Speak Out Saltspring

Better Late Than Never

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:25:00 +0000

At the recent Trust Council "Swearing In" meeting, Ms. Linda Adams, Chief Executive Officer, apparently gave a detailed presentation to all the new Trustees entitled "Staying Out of Trouble". Well, it's fairly obvious that this is direct in response to the heap of trouble former Trustees George Ehring and Christine Torgrimson have found themselves with their funding activities which have lead them into a Court Petition for Conflict of Interest. If Ms. Adams is only now educating Trustees of "What Not To Do" she could be accused of dereliction of her own duties as Chief Executive Officer!! This presentation could also be interpreted as an admission of guilt by Ms. Adams regarding the former Trustee Ehring and Torgrimson and their activities. If she firmly believed there was no conflict of interest, she would not find it necessary to guide and educate the new Trustees in how to avoid the pitfalls these two have found themselves in presently. Ms. Adams needs to take responsibility if she failed in her duty as Chief Executive Officer to educate all previous Trustees of the legal and moral parameters of their positions. Perhaps she needs to resign if the two Trustees are found guilty of Conflict of Interest by the Courts.

Ambulance Service and their new home

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:30:00 +0000

Still no signs of the Ambulance Service moving into their new home on Park Drive, wondering what the delay is. The sooner, the better considering it is costing (in taxpayer dollars) an arm and a leg (somewhere in the vicinity of $10,000 a month at the Seabreeze Motel; not to mention the summer rate which was somewhere around $12,000 a month). What lunatic in the Government agreed to pay that rate, especially when they only paid $1,500 per month at the old station? Insanity?? Yes!!!!
One can only speculate that the Seabreeze will certainly miss them when the FINALLY move out and into their new location.

Sobering Signs on Salt Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 13:52:00 +0000

After a brief look at the commercial real estate listings for sale, I found 17 local businesses up for sale. There are probably more, I have never checked those listings before; maybe there has always been that many up for sale. I did think that 17 seemed a rather large number especially when you take into consideration those businesses who have simply gone out of business quietly or closed and abandoned their premises such as the Vesuvius Pub, Fulford Pub, Fulford Marina, Patterson's Store, Shell Gas Station or as in the case of Salt Spring Roasting Company, simply thrown up their hands and left the Island.. With the new slate of candidates now elected, there was a glimmer of hope and optimism for the future of the Island economy but realistically, what can anyone or any governing body do to stimulate the economy and help retain these small businesses? The announcement of the additional fuel surcharges from B.C. Ferries is just another blow to islanders, potential travellers, and freight transport already unhappy with ferry rates which all have a negative impact on these fragile businesses. Where is this all going and what is the solution? This year in particular, instead of being grateful for more parking at Thrifty's, I find myself wondering what the future holds for Salt Spring.

A Huge Debt of Gratitude

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:14:00 +0000

With the election and the results behind us now, the time has come to thank everyone who generously gave of themselves to get us where we are today. For everyone who sat through endless hours of unbelievably boring and tiresome meetings to keep their eyes on our not-so-trustworthy Trustees, to Jill Treewater for enduring all sorts of mistreatment from the Trustees and staff for videotaping each and every LTC and Trust Council meeting so that the rest of us could bear witness to the inner workings of the dysfunctional governance we had, to everyone who stood up in front of a disinterested panel of Trust staff and Trustees to plead their concerns only to be told "Thanks For Your Submission" and waved off back to their seats, to the voices of the blogs who consistently wrote and enlightened us all with their wit and insights for years on end, to the candidates, some reluctantly, who decided to stand for election knowing what a monumental task they have taken on for the next three years, to the letter writers who put pen to paper to add their names to the voice of discontent (some for the first time in their lives), to every brave person who decided that "enough is enough" from this bunch of environmental extremists, to each and every citizen of Salt Spring who became engaged in their local politics (again, some for the first time in their lives), to the signators of the Court petition who stood up against unlawful activities of the Trustees, to every single person who gave in whatever way they could - I sincerely thank you all. Each contribution made a real difference and we can see the positive results. The task now is to remain diligent to make sure we never again return to the former way things were done. Take time to bask in our measure of success right now but in the future stay ever watchful and stay engaged to keep this train on its new track. Be happy and thank you to everyone.

Now We Know

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:09:00 +0000

We now know which "barn" the Dark Horse, Peter Grove, came out of - Christine Torgrimson attended his celebratory after-party! That's all I need to know about Peter Grove and his alliances and influences.

Election Results and what to make of them

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 06:33:00 +0000

Have we witnessed the sands shifting? Have the "rabid" Trust supporters finally seen some of their base erode? Does this mean we can see change in the future? Can we be hopeful for true democracy, transparency, accountability, honesty, expediency, fiscal responsibility, inclusion, the voice of the community finally being heard? Is there finally a ray of hope in what has been a hopeless form of governance that has led to economic contraction and a ballooning budget? Time will tell. One thing is perfectly clear - the fact that Larry Woods, Leslie Wallace, David Borrowman and Carole Eyles did NOT win and were known as 100% Trust candidates, ready to follow in the old Trust foot steps can only be seen as a shift in sentiment against the old-guard Trust policies. That fact alone should be cause for celebration for anyone who has been in opposition to the way things were being handled the last few years. The campaigns stuck to the issues (except for Mr. Woods) and the voters have spoken loud and clear. It has been a very long time coming and I, for one, feel optimistic for the first time in many years about the future and the new direction the Island can forge for itself. The new candidates have their work cut out for them as the problems they will face are complex and numerous but they are intelligent, talented and passionate about the Island and I am confident that the good ship "Salt Spring" has a great new crew at the helm. Congratulations to the valiant winners and their team of supporters!

Justice Denied

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 04:46:00 +0000

Garth Hendren: Cleared of Conflict of Interest charges. How many times have we watched some victim of a crime standing in front of the news camera outside the Law Court showing their disappointment with an unfair decision on their case? Cases thrown out, sentences that don't match the crime, decisions that defy common-sense. Well, here we are with our own first-hand experience. From what I know about the case, the Community Charter spells it out clearly that our elected officials cannot hold office in an incorporated council or committee and then request funds for that group. Makes perfect sense to me. Without that being specified and restricted, there would be nothing to stop what just occurred from repeating itself over and over again. Our two Trustees and our CRD director formed the Water Council and the Climate Action Committee, filled the positions with Trust supporters and then funded the group using their positions as Trustees. Easy Peasy! It begs the question: what does this ruling lead to in the future? Any Trustee now can form a pet project group on their own whim and fund it with our tax dollars in what they consider to be "the best interests of the community". Doesn't the taxpayer have anything to say about such groups and their funding? I don't remember being asked if I supported the Water Council or the Climate Action Committee and whatever it is they are supposed to be doing for my benefit. Furthermore, isn't the Trust mandate supposed to be land use issues? I expect my elected officials to follow the rule of law put forward to them at the outset of them being sworn into their positions. This ruling over-rides a basic principle in the way our elected officials can carry on in the future and I feel that justice has been denied with this illogical decision. I am now left hoping that similar (illogical) logic will not be applied to Ehring and Torgrimson. It seems simple enough to me - they had clear guidelines to follow and they didn't follow them. I know I want a law-abiding local government, that can't be too much to ask, I wouldn't think. We shall see.

Appalling Apathy

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:16:00 +0000

I keep hearing that there is an appalling apathy amongst our Island population regarding the electon now upon us. The younger generation is totally disengaged which is understandable when you consider how difficult it is for them to earn a living and raise their families today. But, being "busy" isn't really a valid excuse. Nobody is expecting them to sit through the monotonous, lengthy and boring LTC meetings, but is it too much to ask, at the very least, for them to inform themselves about the most pertinent issues and get out and vote? What about the remainder of the citizenry? What is their excuse? We are hearing about many people who don't subscribe or even read the Driftwood. They don't know who is running and could care less who gets in. I can only suppose that these people assume that someone is looking after their best interests so they don't need to be bothered. That is a very ill-advised position to take. We need to keep our eyes on our elected officials and what they are doing, we need to attend at least some of the meetings to see the workings of our "unique" form of governance. It is our responsibility to vote. Perhaps if more people had been engaged and informed long before now, they wouldn't find it necessary to "Occupy" anywhere demanding changes from government or decrying the lack of democracy. We need to be watchdogs, we need to be involved and at the very least we need to make the minor effort to get out and vote. Surely, that can't be asking too much.

The Horses are Pacing in Their Stalls

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 04:40:00 +0000

Only one more night before the big race. The horses have had their last full day exercising and training. Their trainers have run them through their paces one last time, given them heaps of encouragement and praise to help them face tomorrow. They are beginning to feel the tension in the air, to feel their nerves, and they are beginning to pace in their stalls with anticipation. They know tomorrow is going to be a very big day in their lives. They have done all they can do at this point. The trainers have analyzed the competition, they know which barn they have come from, who their trainers are and how they operate. They know who the dark horse is, who hasn't been trained well, and who doesn't stand a chance no matter what the track is like. We have had a chance to see the racecard, most had already placed their bets before the post parade but there are always those who wait to the last minute to decide and they can change the results. I think it will be an exciting race and I hope the turnout will be large. I hope the coupled entry make a sweep at the finish line and that the champagne will be flowing at the Winner's Circle. Best of Luck to all the entrants.

How low can you go?

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:42:00 +0000

Campaign signs are being stolen, by the dozens. The rabid Trust supporters still can't get their heads around the fact there are actually people who oppose Trust and their policies. To resort to such childish behaviour confirms their desperation. It will be interesting to see the results after Nov. 19th - are there enough of these nut-bars to continue circling the wagons for the Trust or will the voice of the community finally prevail?

Local Economy vs. Global Economy

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:17:00 +0000

There is no shortage of coverage about the global economy but do we know all the facts about our local economy? I doubt that most of us realize that our housing starts fell from 140 last year to 38 this year. This one startling statistic brings home, in stark reality, the fact that we are in the midst of a very seriously contracting economy. How long can this continue without irreversible consequences? Without a vibrant housing market, the construction companies will bid on jobs elsewhere and take their workers with them, and a domino effect will follow. The construction industry and small businesses are the beating heart of a community and it is beginning to look like they need immediate treatment before they expire. If our local economy is in need of resuscitation we can anticipate that the global economy will, perhaps, strike a fatal blow. The special interest groups and their lobbying need to "take a number" as the local economy needs attention immediately. We need the new slate of Trustees to take a good, hard and long look at our Island economy, make an analysis of what needs to be done to turn things around and communicate their findings to us, the taxpayers of the community before it is too late.

Looking for Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:48:00 +0000

We should all be looking for leadership when we cast our votes on November 19th. Leadership follows passion, vision, conviction and determination to make change where necessary; to fix the system where it has failed; to improve on what has worked previously. Where in that definition does a "mediator" fit? Mediators mediate, they search for a compromise.between two opposite points of view. This position is a "neutral" position. If your car is in "neutral" - you're not going anywhere! Mr. Peter Grove is a mediator. Rumour has it that Mr. Grove is running for Trustee as a "job" so that he doesn't have to keep travelling off-Island so frequently. Getting a "job" doesn't quite have the same ring to it as having a deep and passionate desire to lead the community out of the downward spiral we are seeing today. One cannot deny the 18% contraction of the economy, the school population dwindling and operating on a four day school week, the hospital surgery closure, the lack of affordable housing.....the list goes on and on. Mr. Grove has shown he doesn't have a grasp of the gravity of our economic picture or the issues surrounding all that is undemocratic with our "unique" form of governance. We don't need to talk about the issues any further or to think we can "mediate" them away - we need good common-sense leaders at the helm of this ship.
Of course, there is always Larry Woods who doesn't need to worry about leadership as he wants everything to remain just as it is.

Peter Grove "The Party Crasher"

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:43:00 +0000

Once again, Peter Grove has shown up at his competitor's party. This time Larry Woods was hosting a "Meet and Greet" with his supporters at Harbour House and Mr. Grove was in attendance. Mr. Grove did the same thing when George Grams and Mark Wyatt were hosting their supporters at the Lions venue awhile back. Doesn't that make Peter a "Party Crasher"? When a candidate, (or anyone for that matter), has paid for the venue, provided the goodies and booze, shouldn't Peter consider that he has stepped onto someone else's toes and stolen some of their thunder? I think it's time for Peter to host a party so that George, Mark, at the very least, can crash his party, drink his booze, nibble on his goodies and schmooze with their supporters? I haven't seen any advertisements in the Driftwood for Mr. Grove's party. Now I don't know the circumstances regarding whether Larry Woods invited Peter Grove to his venue or not, but I do know there was no such invitation to George and Mark's gathering. I think it is fair to consider Peter Grove as a genuine "Party Crasher" at this point in time.

Get your facts correct, Mr. Grove!

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:08:00 +0000

Peter Grove stated at the Nov. 7th All-Candidates meeting (as documented on Page Six of Imagine Salt Spring website) that "young people are coming here because of our wonderful schools". This statement is false. School enrollment has dropped consistently since 2000. There were 1815 students in 2000, enrolment peaked in 2003 to 1833 and in 2010 enrolment stood at 1592; a loss of 223 students! These statistics cannot be denied. Not only is enrolment down, the school week for students has been changed to a FOUR day school week. If our school system is flourishing, you would expect enrolment to climb, the schools operating at the normal FIVE day school week and we would not witness the numbers of children boarding the Vesuvius Ferry each and every school day to attend private schools off-Island. Mr. Grove has once again proven to be completely out-of-touch with the facts and issues. It may have been a good sound-bite to the audience but the statement was a complete and utter fabrication.

David Borrowman on "Getting Along with Our Neighbours"

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:53:00 +0000

At last night's All Candidates meeting, Mr. Borrowman gave us all a little lecture on getting along with our neighbours. I found his lecture rather amusing considering that he doesn't practice what he preaches. I have learned recently that Mr. Borrowman was so annoyed with his neighbours and their renovation that he took it upon himself to print out a phoney "CRD Stop Work Order" and attach it to their construction. Now that, in my books, is VERY un-neighbourly, Mr. Borrowman.

The "Farcical Bicycle" Notion

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:52:00 +0000

Perhaps it is just me, but I find the latest idea put forth by Leslie Wallace about the wonderous glory of a bicycle path from Fulford to Vesuvius over the top. At the All-Candidates meeting last night, she once again repeated this notion. After looking over the grey heads in the audience, I couldn't help but wonder how many of them feel like getting out of their cars and climbing onto a bike in Fulford and facing the famous "Lee's Hill"? The gentlemen next to me muttered under his breath "how could I carry the groceries on a bike?" We don't have the topography of Holland - we have hills, curves, rain, snow not to mention the trucks and cars that are also using the road whizzing past at break-neck speeds to catch the ferry. In these economically challenging times, is this promotion of bicycle riding and pathways realistic? I can only imagine the exhorbitant cost to build these pathways and with our aging population, I certainly can't understand the practicality of it. We have far more pressing issues on the Island that need our tax dollars than this idea so let's get on with the real issues that need to be faced. Let's also promote ideas that will benefit a far greater majority of the population than riding bicycles.

The gloves are coming off

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 04:16:00 +0000

As the election looms ever closer, we are able to gain some insight into the "real" character of some of the candidates. At the first All-Candidates meeting, we were able to see Larry Woods introduce himself as "from Fulford, of Fulford, for Fulford, works in Fulford" but he inadvertently failed to mention he resides in the Kingfisher development. How interesting! He then went on during the evening to utter the ridiculous remark that some of the residents of Brinkworthy could be characterized as suffering from "seniors abuse" with the proposed new Fire Hall being situated on the far corner of that property. Considerable laughter prevailed with that remark. He ended his evening with "Viva Fulford" perhaps forgetting that a good portion of the audience were NOT Fulford residents. The latest gaff from Mr. Woods is an alleged remark he recently made when he suggested to a gathering that people should not vote for Mark Wyatt as Mr. Wyatt's children are not his own biological children. Mark has been parenting these children for six years which begs the question - What kind of a decent person would stoop so low as to even bring this subject up? I am beginning to wonder about your character, Mr. Woods.

Where is the outrage?

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:18:00 +0000

Through the diligent efforts of many, we have our so-called Trusted Trustees and our CRD Director slapped with a Court petition alleging Conflict of Interest. To add fuel to that fire, Eric Booth has uncovered further evidence whereby funds are flowing to a non-existent Salt Spring Housing Society. These are serious allegations. Why isn't there an outcry for these three politicians to step down? Do we not have any recourse? This brings into focus the weakness in the governance we endure. There is no voice of opposition, no way to have a much-needed "Vote of Non-Confidence", no way to sequester the decision-making process until this is cleared up in the Courts. Where is Ida Chong in all of this? The question is: are they fit to continue with their duties and should they be allowed to conduct our business in the midst of such serious allegations? Does anybody care? It doesn't appear so. I am not hearing any outcry from the masses; if this doesn't get anyone's attention, what will?

Ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law (Ignorantia Juris Non Excurat)

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:49:00 +0000

Let's hope that Trustee Ehring, Torgrimson and Regional Director Hendren aren't going to use that lame excuse to try and slither out of this Conflict Of Interest lawsuit as hinted by Chief Administrative Officer, Linda Adams recent comment in their defense:
"They were working with community groups for community purposes, and we're not aware of anything at this point that they did wrong"
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Time to do the "Honourable Thing"

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:16:00 +0000

To their rabid supporters, this Court petition against George, Christine and Garth, will be portrayed as an unfair stab in the back. To those of us in opposition to their reign of terror, it is vindication that things have never been right with this ridiculous form of governance. No matter the outcome of this latest legal battle, their reputations will be tarnished, the trust they once held has evaporated, whatever good works they did will become a distant memory. There will be no way to re-write this chapter to gloss over their arrogant behaviour. They have written their own history no matter how this court case decision plays out. Let's look forward and embrace the necessary changes that need to be made to have a brighter future and a community that can work together. The old regime needs to be replaced and what better time than now, in the face of this extreme error of judgement and display of arrogance. Of course, if they really cared about this community, they would all resign but that is highly unlikely.

Hands In The Cookie Jar?

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:05:00 +0000

I guess George, Christine and Garth got an unwelcome surprise this week after being served their Court papers for leaving their pet projects one final installment to carry on their "good work" as George and Christine fade off into the sunset. Not really the way they would have liked to leave office, I am sure - in a sea awash with controversy. Their recent musings on leaving office lauding their notable achievements in the Driftwood will soon fade from memory with this final chapter unfolding for all to witness. I am sure they are in full "damage-control mode" with the Trust lawyers trying to find some wiggle-room, some way to explain how our exceptionally "unique" system of governance allows for such payments to one's pet projects. This will surely be a most interesting chapter for Peter Lamb to include in his "History of the Islands Trust". Perhaps it will be the final chapter! One can only hope.

Could it be that the Trustwood is changing?

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 06:06:00 +0000

OK, I'll call it the Driftwood, for now. They have been rather resembling a newspaper. They actually printed the whole incorporation 5 part retrospective and now the survey. I am impressed with their commitment for a change. That survey was big bucks too!

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Survey Monkey strikes again

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:08:00 +0000

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HQQJXWZ

A new survey out online (link above) again from Survey Monkey.
Just got a tip from one of our readers.
This one out from a new outfit called Save Our Community.
Don't know anything about them but the survey seems pretty unbiased.
Ten questions, quite topical, goes quickly.

See what you think. Let them know what you think.

Trustwood reading this blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 22:12:00 +0000

Remember the postal strike?

I bet all of the Trustwood advertisers do. Was it 3 editions of the Trustwood that did not arrive in your mailbox?

Remember the blog post here about Advertisements in the Trustwood and how it was a rip-off.
Advertisers pay through the nose for ads in the paper edition, but none of the ads appear online.
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Survey Monkey

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha Mail) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:31:00 +0000

This is new, the Islands Trust taking a survey about secondary suites.
I filled it out yesterday, you should too, on all the computers you own.

Renters Survey

Homeowners Survey

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