War nurses Gulf Islands In the Driftwood’s WAR AND Remembrance Day Real Estate INSIDE A nnivers arary REMEMBRANCE pages. PAGE B1 1960-2010 GULF ISLANDS Wednesday, November 10, 2010 — YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1960 50TH YEAR ISSUE 45 $ 25 1(incl. HST) B.C. FERRIES ISLANDS TRUST Long Trust nnivers ary gives nod to Harbour building library closure Board seeks interim library space BY SEAN MCINTYRE vetted DRIFTWOOD STAFF The Salt Spring Public Elimination, restructuring of Library’s building committee anticipates work on the new Route 9 among effi ciency McPhillips Avenue facility to begin in April 2011. suggestions for post 2012 Rita Archer, chair of the library board, said she and BY ELIZABETH NOLAN her fellow board mem- DRIFTWOOD STAFF bers are thrilled by the Salt A BC Ferries report detailing suggestions on how Spring Local Trust Commit- to operate more effi ciently includes the discon- tee’s unanimous decision to tinuance of the Long Harbour-Tsawwassen ferry approve a series of develop- among its options. ment variances and develop- The document called Opportunities for ment permits last Thursday. Enhanced Effi ciency in Performance Term Three “We’re very pleased,” she states that higher operating costs expected in said. “This is very concrete the 2012 to 2016 “performance term” will result progress for us.” in increased fares on northern and minor routes The project’s architect can unless measures are taken to offset those costs. now finalize plans and the Ideas for increased effi ciency include eliminat- board can hire a contractor ing Route 9 — the run from Tsawwassen through for the project. the Southern Gulf Islands. The fi nancial benefi ts, “We feel like we’re on the according to BC Ferries, would entail the closure home stretch,” said Duncan of the Long Harbour terminal, avoiding Queen of Hepburn, chair of the library Nanaimo replacement and saving ongoing operat- board’s building committee. ing costs. Hepburn said he’s pleased Under this proposal, all traffi c from the Lower PHOTO BY DERRICK LUNDY with the “optimized compro- Mainland to Salt Spring would be routed through mise” that’s been developed POPPY TIME: Terry Norfolk exchanges poppies for donations outside Thrifty Foods in Ganges. FERRIES continued on A2 between required guidelines and wishes from the pub- HOSPITAL lic, elements which, he said, were at times totally contra- dictory. Development variance SOS presents case to CRHD board permits were required to Repurposing of investment questioned the Vancouver Island Health Authority announced SOS chair Phyllis Bolton said the presentation is reduce the required number its intention last May to discontinue those services being made at the request of the CRHD Board’s Plan- of parking spaces from 33 to BY ELIZABETH NOLAN and repurpose the operating room. ning, Transportation and Protective Services Com- 27, vary the minimum set- DRIFTWOOD STAFF The CRHD is a stakeholder in the outcome because mittee, which SOS spoke to at its Oct. 27 meeting. back distance on the front The Salt Spring grassroots organization Save it was one of the principle funders of operating room With information from SOS summarizing the and interior lot lines, and Our Surgery will be in Victoria today (Wednesday) upgrades completed in 2004, providing $1.1 million effects of the loss of surgical services, the PTPS forego a requirement that the to present its case to the Capital Regional Hospital to VIHA toward the cost. Salt Spring residents raised Committee immediately asked VIHA to take no library plan include a dedi- District Board. $800,000 in private donations through the Lady action toward repurposing the operating room. The cated space for the loading SOS has campaigned to keep non-emergency Minto Hospital Foundation and VIHA made up the surgical services intact at Lady Minto Hospital since remainder of the $3-million renovation. SOS continued on A2 LIBRARY continued on A2 LOWEST MORTGAGE RATES! INSERTS INDEX North Ask Arlene! • Country Grocer Arts .......................................................... B7 Letters ................................................. A9 End • Ganges Pharmasave Bus Schedule ............................... A4 Remembrance Day ................ B1 • Thrifty Foods • Sears Fitness • Home Hardware Classifieds .................................... A19 Sports ................................................ A17 • Mark’s Work Wearhouse Editorial ..............................................A8 What’s On......................................... B6 LOW VOC PAINT • Buckerfield’s • Rona Arbor Coat 99 • Unicef $54 gal Arlene 250-537-4090 email: [email protected] 250.537.9933 website: www.gulfislandsdriftwood.com 250-537-5217 250-537-9736 The PARENT & PRE TUES. & THURS. 10 am - 11 am FISH U GRILL U VIEW Breakfast Parent Water Fitness Class available ALL DAY 10:15am - 10:45am Rainbow Road Waffl es indoor pool Eggs Little ones are supervised and kept happy in the Bennies fl oating fi sh while parents exercise 250.537.1402 250-537-5041 A2 | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2010 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD CALL GAIL, SEAN OR ELIZABETH IF YOU For those who fell for us NEWSBEAT SEE NEWS HAPPENING 2505379933 Read Pericles The Epitaph ‘A long time coming’ SOS presentation SOS Tom Varzeliotis LIBRARY One of the library board’s next continued from A1 continued from A1 tasks is to secure a temporary-use permit from the Islands Trust. The committee will present that recommendation to the and unloading of vehicles. permit is needed for an as-of-yet CRHD today. www.alcy.ca Development permits were undisclosed property that will be According to the agenda, the committee will express required to ensure the new build- used to house the library’s collec- its concerns “regarding the manner in which the deci- ing complies with DPA 4 (lakes, tion during construction. sion was made to terminate the operating room facility streams and wetlands) and DPA 1 Archer said board members are at Lady Minto Hospital,” and that “the capital investment (island villages) requirements. considering use of a site in the hasn’t produced the time frame that was intended.” “This has been a very long Ganges area. More details will be “It’s true the board doesn’t have anything to do with 7HENYOUNEEDALAWYER time coming and I admire your forthcoming as negotiations devel- the operating policies [of the hospital],” said Bolton, FORQUALITYREPRESENTATION patience for having stuck with it op, she added. “but it should have some elbow room to discuss things since 1999,” said George Ehring, a Thursday’s decision alleviates with the health authority.” #ALL+EITH/LIVER "3C ,," member of Salt Spring’s local Trust much of the concern board mem- Bolton said the Salt Spring delegation intends to be committee. “I’ve been a supporter bers had expressed about wheth- “very short and to the point,” she said, adding the group all along of the library being in the er the library project could meet would be given just fi ve minutes to make its case. ,ITIGATION village.” construction deadlines to qualify Key points will be VIHA’s earlier assertions that a new s#IVILAND#RIMINAL Trustees Ehring and Christine for federal and provincial grant operating room was essential and its quick reversal Torgrimson thanked all the volun- money. after the renovations were complete; the added stress s%STATEAND7ILLDISPUTES teers, including the efforts of the Federal and provincial infrastruc- and expense for patients having to travel off-island for s2EAL%STATE#LAIMS late Tilly Crawley, former library ture grants announced in 2009 will surgery; the compromised health of people putting off board chair, for such a strong com- supply two-thirds of the project’s such surgeries; the loss of anaesthetic, gynecological s#ONSTRUCTION ,IENCLAIMS mitment to an important commu- $7.3 million budget. and urology services, as well as much reduced endos- nity institution. An earlier version of this story copy services. “I’m really proud of what has was published on www.gulfis- VIHA will have its own delegation and is scheduled been arrived at so far in this proj- landsdriftwood.com on Friday, on the agenda to make its case fi rst; SOS will be followed 3INCE ect,” Torgrimson said. Nov. 5. by Salt Spring’s former CRD director, Gary Holman. ATALLLEVELSOF#OURT Route 9 restructuring considered advisable 3ALT3PRING)SLAND FERRIES take some very, very diffi cult Route 9 be cancelled is really the opposite scenario. B.C. #ELLPHONE decisions to be made, but we only an outside possibility Ferries would like to make +EITH/LIVER continued from A1 could come up with some- at this point. They wanted to more timely decisions on ser- Fulford. An alternate idea thing better and a whole lot indicate to the province what vice, such as removing mid- would significantly restruc- more reliable.” the implications could be if day trips in slow periods. ture the route but would still Hahn said the report was there were no increases in the “On some of the mid-day include the Long Harbour ter- timed to allow public discus- service fee, and the option sailings that occur on the HONDA GENERATOR minal closure. sion before the B.C. Ferry would be to decrease service some of the small routes, we INVENTORY The effects of such a plan Commissioner makes rec- at some level.” move one car and two passen- would be “a huge setback in ommendations to the gov- Swierenga said his impres- gers. If we could make adjust- CLEAROUT! an already challenging eco- ernment on fare price caps sion from FAC meetings is ments more quickly, wouldn’t SALE EXTENDED TO NOV. 30TH nomic situation,” said Cham- for Performance Term Three, that Route 9 will still exist and that be ideal?” SALE REG. ber of Commerce manager which will happen within the the Queen of Nanaimo will Any changes to the service Paul Neale in response to the next four months. The B.C. be replaced by another vessel levels mandated under the EU 1000 ic ...................$999 $1099 report Tuesday.