Volume 16 Number 9 Your Coastal Community Newspaper May 20–June 2, 2004

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Strait of Georgia

Tide tables 2HEU strike 2Avian flu 2Letters 4What�s on? 5Caterpillars 6Saturna notes 6Bulletin board 7

Photo: Marek Czuma

Some of the 90 competitors at the start line of Galiano’s distinctive triathlon—kayak, bike, run. Several other vesselsjoined the fun, including Galiano’s replica Spanish longboat (centre).

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� Dealing with Government ~ Patrick Brown� Black Gold: A Series About Oil � Keeping Up with the Bills ~ Patrick Brown� BC Ferries � Global Politics

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Trust Councilmeets onSaturna in JuneThe next quarterly meeting of IslandsTrust Council will be held on SaturnaIsland, June 9 and 10, 2004. Councilsessions are open to the public from8:30am Wednesday, June 9 tillThursday afternoon. Members of thepublic to invited to dialogue with TrustCouncil members at the popular TownHall Session on Wednesday at 11:30am.

On Wednesday, Trust Council willhost elected officials and staff from theSan Juan Islands of Washington State toshare experiences and discuss topics ofcommon concern to island communitiesin the trans-boundary area. Topicsproposed for discussion includeaffordable housing, tourism benefits andimpacts, marine stewardship initiativesand groundwater issues. During thissession, Parks Canada will also providean update regarding the Southern GulfIslands National Park Reserve.

Trust Council will also discusspotential changes to the way it allocateslocal planning staff and other resourcesto Local Trust Committees. It willconsider options that would provide acloser balance between the tax revenuesreceived from each island communityand the value of the resources providedfor local planning purposes.

In addition, an expense budgetsworkshop will assist local trustcommittees in the planning anddisbursement of local funds. The budgetfor each of the 12 local trust committeeswas increased this year, partiallythrough a reallocation from generalfunds, to give local trust committeesmore flexibility and autonomy inmanaging local initiatives. A new policyand guidelines will be presented toensure that appropriate budgeting andaccounting mechanisms for this fundingare in place.

On Thursday, the quarterly businessmeeting will be held. For the detailedagenda visit www.islandstrust.bc.ca.Requests to present a formal delegationto Trust Council should be submitted byMay 31 to the Islands Trust’s corporatesecretary. ✐

15 years of great stories @ islandtides.com

On Thursday April 29, the BC Liberals passed Bill37 legislating 43,000 front-line hospital workersback to work with a 15% pay cut retroactive toApril 1 and no cap on the contracting out of jobs.One week we were overpaid toilet cleaners andthe next week we were so essential to thefunctioning of the health care system that we hadto be legislated back to work. (Every health careunion or professional association in BC has nowhad their collective bargaining process interferedwith by the BC government.) We now know thatsome MLAs who voted for the four-page billdidn’t even bother to read it.

Job Action ContinuedIn spite of threats of fines and other disciplinaryaction, HEU members continued their job actionfor another four days in protest of Bill 37. This wasthe first province-wide strike the HEU has everundertaken in its 60-year history. Unionmembers were asking for a modest cost of livingincrease and a no-contracting out clause toprotect our jobs.

A Memorandum of Agreement drafted in thelate afternoon of Sunday May 2 and signed bythe BC government, the Health EmployersAssociation of BC, the HEU and the BCFederation of Labour was intended to avert aplanned general strike the following day.

In the Memorandum, the HEU got some lastminute concessions which mitigated some of thedamage of Bill 37. Those concessions included a$25 million severance package for recently laid-off workers, a cap of 600 full-time-equivalent (or900 part-time positions) and the removal of thepay retroactivity clause. It was nothing to writehome about but I don’t think the union had muchchoice. The government was not going to backdown from its 15% pay cut and their mania tocontract out our jobs.

Salt Spring has the rather dubious reputationof being the last local in the province to return towork. On Monday May 3, our members voted100% not to return to work for another 24 hours.We wanted to send a message to the government

Special Report by Claire Heffernan

HEU Job Action RetrospectiveClaire Heffernan is chair of the Hospital Employees Union (HEU) local at Lady Mintohospital–Greenwoods seniors home on Salt Spring Island. She works at Greenwoods.

STRIKE, please turn to page 2

Public finds voiceover electoralsystem ~ Paul Harris The historic public debate over what kind ofelectoral system would best suit BC is being joinedby hundreds of British Columbians during a seriesof lively public meetings. Fifty meetings will takeplace throughout May and June.

Assembly members have been very encouragedby the number of people attending hearings, witheach venue enjoying a slate of at least sevenpresenters. While opinions have varied widely, asignificant number of presenters have so faradvocated that BC adopt a greater degree ofproportionality. The mixed member proportional(MMP) system is favoured by many.

Comparisons with systems used indemocracies elsewhere in the world—such as thosechosen in New Zealand and Ireland—have alsobeen made by presenters. Other parallels withsystems in Europe have also been drawn bypresenters and been heard in comments from thepublic attending hearings. Common concerns ofpresenters also include: the generaldisenchantment of voters, the power exercised bythe governing executive, and the disempowermentof MLAs. A number of presenters have alsoquestioned whether BC’s political system requirespolitical parties at all.

So far, one presenter has strongly supportedthe current plurality, or ‘first-past-the-post’ systemcurrently used in provincial elections.

The Assembly must decide by December 15whether to propose a change to BC’s electoralsystem. If they recommend a change, it will be thesubject of a referendum for all voters in the May2005 provincial election.

A full schedule of hearings, and information onhow to sign up to make a presentation, visitwww.citizensassembly.bc.ca.✐

Galiano triathlon raises $1,000 Janice MasonGulf Islanders swept the team category to finish1st, 2nd and 3rd at the 4th Annual Galiano IslandFUN Triathlon on Saturday, May 8 at Galiano’sMontague Provincial Park. The SaltSpring/Galiano combo lead the way, with DaveCochrane of Galiano in the kayak, John Nilssen ofSalt Spring on the bike and Ben Cooper of SaltSpring running to the line, as the team finishedthe 3km kayak, 13km cycle, and 5km run route in58 minutes.

Eight minutes back was a young Galianocrew—Ron Ladd in kayak, Chris Gregory onbicycle, and Ayre Berlet finishing. Slipping into

third place was the deceptively fast Saturna trioof Hubertus Surm in rowboat, Scott Pearse onbike and Pat McCallum on the run. The dynamicwomen’s trio, ‘Powered by Chocolate,’ gaveVictoria a heart-stopping 4th place finish asthese women crossed the line only 4 secondsbehind the Saturna crew.

Pamela Ens of Sidney proved to be thesuperior force in the individual pursuit, blastingaround the course in just 67 minutes, to finishahead of all other women and men, while MickSkuce of Galiano captured the top male spot,

TRIATHLON, please turn to page 7

Page 2, ISLAND TIDES, May 20, 2004

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MAY/JUNEDay Time Ht./ft. Ht./m. Day Time Ht./ft. Ht./m.

18TUMA

19WEME

20THJE

21FRVE

22SASA

23SUDI

24MOLU

25TUMA

03051025183023000320105519152355

034011252000

0055040011552040

0210041512302125

13102205

13502245

14302315

9.82.010.28.5

9.81.610.58.9

9.51.310.8

9.29.51.310.8

9.29.51.310.8

1.610.8

2.010.8

2.610.8

3.310.5

3.9

10.56.26.94.9

10.55.27.25.6

10.53.98.26.9

10.52.69.27.9

10.51.39.88.9

10.80.010.89.5

3.00.63.12.63.00.53.22.7

2.90.43.3

2.82.90.43.3

2.82.90.43.3

0.53.3

0.63.3

0.83.3

26WEME

27 THJE

28FRVE

29SASA

30SUDI

31MOLU

01TUMA

02WEME

15202350

1610

0015073011151710

0040074513201810

0105081015001910

0125084016152010

01450915171521050210095518152205

1.03.2

1.2

3.21.92.11.5

3.21.62.21.73.21.22.52.1

3.20.82.82.4

3.20.43.02.73.030.03.32.9

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that their mean-spirited legislation with no job security reallyharms families and was simply unacceptable. After laying off8,500 workers in the last two years, I’m not sure we can even trustthem anymore.

Destroying the UnionBecause of these wage cuts, the Vancouver Island HealthAuthority will be saving $19 million this year—two million morethan their projected $17 million budget cut back. But they stillplan to contract out our jobs. It just goes to show you that thisdispute is not about money—it’s about eliminating the gainswomen have made in the workplace over the last 20 years anddestroying the union.

Iona Campagnola, Lt Governor of BC , who was just on SaltSpring celebrating International Women’s Day with us, signedBill 37. She could have refused. She could have resigned inprotest but she held her nose and signed it. That was one of mybiggest disappointments of the week.

Working People UnderminedWhen you combine Bill 37 with Bill 29, passed in January 2002,which eliminates job security and legalizes contracting-out, thecollective bargaining process that unions use to gainimprovements for working people have been completelyundermined. According to Simon Fraser University’s MarjorieGriffin Cohen, a research associate for the Canadian Centre forPolicy Alternatives (CCPA), the negative impact of Bill 29 onworkers rights to collective bargain is unprecedented in thehistory of Canadian labour law. Undermining the economicsecurity of a mainly female and visible minority workforce is notsomething governments are likely to brag about. Yet that’sexactly what the BC Liberal government’s actions have achievedwith Bill 29 and now Bill 37.

Pay Equity, Contracting OutThe HEU is the only health care union in Canada to have payequity—women get paid the same as men for the same job. If thosejobs are contracted out, wages drop to $9.25–$11 an hour. In an

April 21, 2004 press release on the subject of the privatization ofhealth care, the CCPA stated that these new rates are well beloweven the lowest negotiated wage in the private hospitality sector.And they are the lowest in Canada for hospital support work—26%below the national average. Our new wages set the purchasingpower of health care workers back to what they were in 1968.

The Real Dirty WorkWe had a lot of public support for our job action. But, as the weekwore on, Gordon Campbell and Colin Hansen’s inaccuratestatements about our wages and benefits such as holidays, madeit more difficulty to get our message out.

It was really a disgraceful display of misinformation by thegovernment and through all of this our own MLA Murray Coellsaid nothing in our defense. That was the second biggestdisappointment of the week. Murray Coell knows how hard wework and the job hazards. His profound lack of support has reallydamaged worker morale in our facilities. The public and otherworkers know how important our work is in the community, it’sjust our government that doesn’t get it.

What Was Said, Dispelling The Myths• Gordon Campbell: No HEU members are involved in directpatient care. HEU members include licensed practical nurses,nurses aides in hospitals and personal care aides in seniors homes,maintenance staff, clerical, lab technicians, laundry, cooks, dietaryaides and housekeepers.

• Colin Hansen: Thousands of elective surgeries werecancelled.The employer and union representatives in every facilityin the province spent many days negotiating essential services. Theemployer agreed in advance of the strike not to do surgeries. LadyMinto did not cancel elective surgeries and our emergency roomwas open 24 hours a day. Greenwoods maintained the Meals OnWheels program throughout the job action.

• Colin Hansen: HEU members get between 9 and 16 weeksholidays. HEU members with more than 29 years of service getnine weeks holidays. The average is between four and six weeks.Casuals get no sick pay or holiday time.

STRIKE from page 1

Bugs in the System: Agriculture and the Avian FluDerek Masselink

Every morning I get up early to let our small flocks of WelshHarlequin ducks and Barnevelder chickens out of their(hopefully) mink-proof houses. And every evening around

dusk I make sure that they’ve safely retired to their roosts beforelocking them in for the night. Since receiving the news of the avianinfluenza outbreak I send a daily ‘Thank you!’ skyward for, as I liketo think of it, ‘orchestrating’ our move last fall to Pender Island.Fact is, if we had stayed or even slightly delayed our move fromVancouver both of our flocks would have been included in theresulting mandatory cull.

Originally we acquired our ducks and chickens to diversify andimprove the health of our farm and garden system. We rely onthem to clean up garden and kitchen wastes, remove insect pestswhile providing us with home-grown eggs and meat, as well as abit of income. Rare breeds were selected in an effort to contributeto international efforts to preserve and maintain threatenedheritage breed genetics.

We had no idea that our ducks and chickens would bethreatened by a disease outbreak—an outbreak that has beengreatly assisted by the manner in which the commercial poultryindustry is managed in BC. This, and other experiences revealeddirectly through the cultivation and husbandry of our own gardenand farm system, has made us more critical of our modern,intensive food and farm system, the system that most of us rely onfor our daily bread.

The normally quiet Canadian food system was rocked by acouple of unexpected blows this past year. Last summer found ourcountry with it’s own case of BSE or ‘mad cow.’ The ‘outbreak’fortunately was limited to one cow but it might as well have beenmultiple cases given the severity of the resulting trade restrictionsthat effectively cut off our beef from the rest of the world.

In February the flocks of a number of Fraser Valley poultryproducers were afflicted with a particularly virulent case of avianinfluenza, igniting a flurry of activity as producers and governmentofficials scrambled to protect adjacent flocks and humanpopulations from infection. Again the fears of human infectionhave not yet materialized. However, most, if not all of the 19million birds residing in the Fraser Valley from Point Grey in thewest to Hope in the east, will be culled by the month’s end in aneffort to stop the spread of this disease.

While the mad cow situation did not seem to pose much of ahealth risk—one case detected in thousands, or possibly tens ofthousands, of animals—the avian influenza situation is a bit more

troublesome. Particularly worrisome was the potential ability ofthe virus to mutate and infect humans. Recent DNA analysis hasrevealed that the virus in question, while extremely dangerous topoultry, does not have the ability to change and infect humans.

Good news? Maybe. But it was close. In previous situations,such as the BSE fiasco in England and the avian influenzaoutbreak in Asia, they were not so lucky. Both diseases resulted insignificant numbers of human and animal infections and deaths.We are seeing, with increasing frequency, disease-relateddisruptions of our supposedly efficient and admittedly heavily-industrialized commercial food and agriculture system—thesystem that most of us are dependent on.

Increasingly, human health is an easy argument to makeagainst our ever-expanding industrialized commercial food andagriculture system—particularly during a situation like this. Amore difficult question to ask and have answered is the economicone. At the start of the avian influenza outbreak one of the affectedpoultry producers was asked if the system of putting thousands ofbirds together under one roof, each with less than one square footof floor space may have contributed to the rapid spread of thedisease. ‘Possibly,’ came the reply. ‘But unless folks want to pay $15per pound for their [organic] chicken this is how they have to beraised.’

The producer’s reply reveals an underlying assumption—anassumption that many of us make when it comes to foodproduction. In order to keep filling our larders with affordable foodwe must maintain our current intensive agricultural productionand processing system.

There are a number of inherent problems with thisassumption. While it may be true that these intensive systemsprovide us with some of the cheapest food in the world, they alsoare guilty of exposing us to greater health, environmental andeconomic risks—risks that ultimately result in increased costs—borne not directly by you or I when we buy chicken at our localgrocery but indirectly when we pay our taxes.

The increasing concentration of production (farms),processing and distribution facilities in certain areas of ourprovince is also having an economic impact, particularly on thehinterland. Here in BC the poultry industry has chosen toconcentrate its activities in the Fraser Valley resulting in significantnumbers of lost businesses—and jobs—from places like

FOOD SYSTEMS, please turn to page 6

HEU, please turn to page 6

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US presidential election could bedecided in Canada ~Susan Mullen

Like the election in 2000, the 2004 US Federalelection promises to be a very close race, andvoters in Canada could make a crucialdifference in the final outcome.

It’s estimated that up to 500,000 UScitizens live and work in Canada, with asignificant number residing in BritishColumbia. US election law permits anyAmerican citizen, living anywhere in the world,to vote in his or her last state of residence byabsentee ballot, no matter how long they’velived abroad or if they have dual citizenship.

If all eligible US citizens living in Canadaregistered to vote, and cast a ballot in

November, they could easily decide theoutcome of the election.

Consider these facts about the 2000election results: six states were decided by lessthan 7,500 votes; five other States were decidedby less than 50,000 votes. If a majority ofAmericans residing in Canada were to vote nextNovember, it would represent a larger turnoutthan the combined votes cast in eight states andthe District of Columbia in 2000.

The Vancouver Island Chapter ofDemocrats Abroad says that the group is happyto provide voter information to any US citizenregardless of party affiliation. ✐

Saturna Notes~ John Wiznuk

Priscilla is still away and the baby hasarrived! She writes, ‘Genni had, withDave’s unwavering support, a baby boy,

born Mother’s Day, May 9, Nicholas JonathanStigant. Nicholas weighed 10lb 40z. Genni iselated and tremendously relieved to have theactual birth over, and the baby born. Dave isexhausted and exhilarated. Grace, Nana (Dave’smother), and I, Gramma, are holding the fort:feeding the fish, swinging on the park swings,keeping all systems running.’ Congrats everyone!

Pearse WeddingShelley and Scott were married, in a beautifulceremony on the lawn of the Bistro at theSaturna Vineyard. It was a family affair withScott and Shelley’s families coming to the Islandfor the weekend and the extended family ofIsland friends and neighbours invited too. Theyprepared for 150 guests but estimate that nearly200 came and nobody went hungry or thirsty.

Michael Vautour was the master ofceremonies, master and commander as Shelleycalled him, Dawn Wood performed thewedding rites, Erin Lawson (Boser) was thematron of honour, Kendal and Delaney Lawsonwere the bridesmaids, and Rhianon Heard, theflowergirl. On the male side: Dave Heard wasthe best man, with Michell and Morgan Pearseand Josh Heard making up the wedding party.The bride and her attendants wore gold, themen were in black tuxedos, very classy. LynnePiper deserves special recognition for sewingthe dresses for the three girls.

As to thanks—there are far too many tothank properly. Shelley asked me to thank thecommunity at large for all their help and beingthere at their special day. And she did wantBeth Jones to get mentioned for, as she put it,‘working relentlessly for the whole week beforethe wedding preparing food.’ Also their friendRob, who entertained the children for hours.Good health and good fortune to Shelley andScott Pearse and their family.

Born To Be Wild!On May 6 at 2:30 in the afternoon there was arush to the sea in Lyall Creek. 70,000 salmonfry were released from the upstream hatcheryboxes that have been their homes for a coupleof months and in an hour made it to saltwater.

The Lyall Creek Salmon Enhancementgroup, about 15 dedicated volunteers, havemade another year’s investment in therevitalization of this salmon stream. Once again

I was off-Island working instead of being wherethe action is but Darrell Jones was kind enoughto give me the lowdown on what happened.

A crowd of around 25 people showed up towitness the event, along with the kids from theschool who had their own fry to send on theirway. The release was a little earlier than inyears past but concern for the falling water levelin the creek was the deciding factor for thetiming of the release. The eggs from whichthese fish were raised are collected atGoldstream Park, on Vancouver Island, whereanother group of volunteers send them out to

salmon enhancement programs, like Saturna’s.Darrell mentioned that one of the things

making a big difference this year is the newculvert installed under East Point Road whereit crosses the creek. This major constructionproject, an initiative of the salmonenhancement group, was accomplished lastfall, as well as some restoration on the creekbed itself, and follows the actual gradient of thecreek; removing an obstruction with which thereturning fish used to need help.

Chum salmon are what have been rearedand released but Coho fry were found in thecreek this year as well. Darrell suggests thatbecause of the ease of entry to the creek now, asalmon run that nobody knew about occurredlast fall and now there is a new type of salmonsettling in. Congratulations to the big-hearted,salmon shepherds of Saturna.

Fair FridayFriday, May 7, saw the first Saturna Health,Wellness and Safety Fair at the CommunityHall. The idea originated with Donna Curwenour Island home care nurse. She also spentthree months co-ordinated the event—bookingexhibitors, setting dates, gathering volunteersand raising funds. It was bootstrap funding;$200 from the Saturna Health Committee,$200 from the Saturna Lions Club, about $100out of her own pocket, with door prizes anddonations in kind from local businesses.

The twenty-two exhibitors arrived on the10am ferry, were shunted into reservedparking, unloaded and set up by 11am. Therange of services was impressive; from thoseavailable locally to those on Vancouver Islandand the mainland. Locally: emergency medicaland social services, victim services, Reiki tomediation, and computer access to health careinformation. From larger centers: St JohnAmbulance, the Canadian Red Cross,wheelchair scooters, Gulf Islands Women’sServices and Transition House, Hospice andlong-term care and much more. There hasnever been so much practical information, witheager and knowledgeable presenters, availablein one place at one time on Saturna. Just over100 residents took advantage of thisopportunity, a third of the population, on aFriday afternoon when most people have manythings to do.

Many thanks are in order. The SaturnaWomen’s Service Club provided lunch for the

exhibitors and did general kitchen duties,Haggis Farm Bakery and Donna herself bakedmany cookies, and volunteers came together totake care of last minute details. Special thanksto the community members who ran boothsand gave up at least a day to do it and evenmore so to those who stayed to help with theclean up. Winners of the door prizes were JohnMcMillan (dinner for two at Saturna Lodge),Marlene Lewis (dinner for two at theLighthouse Pub) and Pender’s Shirley Nord(gift basket). ✐

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Page 4, ISLAND TIDES, May 20, 2004

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No More Pristine WorldsDear Editor: It is always a pleasure to read analysis by Patrick Brown. His‘Dealing With Government’ series is very pertinent to the timesin which we live. For a long time it has been obvious to me thatcapitalism is unsustainable. Any system whose sole raison d’etreis to generate as much profit as possible for a few peopleregardless of the consequences to the planet and its peoples hasa finite existence.

It will collapse as a result of the tremendous contradictionswhich it can no longer balance. Unfortunately, this will meansuffering for a great many people (even more than we now see)who are experiencing the results of a degraded environment andslavery. The powerful, developed capitalist countries have beenable to export the majority of suffering to poorer parts of theworld, but it is, after all, one world and suffering will also cometo the richest shores. There are no new, pristine worlds to exploitnow as there were in the 15th century.

Governments which could act as arbiters and mitigators tothe worst of the abuses have become captive to those forces withthe most money. The most powerful people in government are,by class or by sympathy, part of the capitalist group which is themost predacious. I’m sorry for the gloomy tone of this letter, buta system which not only rewards the greediest but celebratesgreed itself, does not inspire optimism.

Wilma Riley, Pender Island

Conservation Gap In Land Use BylawsDear Editor:I am fully in favour of Bylaw 152, which will enable Hope Baycommercial site to become viable and active once more,following the fire five years ago that destroyed the old store andwharf building.

I have lived in this area since 1970 and have followed withinterest the developments of this proposal, outlined withtransparency at several information meetings. Hope Bay Rising,a group of 25 Island-based owners, are sensitive to Islandconcerns and needs, and very environmentally conscious.

For nearly a year Hope Bay Rising has worked throughIslands Trust, APC, CRD, Health Department and Highways’meetings and regulations and kept the public informed toprepare its proposal for a Public Hearing. All this for a one acreproperty which is already commercially zoned.

If there were any doubt in approving Land Use Bylaw 152after such a fastidious process, there shouldn’t be, when a fewweeks ago, in the very same Hope Bay area 85 acres of clearcutlogging needed no studies, no permission, no controls, no LandUse Bylaw regulation or control at all.

Conditional to final approval of Bylaw 152 several covenantsmust be in place, one of which provides for the ‘preservation ofnative trees and plant species.’ I expect Hope Bay Rising hascomplied, otherwise the bylaw would be turned down. Yetclearcut logging can be done on a large acreage or a small lot, bya resident, or an off-island, globally-far-away investor, atanytime, anywhere on our island—no permission, just achainsaw.

The incongruence is obvious and absurd—a mockery of theIslands Trust Act.

Joyce Jones, Pender Island

Southern Gulf Herring Fishery—A BigMistake

Dear Editor: The 2004 roe herring fishery, which took place for the first timein the Southern Strait of Georgia, was carried on for an extensiveperiod on just-rebuilding stocks, as the now-depletedHornby/Denman migratory stock can no longer support afishery. A massive tonnage was taken out of this ecologicallyhigh-profile (slated for marine protection!) area. The GulfIslands region is the site of the last remaining Salish herringfishery—as can be expected when a culturally pre-emptivefishery occurs—protests were intense.

Ottawa DFO managers who gave the final say for this fisheryto go ahead, showed how insensitive and uncaring the presentfederal government is to Western concerns.

Aboriginal culture, the sport fishery, the dive fishery, andespecially the depleted stocks of rockfish, ling cod, and coho andchinook salmon, as well as dozens of food-deprived seabirdpopulations, were all negatively affected by this fishery, and willbe for years to come. These largely separate, small unique stocksof herring were clearly heavily impacted by a prolonged gillnetfishery.

Most dissenting opinion on the roe herring fishery, includingfrom the Sierra Club, has been effectively muzzled by a DFO

funded ‘commercial fishery sponsorship at all costs’ policy. A full investigation needs to be made of the amount of DFO

funding used to promote/protect eco-destructive commercialfisheries. As well as the herring fishery, there is the example ofthe DFO funded Pacific Fisheries Resource ConservationCouncil lobbying last year to re-open the coho-destructive Juande Fuca seine fishery, shut down by David Anderson a decadeago. This fishery, if held, will take many salmon now on theendangered list.

David Ellis, The Fish For Life Foundation, Vancouver

Increase World AidDear Editor:The Prime Minister's new global health funding is great, but itmerely allocates funding already announced in the Februarybudget. What should not be forgotten is Bono’s mostsignificant request: that the prime minister increase Canada’said to poor countries to the international target of 0.7% of GNP.

At the rate of increase proposed in Mr. Martin’s Februarybudget, Canada’s aid may indeed reach this target—in the year2039. Mr. Martin is obviously a man accustomed to waiting toget what he wants. But it is outrageous to expect the world’s poorto wait 35 years for Canada to reach a modest target reached byother leading nations years ago.

Blaise Salmon, Victoria

Keep Oil & Gas MoratoriumThe following was a submission to the Public Review of BCOffshore Oil and Gas made on May 14 by Andrew Lewis,Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Canada and federal GreenParty candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands and sent to IslandTides for publication.

Dear Editor:The question, ‘Should we lift the moratorium on BC offshore oiland gas exploration?’ is a challenge to all Canadians. Todetermine the answer, Canadians have to ask, ‘What is ourvision for Canada? How do we create more wealth and longterm, meaningful employment, while protecting our natural andhuman capital?’

On employment—The oil and gas industry is notorious forboom and bust cycles that depend upon short term, migrantlabour. Under trade laws such as NAFTA we cannot guaranteelocal employment. The skills required for offshore developmentwill be met primarily by trans-national companies and workers,with marginal local employment benefits.

Meanwhile, for every 100 oil and gas jobs, 500 would berequired if we invest in renewable energy development. Forexample, wind power will offer 8,000 job years for installingwind turbines in BC, over the next 50 years. That goes up to50,000 job years if we build the turbines as well. Add tidal powerwhich could be commercially viable in Canada within 10 years,plus conservation technologies, and we could have 100,000 jobyears available in BC alone, that is sustainable for the long term.

On health—European research has determined that 70% ofcancers are caused by environmental contamination. The WorldHealth Organization predicts that cancer rates will rise 50% by2020. Meanwhile, one oil rig emits the same quantity of airpollution as 7,000 cars driving 80 kilometres per day. Over 50%of the oil and gas that might be produced, will go to supportingU.S over-consumption, leaving Canadian taxpayers with thehealth care costs and the depreciation in quality of life.

On safety—The Queen Charlotte basin is in part of the mostearthquake prone region of Canada, with potential forearthquake events to be over 9 on the Richter scale. It is also oneof the stormiest regions in the world, with the proposed drillingregion 20 to 50km offshore. In contrast, Hibernia is 200kmoffshore. The east coast had 2,732 oil spills between 1988 and1994. Worldwide, 351 spills were recorded in 1997. Accidentswill happen, and the local communities and environment willpay. Twelve years after the Exon Valdez, the herring fishery hasstill not recovered.

On ecology—Any accident, large or small, will impact thecoast, and the evidence is that spills will occur. The region is anecological hot spot. That means the diversity of life is unusuallyabundant with several hundred species of fish, thousands ofspecies of invertebrates, 26 species of marine mammals, and amyriad of seabirds. These waters are home to the largest speciesof octopus, the fastest known growing plant, and the greatestnumber of sea stars in the world. Conservationists agree thatduring this period of stress on the environment, from climatechange, species extinction, and a ballooning human populationglobally, ecological hot spots need to be protected. This will helpensure all life systems have the capacity to manage change,including humans. As Canadians, we need to accept our globalresponsibility for protecting the integrity of the Pacific NorthWest for future generations.

On the Kyoto Protocol and beyond—BC is generatinggreenhouse emissions four times faster than any other province,even though Canada has signed the Kyoto Protocol and has aninternational obligation to reduce greenhouse gases by 6% below

Crystal Gardens Unique OasisEd’s Note: The following letter was sent to Friends of CrystalGarden and sent to ‘Island Tides’ for publication.

Dear Editor:The news reports about the change of use for The CrystalGarden facility are very disturbing. The Crystal Garden is acharming oasis in the otherwise busy and commercial heart ofVictoria. I am sure that the thousands of people who havevisited it would agree that that small nugget of tropicalvegetation is not only restful but educational and is animportant asset to the capital of our fair province. Moreover, thededicated people working at The Crystal Garden have donesignificant and award-winning scientific work with endangeredspecies. I have used some of the wildlife found there as subjectmatter for my own paintings.

However, I am not speaking on behalf of myself but onbehalf of the countless other people in the past and in the future,from very young to very old, from the energetic tourist to theconfined disabled who have been intrigued, entertained andrestored within its walls. Nothing else you can replace TheCrystal Garden with in its present form would or couldaccomplish all this.

Robert Bateman, Salt Spring Island

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ISLAND TIDES, May 20, 2004, Page 5

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Sat, Sun & Mon, May 22, 23 & 24Victoria Day Weekend Family Fun Swims—enjoy SaanichCommonwealth Place's wavepool, waterslide, pirate ship, toddlerpool, swirlpool, family changerooms, steam, sauna, and lengthswimming • SAT: 1–4pm, 6:30–8:30pm; SUN: 10–noon, 1–4pm,6:30–8:30pm; MON: 10–noon, 1–4pm • 4636 Elk Lake Drive(right off Pay Bay Hwy at Royal Oak exit) • 24-hour Swim Infoline

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Wednesday, May 262nd Annual Wee Tipple Party:An Evening of Scotch & BeerTasting—fundraiser for CrimsonCoast Dance Society’s free publicprojects; enjoy Single Malt Scotch,Longwood Brew, Jackson Triggs winesamples, live music, auction, 50/50draw and sumptuous appetizers byLongwood Chefs • Longwood BrewPub (5575 Turner Road) • 5–7pm •Tickets: $35.00/door or in advance atLongwood Brew Pub or Crimson Coast • Info: 250-716-3230 ordance@crimsoncoast.org • IN NANAIMO

Wednesday–Sunday, May 26-June 6Spring Sharpening Eventon Pender—bring yourscissors, knives, garden tools,etc. to Jurgen and Judith'sTinkerers Sharpening Service;third annual benefit for‘Tinkerers Travel & Learn—Timeless Skills Program’,

(Pender visit May 26 - June 6)• Driftwood Centre—look for thevintage brown truck • Info: 250-539-2280, the Tinkerers' home-base on Mayne Island • ON PENDER ISLAND

Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat, May 26,27, 28 & 29CPAWS Speaker Series presents ’The Jade Coast’ withDr. Rob W. Butler—author explains how the lives of animalsand plants are closely tied in the web of life; combines ecology, art,poetry and photography • GABRIOLA: Wed, May 26, 7:30pm,Community Hall; PENDER: Thurs, May 27, 7pm, Public Library ;MAYNE: Fri, May 28, 7:30pm, Ag Hall; SATURNA: Sat, May 29,1pm, Community Hall; • Tickets: $5/door • Info: 604-685-7445jstark@cpawsbc.org or www.cpawsbc.org/events • ONGABRIOLA, PENDER, MAYNE & SATURNA ISLANDS

Thursday, May 27An Evening with RobertBateman—world famous artist,conservationist and author shareshis passion and extensiveknowledge about the environmentusing travel and art slides; chanceto win a Robert Bateman print •Parksville Community Centre • 7pm • Tickets: $20 at MulberryBush Bookstores (Parksville and Qualicum Beach) • Info: BrendaPaul, (250) 752-9171 or office@brantfestival.bc.ca • INPARKSVILLE

Saturday, June 5Poco a Poco Services Society’s 3rd Annual Home andGarden Experience—14 properties including 3 of last years‘Communities in Bloom’ Competition winners, 6 homes, artisanson each property, musicians in gardens, a goat dairy with pettingarea, alpaca ranch, gardening book author’s garden; lunch atValhalla; blind auction • Qualicum Beach • 10am–4 pm • Tickets:$20.00 at Mulberry Bush Bookstores in advance or at Valhalla(Oceanside Hospice Society, 210 Crescent Rd W) on the day of theevent • IN QUALICUM BEACH

Saturday till Sunday,June 12 to June 20Intrepid Theatre presents the 7thUno Festival of SoloPerformance—ten great one-personshows from across the continent;theatre, comedy, and dance, featuringTJ Dawe, the solo-drag vaudevilleGirlesque, Does this Monologue MakeMe Look Fat? and more! • Belfry ArtsCentre • Tickets: 250-383-2663 • Info:www.intrepidtheatre.com • IN VICTORIA

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1990 levels. Yet we do not have a national plan on achieving thisresponsibility. How can we contemplate further oil and gasdevelopment before we have a national energy plan in place?

We need to develop an energy plan for Canada that supportsa shift to a clean, safe and competitive energy system, ratherthan continue subsidizing an unsustainable oil and gas industry.We have the technology now to reduce our emissions 50% by2030, and save industry and consumers $30 billion a year.Supporting offshore oil and gas will undermine this opportunityand set Canada back.

Respect for First Nations—The Green Party respects therights of 1st Nations to negotiate title to lands on a 'nation tonation' basis. This Public Review has failed to acknowledge theintegrity and rightful status of First Nations in the region andthis process has not shown the respect deserved. Lifting themoratorium cannot be considered until negotiations and claimshave been settled honourably.

In SummaryThe Green Party of Canada is absolutely opposed to lifting themoratorium on offshore oil and gas exploration because:

• it is a dead end for BC and Canada, with no long term jobsand no real economic benefits,

• it is too risky to drill; earthquake zone and stormy seas,• it serves US consumption without helping Canada,• we risk missing the boat on real job creation: conservation

and renewables. This is the best location in Canada for wind andtidal energy. Investing in community economic development forrural BC will be set back by oil and gas development,

• we have an international responsibility on climate change;we need to be innovative and reduce CO2,

• First Nations are not being consulted with the respectowed—on a nation to nation basis.

Andrew Lewis, Salt Spring Island

Parking in the Park, News fromCathedral Grove

Dear Editor:The danger to Vancouver Island’s monumental Cathedral Grovehas been the most news-generating forest issue in the provinceover the past six months. Over that time, people have beenquietly laying out an infrastructure to defend the forest. A core ofvery determined and conscientious forest defenders have thusfar staved off the destruction of this forest.

The fight to protect the grove has been going on for decades.Two years ago we fought and won against this same tired, oldparking lot scheme.

The Liberal government has recently been seeking aninjunction to remove protesters who have been blockingfelling crews from cutting down the forest to clear for thegiant parking lot. The judge has said that she would decide in‘weeks, not months’ as to whether the injunction would beissued. That was 6 weeks ago, and still no decision. We are tiredof waiting around while the Liberals use injunctions to avoidmeaningful public discussion on controversial logging.

We cannot trust a government whose first attack on the BCwilderness was to open up the trophy-killing of Grizzly bears,which bait-kills Golden eagles, allows logging in Marbelledmurrelet and Spotted owl and Vancouver Island marmothabitat, promotes massive feed-lot fish farming, allowsclearcutting of primeval forests, and is working to hand overcontrol of millions and millions of hectares of public forestlandto the exclusive control of giant logging corporations.

Protestors feel it is our duty to protect the Cathedral Groveforest which, pitifully, at 156 hectares is the largest remainingcontiguous primeval refugia of Vancouver Island’s oncemagnificent Douglas fir forest. Cutting on the windward side ofthe grove by American-based Weyerhaeuser, the world’s largestlogging company, has already caused severe damage by openingup large corridors that funnel the powerful Qualicum winds. Thewindthrow swath continues ‘walking’ its way across the park.

I invite all of you to come out to the ‘Procyon Lotor’ basecamp and help to support our defence of the forest. Regular tree-climbing, platform-building and banner-making workshopswill be conducted. This is a very lean, efficient, unorganized,grass-roots effort, and people are working to accomplish ourgoal of protecting this forest, once and for all. People have beenincurring significant personal expense and donations are mostgratefully accepted. We need your help and support at the‘cutting-edge,’ front-lines of Cathedral Grove. Please don’tshuffle this issue off, and do what you can to help! Contact me atingkhai@uvic.ca.

Ingemar Lee, Cathedral Grove ✐

LETTERS from previous page

Record dry April increasesfire danger on the coastThe BC Forest Service warns the public that lack of spring rain inthe coastal regions of British Columbia may lead to earlyrestrictions on open burning in the coming weeks.

Record low levels of precipitation in April, coupled with lastyear’s drought conditions and increased seasonal fire activity, areimpacting fire danger levels for many areas.

Since April 1, 2004 there have been 71 incidents resulting in 23wildfires actioned in the Coastal Fire Centre. Twenty-one of thosefires were caused by human activity. The public is reminded to useextreme caution when managing outdoor fires.

The public is being encouraged to consider alternative optionsto open burning and to FireSmart their home as the warmweather continues. By making your home FireSmart you canreduce wildfire hazards in your community.

To find out more about fire safety, burning restrictions, or toreview the Home Owners Fire Smart Manual visitwww.for.gov.bc.ca/protectwww.for.gov.bc.ca/protect. For thoseareas governed by local municipal or regional by-laws, pleasecontact local authorities to determine current open burningregulations.

If you see a wildfire report it by calling 1-800-663-5555 or*5555 on most cellular networks. ✐

NOTICE OF ROAD CLOSUREON PENDER ISLAND

Clam Bay Farm, on North Pender Island, will be closingClam Bay Road on an intermittent basis, during May 22,23 and 24. The purpose of the closure is to allow forfence repairs on Clam Bay Road. Farm machinery will beon the road from time to time. The closure will only affectthat portion of the road which is on Farm property, fromthe driveway to the service entrance. People who wishto use Clam Bay Road during the periods of closure maystill access the east end from Hope Bay, or the west endfrom Port Washington Road.

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• Gordon Campbell: HEU members are paid 40% morethan other hospital workers in Canada. We are paid $1 an hourmore than our Quebec counterparts and $1.50 an hour morethan Ontario. BC has the highest cost of living in Canada (otherthan the territories) and pays HEU members comparable tothose doing similar work in the public sector.

Job Action Part of the JobSome people think we didn’t gain anything by going on strike butI know that we accomplished a great deal. We were able tocommunicate our concerns about the privatization of our publichealth care system and the problems other countries andprovinces are experiencing as a result of the contracting out ofhospital jobs. We pulled together as a cohesive team and ran anon-confrontational, incident free job action.

Salt Spring members had a good rest on the picket line—all ourchronic aches and pains went away. Since we run all day at work

and barely get a chance to talk to each other, it was really a goodexperience to meet and mingle. We also met members of otherunions who came out and supported our job action.

And we had a lot of fun too. Because of the nature of our work,we have quite a sense of humour that extended to our daily jobaction. And the BC Nurses Union donated the best hamburgers.We got discounts on food and supplies from local businesses anddonations from the ferry workers, the Salt Spring’s Coalition ofConcerned Citizens, and individuals.

Our manager at Greenwoods—who did the laundry andmopped the floors while we were out on the picket lines—has amuch better idea of what we do on a daily basis. He has promisedto purchase another industrial size washing machine. We’ve beenasking for one for over three years, but would like some assurancesthat the equipment is not handed over to a contractor in the eventthat our jobs are contracted out to the private sector. ✐

STRIKE from page 2

Vancouver Island. The resulting concentration of farm facilitieshas now been acknowledged as the one of the key reasons for therapid spread of the disease.

The intensification of our agricultural systems be they poultry,beef, dairy, fish, veggies, or cereals is fraught with challenges.These systems are generally more susceptible to diseases due tothe often extreme concentrations and limited genetic make-up oftheir associated crops or animals. In animal systems there areproblems with the accumulation and dispersal of wastes. Withcrops there are soil fertility issues. All of these intensive systemsare more susceptible to acts of God, war or terrorism. All of thesechallenges are dealt with against the backdrop of an increasinglyvolatile world food market. As a consequence it is very difficult toeffectively manage these systems without compromising at somepoint the health of the local environment, local communities orthe animals or crops themselves.

So what’s my beef (sorry couldn’t resist)? For starters I wouldsuggest that these situations—be it mad cow in Alberta, avianinfluenza in BC, the Walkerton tragedy in Ontario (linked to thepollution of the local aquifer by poor agricultural practices), or thedeadly SARs outbreak (blamed on poor animal health practices)—suggest that there is something very wrong with currentagricultural practices, the consequences of which are being borne

by local and distant people and communities, their pocketbooksand ultimately the environment.

In BC, and throughout much of North America and Europe wehave let the market dictate how and where much of ouragricultural production, processing and distribution facilities aremanaged and located. As a consequence, we now enjoy a situationwhere food is cheap and abundant but at what cost? As the avianinfluenza situation suggests—much of our large agriculturalenterprises are entirely disconnected from reality and from theenvironment. And as a consequence they pose an increasinglyunacceptable threat to local economic and human health andwellbeing.

Unfortunately, the government and industry seem focused onremoving the influenza threat so that they can get back to thebusiness of producing cheap chickens and eggs. Sure this incidentwill result in a number of changes to the management of the BCpoultry industry but I doubt that it will result in a critical review ofcurrent poultry practices, a review that I believe, is sorely needed.

If we are really interested in creating and maintainingagricultural systems that support the long-term health of localcommunities and environments and their associated economieswe need to reconsider the manner in which they are designedand managed. If we do it right we probably will end up payingmore at the till—or better yet more directly at the farm gate orfarmer’s market. If we did this—supported farms that reallywork, that really were concerned with health, over time (and I’dbet the farm on this) we, and more importantly, our childrenwould end up paying less. What’s more, we would also bereducing the chances of an environmental or human healthdisaster. And that’s got to be worth something. ✐

FOOD SYSTEMS from page 2

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CANAL BRIDGE REPAIRS, SPRING 2004PENDER ISLANDS

The Ministry of Transportation and JJM Maintenance Ltd. have scheduled repair workfor Canal Bridge, which links North and South Pender Islands. This work will involve theinstallation of 4 support piles and replacement of diagonal bracing members as part ofthe ongoing maintenance work to keep the structure in good condition.

Work will begin on the structure on June 7, 2004 and will be complete by June 25. Thework will require periods when the bridge is closed to all vehicles, in accordance with thefollowing schedule:

Monday, June 7 - minor intermittent delays up to 20 minutes

Tuesday, June 8 - TOTAL CLOSURE 10:00am to 12 noon- TOTAL CLOSURE 12:30pm to 2:30pm

June 9 to June 25 - weekdays only, minor intermittent delays up to 20 minutes

The timing of the work was chosen to best accommodate ferry schedules and to havethe least possible impact on the larger traffic volumes of summer.

Discussions and arrangements with emergency services have been made to ensureappropriate levels of response and coverage are maintained during the repairs.

For more information on the project, please contact Brent Scott of MoT at 250-812-0786, or Mark Stevens of JJM at 250-478-7281.

These Crawlies are Not So Creepy ~ Barbara Myers

This article was originally printed in Island Tides on July 3, 1997at the height of the last tent caterpillar infestation and reprintedat reader request. This year the Islands is in the midst of anothercaterpillar plague but there is hope.

July 1997—Tent caterpillar season is about over for another year.Most caterpillars have either died of disease or parasitoid attack,or have lived to form yellow silk cocoons in which they pupate.Usually the moths, which come out in July, go unnoticed, but theywill come to lights in the evening. Last year, in early July, theQueen of Nanaimo carried hundreds of extra non-payingpassengers. The moths were attracted to her lights overnight inLong Harbour and then took the morning trip to Tsawwassen!

The male moths are smaller than females and are a purplishbrown. Females are a yellowish brown with faint markings on thewings. Moths emerge in the late afternoon and that night femalesattract mates with a perfume. Usually shortly after mating eachfemale lays her eggs in a single batch on a twig where they willspend the winter.

Although it seems like the tent caterpillars have been atnuisance levels on the Gulf Islands forever, they in fact havepopulation cycles and in some years are quite rare. Records showthat on Southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islandspopulations have reached their highest densities in 1936, 1945,1956, 1964, 1970, 1976, 1986, and 1997. They have been numerousin the last four years but there are good indications that thingsshould get better over the next several years.

Tent caterpillars, like a number of other caterpillars that feedon forest trees, have a viral disease that builds up with theirpopulations. In some parts of Pender and Galiano Islands thisdisease was rampant this year.

The virus is totally specific to the tent caterpillars and is spreadamong individuals by contamination of the leaves which occurswhen diseased caterpillars die. The virus is spread over the treeswith rain and the egg bands become contaminated. Next yearmore caterpillars become infected when they hatch from the eggs.

The presence of virus is a good sign that the end of the outbreak isin sight. In addition there are wasps and flies which parasitize thecaterpillars and their numbers increase as well.

It appears that last year a number of moths flew across theStraits from the Gulf Islands to the Mainland. Populations incoastal areas near Ladner were still quite low last summer, but thissummer they jumped to outbreak levels. However, a sufficientnumber of moths stayed behind to make this spring another‘caterpillar spring’ on the Gulf Islands. While a nuisance at highnumbers, tent caterpillars cause little long term damage and evendefoliated trees come back into leaf as the summer progresses.

The best approach for protecting backyard apple trees is to cutoff the egg masses before the caterpillars hatch next April or to findand remove the tents and caterpillars when they are still small,shortly after the eggs hatch. Dipel, a bioinsecticide is effective ontent caterpillars but it is best to spray early before the caterpillarsget too large. To be effective, the caterpillars must eat leaves whichhave been sprayed and selectively spraying the leaves near tents isa good way to save spray.

But now that the tent caterpillar season is ending you mightgive some thought to the mysteries of nature which cause thesebeasts to come and go every eight to eleven years. And when theyare not so overwhelmingly numerous next year, look at them asindividuals and admire their pretty colour pattern and their abilityto make a silk tent and their total protection from attack by birds.You might even talk to them. Tent caterpillars are able to hear andrespond by shaking their heads. In Haida tradition the bestresponse comes from saying ‘Ha ha senoqua.’ I find that coughingat them works as well. This ability to hear probably helps thecaterpillars deflect attacking parasites. They are pretty amazingcreatures. ✐

Dr Myers is Associate Dean of Science at the University of BritishColumbia and teaches in the Department of Zoology and PlantScience. ✐

ISLAND TIDES, May 20, 2004, Page 7

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ISLANDS TRUSTBOARD OF VARIANCE APPOINTMENTS

Visit our website at: www.islandstrust.bc.ca Email: information@islandstrust.bc.ca

The Islands Trust is inviting applications for three (3) positions on a new joint Board ofVariance for the Galiano, Mayne, North Pender, Saturna and South Pender LocalTrust Areas.

The Board of Variance has the authority to permit minor variances from, or exceptionsto, land use bylaw regulations in instances where it deems compliance with the bylawwould entail undue hardship; and also to permit alterations or additions to non-conforming uses.

If you are interested in serving on the Board of Variance, please submit a writtenexpression of interest, specifying your background in any or all of the following areas:

• Previous experience as a member of a Board of Variance• Experience on a local government council, board, local trust committee, commission

or other body• Experience with other volunteer boards, commissions or committees• Experience and credentials in a planning, design or related profession• Experience and credentials in a building or design trade• Educational background• Length of residency in the local trust area• Availability, and willingness to travel between local trust areas• Any other related experience, education or comments

As the Board of Variance will be expected to hear appeals in each of the five localtrust areas, the Board members will be expected to travel between islands duringbusiness hours. The positions are not paid, but all legitimate expenses will bereimbursed. Over the past several years, an average of two to three appeals a yearhave been heard by the Boards in the area that would be subject to the new jointBoard of Variance.

Please direct any questions, or send your expression of interest, listing your relatedexperience, by 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 15, 2004 to:

Kathy JonesDeputy SecretaryIslands Trust,Suite 200 - 1627 Fort StreetVictoria, B.C. V8R 1H8Phone: (250) 405-5151Fax: (250) 405-5155Email: kjones@islandstrust.bc.ca

narrowly beating out last year’s team winnerKeith Spoor of Victoria. Somehow, both winnersended up with rather similar road (or trail) rashencounters, but the details remain sketchy.

The Galiano Triathlon is about having funwhile being physically active, an event to raiseawareness and funds for the Galiano FitnessCentre. Over 90 people took part in this year’sevent, individually or on one of 25 teams—families competed, friends and work comradesteamed up, people camped, and kids helped atthe finish line.

The youngest competitor was 9-year-oldTorin McIvor of Galiano who completed thecycle route for his family’s team, while 76-year-old Bill McKeown of Aldergrove and Galiano wasthe oldest competitor, finishing his first triathlonin 2 hours and 53 minutes—not a bad feat forsomeone who hadn’t ridden a bicycle in almost60 years.

Simon Whitfield, Canada’s Olympicchampion in triathlon at the Y2K SydneyOlympics, came over from Salt Spring Island fora few hours and chatted, played with kids, signedshirts, posed for photos, and started off the twowaves of competitors. A wonderful ambassadorfor sport, Simon played with kids one minuteand chatted training strategy the next.

Highlights of this year’s event include notonly Simon’s appearance, but also: Galiano’sSpanish longboat replica, with 8 oarspeople andsteered by 89-year-old coxswain John Liver,under the watchful eye of bow lookout, 2-year-

old Emily Raynor; Hubertus Surm’s beautifulwooden rowboat from Saturna Island; unicyclistWilly Spat of Vancouver completing the ratherhilly cycle course in 62 minutes, setting a courserecord on one wheel; and Mikael Nilssen’sjourney all the way from Siberia to participate.

The weather for the fourth year in a row wasabsolutely beautiful—calm water, clear sky, rainthe day before, wind the day after. Notablyabsent on the water were the Skua and Nadon(Coast Guard and RCMP vessels), as theirservices were required to help deal with thetragedy of a small plane crash on Thetis Islandearly Saturday morning.

However, a couple of local boats completewith cheering sections did provide on-watersupport, backed up by a Coast Guard Auxiliarycrew in their zodiac. Their rescue skills were keptidle, as once again paddlers stayed upright and intheir boats. The only real obstacle for the kayakportion was negotiating the rather long stretch ofshell-strewn mudflat (thanks to a very low tide)en route to the transition area.

It wouldn’t be a triathlon without a greatbarbeque at the end, which allowed competitorsa chance to replenish their stores while enjoyingthe sunny afternoon at Montague Park. Thankyou to all the businesses for their donations,everyone who helped, everyone whoparticipated, and everyone who wished theycould. We hope to see you next year. Results andphotos will be posted on the Galiano Triathlonwebsite, www.galianoisland.com/triathlon. ✐

TRIATHLON from page 1

On various occasions, Pender residents havesuggested to Parks Canada that South Pender’sGreenburn Lake should be purchased to becomepart of the Gulf IslandsNational Park Reserve.Indeed, Parks Canadaidentified this propertyas a potential additionseveral years ago.

On April 6, ParksCanada made everyonehappy by purchasingthe Greenburn Lakeproperty.

Ron Hamilton, parks u p e r i n t e n d e n tcommented, ‘ParksCanada is pleased to befinally adding thisecologically significantarea to Gulf IslandsNational Park Reserve.’

The 69 hectare (170.5 acres) property islocated off Gowlland Point Road, and forms adepression with Greenburn Lake and its

associated wetlands at the lowest point with hillsrising to the north and south. Wetlands are ofparticular conservation concern because they

cover so little landarea within the GulfIslands, and it isthought that manywetlands have beenlost over the past150 years. Inaddition to thevaluable wetlandhabitat, the propertyis heavily forestedwith young Douglasfir and opend e c i d u o u swoodland areas.

An on-Islandcelebration for theprotection of

Greenburn Lake, andfor the transfer of Mount Norman (also on SouthPender) from the Capital Regional District to thenational park, is being planned. ✐

Parks Canada acquires Greenburn Lake

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ISLAND TIDES, May 20, 2004, Page 8

Water Taxi • Dive Shop • CYA Power & Sailing School Fishing Charters • Eco Tours • Island Hopping

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Your Guide to Experiencing

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The Capital Bike and Walk Society of Victoriaand BC Ferries are inviting educationalinstitutions, bike enthusiasts, and the generalpublic to join their competition for the bestdesign idea for secure and space efficient bikeracks on ferries. Prizes include bikes, BCFerries passes, and bike tours.

Participants are invited to submit designssuitable for a large, Spirit-class vessel and/or asmaller, open deck, Bowen-class ferry. There

will be prizes for both designs. Evaluationcriteria will include the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the design, as well as security ofbicycles in the rack. The contest closes July 15,2004.

Information on the bike-rack design contestcan be obtained on BC Ferries’ website atwww.bcferries.com or by calling BC Ferries’Fleet Construction & Refit Department250–978-1329.✐

Ferry bike rack design contestGolden Lion Tamarins—back fromthe brink ~ Susan Creviston

Tommy the Golden Lion Tamarin is oneof most ‘endangered’ residents at theCrystal Garden Conservation Centre. He

is, in fact, the only one of his kind in westernCanada. His species is recovering from a closecall with extinction.

This striking little monkey, aptly named forhis vibrant color and mane, was born 12 yearsago at the world renowned Jersey WildlifePreservation Trust. A mate for Tommy hadbeen arranged from theSmithsonian Institutein Washington, DC, butthe Provincial CapitalCommission’s decisionto close the CrystalGarden has put thepairing on hold.

Tommy currentlyshares his home with‘Nutmeg’ a pygmymarmoset that isunable to reside withthe bigger marmosetgroup. Nutmeg andTommy are often seengrooming each other.

Tommy and the other small monkeys at theCrystal Garden, including the pygmymarmosets and the Cotton-top Tamarins,enjoy a diet of fruit, flowers, crickets, andmealworms. Staff offer the small monkeysintriguing objects to stimulate their curiosity,such as egg cartons filled with food favorites.

Tommy is a firm favorite with the animalcare staff. When he spots them from a distance,he stands up very tall and makes chirpingsounds in recognition!

Forty years ago, Golden Lion Tamarinswere dangerously close to extinction. In the1960s they numbered only 150 in the wild, butcooperative, international efforts amongst zoos

allowed the breeding and reintroduction ofanimals into the Brazilian rainforest. Over thelast 20 years, researchers have closelymonitored the progress of the Golden LionTamarins and in 2001 they celebrated the1000th birth in the wild.

This project would not have been possible ifit were not for the actions of the Braziliangovernment, landowners, and conservationgroups. The rainforest where tamarins have

been released is nowfully occupied withanimals but therelatively smallpopulation and areacould still bedevastated by naturaldisasters, such ashurricanes or forestfires.

School childrentouring the CrystalGarden are excited tolearn that visitors,young and old, righthere in Victoria havecontributed to the

Golden Lion Tamarin reintroduction project . A specially designed ‘parking meter’ beside

Tommy’s home has collected in excess of$8,000 over 3 years! This money has been sentto aid in the research of Golden Lion tamarinsin the wild. This is one example through whichchildren are able to learn that small actions canhave a global benefit.

This is Island Tides’ second article featuringendangered animals from the Crystal GardenConservation Centre.

For more information on the efforts to savethe conservation centre, slated to close soon,go to www.savecrystalgarden.com. ✐

Three prizes will be raffled by the Georgia StraitAlliance this summer to raise funds for marineconservation in southern BC waters. SeawardKayaks of Ladysmith donated a ‘DiscoveryAurora’ kayak (value: $2,825). The newBrentwood Bay Lodge & Spa on the SaanichPeninsula donated a 3-night AdventurePackage (value: $1,475). Victoria’s DolphinSpirit Jewellery donated a handcrafted silver

dolphin earring and pendant set (value: $152).

Raffle ticket sales kicked off the weekend of

May 15-16 at the Vancouver Island Paddlefest

in Ladysmith. Call 250-753-3459 for ticket

information. Only 2,500 tickets will be printed,

so tickets could sell out quickly. The draw will

be on September 14 at Seaward Kayaks.✐

Raffle to benefit marine environment