Strait of Georgia Every Second Thursday & Online ‘24/7’ at Coastal Currents ~ Bridging The Gulf Since 1989 islandtides.com Canadian Publications Mail Product Volume 20 Number 8 May 1—May 14, 2008 $1 at Selected Retailers Sales Agreement Nº 40020421 Tide tables 2 Marbled murrelet 2 Saturna notes 3 Letters 4 Parochial gardens 5 What’s on? 5 Artic summer 6 Gateway to hell 6 Round the islands 7 Photo: Helen Elozabeth Schnare Bulletin board 11 Island Living— a view from Morning Beach, Galiano Island Community farm on Salt Spring Commentary ~ Patrick Brown becoming an EcoReality The BC approach to GHG regulation – EcoReality Sustainable Land Use and Education organic farm unit,’ said Gavin Johnston, a Cooperative on Salt Spring Island has agreed to neighbour who will be working together with carbon taxation plus ‘cap-&-trade’ purchase 37 acres of the former 100-acre Hughes EcoReality on managing his adjoining 83-acre BC’s Liberal Government is attacking Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and a Farm in Fulford Valley, 63 acres of which is to parcel, ‘That is why I am involved.’ greenhouse gas emissions in the province number of US and Mexican states. become community farmland. Through co-operative ownership, affordable with a double-barreled strategy: a shift to a WCI has a number of groups working on The group hopes to collaborate with the equity is another major goal of EcoReality. ‘The carbon tax for fossil fuel users (most of us) recommendations for the implementation of Farmers’ Institute in working the 63-acre average farmer can’t afford farmland any longer,’ and a ‘cap & trade’ system for large emitters. a cap-&-trade system which, if adopted by community farmland site. ‘We can complement according to Carol Wagner, EcoReality Finance Legislation to authorize both approaches has participating jurisdictions, would enable the community farm-site with farmworker Steward, ‘The co-op allows people who couldn’t been introduced in the current session of the inter-jurisdictional trading of permits, while amenities, in an inclusive, community-minded normally afford it to get back on the land.’ legislature. It follows last year’s Bill 44, which mutually guaranteeing the integrity of manner, re-uniting the entire 100 acre site for Many of the ideas for the site have been set targets for the province’s GHG emissions, emissions data. active, community-based agricultural use,’ said influenced by the draft Official Community Plan. and required the public sector, including the In a way, this might be compared to the EcoReality Communication Steward Jan ‘This land fills the expressed needs of the Salt government itself, to move to a ‘carbon European Union system, where each Steinman. Spring Island public for a human-scale neutral’ regime. jurisdiction is responsible for setting, Together with others in the greater Salt Spring community-within-a-community that will So far, there has been little opportunity for allocating, and enforcing its own caps, but community, members of EcoReality are in their champion sustainable agriculture within the public comment or discussion but there are harmonization of systems has enabled a wide fourth year of working toward this goal. ‘This co- context of natural resource stewardship,’ said many details still to be determined or trading base. (This is desirable because some operative farm venture is the type of project EcoReality Ecology Steward, Shannon Cowan. announced, particularly on the overall targets areas have concentrations of emitting many of us have been working towards for some Learning and education will play a pivotal role and the ‘cap & trade’ scheme; it has been very operations of the same type or which face time, and I hope the broader Salt Spring similar market conditions—weather at the new site. ‘We seek to attract a group of much a ‘top down’ process so far. (A community will support it,’ said Elizabeth White, description of the carbon tax scheme is found constraints, etc) people into an evolving learning process about of the Earth Festival Society. in a separate article on page 8.) Some of the WCI working groups have community-based holistic living,’ said Cowan. This acquisition of the 37 acres split from the made considerable progress; most, however, EcoReality members include a UBC professor The Western Climate Hughes Farm is great news for the Salt Spring are in the preliminary report stage. They have of agroecology and two certified Permaculture Initiative community,’ said Dan Jason, of Salt Spring consulted stakeholders but there has been instructors. ‘We plan to run many programs and BC also joined an organization known as the Seeds, who was instrumental in the 63-acre little public discussion. workshops on the site to spread knowledge of Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a co- farmland donation, ‘EcoReality has an expansive operative of seven western US states Bill 44 and extensive vision of what can happen on the organic farming and community living,’ said (Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Adopted last year, BC’s Bill 44 (The reconnected 100 acres. This purchase adds EcoReality Program Steward, James Cowan. Oregon, Washington, Utah), and two Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act) set immensely to the already exciting possibilities Planned courses include a Permaculture provinces (BC and Manitoba). Observers, province-wide targets for GHG emissions: by inherent in the land donation.’ Design Certificate course, fermentation and and possible future participants, include Salt Spring’s recently produced Area Farm preserving, scything, lawns-to-food, local biofuel GHG REGULATION, please turn to page 2 Plan is an on-going inspiration for EcoReality, production, alternative energy systems, and which will implement many of the points of the natural building, as well as farming and plan. ‘EcoReality’s plans fit in well with the gardening topics. Fernie residents celebrate no drilling for recommendations of the Area Farm Plan,’ EcoReality has world-class friends in the according to Anne Macey, project administrator sustainability movement whom they plan to for its steering committee. bring to Salt Spring as instructors and workshop methane in Flathead Valley, yet Involving the greater Fulford Valley, leaders. ‘We have a broad range of talent that we On Saturday, April 14, nearly 300 residents and professional input on this matter, and community is a goal of EcoReality. ‘This purchase hope to share with the greater community,’ said of Fernie took to the streets to reiterate their have decided that the British Petroleum and farm plan has the potential to keep one of the Steinman. opposition to a British Petroleum (BP) proposal for the extraction of coalbed most beautiful, well-managed farms in the Gulf EcoReality Co-op can be reached via their proposal to drill for coalbed methane (CBM) methane will not be permitted on the Islands intact and operating as a large, contiguous, website: www.EcoReality.org, or 250- 537-2024. ✐ in southeastern BC’s Flathead and Elk Valley. Canadian side of the Flathead River Basin.’ To no-one’s surprise, BP representatives Yet, according to Wildsight, East Revised electoral districts were not present, says local opposition Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett said the organizer, NGO Wildsight. ‘This was a provincial government is holding the door The Electoral Districts Act 2008, introduced on Under the legislation, MLA representation in farewell party,’ said Wildsight representative open for BP to re-enter the Flathead at a April 7 by Attorney General Wally Oppal, will rural districts will be maintained, says the Casey Brennan. ‘There have been many future date. increase British Columbia’s electoral districts to government. Six urban seats will be added to chances for BP to participate in public To make sure the truth hit home, 85, up from the current 79 seats. The bill sets out address urban population growth, for a total of discussion about the fate of our communities. representatives of Wildsight and the Flathead proposed boundaries for the next general election. 85 seats. So far, BP has chosen not to be a part. We’ll Coalition flew to London, England to attend The Electoral Districts Act 2008 would adopt View the electoral districts proposed for take that silence as confirmation that they most of the recommendations made in the 2009: www.bc-ebc.ca/final_report/province_smp. know people don’t want them here,’ says BP’s annual general meeting and meet with major shareholders. ‘BP executives should February 14 final report of the Electoral The Electoral Boundaries Commission Act Brennan. know there is more than just profit at stake Boundaries Commission, along with the requires that a new commission be appointed In February, as a result of extensive alternate scenario for the North and Cariboo- after every second provincial election. The campaigning by locals and conservationists, here,’ says Wildsight program manager Kat Thompson regions also contained in that report. commission reviews electoral boundaries, the provincial government declined BP’s Hartwig, who will be representing the The Electoral Boundaries Commission report taking into account population, geography, proposal to drill for CBM in the nearby organization in London. ‘The health and originally srecommended 83 electoral districts, history and community interests, as well as to Flathead Valley. In a letter to Wildsight, BC wellbeing of entire communities will be removing two from rural British Columbia, while ensure each MLA represents approximately the Premier Gordon Campbell stated his negatively affected if this spectacular land is increasing the number of urban districts. same number of people. ✐ government had ‘…received a lot of public disfigured.’ ✐ Page 2, ISLAND TIDES, May 1, 2008 Government has no plan to protect threatened marbled murrelet Despite repeated Forest Practices Board recommendations to has not been finalized. The province has not responded to the act, the province has not developed a strategy for conserving proposed strategy or put forward its own plan.