Well-trained Setting the That’s our Ganges Visitor Centre volunteers. pace A new kind of golf tourney. PAGE 21 A nnivers arary PAGE 25 1960-2010 GULF ISLANDS Wednesday, May 5, 2010 — YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1960 50TH YEAR ISSUE 18 $ 255 1(incl. GST) FERRIES FIRE Beddis Pub land Road fi re nnivers ary held in purchase check Family impressed touted for by fi re department actions BY SEAN MCINTYRE DRIFTWOOD STAFF ferry co. The Salt Spring Fire Rescue Department credits a quick- Vesuvius and Long Harbour acting family for averting a full-fl edged disaster at a Bed- terminal planning dissected dis Road heritage home on Monday afternoon. Monday night Firefi ghters were called to the scene of a reported chim- BY AMY GEDDES ney fi re just after 1 p.m. on DRIFTWOOD STAFF Monday afternoon. Once at The fact that the former Vesuvius Inn has stood the scene, crews discovered empty for the past several years next to a ferry ter- the fire had spread beyond minal plagued with traffi c congestion hasn’t gone the chimney and into the unnoticed by area residents. home’s attic and roof. So it wasn’t surprising that purchase of the “We treat [chimney fires] property by BC Ferries as part of its 20-year master like structure fi res, but when plan for Salt Spring ferry terminals was among we got there it was a little solutions pitched Monday night at the corpora- more than we expected,” tion’s second open house held in seven days. said Deputy Fire Chief Arju- The property is vacant, its liquor licence has na George on Tuesday. expired and the audience collaboratively deemed Twenty-seven firefighters it an inexpensive option the corporation could attended the scene until the consider. fi re was brought under con- “And it dodges the other bullet of having drink- trol and mopped up by 5:30 ers driving through the ferry terminal,” said a male p.m. audience member, with others chiming in to show Fire victim Tanis Royal their approval. expressed extreme gratitude “It is an option,” said David Hendry, director not only for being alive “and of operations for the administration department PHOTO BY DERRICK LUNDY still taking in oxygen” but of BC Ferries, in response. “But obviously, land is CUPCAKES: Sydney MacLean digs into a chocolate cupcake as she takes part in the annual specifi cally to local fi refi ght- MASTER PLAN continued on 2 Ruckle Park Farm Day held last Sunday. ers on Tuesday. “What they did for us was TRANSPORTATION outstanding,” she said. “We should all be so thankful we have them here.” She said the crews arrived Stormy reception greets ferry test plan quickly, tried to minimize water damage and were car- Questions surround Canadian stirred up a swell of protest from island residents sage I in Plumper Sound as soon as May 25. ing in all ways. and politicians. The Rich Passage I is a 24-metre, low-wake “We can’t thank them testing of U.S. vessel Beverley Neff, a trustee with the Saturna Island passenger-only catamaran intended for use enough for all their caring Local Trust Committee, said she became aware between Seattle and Bremerton by Washington- and compassion they showed BY SEAN MCINTYRE of the proposal ahead of a monthly Trust meet- based Kitsap Transit Authority. The wave study and the wonderful job they DRIFTWOOD STAFF ing on April 28. and performance trial involves the vessel travel- did,” she said. A proposal to test a high-speed catamaran in According to the fi rm overseeing the proposal, ling 390 times at up to 40 knots (74 km/h) along Royal said fi re crews even Gulf Islands waters for use in Puget Sound has federal approval is sought to test the Rich Pas- FERRY TEST continued on 2 FIRE continued on 2 Grow INSERTS INDEX SANDRA • Thrifty Foods Arts ................................................................ 13 Ferry Schedule ...................................25 SMITH your • Ganges Pharmasave Bus Schedule .......................................... 4 Letters ........................................................... 9 WEALTH • Country Grocer • Sears • Mark’s Work Wearhouse Classifieds .............................................. 28 Sports ..........................................................25 • Lifestyle Market • Rona Editorial ........................................................8 What’s On............................................... 14 • The Vitamin Shop 99 DAYS • 99 BUCKS NORTH END FITNESS Joni Ganderton • Island Car Buyer 250 537 5217 saltspringhomefi nder.com Investment 250-537-1201 Advisor 250-537-1654 email: [email protected] 250.537.9933 website: www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com northendfi tness.ca BEDDIS islanders FREE! AIRPORT BUS NEW SCHEDULE VALID FROM MAR. 4 TO MAY 19, 2010 the airline SHUTTLE SERVICE Direct Ganges to Downtown: 7:40am Mon-Sat, 10:30am & 4:10 pm Daily ROAD ............................................................................................................... To Vancouver (YVR) Direct Ganges to Van Airport: 7:40am Mon-Sat, 10:30am & 4:10pm Daily main terminal. ............................................................................................................... GARAGE International or Domestic Direct Van Airport to Ganges: 8:45am Mon-Sat, 11:35pm & 5:15pm Daily Repairs to all ............................................................................................................... makes & models Direct Downtown to Ganges: 8:30am Mon-Sat, 11:20pm & 5:00 Daily 181A BEDDIS ROAD 250.537.98802 saltspringair.com CALENDARS NOW IN! 250-537-4122 2 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2010 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD CALL GAIL, SEAN OR AMY IF YOU NEWSBEAT SEE NEWS HAPPENING 2505379933 GOING AWAY? Call about great emergency Options debated at ferries open house medical coverage. Don’t leave home without it! MASTER PLAN At Monday’s open house, any provision for BC Ferries’ Channel Ridge village.” continued from 1 the concerned residents, future operations in the offi - That Long Harbour is an Call for more information. armed with a stack of pho- cial community plan.” under-used terminal was a very expensive.” tocopies of their letter to the Hendry responded by say- concern expressed by resi- BC Ferries representatives corporation, took the spot- ing, “I would ask you to give us dents and echoed by ferry rep- MAFALDA in attendance said through- light when 43-year Vesuvius a bit of a chance to hear your resentatives. Hoogerdyk, EPC out the open house that the resident Norah Lloyd stood up concerns before you condemn The need for BC Ferries to [email protected] 250-537-1730 Grace Point Square key obstacle in creating a and read the letter out loud: the process.” gather more baseline traffi c- planning framework for the “. We understand BC Fer- “Where is the recognition pattern and destination infor- Vesuvius terminal is lack of ries is now preparing a master that 44 per cent of all vehicle mation and to come up with space and means to acquire plan . While we welcome traffic between Vancouver future growth projections at Do you have something to more land. this initiative, we strongly Island and Salt Spring pass- all Salt Spring terminals was Obstacles aside, eager yet object to the way it is being es through Vesuvius?” Lloyd suggested. say about a story or letter? amicable discussions ensued conducted on the following read from the letter to build Hendry said information of Comment on-line that were largely Vesuvius- grounds . .” the case that Vesuvius is a this nature would be gathered centred. The letter — co-written by bees’-nest of liability con- as part of the master planning @ gulfi slandsdriftwood.com Packed into the Harbour 11 steering committee mem- cerns. Vesuvius residents, process that should be fi nal- House seats were an over- bers representing 52 Vesuvius many who have invested ized this fall. whelming proportion of residents and property own- their life savings in their He also said BC Ferries plans Vesuvius residents, many rep- ers — also objected to BC Fer- homes, suffer driveways to assess terminals based on resenting the Concerned Resi- ries not dedicating an open blocked by ferry custom- three categories of need: 1) dents of Vesuvius group. house exclusively to Vesuvius. ers, she said. In addition, safety fi rst, 2) effi ciency, and For six months the residents The group was also perplexed they fear the “pedestrian- 3) things nice to have but group has written letters to as to why a Vesuvius terminal friendly village character” lower in priority. a grab bag of public offi cials. risk assessment had not been of their neighbourhood will " They were adamant about conducted, similar to one ini- be soon overtaken by ferry "" making their views on future tiated in the south end by the traffic increases over the BC Ferries operations in Fulford Study Group. next 20 years as a result of Post your comment to this story their village known, yet never Without such a study, the “growth in big box retailing online at $"##"# $#!'#"#! received what they deemed to group states, it will “vigor- in the Cowichan Valley and www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com # !" ('$"#!# be an “adequate” response. ously oppose incorporation of the pending development of !&#!"$ !" #" "#!#""#!#"!# "#!#% $#"!"#$!#" !"$#"* &# $!" ‘People just need more information’ on issue "! FERRY TEST Transport Canada, the Department of tion. ) ) continued from 1 Fisheries and Oceans, the Canadian Coast He said the decision to test the vessel in Guard and the Canada Border Services &&&! ! Canadian waters refl ects the project’s inter- a 1.5-nautical mile course between Sat- Agency. national scope and potential to use the ves- urna and the Pender islands in Plumper “The primary objective of the project is sel beyond the waters of Puget Sound. Sound. to develop the scientifi c basis to identify He assured area residents that noise and Saturna’s local Trust committee passed and minimize the potential environmen- other impacts will not disturb residents CLEARING OUT a resolution to have the issue be put on tal impacts of [the vessel’s] operations on living on North Pender, South Pender and the agenda at Trust Council’s June meet- existing shorelines along the Seattle to Saturna islands.