Gulf Islands Driftwood | Newspaper serving the Gulf Islands since 1960

News

Final push needed to protect 400 acres on Salt Spring’s south end

Salt Spring has an opportunity to preserve 400 acres of rare Coastal Douglas-fir forest with existing trails and connection to other important and well-loved...

Overnight closures required for Isabella Point Road repairs

Salt Spring Islanders who live in part of the Isabella Point Road neighbourhood will need to prepare for two periods of overnight closures in...

Timothy Peterson to chair Salt Spring LTC

Salt Spring Island’s Local Trust Committee (LTC) will have a new chair — a 45-year resident of Lasqueti Island. Trustee Timothy Peterson, from the Lasqueti...

Vulnerable section of Isabella Point Road gets pre-winter upgrade

A new road surface on Isabella Point Road may not look different to drivers once completed, but the below-asphalt improvements will be significant and will help keep that section of road protected during future flood events.

Xwaaqw’um ecological restoration outlined

Over the next five years, some 20 hectares of field at Xwaaqw’um, also known as Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park, will be — slowly — transformed through restoration work, in partnership with Cowichan Tribes and BC Parks.

Island life

Christmas on Salt Spring activities bring community together for the holiday season

The Christmas season is well underway on Salt Spring Island, with the island’s Chamber of Commerce helping everyone get into the spirit of the holidays with several special events. The...

Islanders give beloved Mayne Queen ferry a heartfelt send-off

BY PRISCILLA EWBANK Special to the Driftwood The MV Mayne Queen is retiring after 57 years in our waters, 40 of them serving the Outer Gulf...

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities we can make Salt Spring more inclusive

Barbara Casey, the executive director of GIFTS, localizes the International Day of Persons With Disabilities on Dec. 3.

Circus and gymnastics join forces in new combined program at the SIMS gym

When Salt Spring Island Middle School (SIMS) shuttered after the last school year, one might have been forgiven for fearing the curtain was also...

Books & Bling drop-off days Nov. 17 to 20; sale on Nov. 25-27

Pages are turning on one of Salt Spring Island’s most popular events, with Books & Bling donation drop-off days at the Farmers’ Institute this week from Nov. 17 to 20 and the sale itself on Nov. 25-27.

Biochar activities heating up on Salt Spring

An interview with Brian Smallshaw of Transition Salt Spring's Biochar Working Group.

Salt Spring Pathfinders place poppies on veterans’ headstones

A contingent of Salt Spring Island’s Pathfinders joined volunteers identifying and honouring service members’ graves at the Ganges Cemetery on Friday, Nov. 4.

Photo of the week

Five-year-old Lotus flips the switch on the box that turns on the Christmas lights in Centennial Park on Friday, Nov. 25 during the Light-up event organized by the Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce and the Christmas on Salt Spring Committee, while Chamber operations director Alexander Fischer-Jean looks on. Lotus earned the honour by finding the Golden Candy Cane hidden in the park area. For all the details about Christmas on Salt Spring events, see https://www.saltspringchamber.com/christmas-on-salt-spring-2/.

Photo by Robert Steinbach (for event sponsor Country Grocer)

Do you have a photo you would like to submit for Photo of the Week? Send it to news@gulfislandsdriftwood.com.

Opinion

Viewpoint: Dec. 6 memorial returns to in-person format

SUBMITTED BY IWAV AND THE CIRCLE Education The Dec. 6 Vigil, in memorial and solidarity of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence...

Nobody Asked Me But: Happy birthday to Dave Beck while waiting for ‘Murphy’

By the time you read this, Dave Beck will be celebrating his 85th birthday. In case you don’t know of him, Dave has spent the last few decades as Salt Spring’s go-to appliance repairman/philosopher king while living off the grid in a log cabin deep in the heart of the south end on Ruckle Park property called “the pea-vine.”

Editorial: Walk the talk on leaving cars behind

BC Ferries passengers are driving aboard more, and walking on less, and to hear it told from several local ferry users, it’s little wonder. As...

Weather

Salt Spring Island

broken clouds

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2.1 °

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87 %

4.1kmh

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Obituaries

BERG, Gordon Martin

July 22, 1943 – November 3, 2022 It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of Gordon Martin Berg on November 3, 2022...

BOLTON, Terry James

(1944 – 2022) It is with great sadness that Bev and Kirsten Bolton announce the passing of husband and father, Terry James Bolton. Terry was a...

More news

Driftwood wins four national newspaper awards

The Gulf Islands Driftwood was honoured with four top-three awards in a “post-Covid” edition of the Canadian Community Newspaper Awards (CCNA).

Rainbow Road sandbag filling station makes debut

Dozens of islanders turned out to the new community sandbag filling station, above the community gardens at the Rainbow Road pool site, on Saturday, Nov. 12. The station was a coordinated effort by the Salt Spring Emergency Program, Salt Spring Island Fire Rescue, Emergency Management BC and the Salt Spring Island Parks and Recreation Commission.

Next steps laid out for Ganges Harbour Walk

The Ganges Harbour Walk project has some spring in its step with a project charter recommended for adoption by its Capital Regional District (CRD) steering committee last week.

BC Housing assessing Drake Road site for more dwelling units

BC Housing may be planning to expand a supportive housing project on Salt Spring before it’s even begun — potentially increasing the number of units, as the island’s housing crisis shows no signs of ending.

Radon awareness and testing event scheduled for Nov. 18

Salt Spring Islanders are invited to participate in the “100 Radon Test Kit Challenge,” kicking off at a free information session Friday, Nov. 18, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the new multi-space at SIMS.

Veterans, seniors offered complimentary ferry fares on Remembrance Day

In addition to flying vessel flags at half-mast — and observing two minutes of silence on ships and at terminals at 11:00 a.m — BC Ferries is offering complimentary passenger service on Remembrance Day to customers presenting official Canadian military identification or travelling in uniform, as well as to B.C. seniors.

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