning 37.6 per cent of the vote. She was followed by Liberal party candidate David Beckham (31.8 per cent), Conservative party candidate Cathie Ounsted (25.1 per cent) and Colin Plant of the NDP with four per cent. Nationally, a total of 169 seats were filled by Liberal party candidates — three short of the 172 needed for a majority — with the Conservative party tallying 143 and the NDP seven. As the returning MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, May was the sole Green in Parliament. 

MAY

• The government of B.C. rejected the Islands Trust Council’s latest request for a governance review. Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Ravi Kahlon laid out the province’s position in a two-page letter, noting that in the current uncertain climate, a focus on “services and choices that make an immediate and material difference, while managing within our means” was the government’s priority. Trust Council had requested the review in an October 2024 letter.

• NSSWD ratepayers approved borrowing of up to $11.7 million to construct a long-in-the-planning Maxwell Lake water treatment plant. The referendum passed with 74.3 per cent in favour. With 32.5 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots either by mail or in person on the May 8 referendum day, participation was at the highest level for any previous vote undertaken by the NSSWD, with 1,023 ballots cast by 3,143 eligible voters in the district. Twenty-seven ballots were deemed not acceptable, for a total of 996 eligible ballots: 740 voted in favour and 256 voted against the proposal. 

• Islands Trust staff decided not to grant a permit to a shoreline erosion mitigation project above Salt Spring’s Baker Beach, — delivering a setback to landowners/proponents who then appealed the decision to the island’s LTC. Staff’s objections to issuing the permit were technical, with the decision resting largely upon a checklist tallying whether guidelines for development within the development permit area were consistent with the language in Salt Spring’s official community plan. Homeowner Ethan Wilding had previously petitioned B.C.’s Supreme Court, asking that body to compel the LTC to issue a decision, claiming officials were taking too long to decide one way or another. Later in the year, Wilding and other homeowners filed a B.C. Supreme Court petition claiming that the LTC had overstepped its authority in crafting development regulations meant in part to protect marine environments, a power they claimed lies exclusively with the federal government. The case was heard in December with no judgement released by the end of the year.

• While Salt Spring drivers had become accustomed to frequent 20-minute waits to get through Ganges Hill road construction, a confluence of incidents on May 13 led to agonizing delays of up to 90 minutes. A concrete pour at the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation’s Bittancourt Road housing project, paving that occurred on Atkins Road and took that route out of commission, and water service work occurring at the Drake Road housing project added to regular delay times caused by one-lane alternating traffic being the norm for several months. 

• Salt Spring’s Local Community Commission (LCC) voted to enter into a 12-month lease with the Chuan Society for a portion of the former Phoenix Elementary School property, a move commissioners said was an important step toward community-building on Drake Road. The unanimous May 15 vote meant Chuan could build upon its wintertime pilot project known as The Hearth, the daytime gathering space for vulnerable community members it had run from the Phoenix property’s portable building. Chuan said it planned to operate a comprehensive “neighbourhood house” from the upstairs floor of the former school’s main building, creating a community gathering place with learning spaces, a kitchen, garden and pantry. The agreement would be in place for the next year, while the downstairs was occupied by CRD Parks and Recreation staff awaiting construction of their new Kanaka Road facility. 

• An injured hiker was rescued from the Burgoyne Bay side of Mount Maxwell on May 18 thanks to interagency cooperation and the Salt Spring Search and Rescue rope-rescue team.

• The May long weekend marked a special anniversary for the Salt Spring Island Sailing Club as it hosted its 50th Round Salt Spring Race. A fleet of more than 100 boats registered for the traditional 42-mile race around the island, or the shorter day race. The Round Salt Spring Race is now one of the biggest — as well as oldest — regattas in the Salish Sea, drawing competitors from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and Washington State. The annual Challenge Cup soccer tourney also took place on the same weekend.

• GISS tennis teams had impressive finishes at B.C. secondary school provincial championships held at St. Michael’s University School from May 22 to 24. The boys’ team finished fifth and the girls’ team ninth, with both teams qualifying for provincials through performances at the north Vancouver Island and overall Vancouver Island championships. The team received more than $1,000 to offset expenses through funds raised for the Salt Spring Tennis Association’s junior program at the annual Roy Rajsic tournament. 

• A record number of GISS students who graduated in 2024 received Youth Work in Trades awards of $1,000 at a May 23 event at GISS. Twelve students were recognized for completing the skilled trades apprenticeship program, and 18 had graduated as apprentices, the most in the program’s 20-year history.

• After more than a decade helping keep Salt Spring’s canines cared for while their families shopped at the Saturday Market, the island’s BC SPCA group announced that its Doggy Daycare program would not run this year due to a lack of volunteers.

JUNE

• A campaign to raise $600,000 to cover costs of the SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout) First Nation’s purchase of a 2.17-acre parcel of land on Menhinick Drive next to its existing reserve lands on the south end of Salt Spring kicked off June 3 with a special event at the reserve. The Salt Spring Island Foundation Land Back campaign was ultimately successful before the end of the year. 

• Owners of property in the Maliview Sewer Local Service Area (MSLSA) were facing a massive 30-year bill to pay for a mandated wastewater treatment plant upgrade which was finally close to going out for tender. On June 18 the MSLSA Commission of the CRD passed a motion to increase the long-in-the-works project budget by $1,726,000, from the $2,260,000 that was estimated in 2020 for expected completion in 2022 to $3,986,000 now. The additional funds will come from $47,000 in capital on hand and proposed new debt of $1,679,000. Ratepayer approval was required to authorize the borrowing, which would be forthcoming one way or another since the project had been mandated by the provincial and federal governments. An alternate approval process for the borrowing was passed in August.

• Hundreds of Gulf Islands electric vehicle (EV) owners were left feeling uniquely stranded by BC Ferries when the company made public a new internal policy prohibiting EVs that can’t drive themselves aboard. BC Ferries’ current interpretation of federal Transportation of Dangerous Goods regulations means if any of the islands’ estimated 1,000 electric cars, trucks or buses need a tow elsewhere to be serviced, they won’t be allowed on board any vessel within the ferry system. 

“We recognize this presents challenges for customers and commercial operators, particularly as EV adoption increases,” said BC Ferries senior communications advisor Sonia Lowe. “However, the safety risks associated with transporting damaged or potentially damaged high-voltage batteries, especially when the vehicle cannot be assessed under its own power, require a cautious approach.” 

• Salt Spring’s U13C girls fastpitch team finished in the top spot at a 24-team Vancouver Island regional championship tournament in Duncan on the June 14-15 weekend. 

• The Windsor Plywood Salt Spring store was honoured with the Randle Jones Award for Store of the Year out of 62 stores on June 20 at the Windsor Plywood Summit held in Vancouver.

• The second Indigenous Peoples Weekend kicked off with a teepee raising event on the lawn of ArtSpring June 20 and continued with some 20 different events organized through a grassroots community effort. The annual Tour des Îles inter-islands festival was also held on the same weekend.

• As a guest at ASK Salt Spring June 27, BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez confirmed that the corporation’s decision to homeport both new hybrid-electric Route 6 vessels at Crofton when two-ship service begins on that route in 2027 was a final one. 

“We made this decision, and there are lots of business reasons for it,” said Jimenez. “You may not agree with what we’re saying, and I respect that, but running a system as challenging as the one we’ve got, sometimes you make hard decisions that benefit most, but not all — because it’s better than the version of whatever operating parameters you have currently.” 

Locally elected officials’ efforts to change BC Ferries’ mind on the matter continued through the fall. 

• Provincial wildlife officials were keeping an eye on the north end of Salt Spring Island after multiple late-June sightings of a cougar spotted in broad daylight in a residential backyard. Cougars were seen in a yard on Booth Canal Road on June 20, on Maliview Drive June 25 and on Fernwood Road June 27. According to Salt Spring RCMP Sgt. Clive Seabrook, the BC Conservation Officer Service was notified.

“They are monitoring the situation,” said Seabrook, “but based on the cougar’s behaviour Conservation does not intend to take any action at this time.” 

JULY

• A 911 call warning of a structure fire — and an aircraft report of flames and black smoke rising above Salt Spring — sent firefighters racing up Mount Maxwell Road as part of a busy summer day for island fire crews. SSIFR Chief Jamie Holmes said no one was injured at the fire, which was reported around 6 p.m. July 7 and destroyed a 20-by-20-foot shed. Thanks to swift action by the homeowner and quick response by firefighters, the flames were contained to the structure and did not threaten the surrounding forest.

• Salt Spring’s LTC voted to uphold a staff decision that left a controversial shoreline erosion mitigation project at Baker Beach without development permits. 

• An unprecedented spike in manganese levels in the Highland/Fernwood Water Service Area prompted the CRD to issue a water quality advisory for the entire service area on July 11. Infants’ consumption of the water was the biggest concern, according to a public service announcement released by the CRD.

• Salt Spring’s Special Olympics BC swim team returned from Summer Provincial Games held in Prince George from July 10 to 12 with an impressive array of medals and placements. Dawn Hadler was awarded a gold medal in the 50m freestyle and a bronze in the 50m backstroke. Jason Newport earned a gold medal in the 50m freestyle and Carlos Manzano returned with a silver in the 50m freestyle and a bronze in the 50m backstroke. Deb McNaughton placed sixth in the 25m freestyle and seventh in both the 50m freestyle and the 50m backstroke.

• Family Place celebrated its 30th anniversary on July 30, hosting past and present families and staff, reaching back to those who facilitated and attended programs at the original location behind the Community Services building and those who have been a part of Family Place at the 120 Park Dr. location over the past 16 years.

• July ended on Salt Spring without a drop of rain falling, according to water district officials. Despite drizzle forecast for early August, unless things changed the island was likely headed toward further water restrictions — triggered as lake levels drop.

“Zero precipitation for the month of July is not the norm,” said NSSWD operations manager Ryan Moray, who presented data on island lake levels for district trustees at their meeting on July 31.

Customers of the island’s largest water provider had gone under Stage 3 water restrictions on July 14.

A calendar month without rain on Salt Spring Island is relatively rare. The driest month on record, according to Driftwood reporting, was August 1986, when no precipitation was recorded as part of what became a 58-day rain-free streak — although an 1898 drought was reported in the pages of the Salt Spring Island Parish and Home newsletter. 

AUGUST 

• An online fundraising effort was launched to help a Salt Spring family recover from injuries sustained in a B.C. Day long weekend head-on vehicle collision on Vancouver Island. Taryn and Allan Hancock and their daughter Sage were vacationing at Lake Cowichan when the crash occurred, with all three taken to Victoria General Hospital and Allan facing a long recovery from a shattered femur, among other serious injuries. The GoFundMe campaign launched by friends exceeded its $40,000 goal. 

• Just as traffic-weary Salt Spring drivers could see light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel for the Fulford-Ganges Road improvement project, another stretch of single-lane alternating traffic went into effect in mid-August on Fulford-Ganges Road between Blackburn Road and Horel Road West. Some $4.1 million in work by Windley Contracting Ltd. would begin on replacing the aging culvert beneath the roadway with a “hardened” bridge over Cusheon Creek that would be more resilient to severe weather. An automated traffic light was put in place to regulate the one-lane traffic flow. 

• Firefighters dealt with two reports of fireworks being set off during tinder-dry conditions, with one incident on Aug. 12 requiring 500 gallons of water to extinguish a grass fire at the Kanaka Skate Park. 

“There was a roughly 30-by-40-foot fire in the grassy area right by the skate park,” said SSIFR Deputy Chief Dale Lundy, “as a result of fireworks activity in very, very dry conditions.” 

The night before, multiple calls were received about fireworks being ignited on the west side of St. Mary Lake, but thankfully no flames took hold in the dry brush there. 

• A group that had been quietly working on improving Salt Spring Islanders’ access to health care went public with an update and urged residents without a family doctor to sign up on the Health Connect Registry. The Salt Spring Primary Care Network, part of the non-profit South Island Division of Family Practice, had been tasked with filling 11 full-time-equivalent physician, nurse and other health professional positions being funded by the provincial government.

• The Islands Trust began to eliminate publishing public notices in local newspapers, following on Trust Council approval of a model public notice bylaw that would allow LTCs to only publish meeting, application and bylaw notices on the Islands Trust website or its “social media page.” Salt Spring’s LTC stated it would continue to publish notices in the Driftwood newspaper for now. 

• An Aug. 12 incident on the Salish Heron saw passengers alarmed as the vessel lost an anchor while en route from Tsawwassen to Long Harbour. Passengers were rushed inside as smoke from the vessel’s anchor system brakes filled the air on the front deck of the boat, and “a massive shuddering of the vessel and a huge metallic screeching sound” were experienced. 

• The Photosynthesis group of photographers held their 25th-anniversary exhibition at ArtSpring from Aug. 20 to Sept. 2, with images by both current and some past members included in the show. 

• Organizers of a Pender Island concert with local youth band The Dip and indie rock star Mac DeMarco were thrilled to have raised $46,000 for Doctors Without Borders — $23,000 from ticket sales and donations and a matched amount from DeMarco, a newer Pender resident — at the Aug. 24 event held at Darcie and Alan Whittingham’s Camp Cowbell property.

• The Gulf Islands Open men’s singles tennis title went to 17-year-old Nate Kray-Gibson, who beat Mike Leksinski by scores of 6-2, 0-6 and 2-10 in the Salt Spring Tennis Association event held the last weekend of August at the Salt Spring Island Tennis Centre.

SEPTEMBER 

• The Farmers’ Institute welcomed thousands to the Salt Spring Fall Fair as usual on the Sept. 6-7 weekend, but to grounds with facilities that had been repainted and refreshed through a concerted effort by Friends of the Farmers’ Institute volunteers and others. As well, a new shed to shelter the institute’s growing collection of farm equipment was also nearing completion for the fair weekend. 

• The lithium battery in a charging e-bike was determined to be the cause of a Sept. 9 fire at a Fulford home. Fire Chief Jamie Holmes said firefighters and the homeowners were fortunate in that both a neighbour and a firefighter who lived nearby were able to get some water into the house through an exterior window, dousing most of the flames before they spread.

• A CRD director’s 11th-hour reduction to an LCC proposal to raise Salt Spring’s tax levy ceiling for transit services had driven a wedge between the island’s elected officials — leading LCC member Brian Webster to walk out of a meeting in protest. At the Sept. 10 CRD Board meeting, Salt Spring CRD director Gary Holman amended a recommendation from the LCC that had originally laid out a 78 per cent increase in the maximum levy for transit in 2026 to 25 per cent. Holman told board members that while he supported the larger maximum levy, he would not “sign off” on the higher number without explicitly consulting voters. The board defeated a motion to send the bylaw back to the LCC for further discussion, ultimately approving Holman’s amendment.

• Salt Spring’s annual Pride festival returned to its original month Sept. 11-14 after two years of Diverse and Inclusive Salt Spring Island hosting the festival with a camping component at the Farmers’ Institute in July. This year’s activities included the parade, potluck, workshops, dance and more. 

• Mouat’s Home Hardware store manager Maria Elsser was honoured with the company’s Canada-wide Women’s Inclusion Network award at a mid-September event in Toronto, selected for her “exceptional work in inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.”

• The Drake Road supportive housing complex saw tenants move into their new homes in early September. The Lookout Housing and Health Society was chosen to manage the facility by BC Housing, which fully funded the project comprising 32 units of modular supportive housing and four units of affordable workers’ housing.

• Salt Spring’s Community Labyrinth was officially opened at its 710 Upper Ganges Rd. site on Sept. 13. The amenity came about thanks to the vision of a small group of women and support from the wider community. Total project cost was $26,000, with about one third raised through Salt Spring Island Foundation and Lions Club grants and the rest through individual donations. 

• A Sept. 14 brush fire on an uninhabited island just 500 metres from Salt Spring brought as many as 30 residents — and almost as many boats — to fight it with buckets, shovels and eventually a pump and hose, according to witnesses. After several calls for assistance and hours of hard work by local community members, the blaze that was started on Third Sister Island by some campers during a campfire ban period was fully extinguished.

• Volunteers with the Gulf Islands Community Radio Society (GICRS) saw their years of effort rewarded on Sept. 18 as CHiR-FM went live at 9 a.m. for a show co-hosted by GICRS president Damian Inwood and David Crouch, who would alternate morning show slots through the weekdays. 

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Inwood from the station’s location in a portable building on the Salt Spring Island Multi Space property the week before the launch. “When we applied for the [CRTC] licence in 2018, we never imagined it would be another seven years before we’d actually be able to do it,” he said, noting the Covid pandemic and other unexpected challenges slowed them down.

• An idea for cross-border connection launched by the Orcas Island Yacht Club and heartily supported by the Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce and others reached port on the Sept. 19-21 weekend as Salt Spring hosted an estimated 100 Orcas Islanders for the first Hands Across the Water festival. Events included a multi-vessel handshake greeting in Welbury Bay upon the U.S. visitors’ arrival, live music events, discussion groups, a pancake breakfast and more. Plans to create a “sister island” relationship were also initiated. 

• Salt Spring’s Mira Byron ran 45 laps — 170 kilometres (105 miles) — on a track in Duncan in a 24-hour race in a Victoria Hospitals Foundation fundraiser on Sept. 20. 

• The sixth biennial Salt Spring National Art Prize (SSNAP) Finalists Exhibition opened at Mahon Hall Sept. 27, highlighting works by 52 Canadian artists, including five from the Gulf Islands, chosen by an esteemed jury. The also-juried Parallel Art Show of works by Gulf Islands artists submitting to SSNAP ran at ArtSpring, and the first Salon des Refusés of works by Gulf Islands artists not chosen for either show ran at Salt Spring Gallery.

• The Salt Spring Island Conservancy marked its 30th anniversary with a special fundraising dinner featuring a keynote speech by award-winning scientist and environmental activist David Suzuki at Bullock Lake Farm on Sept. 27. 

OCTOBER

• As the academic year entered its seventh week, Gulf Islands School District (SD64) planners had yet to receive clarity from BC Ferries about how any of the electric school buses running on the islands might be transported off the island if repairs are needed. The ferry company’s abrupt shift in policy over the summer to deny boarding for electric vehicles being towed — saying BC Ferries would, as a safety precaution, refuse to transport any EV not able to drive onto a ferry under its own power — was a surprise to almost everybody, according to SD64 secretary treasurer Jesse Guy, who told trustees Oct. 8 the company had so far offered no solutions for the district. 

• One of Salt Spring’s most enduring musical traditions returned to Fulford Hall after a few years’ hiatus when the Salt Spring Folk Club (SSFC) packed the house for the Gumboot Gala on Oct. 19. Folk club co-founders Bill Henderson and Valdy had made the Gumboot Gala a regular part of the SSFC season since 1999, both performing themselves and welcoming various musical friends to join them on stage. Covid and other challenges put some gaps in the gala schedule in recent years, with the last two held in 2022 and 2019. The club also put out a call for a few volunteers with specific skills to join the board so the club could continue. 

• A change nearly two years in the making came to fruition with the CRD Board voting to pivot from a 35-year-old municipal ticketing system for minor infractions to one incorporating early case-by-case screening and an independent adjudicator. Specific to Salt Spring Island, per the new bylaw, those infractions would notably include contraventions of two so-called “rooster regulations” — Salt Spring Island Noise Suppression Bylaw No. 1, 2006, also known as CRD Bylaw 3384; and Animal Regulation and Impounding Bylaw No. 1, 1986, also known as CRD Bylaw 1465. 

• A dedicated past Greenwoods Eldercare Society board chair and educator on the island was honoured at an Oct. 2 dedication event for the Barb Aust Family Room at the Greenwoods long-term care facility. After approaching Greenwoods management about how she could support the residence, islander Rineke Jonker donated funds to help create the space for residents to meet with visiting family members and friends outside of their own rooms. 

• B.C.’s housing minister quietly visited Salt Spring to learn more about its housing needs and sat down with the island’s elected and unofficial representatives. Salt Spring CRD director Gary Holman said Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Christine Boyle was on-island for several hours Oct. 15, spending them in meetings with CRD and Islands Trust officials and community advocates. The informal visit was arranged by local MLA Rob Botterell.

• The sixth biennial Salt Spring National Prize (SSNAP) event concluded on the Oct. 18-19 weekend with $52,000 in awards disbursed, including the top prize going to a Salt Spring Island artist. Anna Gustafson’s text-based fibre work titled What George Said . . . , which references George Orwell and reinterprets a 1930s cross-stitch sampler originally made by the artist’s mother, won the $20,000 Joan McConnell Award, chosen by the jury of Mireille Eagan, Heather Igloliorte, Sarah Milroy and Kenneth Montague. Awards for both the SSNAP and Parallel Art Show exhibitions were given out at a gala evening held at ArtSpring.

• The Heartwood House facility for health care workers, owned by the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation, was celebrated at an open house event held Oct. 20. First occupants were expected in the new year.

• A second planned community information meeting on Salt Spring Island about the Islands Trust’s Policy Statement revision project was cancelled — technically postponed, according to that body’s communications staff — due to the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) strike. The Oct. 22 meeting was the second disappointment for land use policy enthusiasts on Salt Spring, where a similar meeting scheduled for Oct. 18 had been postponed just days earlier. Similar meetings on Gabriola and Galiano islands were also cancelled. Unionized employees returned to work Oct. 27, as BCGEU members accepted a tentative agreement and took down picket lines.

• More than half a million dollars had already been raised by Oct. 24, when the Island Community Clinic Society and the LMHF announced a collaborative response to the critical shortage of family doctors and primary care health workers on Salt Spring: attracting and retaining practitioners by transforming the existing Salt Spring Island Health Centre into a non-profit team-based community health centre, backed by the land-owning Gulf Islands Seniors Residence Association’s commitment to long-term tenure.

• The Islanders Working Against Violence (IWAV) organization — which operates the 74-unit Croftonbrook complex at the end of Corbett Road — announced it was seeking public support to help close the deal on an 11.8-acre property on Norton Road with an existing home, orchard and garden, and zoning for affordable housing. IWAV said it needed to raise $300,000 by mid-December; campaign organizers were thrilled to receive a $40,000 contribution in the first week of the campaign and an unprecedented $400,000 grant from the Salt Spring Island Foundation, contingent on the purchase being completed.

NOVEMBER

• A new proposal for a 35-metre-high telecommunications tower in Ganges brought out impassioned public opposition, but there were few clues from Salt Spring’s Local Trust Committee (LTC) on how it planned to ultimately respond. The installation could improve wireless voice and data service in Ganges and along Fulford-Ganges Road, according to a description submitted by proponent SLI Towers, who sought to erect the tower on Knott Place off Rainbow Road — not for a specific operator, they said, but potentially any or all of them. Islanders who turned out to speak at the LTC’s Nov. 6 meeting all expressed worries about environmental health issues they said were associated with the electromagnetic radiation such towers produce. But for their part, local trustees’ conversations centred on whether the proponent was aware of existing LTC protocol, which calls for First Nations consultation for any new antenna siting. 

• Saanich North and the Islands MLA Rob Botterell once again toured Salt Spring with a provincial minister in tow — this time visiting different health care settings with Mid Island-Pacific Rim MLA and Minister of Health Josie Osborne. Botterell and Osborne spent Nov. 1 learning more about the health care challenges facing the island.

• Officials voted to expand the first phase of public engagement on Salt Spring’s Official Community Plan review, a $40,000 budget addition to augment an undertaking one trustee said needed to be wide-reaching and inclusive — but also aligned with formal process. Consulting firm McElhanney Ltd. said it had so far engaged some 600 people through a 40-day campaign that saw 468 online surveys completed, including many that were filled out by hand and entered later, according to Sandra Borton, who presented the consultant’s report to the LTC Nov. 6.

• Mahon Hall was buzzing with celebration on Nov. 6 as the community gathered for the 2025 Salty Awards, hosted by the Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce and honouring the island’s most inspiring businesses, innovators and changemakers. Award winners were: Business of the Year: Windsor Plywood; Emerging Business: Sweetwater Distilling Co.; Island Ambassador: Salt Spring Visitor Information Centre; Community Impact: Salt Spring Island Foundation; Green Business: SALT JAR refillery; Trades: Diggin’ It Excavating; Cornerstone: Windsor Plywood; Hand + Land: Salt Spring Wild Cider; Tourism + Hospitality: Salt Spring Visitor Information Centre.

• A winning lottery ticket purchased on Salt Spring left two islanders in disbelief, according to B.C. lottery officials, who announced Nov. 12 that David Aksenchuk and Amber Little had won $1 million from the Oct. 22 Lotto 6/49 draw. The winning ticket was purchased at Moby’s Pub.

• Police investigated an overnight vandalism spree at Salt Spring’s Portlock Park that left multiple structures and CRD vehicles graffitied with spray paint. The damage was discovered by the park supervisor on the morning of Nov. 15, according to Salt Spring’s senior CRD manager Dan Ovington, who then notified RCMP and staff. Ovington said the vandal or vandals must have first broken into park sea cans being used for storage to get the paint.

• Salt Spring’s “summer of road work” stretched well into wintertime, but at least hours-long traffic delays became a thing of the past with the announcement from contractor Northridge Excavating Ltd. that major work on Fulford-Ganges Road was at an end. 

• Meanwhile, in the north end, a closure of Broadwell Road where it crosses Duck Creek due to a culvert discovered close to failure shifted school bus routes and detoured drivers, with a repair not expected to be done until the fall of 2026. 

• A town hall on housing might not have generated rooster-level buzz on Salt Spring, but a smaller group of islanders nonetheless shared plenty of ideas at the LCC-facilitated community workshop held Nov. 27. From the roughly two dozen attendees came just as many suggestions to address the shortage of affordable housing on the island, as the LCC worked to co-develop a new Integrated Housing Strategy and Action Plan. 

• With a unanimous vote the CRD’s Parks Committee recommended the CRD Board hand off the priority-positioned Salt Spring Island Regional Trail to the CRD’s Regional Transportation Service, a shift that brought a long-imagined 21-kilometre path connecting Fulford, Ganges and Vesuvius closer to reality.

DECEMBER

• Islands Trust Council met in early December and wrestled with the “bomb in the attic,” as Thetis Island trustee Peter Luckham called it — a draft budget hovering near $12 million with few easy options for reductions. The meeting also heard that an independent investigator found South Pender Island trustee Kristina Evans had acted appropriately in kicking Salt Spring Island trustee Jamie Harris out of an online committee meeting for abusive behaviour back in May. The Dec. 2 Trust Council vote to endorse the investigator’s recommendations marked the end of a complaint process launched by Harris, the Islands Trust’s first-ever formal misconduct investigation.

• More than 50 vehicles took part in the first Trucker n’ Trade Holiday Parade held on the night of Dec. 6. The event also raised over $5,900 for the Canadian Cancer Society in honour of Rick Andrews, the excavating company owner who passed away this past summer. Fresco Refrigeration’s Graham and Myriam Outerbridge initiated the parade idea, teamed up with the Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce and received enthusiastic support from Windsor Plywood, Mouat’s Trading Co. and others.

• Heavy and prolonged rain on Dec. 10 led to something of a washout on Channel Ridge Drive, briefly snarling the only remaining road to many houses as workers rushed to ensure it was safe to cross.

• Grammy-nominated and Juno-winning family entertainer Raffi Cavoukian sat down with the Driftwood to talk about his new song, “ABC Democracy.” The Salt Spring Island resident lamented the recent chaos and erosion of freedom in the U.S, which he said had been “the shock of my lifetime.” Raffi was also interviewed for a national CTV News segment about the song. 

• Some 1,700 islanders lost power when a vehicle struck a hydro pole on Salt Spring the night of Dec. 11. Officials said no one was seriously injured. Just days later, thousands would lose electricity when two days of high winds whipped through the islands and much of southern B.C. 

• More than 200 donations later, a fundraiser supporting the SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout) First Nation’s effort to complete its Salt Spring Island Land Back campaign was successful, reaching a $600,000 goal needed to fund acquisition of a lot on Menhinick Drive adjacent to their 50-acre reserve.

• Salt Spring’s LTC approved a rezoning application for a 50-unit affordable housing project and medical clinic expansion at Kings Lane, brought by the Gulf Islands Seniors Residence Association. The LTC also gave the nod to rezoning for a new parks maintenance and bus yard on Kanaka Road, which BC Transit says is critical for future bus service expansion.

• A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official opening of a formerly unofficial pathway, as Salt Spring Island community members celebrated completion of Kanaka Connector Trail improvements Dec. 18. The 100-metre pathway’s southern exit by Gulf Islands Secondary School has made it a popular shortcut for students, as well as other islanders headed to and from Ganges on foot or by bicycle.

Once again, young Gulf Islands writers delighted Driftwood story contest judges with their creativity and ability to capture the holiday spirit.

“I was impressed by the breadth of imagination all of these kids showed,” said longtime book publisher Marlyn Horsdal, who was a first-time judge and read stories written by 12- and 13-year-olds.

Fran McIninch, who judged the nine-year-old age category, said, “I feel they should all get an award for participating and making the effort.”

Also judging this year were veterans Joan Gage and Sheila McEachern, and newcomer Janice Parker. Thank you to all five women and longtime coordinator Victoria Olchowecki.

Results are: Age 7-8 category: first place, Sofia Névé Langer, Christmas in Hawaii; second place, Elora King, You Cannot Have Christmas Without Merry. Age 9 category: first place, Lily Hughs, The Christmas Adventure; second place, Lilly Slade-Waters, Turtle’s First Christmas; honourable mention, Alexi Stotecky, The Christmas Day; Lyra Smith, Fluffy’s Christmas. Age 10 category: first place, Willow Kilpatrick, Believe; second place, Fern Cardinal, The Mystery Behind the Advent Calendar; honourable mention, Lia Bourns and Eva Ilinykh, The Little Ferntail Butterfly. Age 11 category: first place, Isla Maruca-Alarie, Never Too Old for Christmas Magic; second place, Athena Dragland, A Gift for Maggie; honourable mention, Millie Smid, The Hat. Age 12-13 category: first place, Marrella Hoffman, Christmas at the Retirement Home; second place, Violet Penner, Inaccurate Lists, an Over-Hot-Chocolated Elf and (G)iPad Kids; honourable mention, Inara Demich, A Siberian Solstice; Aurelia Lukow, The Missing Gifts.

Winner of the cover art contest is Grade 10 GISS student Nya Hornsey. Cover artwork from eight members of Melissa Hingston’s Grades 4-5 class at Fernwood Elementary School is also included in a gallery in this post.

Artist Hornsey and all first- and second-place story winners receive vouchers that can be exchanged for gift certificates at Salt Spring Books. Vouchers are available for pick-up at the Driftwood office at 241 Fulford-Ganges Rd. during regular office hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, or by arrangement with us through news@gulfislandsdriftwood.com. Vouchers must be taken to Salt Spring Books to exchange for certificates by Jan. 31, 2026 (but do not have to be used by then). Thank you to Salt Spring Books for being a dedicated partner in the contest by providing the prizes for so many years now.

First- and second-place stories are published below. Ana Roy, age 15, was the sole entrant from an older age group this year. Her excellent story is also included below.

______________________________________________________________________

Christmas in Hawaii

By Sofia Névé Langer

Age 7-8 Category

First Place

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Persepheny, who was no ordinary girl. She was special, but she didn’t know that! On the other hand, Santa was getting tired of doing his job, so he decided to find a child to do it for him. So, he asked his elves to find someone who could do the job. Santa had booked a flight to Hawaii!

When the elves found Persepheny, they brought her to Santa. He inspected Persepheny and then said, “Well, this looks like someone to do the job, if she can say the magic word.”

“What is the magic word?” asked Persepheny. 

“Supercalifrajaslisticexpialadocious,” replied Santa.

“Supercalifrajaslisticexpialadocious,” said Persepheny. She gasped. Had she really said that long word?

“Yes, you have,” said Santa, reading her mind. “You have to give the presents out, but be careful. There might be a snowstorm or the presents could fall out! And I don’t want that to happen, do you?” 

“No!” yelled Persepheny.

Finally Santa had convinced Persepheny to drive his sleigh. 

“Thanks!” said Santa, thinking of drinking from a Hawaiian coconut. 

“You’re welcome,” answered Persepheny. “I’ll do it!”

Christmas was only two weeks away, and Persepheny was very nervous about losing the presents, or if there would be a snowstorm, so she asked Santa if he could lend her elves to guide her along. 

Santa said, “Yes, of course!”

Santa wished her well and left for Hawaii with his sandals and beach towel packed in his suitcase. He was curious to see what Christmas in Hawaii would be like, and left for the airport with a happy grin. 

When Christmas Eve came, Persepheny was more nervous than ever! She was also excited, so she called that feeling “ner-cited.” 

Persepheny helped the elves load the presents into the sleigh and harness the reindeer, but, as they climbed in, snow started to fall! It fell really hard and really fast!

Persepheny’s nervousness came back, because she might lose the presents in the snowstorm! Now, it was turning into a blizzard!

So Persepheny cried to the reindeer, “Let’s go quick before the snow is too deep! Dash away, dash away, dash away all! Thank you Rudolph for leading us with your nose so bright!”

The heavy sleigh struggled, but flew into the air on its journey around the world! As Persepheny gave out presents, she noticed most houses were pretty easy, except for a few. One of them was particularly difficult because she was almost seen by the children! Some of the floorboards were really creaky in that house! She quickly ran into the bathroom to hide.

After those children went back to bed, Persepheny returned to the sleigh and delivered presents to children around the world! Persepheny was so happy, she couldn’t wait to do it next year! 

Meanwhile, Santa was drinking juice from a Hawaiian coconut in his sandals and happy grin. Christmas was great in Hawaii. He couldn’t wait to do it next year!

• – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

You Cannot Have Christmas Without Merry

By Elora King

Age 7-8 Category

Second Place

Once upon a time there were two friends named Merry and Christmas. They were helping set up for the Christmas dance. They were also carrying the big Christmas tree when suddenly, it snapped and it smashed Merry, pinning her to the ground! She was stuck. 

“How are we supposed to have Christmas without Merry?” Christmas said. “This is terrible. We need to get Merry out of there. Someone help! Mrs. Claus, help me get Merry out,” pleaded Christmas. 

“OK, I will try,” said Mrs. Claus. “Eeaaaaaa, it is too heavy! We need Santa. I will go get him.” 

“Hohoho!” bellowed Santa.

“Be quiet!” said Christmas seriously. “We need to get Merry out of there right now.” 

“OK, I will try. Aaaaaaaaaa, it is too heavy! We need the reindeer. I will get them,” he said.

“Hey boys, we need help to get Merry out from under the tree. She is stuck,” he explained. 

“OK, we will try. Aaaaaaaaaaa, it is never going to work!” they cried. 

“Wait, I have an idea! I will attach a rope from my sled to the Christmas tree. On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer, on Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. Wait! Where is Rudolph? Oh, no, he is still at the North Pole eating hay! It is OK. It will still work. OK, here we go. Aaaaaaaaaaaaa.”

Pop!

“Yay, it worked! Thank you so much,” said Santa. “You guys are the best!”

“Thank you, everybody,” said Christmas. “Christmas is saved!”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The Christmas Banquet

By Lily Hughs

Age 9 Category 

First Place

Once upon a time on Christmas, there was a penguin named Pengweeny. He was very funny and my best friend. He lived in a little log cabin in the forest. When he got hungry, he went out to find fish.

He was happily swimming alone when he saw a fish. All of a sudden, a giant fin popped out of the water. A shark started chasing him and he screamed! 

Pengweeny was okay, but he still needed something to eat. He decided to catch a plane to Hawaii, hoping there would be no animals who would eat him. 

When he got to the plane, he was surprised to find that the pilot was a seagull! He went and sat down in his seat, and the plane took off. He decided to play checkers with the guy next to him named Ebbyfry, who was a shrimp. They played checkers and Ebbyfry won.

Pengweeny was thirsty, so they went to the potion-brewing stand and made a speed-walk potion. After drinking it, they ran up and down the aisle of the plane 100 times in three seconds. Pengweeny was really excited to get off the plane.

He got off and looked around and felt so happy that he jumped into the water. He saw hundreds of fish as well as turtles. He swam down and caught a fish. He brought it back up and noticed a Mer-pup swimming in the water next to him. She grabbed him up and dove down to a beautiful kingdom made of seashells. She swam into a castle, putting him down and saying, “Hello, my name is Princess Coral.”

He told her his name, just as a graceful creature came swimming toward them, saying, “Princess Coral, what are you doing?”

“Look, Mother, it’s a penguin.” 

Pengweeny bowed, introducing himself.

“Why don’t you come and stay for the Christmas feast?” Coral’s mother said.

“Yes, please! But will there be fish?” Pengweeny asked.

“Of course there will!?” they said, and they all swam off to prepare for the Christmas banquet. 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Turtle’s First Christmas

By LILLY SLADE-WATERS

Age 9 Category 

Second Place

One night an egg was hatching. It was a turtle egg. The eggshell was glimmering from the moon. It cracked and cracked until a little head popped out into the shimmer of light. It was snowing outside but not heavily falling down. 

From that day on, Turtle had always wanted to meet Santa. Every Christmas she looked up at the moon and most of the time she didn’t see him, but one night she heard a jingle of a bell. She looked up in confusion. There was a big sleigh with a big fat dude on it. She still wanted to meet Santa, but she wanted to meet an elf even more. 

She packed her stuff and headed out to Antarctica. She waddled into the water. After 10 minutes of paddling she wondered if this was a good idea. She decided to continue, and the water kept getting colder and colder. She got so cold but she finally made it to the ice land, Antarctica. 

She saw a sleigh fly across the sky so she followed it to Santa’s house. There were elves everywhere. All those little elves had black and white bottoms and tops and they all wore little red or green hats on top. The elves were making toys and so much more. Everything she could have wished for. But there was no turtle stuff in the workshop, like little fish. And why were there no coral-shaped sculptures and little rare shells? There was more human stuff than she could ever imagine. She didn’t see anything for turtles, not even a little turtle picture! It was crazy because she thought there would have been more things for turtles because turtles were so cute. 

The turtle then saw this big fat dude in the crowd and she waddled up to him and it was Santa. She said to Santa, “What’s up, Santa? Why aren’t there things for turtles in your workshop? I have been looking forward to Christmas my whole life! Now it’s finally here and there’s nothing for me!”

Santa replied, “Well, little turtle, what would you like?”

The turtle said, “Everything!”

“Well, I can’t do that.” Then Santa thought for a moment and realized he could do something amazing for this turtle and all the turtles across the land.

“Jellyfish! I will make sure that there is enough fish and jelly in the world for all of you!”

From that day on, Turtle was so happy. Christmas turned out to be such a special time and the trip to Antarctica was a memorable experience.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Believe

By Willow Kilpatrick

Age 10 Category

First place

Once upon a time there was a girl called Maple. She was 10, and her whole life she had believed — she believed in Christmas, Santa and all magical things. When she was young it was normal — all her friends also believed and knew that Santa was real. Well, until Grade 5 . . . .

In Grade 5, some of her friends started talking about Santa and saying that Santa was just their parents. She found it was hard being the weird kid and felt like everyone made fun of her because she was the only one who thought Santa was real.

No matter how much she tried to keep believing in the magic of Christmas, her friends got into her head, and she started seeing things differently — the elf on the shelf looked felted, Santa’s handwriting looked so much like her mum’s, and a person that lived at the North Pole . . . really? All just children’s stories . . . . But still, Maple did not want to give up.

She had a special memory that stayed with her. When she was six years old, Maple, her brother and her mum were standing on the treehouse outside at Christmas time and suddenly up in the sky they saw a glowing red nose and two little antlers darting across the starry night. It felt truly magical.

When she told her Grade 5 friends about this they said, “Sure,” and, “You were only six years old when that happened and it was probably just a dream,” and, “Planes have red lights on them so it was probably only a plane!” Her friends’ comments stuck in her heart. But still Maple did not want to give up.

On Christmas Eve, Maple decided that she would do something to prove things to herself once and for all. She found her stash of saved-up Halloween candies and power-ate it all night to keep herself up. Then her plan was to secretly spy on Santa. Maple also set up a spy camera just in case she fell asleep.

Late that night she fell asleep and missed Santa. In the morning, she realized what had happened.

“Well, at least I have my spy camera,” said Maple, hopefully. But as she went over to watch the footage, she saw that she had forgotten to turn it on. 

“No! I forgot to turn it on!! Now I have no proof!” 

She felt that she had failed herself.

But when Maple walked upstairs and saw her family around the glittering Christmas tree with presents underneath, she thought, “Maybe I don’t have proof that Santa’s real, but in my heart I do know that Santa exists and I always will.”

After winter break, all her friends were talking about how fake Santa was. 

“I don’t need them to believe to know it’s true, only I need to believe,” she said to herself.

Suddenly the conversation didn’t seem as important to Maple. And she felt the Christmas joy FINALLY fill her up.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Mystery Behind the Advent Calendar

By Fern Cardinal

Age 10 Category

Second Place

There was a bump. And a shake. Jingle, a small wooden hamster, with a white crescent on his forehead, woke up with a startle. He opened his apartment window and saw that his wooden home had been moved to the checkout counter of the Ye Olde Knick Knacks Shop. 

He heard the owner of the antique shop talking to a human and her young daughter. 

“You’re very lucky to get this advent calendar. It’s the only one in the world!” 

What the shop owner knew that this human family didn’t was that this advent calendar was much larger on the inside than on the outside. It hid a whole town behind it, full of tiny carved woodland creatures. But all the humans saw was an old, wooden advent calendar. 

Jingle ran outside the back of his apartment to ring the old bell at the centre of town. The wooden animals came out yawning, not used to being awake in the daylight hours. 

“We’re being moved,” said Jingle, looking at the sleepy creatures. “We must be careful! We don’t know what these humans want.” 

The frightened animals went back to bed. 

In the evening, Jingle awoke and saw that their home was now located inside a human house, decorated with mistletoe and twinkling Christmas lights. His mouth dropped to the floor. Worried, Jingle decided to check on his bestie, a shaggy wooden raccoon named Stocking, who lived in apartment number one. 

Stocking’s front door was wide open! He was nowhere to be seen. Jingle looked everywhere, asking all the other wooden toys if they’d seen Stocking, but no one had. He was gone. 

Soon the sun came up and the animals got sleepy again. As Jingle went yawning back to his apartment, he vowed to unravel the mystery. 

That evening Jingle awoke to a wooden fox named Rudolph shaking him violently. “Holly is missing!!”

Jingle jumped out of bed and raced to Holly’s apartment (number two). Just like Stocking, the front door was wide open and the chestnut-coloured squirrel was nowhere to be seen. 

Days flew into weeks and every morning another toy animal disappeared from their apartment. Soon Jingle was the only one left in his apartment — number 24. 

The next morning he awoke to large, cold hands grabbing him from his bed! He flailed his little wooden arms and looked into the eyes of a human child. She placed him down gently on a huge wooden dresser. To his surprise all his animal friends were there! 

The human girl skipped away squealing, “Mom! Come see what I got in the advent calendar! It’s a hamster!” 

Jingle jumped up and down with his friends. They were all safe, even Stocking. The human girl had simply been setting them up on the dresser as a display. 

“And the humans will return us to our apartments after the holidays,” Stocking explained. 

Jingle sighed with relief. The mystery was solved and next year he’d be prepared for the Christmas tradition of the advent calendar. 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Never Too Old for Christmas Magic

By Isla Maruca-Alarie

Age 11 category

First Place

It was Christmas time, and there was a little girl named Freya whose parents owned a bakery in a quaint little town called Cranberry Vale. Freya loved the holiday season, and it was going to be her 13th Christmas.

She had two special reasons she was excited this year. One, because Christmas makes everybody happy and she is the kind of girl who loves seeing other people smile. Second, the bakery is very busy during the holidays, and her parents let her help out. She dreams of running the bakery on her own one day.

Three days before Christmas, snow was falling outside. Freya’s parents needed to make a quick trip to the next town for ingredients, but on the way back the road was blocked by heavy snow and they couldn’t get home that evening. For the first time, Freya had to sleep alone in their apartment above the bakery. She was worried about opening the shop on her own the next morning.

Snuggled in bed she looked out her window and saw a shooting star. Quickly she made a wish: she wished she had all the ingredients she needed and some extra hands to help. Then she drifted off to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Freya woke to the clatter of pots and pans and the sound of many little footsteps downstairs. Freya crept downstairs, and pushed open the kitchen door where she saw about 15 little Christmas elves, in tiny little aprons, busily running around the bakery.

She heard one of the little elves say, “Shhhhh, we don’t want to wake Miss Freya.”

“Who, me?” Freya said, stepping into the kitchen.

Another little elf replied, “Oh, hello Miss Freya, we are here to help you in the bakery.”

Then another elf said, “I’m so glad you wished us here last night. Santa’s toy shed was getting a little cramped!”

“You’re Santa’s elves!” Freya gasped.

Then she noted, all around her, the counters were covered in perfect piles of treats. There were mince pies, apple strudels and fritters, macarons, chocolate eclairs and many more delicious delights.

Soon it was time to open the shop! Customers poured in and bought many holiday treats. Then to Freya’s surprise, her parents arrived home at last.

She told her parents everything and led them to the kitchen to meet the little elves — but they had all vanished.

Freya’s dad said, “Oh honey, don’t you think you’re getting a little too old for believing in Christmas elves and fairy tales?”

Her mom, looking around at the perfect piles of pastries, said, “But how else do you think Freya managed all this on her own?”

Freya grinned, and with a twinkle in her eye she said to her dad, “You’re never too old for Christmas magic,” and then ran outside to play in the fluffy snow.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

A Gift for Maggie

By Athena Dragland

Age 11 category

Second Place

There once was a little girl called Maggie. She lived in a small cabin made of logs in the big woods on a snowy mountain in Banff, B.C. with her mother and father. It was winter in the big woods, and it was getting very cold.

Maggie was an only child and her friends lived so far away that she saw them very rarely, but her best friends were the animals in the woods like rabbits, squirrels and birds. She loved animals and they loved it when she came to visit them in their home.

One winter’s morning when the snow was falling harder than normal, Maggie woke up, got dressed and excitedly, she quickly ran to the pantry to grab birdseed and peanut butter. With both items, she went to the door and got her leather bag.

“What are you doing, Maggie?” her mother asked.

“I am going to feed the birds!” And with that Maggie swung open the door and bounded off into the snow.

Maggie trenched into the forest where the winter wonderland got even more beautiful. She sat down on her long jacket and started to get out the peanut butter. Now where were the pinecones, she thought? Just then a cold frosty air swept by her and the snow came dumping down. What was happening, she thought? She rolled down a hill, then opened her eyes and the forest looked different and the trees circled around her. In the middle of the clearing there was a young woman wearing a long dark green dress. Her hair was dark brown and flowed down to her hips. Standing next to her were different animals of all kinds. They all gathered around her and she had a bag of food.

“Hello.” Her kind eyes gazed upon Maggie. “I am Noel the winter fairy, who are you?”

“Maggie,” Maggie managed to whisper.

“Why are you here?” Noel asked.

“I somehow tumbled down here in a big wind storm.”

“Well, do you know where your home is now?” Noel asked.

“No, I don’t.”

“Well, we can help you. I come here every year to help the animals and I know my way around these parts of the woods.”

“That would be great,” Maggie said.

“Yes, but first we have to help the animals,” Noel said.

“I know what to do, I brought some bird seed and peanut butter and now we just need some pinecones,” said Maggie.

“I know where those are,” Noel said and then they got to it using the items Maggie brought and Noel’s sweet treats.

After they had helped the animals, Noel said to Maggie, “You have been such a great help and I would like to give you a gift.” She kneeled and picked up a snowy white rabbit that was so small it could probably fit into the palm of her hand.

“This is for you,” Noel said. “It’s a young orphan rabbit and I would like you to have it.”

“Really!” Maggie said.

“Of course,” replied Noel. “I think you will be great friends.”

Maggie picked up the rabbit. It looked up at her with its dark eyes. “I’ll name you Snowball.” And with Snowball in her hand she and Noel travelled home.

At Maggie’s door she said goodbye and went inside. Inside she told her mother all about her adventure and her special gift.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Christmas at the Retirement Home

By Marrella Hoffman 

Age 12-13 Category 

First Place 

It was a dark, snowy evening at Serenity Springs Retirement Home. As the halls filled with families visiting for the holidays, Edith hobbled her way through the crowds, making it to the singular chair sitting in front of the fireplace. As the old lady watched the grins of her peers as they hugged their grandchildren, tears started slowly rolling down Edith’s wrinkled cheeks. 

To Edith, it had only felt like yesterday when she was one of those grandmas hugging their loved ones. Although in her mind it had been only a few days since the accident, the calendar said otherwise. Four years ago was the night everything in Edith’s life shifted. Her family was halfway through the 10-hour-long drive from British Columbia to Alberta to see Edith for Christmas when their small car slid down a steep, ice-coated hill and all passed away. As Edith patiently waited for her family to arrive, minutes turned to hours, and eventually, hours turned to years. 

Now, four years later, some part of her still hoped that somehow, she could see her daughter and three kids one last time. Every night leading up to Christmas, she kneeled on the cold tiles and prayed for just a chance to see her loved ones again. 

Just as the small, old clock on Edith’s bedside table hit midnight, a loud bang jostled her awake. Now awake, she took a deep breath, and smoky soot filled her lungs. She left the cozy warmth of her bed and hobbled out to the same place where just hours earlier she had been standing perfectly still. As she peered into the fireplace, now covered in charcoal, she saw a big black boot. Not a boot you would see just anywhere; this boot was the size of a watermelon, and soon after she noticed the boot, another large boot hit the bottom of the fireplace with a boom. 

A large, blubbery, pale man stepped out of the fireplace, charcoal chunks degrading underneath his feet. His face almost instantly turned from joy to pure shock. Edith’s jaw dropped, and the two stood in complete silence, just taking in what they had both just seen. 

“You weren’t supposed to see me,” the man said. “No one was supposed to be awake!”

Now clearly stressed, Edith couldn’t help but feel guilty for the strange man in her home. Edith wanted to say something, but her lips wouldn’t move out of the shocked expression he left her in. 

After chatting with the guy, Edith found him not to be as scary as she once thought. He asked about who was visiting her, and even though he meant no harm, the question sent tears to her eyes. 

Eventually, the two checked the time, realizing they had been talking all night. The nameless guy seemed quite distressed at that thought, as he quickly grabbed the back of her top and tossed her into his sack. 

Although she knew she should be frightened, she felt oddly safe in the presence of this mysterious man. The man threw the sack into his sleigh and they took off. She felt a big thump as they appeared to be landing, and before she knew it, they had landed in the North Pole.

 While Mrs. Claus heard all the commotion, she scurried outside. All three of them enjoyed the nice warm dinner provided by the reindeer, and when Edith told them her story, they decided to let her live with them, so she would never have to spend the holidays alone. 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Inaccurate Lists, an Over-Hot-Chocolated Elf and (G)iPad Kids

By Violet Penner 

Age 12-13 Category

Second Place

Mr. Cane had an especially important job. He was the elf that monitored the Naughty-Or-Nice-Atron1 (NONA1), which the inventor Ms. Gingerbread had created. It said which children were, well, Naughty or Nice. He then printed the names on the classic, scroll-like lists, and gave them to Santa on Christmas Eve. 

It was a week before Christmas, so everyone was working overtime. That meant that Mr. Cane had extraordinarily little time to sleep, so he stayed awake by drinking gallons of hot chocolate. Now, the head chef, Mrs. Mix-a-lot, had gotten bored of making the same hot chocolate for him repeatedly, so she passed the job on to the intern, Gumdrop, whose favourite way to make hot chocolate was with a lot of warm milk. While hot chocolate with warm milk is delicious, it is also relaxing. So, when Mr. Cane drank the hot chocolate prepared by Gumdrop, he felt his eyelids drop. 

“Soo… sleepy…” he muttered, while curling into a ball in his office chair. 

He woke to the sound of alarms, and Rudolph yelling over the PA system, “We need those lists, Mr. Cane! It’s five minutes until lift-off!” 

Mr. Cane shot up like an overenthusiastic tulip put in fresh water, grabbed the lists, and sprinted through the halls of the North Pole Toy Factory to the sleigh. He passed the lists up to Santa and the reindeer took off. 

Santa was halfway over Finland when he noticed the discrepancy between the lists and the amount of presents he had. It clearly stated on the list that Annie Green was midway through the “Nice” section, but he had a huge lump of coal with her name on it! (Literally and metaphorically.) He turned the sleigh around and pulled up in the North Pole courtyard.

“The lists aren’t correct,” he cried. “If we don’t figure this out, I fear it won’t be a very merry Christmas!”

Suddenly, Ms. Gingerbread burst in. 

“Good news, everybody! I figured out how to make the NONA1 portable!”

Santa stared at Ms. Gingerbread.

“If that’s true, I’m giving you a raise.” 

“It is true! Here, have a look!” Ms. Gingerbread handed Santa a small, black rectangular screen. 

“Huh. It looks like a smartphone.” 

“That’s where I got the idea! I made it bigger so that it’s easier to see the names, and I just made the lists an app. I call it… a GiPad!” 

“Why?” 

“Because Gi is the first part of my name, and it’s catchy. See, I wrote it on the back.”

Santa looked, and it was written there in white. Then, he realized he needed to get a move on, got back on the sleigh, and took off. He delivered all but one piece of coal, but at the last house, while he was slipping a lump of coal into Michael Thompson’s stocking, the GiPad slipped into the stocking with it, and he didn’t notice.

In the morning, Michael opened his stocking and found the GiPad. 

“i…Pad,” he read, for the coal had smudged over the “G.” 

Michael took the “iPad” to school, and showed it to his friends. Next year, all the kids were asking for iPads, and Michael was the first of what are now known as iPad kids. 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

As the Snow Falls

By Ana Roy

Age 15

Tia watched the snow drift through the sky from her glass prison. She sat in a chair, blankets layered over her lap. The sky was filled with stars that peeked through the curtain of clouds. Instruments beeped and hummed around her, tangling with the thick scent of antiseptics. Christmas lights shone through the layer of fog that filled the city lanes. Her hands quaked in her lap. Whispers could be heard behind her as the nurse entered the room. He tugged on the corner of his clipboard, his eyes glancing towards the door. He opened his mouth to say something, and she raised a hand to silence him.

“Please,” she choked out, “Don’t say it. I already know they’re not coming.”

The nurse’s face turned a sickly shade before he glanced down at his papers.

“I’m so sorry,” his voice trailed.

Tia nodded, her hands constricting around the blankets. The nurse scurried from the room, leaving her with the crushing weight of loneliness. Resting her hand on the frigid glass, she leaned in to catch a glimpse of the people below moving in and out of the hospital. Their faces blurred in the twirling basin of snow. She didn’t expect to recognize anyone anyway. After all, not a single one of her family had come to visit her. Her nails sank into her palms, a silent tear travelling down her face. She choked back sobs. All she wanted was to see her sister’s face again. 

Her chest felt heavy, her breath coming in short, heaving gasps. She dragged herself to her feet, one hand snatching her IV. The gap between the floor and the bed felt mountainous as she hauled herself over the edge. Chatter drifted past her door, strangers discussing their Christmas plans. She prayed that each shadow crossing the threshold would be her sister.

Tia sank back into the bed, watching the snow fall outside. She let everything sink in, every word that had gone unsaid. 

Suddenly, a shaft of light ripped through the dark room. 

“Tia?”

Framed in the doorway, with a net of curly hair, was her sister’s face, wide and bright. Her rosy cheeks fell when she saw Tia’s broken form. 

“Meleka?” 

Meleka dropped onto the bed, cupping her hand. “I’m here.”

Tia’s cheeks were drawn as she smiled. Her sister wrapped her in a tight hug, her arms soft. They didn’t need to speak, every harmful word behind them. The snow gently fell outside, covering the world in white, but inside, they were safe and warm in each other’s embrace.