By BRIAN WEBSTER
While we’ve made progress over recent years, local government on Salt Spring still doesn’t serve our community as well as it should. I think we can fix this, so I’ll be running for Salt Spring Island Electoral Area (EA) director on the CRD board in October.
What’s wrong with our local government? It’s too uncoordinated. We have more agencies than we need and not enough action on important priorities like housing. We have too many disconnected elected bodies and not enough voice for community members such as renters, who aren’t allowed to vote in some of our elections.
If you elect me as EA director, I’ll work with other elected folks to try to change that. And I’ll bring to that work my experience, knowledge, energy and values.
I’ve been a Salt Spring resident, organic farmer and small business owner since 2011. Previously, I worked as a freelance writer, editor and communications consultant in Victoria. My experience includes seven years on Salt Spring’s PARC commission plus service on the boards of three local non-profits. I was elected to Salt Spring’s Local Community Commission (LCC) in 2023 and have served on it since then. All of this experience has increased my knowledge of our community and how local government works.
As a farmer, I know the importance of hard work and teamwork. As an LCC commissioner, I do my homework and show up prepared, willing to question the status quo and push for positive change.
My values are simple. I believe in community and that we share responsibility for its wellbeing. I think we should be open and straightforward, even when it’s inconvenient, and I think value for money is local government’s top priority. I believe climate change is real and that we must work toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
If elected, I’ll focus on housing, completing major public projects like the Harbourwalk, fixing our LCC budget, bringing all local CRD services under the LCC and starting a discussion with our two large improvement districts on how we can work together in the future.
We need a “made on Salt Spring” housing office to push for housing that’s affordable and sensitive to our natural environment. We need a coordinated approach to major projects, including decisions on priorities and funding.
We need to fix the LCC budget to better take care of our public amenities. We haven’t maintained the financial reserves we need to repair and upgrade amenities like the failing Centennial Park and Grace Point boardwalks. If we don’t act soon, we’ll either face a huge bill in the future, or we’ll lose these amenities entirely.
We need to break down Salt Spring’s local government siloes. Creating the LCC was a first step, but we must do more, starting with bringing the remaining CRD local services under the LCC and moving away from a single person making decisions such as the spending of gas tax funds.
To reduce fragmentation, increase democratic participation and improve access to funding, let’s talk with Salt Spring’s two large improvement districts on how we can work together for the benefit of our community.
We can’t do all of this in a day, but I know we can make progress over the next four years. I have the experience, knowledge, energy and values to achieve this. That’s why I’ll be asking for your vote as EA director in October 2026 local elections.