GulfGulf Islands’Islands’ Giving The Coast A Community Voice For 27 Years Volume 29 Number 4 March 2 - March 15, 2017 Online Voluntary Annual Subscription: $30 Photo: John Cameron Gulf Islands Secondary School students could choose among 40+ workshops at GISS’s first Mental Wellness Summit. The event was organized by students, (see story below). Highschool holds first Charter challenge over ‘discriminatory’ voting system mental wellness summit Fair Voting BC is mounting a challenge under the Voting BC President Tony Hodgson says. Catelyn Creswick Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms’ ‘Our goals in launching a Canadian Charter of guarantee of effective representation. Fair Voting Rights & Freedoms challenge are to have the court Gulf islands Secondary School held a Mental BC says refusing to overhaul the outdated first-past- rule that our current voting system contravenes the Wellness Summit on February 16. GiSS’s first the-post voting system amounts to discrimination, Charter and order the government to adopt a voting wellness summit served as a fantastic initiative to since the Charter guarantees citizens’ right to vote system that complies with the Charter. open up the discussion about mental health and and right to equal treatment. Before launching its challenge Fair Vote BC wellness by providing an abundance of information Among other rulings, Fair Voting BC bases its needs to have pledges to cover $260,000 for the and resources. challenge on the 1991 Saskatchewan Electoral hearings, plus a guarantee of $100,000 to As a student who feels the everyday pressures of Boundaries Reference case. Justice Beverley indemnify our plaintiffs ($360,000 total). achieving academic success, along with the McLachlin ruled: ‘Each citizen is entitled to be The group have initiated a pledge drive. By constant nagging thoughts of post-secondary represented in government. Representation March 1, Fair Vote BC already had pledges for education and balancing a personal life, it is easy to comprehends the idea of having a voice in the $110,000, CLiCk HERE, or visit charterchallenge.ca. feel lost, hopeless, and to let your mental wellness deliberations of government.’ The organization is encouraging other groups to sit on the back-burner. Fair Voting BC states, ‘That’s each of us, not just join with it in this challenge. Attending three of the 40+ workshops provided, some of us. The court has also said that voters Meanwhile, a government e-petition asking for i have been able to gain a better understanding of should be treated equally, but when only half of us reform has over 130,000 signatures at closing. what i and others experience in conditions such as have an MP we support, the system is Non-profit Fair Voting BC served as the official anxiety, depression, and body image. i especially discriminatory and excludes our voices.’ proponents in the 2009 BC-STV referendum enjoyed the keynote address by Andrea Paquette, ‘Constitutional lawyers have advised us that we campaign. Antony Hodgson is a UBC mechanical and spoken word presentations by Taryn Muldoon have a worthwhile case to make that our current engineering professor and has served with Fair and Jeremy Loveday. voting system violates our Charter rights,’ Fair Voting BC since the 2005 BC-STV referendum. 0 As a student organizing this school-wide event, i am proud to say that i participated in orchestrating this inspiring, informative day. March is distracted driving month Though there were long nights and bouts of panic iCBC reports that drivers are five times more likely ‘Drivers found using a hand-held electronic device in the days leading up to the event, our Leadership to crash when distracted, and that 27% of all fatal while driving face a $368 fine, and four penalty Team remained positive, productive, and crashes in BC involve distracted driving. points on their license.’ ‘N’ and ‘L’ drivers are not communicative with the immense support of ‘Local officers will be focussed on drivers who permitted to use any electronic devices while Leadership Teacher Ms Pardiwala, and GiSS’s choose to ignore BC’s tough distracted driving laws, driving, including a hands-free cell phone. enthusiastic administration. and put other motorists and pedestrians at risk,’ To learn more about the dangers of distracted The summit precedes a regional forum being states Cpl Darren Lagan of the Salt Spring RCMP. driving, visit: icbc.com. 0 planned for early May. www.islandtides.com Page 2, island Tides, March 2, 2017 Photo: Mike Yip Most sandhill cranes migrate to the southern US for the winter, but an intrepid pair has been roughing it in Cedar for this winter—mistake? Shawnigan Lake toxic soil dump permit cancelled After years of community members fighting the BC a leader in the struggle to stop the toxic soil deserve and can expect from BC Greens.’ Furstenau government over the safety of their drinking water, dumping in a watershed commented, ‘While i’m is currently BC Greens candidate for Cowichan BC Minister of Environment Mary Polak cancelled thrilled that the Minister has done the right thing Valley and is Deputy Leader of the BC Green Party. Cobble Hill Holdings Ltd’s waste discharge permit and cancelled the permit, i remain committed to Weaver continued, ‘The situation that has for its facility near Shawnigan Lake. holding the government to account to ensure the unfolded in Shawnigan shows why the On February 23, the Minister issued the contaminated soil is cleaned-up safely. The government’s professional reliance model is following statement: ‘Effective immediately, i am residents of Shawnigan should be proud of what we completely inadequate for environmental cancelling the waste discharge permit for Cobble accomplished today, but they deserved to see action protection and community safety. Hill Holdings because the company has failed to from their government much sooner.’ ‘instead of drawing on the technical expertise of meet the requirements outlined in my January 27 Andrew Weaver Leader of the BC Green Party the civil service who serve the public interest, the letter. said, ‘i’m glad the Minister has finally pulled the government cut these experts and now relies ‘The company was given 15 business days to permit, but it is completely unacceptable that it took instead on the judgement of experts hired by provide three required documents and submitted this long. it is egregious that the people of corporations with vested interests.’ only two prior to the deadline given. Specifically, the Shawnigan had to take their government to court Last Ditch Legal Action company failed to provide the Province with simply to receive representation. Friday, February 24, the day following the adjusted financial security in the form of an ‘The Minister does not have a plan for how, or cancelling of the permit, Cobble Hill Holdings Ltd irrevocable letter of credit. even if, the contaminated soil will be removed. Who filed a notice of appeal to the British Columbia Court ‘Cobble Hill Holdings has been provided multiple is going to deal with the contaminated soils now? of Appeal, requesting that Justice Sewell’s January opportunities to respond to outstanding non- Where is it going to go?’ he added. 24 judgement be set aside. compliances and has repeatedly missed deadlines Weaver first visited the site with Furstenau and Justice Sewell’s judgement set aside a decision of with respect to its permit requirements. community members on April 2, 2015. During that the Environmental Appeal Board and reinstated the ‘Ministry staff are taking actions to ensure time Weaver collected water samples which were Stay of Cobble Hill Holdings Ltd’s permit (Island material on the property is managed in a way that tested for contamination at the University of Tides February 2, 2017, page 2). does not present a risk to human health or the Victoria. He commented, ‘Sonia Furstenau has How this relates to the subsequent Ministry of environment. shown outstanding leadership on holding the Environment cancellation of permit is not clear. it ‘My decision to cancel the waste discharge permit government to account over their dereliction of duty may be that Shawigan Lake and its water are not is based on information and advice from staff who on this file. i’m incredibly proud to have her on the out of the mire yet.0 are technical experts in their field.’ BC Greens team. This is the kind of principled Shawnigan Lake Area Director Sonia Furstenau, representation is what communities across BC The Simple High-Perfoormance Septic Systeme Eljenlj GSF…YYouro Aorddable ble Solution foro Today’s Wasta ewater Challenges! Ideal for New or Replacement Systems Innovative Products and Solutions Since 1970 eljen.com www.islandtides.com Hecate Strait glass sponge reefs are protected island Tides, March 2, 2017, Page 3 Lighter mornings but stopping for school buses is mandatory in one week in late February, three separate complaints were received from Gulf islands School District schoolbus drivers, reporting vehicles failing to stop for them when they were offloading children, with the schoolbus ‘stop’ sign and flashing lights activated. ‘This is an ongoing issue for local schoolbus operators, and one which places our children’s safety at risk’, states Cpl Darren Lagan of the Salt Spring RCMP. ‘Local buses are equipped with high-quality video recording equipment, which provides our officers with strong evidence to support issuing violation tickets to drivers who fail to stop.’ The violation amount is $368, and carries a 3 point penalty on the driver’s license. Based on investigations into the three complaints, charges against two of the three drivers were supported by the evidence, Lagan reports. 0 _HOL]DEHWKPD\PSFD WK6W6LGQH\%&9/< n February 15, protection for ancient glass the mouth of the Fraser, and in the middle of the sponge reefs in Hecate Strait near Haida Strait of Georgia and up into Howe Sound, says BULLETIN Gwaii was announced by Fisheries and Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society (CPAWS).