Blog

Current Entries


October 31, 2005.

"Life is full

and overflowing

with the new.

But it is necessary to empty out

the old to make room

for the new to enter."

(Eileen Caddy: "Footprints on the Path").


October 30, 2005.

Here's a wonderful Salt Spring "story":

Celia Duthie, of the famous Vancouver Duthie Bookstores chain, moved to Salt Spring
recently, and she and husband, Nick Hunt, have opened the Salt Spring Woodworks Company.
Showcasing furniture, of high quality, made from B.C. woods, and by B.C. wood artists,
Celia and Nick display the works, including some of their own designs, at their Salt
Spring studio at the corner of Upper Ganges Road and Churchill Roads.

Along with several other Salt Spring Island artists, many of whom show through their own
Island studios, Celia and Nick will be a part of the upcoming Salt Spring Road Show in
Vancouver.

If you're in Vancouver on Nov. 9th and 10th, please make sure you drop by The Landing, at
375 Water Street, in Gastown, and say hello to the artists (wine, cheese, chocolate,
coffee, and the best fine and decorative arts of the island).

Enjoy!


October 29, 2005.

Looking for someone to build incredible stone walls?? Talk to Andrew Currie, a Scottish
stonemason (250-537-2856). You will be creating a wonderful "look", and it will add
substantially to the value of your property. (Andrew also raises Canadian horses, if
you're interested in these beautiful animals).    

Some architects for your consideration? Jonathan Yardley (250- 653-4931) & Neil Morie
(250-653-4812) are "on Island" choices.

A designer? Helset Design (250-537-1037) & Elevation Design Studio (Everest Reynolds) at:
250-537-4609 are both "on Island" options.

Contractors?

Full service options include:

Lancer Contracting (Perry Booth), at: 250-653-4437.

W. Huser and Sons (Rob & Peter), at: 250-537-5247.

Hazenboom Construction Ltd. (Hans Hazenboom), at: 250-537- 1080.

Dashwood Construction Ltd. (Don Dashwood), at: 250-537-5210.

Langevin Construction Ltd. at 250-537-9697.

Gordon Speed Construction Ltd., at: 250-653-4234.

Geoff Swift Construction Ltd., at: 250-653-2010.

Wilco Construction Ltd., at: 250-537-1603.

Just some suggestions! Call Li, for others!


October 28, 2005.

Looking for a gallery experience on special Salt Spring?

There's the whimsical and colour drenched world of Jill Louise Campbell, with her
evocative Island scenes (see Jill's gallery across from the Treehouse Cafe, and next door
to Oystercatcher Restaurant).

A superb collection of First Nations art and carvings, plus great local artists, is
featured at Pegasus Gallery (don't overlook the wonderful paintings by Carol Evans).
Pegasus can be found in Mouat's "old store" locale, just off the Boardwalk.

Judy Mitchell Gallery hosts local art -- paintings, pottery, sculpture, jewellery -- with
a modern edge. Collector style works await you, here. Check out Grace Point Square, and
Judy Mitchell Gallery, next door to the Artist's Bistro restaurant.

Thunderbird Gallery, also in Grace Point Square, offers First Nations treasures, plus
paintings, jewellery and sculpture from outstanding local artists. A treasure trove of
artistic expression, here!

Jerry Ringrose Art Glass Gallery is now located in the Artisan's Village at the corner of
Upper Ganges and Robinson Roads, close to the turn-off to Long Harbour Road, just mere
minutes from the seaside Village of Ganges. Beautiful offerings!

In Ganges Village, enjoy the eclectic offerings gathered by your hosts at the Stone Walrus
Gallery. Gifts from around the world!

Eric Klemm's paintings and superb photographic offerings can be enjoyed at the Aston House
B & B's gallery, and also can be found displayed at the Artist's Bistro.   

In the summer season, a full trove of local Gulf Islands artistic efforts is on display at
ArtCraft, in Mahon Hall, in Ganges Village (seaside!).

The Gallery Tour map can be picked up at the Chamber office, in the seaside village --
enjoy the many individual studios scattered throughout the Island.    

ArtSpring also hosts several shows throughout the year, with many especially featured in
the summer season.   

A rich field of artistic expression on special Salt Spring Island!


October 27, 2005.

Today, with golden leaves shot through the racing green firs on the hill above the
Village, I was reminded of Shakespeare's poem about winter. It was warm, today, but winter
approaches, all the same.

"When icicles hang by the wall,
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipped and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
"Tu-whit, tu-who!    A merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson's saw,
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marion's nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
"Tu-whit, tu-who"!    A merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot."

(Songs from Shakespeare's plays).

Even though we're a long way from the Sixteenth Century, and Shakespeare's era, his words
still evoke a rural peace in winter mode.


October 26, 2005.

Flash! If you're on the Island, and looking for something a "little different", and served
with flair, take note that the Artist's Bistro is planning a new menu from October 27 to
October 31 -- Curry nights!    

Don't miss this!

Maybe see you there???

More places to stay?

What about the By the Sea B & B, on Quarry Drive? Guest cottage, with oceanview, on this
beautiful oceanfront property, awaits your pleasure! The artist owner's studio is also
there for your perusal and enthusiasm -- paintings, gift cards, weavings and "one of a
kind" knitted options. You'll enjoy the hosts, and the spaces!     

Call Trevor and Nancy, today, at 250-538-0097 for a booking.


Looking for some "day trip" ideas? A short ferry trip to Victoria, via the Fulford Harbour
ferry route, brings you to:

Butchart's Gardens.

Bear Mountain.

B.C. Provincial Museum.

Shops, galleries, restaurants along Government & Fort Streets, and Oak Bay Avenue. See Li
for some suggestions!

How about the Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo & "north" locales? Take the ferry from Vesuvius,
on Salt Spring, and explore:

vineyards

English style pub at Yellowpoint

wonderful beaches at Parksville/Qualicum

skiing at Mount Washington, close to Courtenay/Comox

storm and whale watching on Vancouver Island's "west side" (Tofino/Uclulet).

Lots to do and to see on Vancouver Island -- see Li for some more ideas!

The plus? You get to return to special Salt Spring Island!

".....Not fare well, But fare forward, voyagers." (T.S. Eliot)


October 25, 2005.

Apparently, Hallowe'en is becoming a 'holiday' moment for adults, and not just a
specifically child's evening of "trick or treat"!

On Salt Spring, there are fireworks in the Village, and everyone turns out, many in
costume, to enjoy them.     

Fireworks occur twice a year -- on July 1st, Canada Day, and on Hallowe'en. It doesn't get
dark until after 10 p.m. in July, though, so those fireworks are late starting. At
Hallowe'en time, it's dark by 5 p.m., and so the fireworks are early. The volunteer fire
dept. puts on the fireworks "show", and they also offer hot chocolate, at the firehall, to
the costumed children.    

Some years, the ArtCraft location, Mahon Hall, is reconfigured as a "Spook House", and
children go through this, as part of the evening's entertainment. Small children might
choose to go door to door, in more "suburban" areas of the Island, but, in the main, there
is little trick or treating -- too many long driveways leading to homes on large acreages
(not "user friendly" to small children going door to door!).    

The fireworks are a well attended "local event"! See you at the Boardwalk, in the seaside
village of Ganges! In costume??


October 24, 2005.

I love what I do for a living. It's a privilege and a pleasure, to be a real estate agent
on Salt Spring, and to sell beautiful properties, to meet so many different people, from
so many different places, and to be able to help to connect them with "their" dream
property.

Real estate has changed, though, since I arrived here in 1989. I began before there were
cell phones in constant use, for business reasons, and before there was an internet. I
think pagers were used, but not by all realtors then in the business. What a different
scenario, today, with emails and cell phones that shoot video! Also, an important
difference is the fact that time seems to have been erased, and this might be another
feature of the post- internet world of sales.

When I arrived, things were on a "gentle increase", sales-wise, and so that was a lucky
break. It's an enjoyable business, but I wouldn't say it was an easy business. I think I'd
been in real estate sales for almost nine years before I felt that it was truly a
"business", at all!   

When I started, I was also acting as a caregiver, and so my time wasn't totally able to be
about real estate, and I did work with a partner, for some substantial time, too.   

Many people were helpful, although I discovered that it's also possible to learn
negatively as well as positively. One meets all kinds of people in a sales oriented
career.    

Having experienced "up" cycles and "down" cycles re the market trends, I also learned that
it's important not to "give up". If one looks for it, there is usually a door in the wall.

I don't know whether it's just a feature of a smaller community, or whether all people
experience a bit of "jealousy/envy/spite", when they work hard at their chosen profession,
and therefore might become a little busier than their competition? In any case, that was
also a learning curve.    

Here, I learned that I didn't ever want to be like this kind of a negative person, and so
tried to remain "true to myself", and hoped that people would recognize that the fiction
some other realtors, who didn't even know me, might say behind my back (probably in an
effort to get a listing -- it is a competitive business, and some people operate out of
anxiety, and thus may be a bit destructive) certainly wasn't the truth.     

Realtors owe a duty of care to all parties, and there is a code of ethics. However, some
people do not understand ethics, and I often feel this is something that the Real Estate
Boards could offer as a seminar, along with matters of law and finance and contractual
issues. Again, it's about issues of humanity.

I meet many people, and most of them I find to be truly inspiring and important to have
made a connection with.    

Although we all get busy, in our Island lives, I always appreciate meeting up with them,
and hearing how their lives changed when they moved, full-time, to the Island, and all the
many different things they did, once here.   

People are always surprising!


October 23, 2005.

Wanting to dine outside of Ganges Village?? If you're at the Vesuvius area, don't overlook
the good food and "old time" atmosphere of the Seaside Kitchen. In season, their outdoor
deck is a super place for lunch, and to watch the sunsets over dinner. Best fish and chips
in town??

Or, if you're at Fernwood, don't forget the wood fired pizza and the great soups at the
Raven Street Cafe!

Down at Fulford? There's the Treehouse South, with expanded menu choices from the Ganges
option. The perfect place to wait for the ferry! Open for dinner, too, in the season!

Back in Ganges, and just needing something quick, with great coffees and gourmet teas?
It's definitely the Salt Spring Roasting Company -- the best pies in town!

Live music and organic food choices can be found at the Glass Onion (formerly Barb's Buns)
-- don't overlook this one! Check their opening times.

Vegetarian choices can be found at all the restaurants on Salt Spring, and you won't find
it difficult to choose something wonderful!

The plus? It's all "year round" -- the same great food choices, whether it's July or
January. Welcome to the year round lifestyle offered by special Salt Spring Island!

Do you have a special place that you'd like to see mentioned?? Please email your thoughts!
Thank you!


October  22, 2005.

Family dining? Along with Calvin's & The Artist's Bistro, the Island offers the Harbour
House Hotel (great breakfasts, plus lunches -- different dinner specials every day of the
week, along with the regular menu, too).    

Another popular choice is the Oystercatcher (they have a children's menu, here), with
Harbour views, and easy access off the Boardwalk. Watch the floatplanes and the yachts
arrive! Outdoor dining patio, in season!     

The Oystercatcher also offers their adjacent restaurant choice, La Cucina, for fine
Italian options. Great outdoor patio, too, in the summer season.   

Nestled between the Oystercatcher and La Cucina sits The Treehouse. Gourmet breakfasts
and lunch time under the spreading tree -- open for dinner in the summer season, too!
Great desserts!     

Also, in the season, a different musician/group for your live music listening enthusiasm,
every night -- three cheers for the Treehouse's owner! Enjoy!



October 21, 2005.

Some places to stay on Salt Spring Island???

Try:

Harbour House Hotel: 250-537-5571. The only full service hotel on Salt Spring, within
walking distance of the "seaside village" of Ganges, with all its amenities.

Hastings House: the Chateau et Relais option on Island, also walking distance to all of
Ganges Village's many pleasures, and on the "seaside", too! 250-537-2362.

Cranberry B & B: close to the Village, and all its charms, and with a wonderful panoramic
view of ocean/islands/mountains. Quiet and private, with very pretty ensuite bedrooms,
private deck -- your own private world. 250-537-2214.

Aston House B & B: here's a "5-Star" Bed and Breakfast, on the waterfront, with wonderful
"suites". The Hastings House of the B & Bs! You'll want to stay forever! 250-538-1868.
(Enjoy the paintings and the terrific photographic talent of the artist/owner).

Hale Eddy B & B: is an oceanview charmer on a private acreage, with warm and welcoming
hosts -- call them at: 250-653-9925. Half way between Ganges and Fulford Villages, this
forest retreat will make you want to move to Salt Spring, asap!

Quarrystone House B & B: yes, it has sheep on this 5 acre oceanview pleasure! At the
"north end", in a tranquil rural area, close to beach accesses (warm ocean swimming at the
"north end"); you'll love your private oasis, here. 250-537-5980.

Anne's Oceanfront B & B: also at the "north end", with warm ocean swimming and easy
kayaking, right at your doorstep. Wonderful suites, wheelchair friendly space (elevator to
guide you to the upper level rooms), and views forever! Enjoy the sunsets on your deck!
250-537-0851.

Resort more your style? Try the charming Cottage Resort on St. Mary Lake. English Country
atmosphere, with sunny (s/sw/w) exposure, and woodburning fireplaces in the cottages. St.
Mary Lake is stocked with fish, for those catch and release people! Forest trails, private
swimming beach. No power motors allowed on any of the lakes on Salt Spring! 250-537-2214.

Or, a B & B with flair, right on the edge of the Village -- walk everywhere! It's the
friendly and stylish Bayview B & B, on Village Terrace Road, just steps from "everything"!
250-538-0265.

Anchorage Cove B & B offers an oceanfront guest cottage, for your private pleasure! A dock
offers arrival by boat, too. Close to the village, yet in your own sunny and private world
(historic apple orchard, plus forest privacy/trails). 250-537-5337.

Looking for a "south end" treasure, on the seaside? Right on the beach, with this one --
walk for "miles", beachcomb, swim, kayak. It's all at your doorstep, here. 250-653-2040
will put you in touch with The Beach House on Fulford Harbour.

Looking for a vacation "suite" B & B? Close to Ganges and to Vesuvius? Private property
with super lake view. Close to park and walking trails, to lake and beach accesses. The
artist owner/yoga instructor welcomes you to this special space -- call: 250-538-0196.

A touch of France, with a superb ocean and mountain view, on a quiet acreage??? This is
spectacular! Half way between Ganges Village and Fulford Village, close to lake and park
and beach accesses. Serenity with a wow view! Call: 250-537- 9763, and make a date with
the Quail's Nest B & B.

These are just some of the many choices of "places to stay", to make your time on Salt
Spring Island truly enjoyable.



October 20, 2005.

Celebrating? Try House Piccolo -- exquisite cuisine, with a terrific wine selection, too.
The locals celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, here! An intimate location, just a
little removed from the busyness of the immediate downtown area -- summer dining
"alfresco", too. Great cooking!

Try the squash soup as an excellent appy choice!

Fresh seafood, and wonderful desserts!

Enjoy!


October 19, 2005.

Hastings House, a Chateau et Relais option on lovely Salt Spring, also offers fine
cuisine. Dine with a wonderful view of the Harbour, and an appealing ambiance that hints
of an English country inn. A fresh menu choice, daily, with a decision on the part of a
diner for either the three course or the five course menu selection. Everything is
prepared fresh, with local produce and organic choices.

You'll be pampered!


October 18, 2005.

Looking for good places to eat out, on special Salt Spring?

Calvin's Restaurant is a popular choice for both lunch and for dinner. Calvin's hosts are
Rene and Hermann, and they offer excellent food with lots of flair! Calvin's also hosts
"specialty themes", on a regular basis -- Thai week, Greek week, French and Italian weeks,
as well as producing a wonderful "regular menu". You won't be disappointed!

You'll see the locals, here!



October 17, 2005.

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...."

John Keats said it best, in his evocative first line of the poem "To Autumn".

I'm not a winter person, but I do like the autumn months. The Maples do not turn bright
red on the Pacific Coast, but they do go golden, and, on a sunny day, the forest is shot
with splashes of golden light against the deep green of the fir and hemlock and cedar of
our coastal forest mix.

It's really true that we enjoy more hours of sunshine/less rainfall, on Salt Spring & the
Southern Gulf Islands -- "cool Mediterranean" is the name of our lovely microclimate --
and the harvest days at this time of year are especially pleasing.

The third annual Salt Spring Apple Festival was a very successful affair, and another
reason, along with the Round Salt Spring Sailing Race, in May, and the Salt Spring
Festival of the Arts, in July, and the Fall Fair in September, to put Salt Spring on your
"visiting list"!

Off season travel can sometimes be the most rewarding of all!


October 16, 2005.

Salt Spring Island attracts a thoughtful person to its Island charms. 

One person to have chosen the Island as his main home is Peter Levitt, an accomplished
poet and a Zen practitioner. Peter's latest book, Fingerpainting on the Moon, is a
blueprint to discovery of one's creative core. Part of the writer's group, on Island,
along with Robert Hilles and Pearl Luke and Mona Fertig and Shirley Graham, Peter's poetry
can be experienced in readings at ArtSpring.   

Check out his book, online!


October 13, 2005..

Salt Spring Island offers a strong artistic community. It's interesting that the
fundraising for the Arts Centre, known as ArtSpring, took place before the fundraising for
the sports centre, and there is a wonderful gallery/display space & theatre space in
"downtown Ganges", as a result of this committment to the arts, on the part of Islanders.   

Fundraising continues for the indoor pool, and perhaps an ice rink facility. Tennis may be
involved. The plan for the sports centre evolves, and the land has been purchased and site
prep is underway for construction of same.  

I always think it sums up the Island, though, that the arts centre was built first -- in
most communities, it's the other way around!

In July, there's the Salt Spring Festival of the Arts, with an excellent programme.
Throughout the year, there are plays, musical programmes, art and photography displays,
etc. It is an enriched Island, and there are many talented artists here.

The studio tour is a great way to be introduced to the wealth of artistic endeavour on
Salt Spring! A map, outlining same, is available at the Tourist Outlet in Ganges' seaside
village ("the Chamber office").    

Special Guild shows, displays that are seasonally oriented, and the venerable ArtCraft,
held annually from June to September, to showcase local Gulf Islands artists, are just
some of the features.

The Saturday Market in the Park also features many talented artists, and this is most
buoyant from end of May to end of September.    

You'll be surprised! Enjoy!


October 12, 2005.

It's interesting that John Donne's poetry, from the 17th Century, speaks so closely to our
newly created "global society".    

>From his 17th Century English culture, via his poetry, he sent a message into the world
that reminded his readers that there is no division among peoples. We are all affected by
all things...his image was of a piece of earth, breaking off into the sea, and how it
would have diminished the land it fell from. Nothing was insignificant, then.

The immediacy of the 21st Century was not a part of his culture, yet he spoke of the
interconnectedness of all things.

This thread of connectedness is recognized today, & we see it in the outpouring of
generosity and caring from all over the world, in response to the devastation in the wake
of the tsunami in Asia, the hurricanes in the U.S., the earthquake in Pakistan. An instant
springing to action is in evidence, on a global basis, and on an individual basis. There
is one world and one humanity, and to humanity's need, in these natural disasters, we have
a caring and a committed response.  

So many people reach out. It's easy to ignore this with the headlines of disaster that
play in our incessant media.

The individual response is valid and valuable, and is the beginning of any action.

The Canadian Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Doctors Without Borders...there are many
helping agencies to contact, with any aid that one is able to give.

Concern for others is the gift of human connectedness.


October 10, 2005.

The Canadian Thanksgiving Holiday was today.    

It seems that many people celebrate the holiday dinner on the Sunday, now, but the Monday
remains a holiday.    

Tonight, I was pleased to dine out at the Artist's Bistro, in Grace Point Square. This
very appealing restaurant quietly offers some of the best cooking on Salt Spring, today.
The ambiance is also very special, and, in the summer season, one has the feeling that one
has been transported to Italy (Portofino West???).    

In the "off season", it's also very alluring, and the atmosphere is always welcoming.
Enjoy the personal attention of Stephan, and wave at Gisela in the kitchen, with the chef,
James. This family run enterprise is a true Island delight, and their Thanksgiving Feast
was totally delicious!   

Next year... for you!


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.