July 31, 2008. This is the upcoming B.C. Holiday Weekend -- lots going on to entice you to enjoy the season on lovely Salt Spring! The Saturday Market in the Park, ArtCraft's artistic gems at Mahon Hall, the Ganges Village Galleries (Jill Lousie Campbell Gallery, Steffich Fine Art Gallery, J. Mitchell Gallery, Pegasus Gallery, Salt Spring Woodworks, Frankly Scarlett, Galleon's Lap Photography Atelier, ArtSpring's Gallery, Martinus Gems, etc.), the Merchant Mews' galleries at the corner of Upper Ganges and Robinson Roads, the private studio tours (pick up a map at the Chamber office in downtown Ganges), the live music venues at Treehouse Cafe, at Moby's, at El Zocalo...lots going on and all of it there, for your enjoyment! Dining al fresco at Bocados Bistro, at Piccolo's, at Harbour House Hotel, at Rock Salt Cafe, at Calvin's Bistro, at Salt Spring Inn, at Auntie Pesto's, at Seaside Kitchen, at Moby's, at Tree House...enjoy! Coffee and "goodies" at Rendezvous Cafe, at Cafe Italia, at Auntie Pesto's, at Tree House Cafe, at Bocados Bistro, at T.J. Beans, at Salt Spring Roasting Company, at ...explore and enjoy! Check the Driftwood's Friday supplement (pick it up all over the Island, at various locations) for the latest on offer! Go kayaking, hike on Mt. Maxwell, swim in St. Mary or in Cusheon Lakes, try an ocean swim at Vesuvius Beach, try one of the sail and dine options, even if you don't get any farther than magical Chocolate Beach, catch the Geezers at ArtSpring as they roast the latest Trust doings, and capture the essence of summer. It's all around you! Enjoy!
July 30, 2008.
Here's a super cedar cottage, lovingly updated (wood floors, new kitchen, new bathroom, new deck, etc), with panoramic ocean views, and easy access to a superb beach -- walk for "miles", here, with beachcombing, clamming & easy to keep a boat on a mooring buoy, for seasonal/summer moorage pleasures. You will love this gem -- property is 1.1 acres, and runs width-wise to the oceanfront. Lots of privacy! Close to all amenities, yet in its own serene world. You will enjoy this treasure as a super summer/weekender retreat, for now, and lots of options for development as your dream home property, in the future. Cedar groves, natural landscaping -- a very pleasing oceanfront property awaits your pleasure!
July 29 , 2008. BBC news reports : Oil prices slip to seven-week low US home foreclosures on the rise UK economic growth slows sharply Warning over blood-taking method Fat friends 'can boost your size' 'Wrong bras' can damage breasts US cancer boss in mobile warning Rising demands threaten wetlands Boom times ahead for mobile web Iran announces nuclear expansion Queen Rania takes on stereotypes US Senate approves housing bill Trans-fats banned in California Fire on Rhodes forces evacuation
July 28, 2008. "What is an archer Without a target?" (Deng Ming-Dao: "Tao...Daily Meditations")
July 27, 2008.
Here's an exceptional oceanfront point of land, in exquisite Maple Bay, on Vancouver Island. Almost ten acres, with thousands of feet of lovely & easy access oceanfront, and all day sun exposure (e/s/w). Swimming coves, 1912 original summer cottage, plus boathouse with "suite" above (from the 1940s?). Trails created in the 20s. This property has been in the same family since 1900 -- very underdeveloped, lovely mature forest, plus natural meadow areas. Arrive by boat, to your dock, in mere minutes. There is also road access, by private road. Off the grid, but it is possible to bring power via cable. Generator in place! Well also in place. A terrific retreat property, for now, and easily developable into your dream home. Close to all of Maple Bay's amenities, yet in its own private and serene world. Very unique and very beautiful. Wilderness on the doorstep of civilization!
July 26, 2008. Last night, at ArtSpring, some were lucky to catch Collaboratopia, the coming together of Jaime RT, plus Daniel Lapp, Adrian Dolan, & Andy Hillhouse, for a night of new and traditional folk music on fiddle, guitar, piano, voice and trumpet. If you missed this event, then be sure to catch Jaime RT and Hillhouse, of Vancouver, at the Tree House, tonight. Mark your calendars for August 1st's opening of Mixed Emotions, the exhibition of new works by Lady X, at Pegasus Gallery (doors open at 10 a.m., & refreshments are served). On July 31st, Bach on the Rock presents Eva Bostrand, presenting A Voce Sola. Recital is at All Saints by the Sea, at 7:30 p.m., tickets $10 (at ArtSpring's box office). July 30th sees the next Music and Munch recital, at All Saints, at 12:10 p.m. (optional lunch, to follow -- $5.50). The Chamingos are playing! August 2, from 5 to 9 p.m., at the Morley Myers Gallery and Studio, in Merchants Mews, there's the opening of the Black and White summer show, with Morley Meyers and Kevin Steinke. Mark your calendars! Today sees the B:C:Clettes Wheely Fun Bike tour arrive on Salt Spring, at the Saturday Market! Enjoy! ArtCraft showcases the incredible basketry talents of Islanders, until August 7th. Not to be missed! Foxglove Farm's open house is tomorrow, July 27th, noon until 7 p.m. Guided tours, live music, prepared farm food, home made ice cream, farmstand. At 1200 Mt. Maxwell Road -- make it a day! August 1 & 2 finds the Geezers comedy duo tackling the Islands Trust Story -- don't miss this rollicking humour, with a definite local twist. At ArtSpring, beginning at 8 p.m. (Subtitled: From Utopia to Myopia in the Blink of an Eye). Tickets at ArtSpring's ticket centre. Here's a longer term mark you calendars event -- the 10th Annual Salt Spring Island Apple Festival is on Sunday, Sept. 28th. Theme: Celebrating Red-Fleshed Apples -- the apples of the future! Don't miss this! It's summer on Salt Spring...enjoy!
July 25, 2008.
Here's an exceptional oceanview "west coast contemporary" designed home, on almost seven private acres, awaiting your enjoyment. Dramatic living room, with feature stone fireplace, plus library/den off. Formal dining room, with ocean view. Wonderful "cook's dream" kitchen, with solarium off. Master/study, with ensuite, in its own "wing", and a complimentary guest "wing" offering two bedrooms, bath, and "loft" area to interest children! Separate laundry, plus powder room, and formal entry/foyer, complete the main level. Daylight lower level offers games room, bathroom, family room, large workshop, lots of storage, wine room. Large decking, from both levels, hot tub, plus gazebo with firepit -- panoramic ocean vistas from here. Enjoying both sunrises and sunsets, this custom designed and built quality home offers many unique features. Zoned for sep. guest cottage and sep. studio, too. Fenced veggie garden/orchard, plus easy care landscaping, and beautiful forest "surround", this private and sunny estate style property awaits your pleasure!
July 24, 2008. "People think they don't have to learn, Because there is so much information available. But knowledge is more than possessing information. Only the wise move fast enough." (Deng Ming-Dao: "Tao...Daily Meditations")
July 23, 2008. "Summer Vegetable Casseroles * preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) * six 2-inch (5 cm) ramekins, lightly oiled 3 cobs fresh corn 2 tbsp olive oil 1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini 1/2 cup chopped red onion 3 cups shredded beets 1 cup cooked spelt kernels 2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese 3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves 1. Slice kernals from cobs over a bowl and set kernals aside. Run the blunt edge of a knife down each cut cob over a small bowl, allowing remaining solids and corn "milk" or liquor to collect in bowl. Reserve liquor and discard cobs. 2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add corn kernels, zucchini and onion. Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Stir in beets, spelt, cheese, thyme and corn liquor and stir to combine. 3. Spoon vegetable mixture equally into prepared ramekins. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Serve immediately." (The Vegetarian Cook's Bible: Pat Crocker).
July 22, 2008. Looking for some light summer reading? Check out the information, I have collected on the many smaller Gulf Islands. Many have an interesting history, and it is always fun to know how each island got its name.
July 21, 2008.
Here's a wonderful Georgian style home, on special Salt Spring Island! You will love this authentic character home! Sunny (s/sw/w exposures), private (ten acres of forest and meadow mix), with organic garden and orchard (deer fenced!). A back up generator in place, too. You can be self-sufficient and sustainable on this lovely land. The home offers many unique features -- red and yellow cedar panelling, wood floors, high ceilings, easy access to fenced flower garden/lawn area, four bed/three bath (a family would be very happy, here!). Formal living, separate dining, renovated kitchen (in 2004), library/den, sep. laundry/storage, and full height upper level. Valley and mountain vistas, and walk to St. Mary Lake, to tennis, and to theatre. Close to all amenities, yet in its own wonderfully serene world! Enjoy!
July 20, 2008. "Tradition was once function. But today there is no tradition. Where is there a true path?" (Deng Ming-Dao: "Tao...Daily Meditations")
July 19, 2008
Exquisite private island paradise awaits your pleasure! Superb main residence, with many unique and beautiful features (including two master/sitting rooms with ensuites)! Four guest cottages, indoor pool, tennis court, caretaker's residence, "lake", plus thousands of feet of easy access beachfront. Terrific dock, generator backup to shore power (comes from Canoe Cove, near Sidney). Private boathouse and parking at Canoe Cove. Just minutes from all amenities, yet one's own private and secure world! Exceptional panoramic views, and all day sun exposure (e/s/w). It's the best!
July 18, 2008. Change is the Mantra of the Universe? Change is the only constant, as both Heraclitus & Thales, philosopers in Ancient Greece, promised us. It's human to prefer the status quo, I suppose...at least we "understand" the boundaries that custom creates in our lives. Change involves chaos, that antidote to the established form, and chaos brings with it upheaval of what we're used to. It can be very exciting and liberating, but also very frightening. Right now, the subprime issues and resulting credit crunch have unleashed huge insecurity throughout the world. Banks, those repositories of tradition, were involved in the subprime mortgage fiasco, and suddenly are seen to be merely human organizations, and therefore ripe for problems. Governments seem unable to stem any tide, whether positive or negative. Regionalism continues globally, and at the same time, there's a movement for more control, in countries. Perhaps it's a seeking for the stability that seemed the "norm", in the past decades. The response to global warming shows the dichotomy -- yes, people want to change to save the world, but change requires a reshaping of socities, and everything gets bogged down to "good will" responses, with very little credible movement towards the kind of change required. It's very sweet, in one way, that humans actually think they can affect Nature. Archeologists might point out that shorelines have been higher and lower, in antiquity, so it might be realized that Nature itself has an agenda that humankind merely falters under. Nature is totally itself, apart, impassive, and there is no notice taken of people and their communities. Think of the tsunami that hit the coastline and killed natives and tourists alike, indiscriminately. A huge wave caused by an earthquake below the ocean, &, in spite of all our technology, there was no warning. "Some day" there will be an earthquake on the Pacific Coast. Everyone knows this, yet there is this "oh, well...yes..." continuation of life at the edge of the sea, and few take precautions by outfitting their homes and cars with an "emergency kit". Maybe it's the human condition to be "blinkered", to only see the immediate? What about Pompeii? Gone in an instant! No one in control of Nature, then. Mmmmm.... Perhaps it's a good idea to watch the stars, on those clear evenings, and to try to inculcate a desire for a "broader view", beyond our tiny skins? Your thoughts?
July 17, 2008.
Private island paradise, off Vancouver Island's spectacular "west coast", awaits your pleasure! Wonderful beaches, hiking trails, power available via cable from Vancouver Island, and a true "wilderness" ambiance. Ocean, mountain, island vistas -- beauty wherever you look! This is a purchase for the future! Preserve and enjoy this amazing island opportunity.
July 16, 2008. BBC news reports : US seeks to calm investor fears Global energy needs 'to grow 50%' Bank holds interest rates at 5% No let-up in global stocks slide Gates to step down from Microsoft House prices 'unchanged in May' Oil price still near record $142 'New CJD type' discovered in US 'Alarming' plight of coral reefs Moon's interior 'did hold water' Martian soil 'could support life' Mobile web reaches crital mass Australia farmer: 'Our river is dying' Food shortages grow in rural Nepal US outbreak of salmonella spreads
July 15, 2008
Here's a superb oceanfront offering, on special Salt Spring Island! Spectacular ocean vistas; true panoramic views. Beach for walking/beachcombing, plus a beautiful dock -- keep your boat at home! Home is "as new", with great room concept for living, den, dining, and custom kitchen (all with sensational views). Master/ensuite "wing", with exercise room, spacious walk-in closet. Elegant office, with access to private deck and garden vistas. Guest wing offers two ensuite bed sitting rooms, with access to oceanfront and to English Country garden charms. Double garage, deer fenced, easy care landscaping, pleasing walkway to oceanfront and to dock. Sunny (s/sw/w exposures), private, and in prestigious area of quality homes. It doesn't get any better! Enjoy this beauty! Note: boat, and year round protected boathouse, available separately. See Li for all showings (by appointment only). An exclusive listing, with Li Read. The very best!
July 14, 2008. "Every river has its banks, Every ocean has its shores." (Deng Ming-Dao: "Tao...Daily Meditations")
July 13, 2008. Flashback to my first blog entry made October 9, 2005 "In having been an active, full time realtor, on Salt Spring Island, since 1989, I've seen many different trends/market cycles evolve. When I arrived on the Island, the Islanders had just decided to vote "for" having a sewer treatment facility, to service both Ganges Villages -- the "seaside village" and the "upper village". The debate about the sewer had apparently taken ten years to resolve into a decision. The sewer system was in place by 1990, and we then saw several projects start construction. These weren't "new" projects, though, but simply the building out of things always on the books, so to speak, after the Islands Trust came into being in the mid 1970s. They couldn't be built, however, until the sewer system was in place. From 1990 to 1997, then, the Island experienced changes in the "seaside village", with older buildings being removed and new buildings constructed. Some of the multi-family (i.e. townhome) zoned properties began to be built out, too, in this same time period. If one had visited the Island in 1985, and then had returned in 1995, it would have been a quite different village core that one would have returned to. All of the changes, though, had been put in place, as "potentials", when the Islands Trust was created by the then Provincial Government, in the mid-70s, and were not "new" options. The changes conformed to the Official Community Plan, (where one can read the bylaws and the development permit area regulations, which are the Gulf Islands form of "government"). From about 1995 to 2001, the Island "rested" in a fairly stable moment; part of this was due to a recession in the Province of B .C., generally, and part of it was the usual resting that takes place after a spurt of building & development occurs. In early 2001, B.C began to pull out of its recession, and the Gulf Islands and Salt Spring Island were no exception. Post 9/11, however, it seemed that a general rewriting of one's life script occurred, world-wide. A movement known as "penturbia", which was talked about in the 1980s, seemed to have a resurgence of interest. People began to seek out smaller communities. The arrival of the Internet, and its ease in allowing one to "do business" anywhere in the world, was also a factor in this ability to live somewhere and work, in virtual space, elsewhere. The beginning of retirement for that broad generational grid known as the "boomer generation" might also have been a factor in the allure of smaller & more recreationally oriented areas. Several things began to converge, then, and Salt Spring Island's year round & stand alone community lifestyle began to be noted. The pleasing microclimate, here, was also a factor (known as cool Mediterranean). The Islands Trust's "preserve & protect" mandate, which capped densities on all of the Gulf Islands, including on Salt Spring Island, inadvertently created a higher priced marketplace. It may not have been their intention to do this. To preserve the park like atmosphere of the Gulf Islands, for the benefit of all of B.C. may have been their reason for coming into being, but the outcome of these rules prohibiting growth means that the old maxim of "supply and demand" has come into being, too. The Gulf Islands, including Salt Spring Island, have seen substantial price increases, in recent years, due to the stringent controls on density, put in place by the Islands Trust, in the mid- 70s. The allure of the Pacific Northwest Coast, and the extra charm of the Gulf Islands, means that we've been "discovered", as an area, in some fashion, & discovered by a "global audience". There's a limited amount of land available for development, on any Gulf Island, because of the Islands Trust's mandate. It seems, as one encounters Salt Spring and the Southern Gulf Islands, that they are very close to what I term the "wall of no more". As one drives around the Island, today, one is seeing it as it will always be -- some new areas may be opened up, but they won't be visible from the main roads, and the Island is pretty well its "essential self", now. Price escalation, in the end, will be inevitable, then, because of the cap on density. Markets are cyclical in nature, of course, and there will be ups and downs in the "hard asset" marketplace of real estate. If one is lucky enough to be a homeowner on this special and beautiful Island, though, it is a gift for the future to one's family. It is an investment of a different kind. The Salt Spring real estate market, though, over the years that I've been on the Island, seems to have evolved into a secondary home marketplace. At the moment, most purchases are second or third home alternatives. Busy people, with main lives "elsewhere", can't just immediately "arrive" and stay. They may end up calling this their principal residence, but it doesn't often start that way. There may be landed immigrant issues, too -- to be here year round requires further conversations, perhaps with an immigration lawyer. It is a mainly out of province purchaser profile, and they cannot always "be here", full time, to begin with. All of these shifts create change. Thales once commented, in Ancient Greece, that one never dips one's toe in the same river water, twice. Change is the only constant, other philosophers state. In change is opportunity, perhaps. Whether Islanders care for this concept or not, change has occurred, steadily, over the past several years. Salt Spring is not a backwater, although it does owe the Trust a debt of thanks for having retained its essential "rural charm", in these past years. Realtors are able to be "interpreters" of change, as they are often, just like mortgage brokers and appraisers, in the "front line" of shifting markets. They aren't the creators of change, though. With the pressure "on" to allow more development, on the Island, as a result of the desire of some property holders to subdivide, and the desire of the Trust to fulfill its mandate of "to preserve & protect", and, at the same time, reflecting the growth in population in this unincorporated area, the Island does face some interesting challenges, at this moment in time. Affordable housing, an aging population, a wish to attract a seasonal recreational visitor and to create a viable business core in the commercial sector, etc. etc. -- these are concerns and suggestions of and from Islanders. Lots of potential, here, for creative answers."
July 11, 2008. "The actual Is only actual In one place And one time." (Deng Ming-Dao: "Tao...Daily Meditations")
July 10, 2008. Don't miss the Into the Light photography presentation at ArtSpring's Gallery -- it runs through July 13th. Exquisite! Remember the live music venue at Treehouse, in Ganges Village. Enjoy! Looking to be spoiled with an incredible gourmet Sunday Brunch? Check out Hastings House (runs through to August 31st). 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., every Sunday, through the "season". The annual ArtSpring fundraising Treasure Fair takes place July 17 to 19th. The big ticket item to be auctioned off is a 1978 Volkswagon Beetle (if you caught the Canada Day classic car show, on July 1st, you will have seen this gem). Free tickets for the live auction can be reserved through ArtSpring's ticket centre, at 250-537-2102. The Rainbow Road pool is open! Call 250-537-1402 for the summer schedule and information! ArtCraft is open and the evocative presentation of talented local artists is on display. Don't miss this! Steffich Fine Art & J. Mitchell Gallery, in Grace Point Square, showcase incredible local artistic works. Jill Louise Campbell's whimsical renderings of the Salt Spring scene are in her gallery, in Mouat's Building, adjacent to the Salty Shop. Martinus creates beauty in gems. Frankly Scarlett, in Grace Point Square, offers unique items from around the world. Windflower Moon's metaphysical offerings delight the soul. Nearby, follow the bubbles to Salt Spring Soapworks. Pick up the Artists Tour map for 2008, at the Chamber, and follow the sheep signs to wonderful delights. It's summer! Enjoy! P.S. Important reminder! Tonight is the pivotal public input meeting, to respond to the final documentation of the trustees OCP review. If you're on Island, please be there! If you're not, make sure that you've emailed the MLA, the Ministry representative, plus copy same to the two trustees, asking for further time for public input/comment. After 2 1/2 years of trustees creating this OCP review document, they are trying to ram it through in a three week period, with only one public meeting, at a time when Islanders are working hard (the "season") and do not have time to read through 170 plus pages, in legalese language, to decipher the critical changes. The current OCP is in fine working order. This recent review process reflects the agenda of the two current trustees, who are on a mission to make these changes "law", before the next civic election (in November). Be informed! Make your thoughts evident to the MLA and to the Minister in charge of the Trust, at the provincial government level. Copy same to the two trustees. (See my July 6th "blog" entry for the email addresses). The trustees are saying that "silence" means agreement, and so it's vital to make your thoughts known. It's your Island, too. See you at the meeting!
July 9, 2008.
Looking for an estate style oceanfront acreage, on special Salt Spring Island? Here it is! Six plus acres, easy access to oceanside, zoned for separate guest cottage and separate studio (lots of options as to where to place these dwellings!), foreshore licence potential (build your dock & keep your boat at home!), and a custom designed quality home, offering many unique features. Sunny (s/sw/w/nw exposures), plus privacy, panoramic ocean/islands/mountain vistas, and a lovely tranquility to feed the soul! Master/study/ensuite in its own "wing", plus four ensuite bed/sitting rooms, further guest or family accomodation (ensuite bedrooms), exercise room, lots of storage, commercial laundry facility, wonderful oceanview workshop, office space, and a terrific "cook's dream" kitchen. Perfect for a family retreat, or a "high end" B & B/country inn opportunity, or a corporate retreat. An investment on Salt Spring Island is a ticket to future appreciation, and this gem offers more than one option. Listed below appraised value. Enjoy!
July 8, 2008. BBC news reports : Fresh record for Indian inflation Recession in Asia is 'unlikely' Starbucks to close 500 more shops Euro interest rate likely to rise Opec head sees new oil price rise Tofu 'may raise risk of dementia' Mediterranean diet 'cuts cancer' Smallest planet shrinks in size Diamonds hint at 'earliest life' Google must divulge YouTube log Government launches data mash-up
July 7, 2008. "When in the arena, Yield not to an aggressor. When outside the arena, Affirm compassion." (Deng Ming-Dao: "Tao...Daily Meditations")
July 6, 2008. If you feel that we need more time to digest the final OCP review document, and that to have only one public meeting for comment/input (with less than three weeks between final plan document and the public meeting, even though it took over 2 years for the trustees to create this document) & that haste to implement these changes is not a good outcome to the process, then please make your wishes known to the MLA for this area (Murray Coell), and to the current Ministry head for the Islands Trust (Blair Lekstrom), and be sure to copy same through to the two trustees (Peter Lamb & George Ehring), so that there will be a record that they did not receive full support from the Island population, for these proposed changes. The position of the trustees, and therefore the Ministry, is that silence means agreement. There is no reason to rush this document through, without all Islanders knowing about it. The trustees have not mailed notification of the proposed changes to every homeowner. They have relied on sporadic ads in the local weekly newspaper, which is not read by those residing off Island, (nor is it read "on time" by many busy Islanders), to announce meetings on various committees. The meetings take place in the daytime, when most people are at work, and cannot take time off to attend. They have taken two plus years to create this OCP revised document, and they are giving less than three weeks to ratify and implement, with only one public meeting for homeowners input to be "allowed". No further public input after that point. It's badly advertised, most Islanders have no idea that this is occurring, and it's essential to ask for more time, so that everyone can read the document and have input. To force this through, in the summer season, when most Islanders have to work triply hard, so that they can benefit from this seasonal marketplace, guarantees that most people will be too busy to read the complex document or even to attend the one public meeting. There is time to consider, to further finetune, and to then ratify. The current bylaws are fine, in the interim. This whole OCP review process is really about the agenda of these two trustees, and isn't based on a specific need. Please make your wishes known, if you would like more time to digest these proposed changes to the current OCP. Less than three weeks from printing the draft off, to having one public meeting (no public input allowed, after that), and then off to ratification and implementation, is not good civic practice, and it's not necessary, either. The trustees may have an agenda here, and it may not be for the good of the Island or the Islanders lifestyle. Please step to the plate, here, and ask for "more time". Email addresses are: Murray Coell (MLA for this area): murray.coell.mla@leg.bc.ca Blair Lekstrom, the new person at the Ministry dept. overseeing the Islands Trust, will also have an email. At this time, I don't have that (you might try googling him, via the B.C. Government employees registry). Copy what you send to the MLA, Murray Coell, to the two trustees: trustee, Peter Lamb: plamb@islandstrust.bc.ca trustee, George Ehring: gehring@islandstrust.bc.ca The OCP review document, which could now simply be ratified and become the new bylaws, can be found online at: www.islandstrust.bc.ca/ltc/ss/bylaws.cfm Be informed! Please act. It's your Island, too. P.S. The weekly Driftwood newspaper is running an online poll, as to whether you think more time is required to consider the proposals being brought forward, as the OCP. Do this online poll at: gulfislandsdriftwood.com Everything counts!
July 5, 2008.
Here's an exceptional oceanview property, awaiting your pleasure! Close to Ganges Village, and to Sailing Club, yet in its own quiet and private world. On comm. water, with a "double lot" configuration, and control over the trees (one will always keep one's view!), this "west coast" style rancher would be very easy to renovate to today's "look". Or, this land is so unique, and the view so spectacular, that you might simply decide to build anew. The choice is yours! Don't overlook this beauty! Currently, an open plan living/dining, country kitchen, three bed/two bath (master ensuite), plus garage/workshop. Very private from neighbouring properties, and that soaring view is "forever". Good all day sun/year round, too. Definitely a "best buy" opportunity, for an oceanview beauty.
July 4, 2008. Happy Birthday to all our U.S. friends and residents! If any Islanders are out in their boat, don't forget the fireworks at Roche Harbour, on San Juan Island. A terrific show!
July 3, 2008. In today's Driftwood (local weekly newspaper), there will be an announcement of a public meeting, re the final draft of the OCP (Official Community Plan) Review process. There will be only one public meeting re this final draft; after that, the plan will be adopted by the local trustees, and then signed off at the Ministry level, and then will be in place. If you do not agree with this plan, then you need to make your complaint known, before the meeting, and send an email to the MLA for this area (Murray Coell) and to the Ministry contact, re the overall Islands Trust. Copies of same should also be sent to the two trustees, so that it is on file that there was a complaint. If there is no dissenting voice, then the trustees take this as confirmation of their changes. It's very disturbing that these two trustees (who ran as "one voice" in the last civic election, expecting the incumbent who was running again to be re-elected (she wasn't, which left them in without any alternative voice) have manipulated the process of an OCP review, by not openly advertising for and being encouraging of full public input. They had an agenda, and they were clear about it when they ran for trustee. The turn-out for the civic election is never high, and these two trustees were well organized at getting their specific support group out to vote. A large number of homeowners on this Island do not live here year round, and so are not present to vote in the civic election, in November. They are also not here to read a small item in a weekly newspaper (even the year round locals who do live here do not all subscribe to or read this weekly newspaper). The initial basis of their review plan appeared to be an insistence on the precautionary principle. However, instead of erring on the side of pausing, taking time, not acting quickly as outcomes might be uncertain/not good for the Island, which is the premise of the precautionary principle, they seem to have rushed through several controversial suggestions, as a plan, in order to execute new bylaws. The changes they are proposing have very little to do with the preservation of the natural environment, which was the "preserve & protect" mandate of the original Islands Trust document (created in 1974). They do, however, have far-reaching implications for the lifestyle of the Islanders on Salt Spring, most of whom value the original mandate of that earlier overall Trust document. If you aren't aware of these changes, then you need to act quickly. The final draft of the OCP review was only available on June 24th. If you're on Island, pick up a copy at the Trust office. If you're not here, then download it from the Trust's website. The trustees had the option of taking advantage of a 400,000 budget, there for the use of any Island wishing to do a complete OCP review -- the overall Provincial Trust offers this, to have competent planners from off Island look into and execute a review process. These two Salt Spring trustees elected to forego that option, and to just use the local office planners. This had the effect of causing a moratorium on anything being brought to the local Trust office/planners, as they were busy with the OCP review. It also meant that the two trustees could tailor the review to their personal agendas for this Island's lifestyle. They appear to be trying to take over issues that should properly belong to a different public/government body, and to make everything a Trust jurisdiction, and with appropriate costs attached. If everything that happens on the Island has to have Trust input, no matter how simple, then we really have become that "fief" that I used to tease about. It's no laughing matter, however, when the value of your property could be diminished, because of some arbitrary bylaws that suit only the two trustees, and their small but well organized supporters. There is no rush to push through these items, except in the minds of the two trustees. In this November's civic election, they may not be re-elected. In pushing to have one public meeting, after almost 2 1/2 years of their creation of a new OCP, and to then ratify same so that the bylaws will go into effect, before the civic election can take place, they are enshrining a very different image of this Island than probably the majority of homeowners would be aware of. It's extraordinarily important! The trustees suggest their own people to be part of supposed Island wide focus groups. They hold trust meetings when the bulk of Islanders would be working, and therefore not able to attend. If they had the meetings, regularly, at 7 p.m. instead of in the morning or the early afternoon, would they get larger representation? After two plus years of same, they then put a small ad in a weekly/not well read community newspaper, to announce a public meeting. There will only be one meeting, remember, and then it's off to ratification and implementation, and the majority of island homeowners have no sense that anything is occurring. There is no need for such speed, here. This is not democracy. It is, however, an oligarchy! In the Fall, there were three very controversial items that many homeowners heard about from concerned real estate agents. A huge email/write in response may have been successful in having these three very draconian and controversial suggestions "removed" from the current OCP review process. Many more, though, remained "on the books", and were not aired in public; the more controversial items had dominated the three public meetings in October, 2007. A group called Islanders for Self-Government was formed, in response to the current trustees suggestions for the OCP review. It's important to join this group. They want a referendum to find out if there's any interest in a municipal form of government. It would be a specialized form of municipality; the trust would remain, their current bylaws to "preserve & protect" would be maintained. The CRD (Capital Regional District) director, though, would be replaced by an elected "council", who would also have input, along with the trust, in the day to day running of this specific Island. Naturally, the two trustees do not want to have this alternative voice, and their answer was to suggest two more trustees be alloted to Salt Spring Island. They had hoped this would just be "done", but the government ministry, that oversees the entire Trust area (it's all Gulf Islands, remember) stated that such a decision had to go to referendum. It could not just be an automatic increase in trustee numbers. In the 1990s, Salt Spring turned down an opportunity to become this kind of a specialized Gulf Islands Municipal structure. With the current OCP review proposed changes, however, costs will rise dramatically (they already have), and so that concern over rising taxes, which may have been the chief reason, previously, for not choosing a Gulf Islands Municipality model, is no longer an issue. The Island belongs to all the Islanders. The proposed changes are very sweeping in interpretation, and will have significant impact on the lifestyle of the Islanders. The proposed OCP is the outcome of a very small group of people, and the impact will involve everyone. There is absolutely no rush to have these changes implemented, and yet there is a rush from the two trustees. The changes are significant, and time should be taken to discuss same. After two plus years of their creating this OCP review, they are now going to rush it to fruition/execution, in scant weeks, at a busy point in the Islanders lives (everyone is working at top bore in this seasonal environment) -- there will only be one public meeting. Many people will not even know about it. An announcement re same will be in the weekly local newspaper on July 3rd. The meeting will be on either July 10th or 12th. That's it! No more public input after that date. Many people do not read the local paper. A large number do not reside here year round. The trustees did not send a letter to each homeowner, advising them of the changes, at any point in time. Real estate agents, by law, must know and also disclose all information about impending changes, that will affect a property. They are accountable in law to do so. This is the reason there will also be a full page ad in the weekly paper, alerting homeowners of this OCP review outcome, and suggesting that more time be taken, so as to allow full knowledge by those affected (the homeowners). Please contact me for further details, and remember to write to the MLA, to the Ministry contact, and to copy same to the two trustees. It's important to be on record as opposing the plan, if that is your wish. Silence, in the minds of the two trustees, means agreement with their proposed OCP document. This is not a time for apathy! Be informed and please also act.
July 2, 2008. "1. Not on my authority, but on that of truth, it is wise for you to accept the fact that all things are one. 7. If you do not hope, you will not find that which is not hoped for; since it is difficult to discover and impossible to attain. 32. The sun is new every day. 41.-42. You could not step twice in the same rivers; for other and yet waters are ever flowing on. 46. Opposition unites. From what draws apart results the most beautiful harmony. All things take place by strife. 57. Good and bad are the same. 81. In the same rivers we step and we do not step; we are and we are not. 122. There awaits men at death what they do not expect or think. 131. All things are full of souls and of divine spirits. 134. False opinion of progress is stoppage of progress." (Heraclitus, philosoper, Ancient Greece, who flourished in the 69th Olympiad, 504 - 501 B.C.).
July 1, 2008. Happy Canada Day!
Entries from Past Months
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December 2007
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October 2007
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