Association of the Savary Island Committee (ASIC)
The SIVFD just published some very interesting links on the Venting Index as well as some valuable information on materials that are allowed and prohibited in all burners. Use the following links to access this information.
Venting Index : Text version of the Ventilation Index – BC Air Quality – Province of British Columbia
Burners: all_burners_factsheet
An ASIC member put forward an idea to create a topic in our monthly Newsletter whereby people can share tips and advice on small things they have learned over the years to enhance the Savary Island experience. If you have any tips or advice you would like to share with the community, please forward them to ASIC and we will include in our monthly publications.
Over the last several years the island has seen significant growth in new property owners. Everyone’s opinion and input are important to managing the issues facing our beautiful paradise. If you know new owner’s please talk to them about ASIC and ask them to join. It’s free and new owners can send email requests to http://ASIC@savaryisland.org.
We wrote a letter on March 19th to the Ministry of Forests, Forest Tenure Branch requesting a status report on the Foreshore Tenure Application by the qRD two years ago. We expressed strong concern that the qRD will not be able to make the necessary repairs to the boat launch site before the upcoming summer season. Without these repairs , safety will be compromised and we are risking serious environmental damage to the foreshore area. The ministry replied on March 29th that the necessary documents were being prepared for the decision maker but no timeline was given.
The qRD hosted an Emergency Evacuation Response workshop in Lund on March 4th and both ASIC (Wayne Goodridge) and the Savary Island Fire Department (Chris Philpott) attended. We walked through various emergency scenarios and explored the many assets Savary has to deal with them. I would encourage everyone to visit the qathet Regional District website, http://www.qathet.ca to become familiar with Emergency Evacuation plans in place for Savary and sign up for the emergency alert system.
Speaking of using our voices… qathet Regional District has just announced a series of public engagement sessions for an important topic that can have direct impact on key Savary Island issues moving forward, namely – parks and trails. As they build out their strategy for these valuable community assets throughout the next year, they are hoping to answer two key questions: What do you value about the existing parks and trails in the Regional District? and How could parks, trails, and amenities be improved in the future?
For your easy reference, the current park inventory consists of ten regional parks, two campgrounds, and several community parks on Texada Island (none of these are on Savary). Existing trails owned and operated by the qRD include beach access trails and the Myrtle Creek Pedestrian & Cycling Bridge (Savary has one qRD managed beach trail at Meadows Beach/Julian).
There will be a survey you can fill out starting November 14th (and I know you all love a good survey!) and there will also be a mix of in-person and virtual sessions coming up in the next few weeks. All the details can be found here, but of note is the Virtual Session for Savary Island, on Tuesday, November 22 from 7:00 – 8:00 PM. You do need to register for this session, and you can do that through this link. They have outlined a clear timeline for this project and a transparent series of steps they are following in this public engagement portion of the process, so our collective feedback is getting to the right people. This is a small win, but it shows that the Regional District is listening. They’re hearing us when we ask for plentiful and more practical ways to be able to share our thoughts, ideas and questions, so we can ultimately influence the decisions that get made about things that matter to us and this island.
This will be the final newsletter from this current Board. While we did not achieve as many concrete things as we had hoped to over our two year term, we are pleased that we stuck with it and we look forward to supporting the next Board as we work through the transition over the coming few weeks.
We kept ASIC alive and kickin’ over the last few years, during a pandemic and with a very small Board (and without any real representation at the regional district level). We focused on building relationships with other on-island organizations and finding our overlapping themes, and increasing awareness of the diverse needs of the changing population base (both owners and visitors) with those who would listen. We focused on education for our membership and we also learned a lot about the increasingly polarized views of islanders where a one-size-fits all approach just doesn’t cut it! We have sincerely appreciated all the phone calls, emails and chats in person on island.
We’ve also found it important to focus not only on what islanders want, but what the island itself needs – in terms of the environmental sensitivity that is at the foundation of many of our common issues (over-use, poor conditions of roads and trails, and a lack of resources and education for visitors who come to explore and have no way to leave a small footprint). The future of Savary must include some balance between tourism and protection of the ecologically sensitive environment of the island, and that can only be done in concert with agencies, organizations and individuals who support tourism within this region. We have also stood firm in our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, which we firmly belive is another foundational component to the future success of this island. #thenamematters
Ultimately we believe that ASIC needs to continue to find new ways to increase and diversify their membership base and deepen membership engagement across all parts of the island There is a real opportunity to ensure that all new owners and residents are fully aware of what ASIC is – and could be, and encourage the next generation of Savaryites to get more involved in imagining what they want this place to be for the longer term. While our membership numbers are impressive (approximately 950 total) we know that still means ASIC only represents a portion of the voices of the island. Looking at new models of organizing and collaboration with other island groups will likely be an important path forward.
Thank you to all who have shared kind words of encouragement along the way, and equal thanks to those who have held us accountable to do more/better. We wish the new Board a lot of wisdom, patience and kindness as they take over and carry ASIC forward into the future.
cheh-cheh-hah-thech (thank you, in the Tla’amin language!)
Your ASIC Directors,
Lisa, Lenore, Jennifer and Larry
Not to sound like your mother, but let’s be honest your mother was usually right! This is a reminder that if you have beach toys, kayaks, paddles, traps, floats, or other equipment that you think might be safe to leave on the beach for the winter – please think again. Ensure these items are properly secured and ideally – back at your cabin. The record winds, high tides and epic erosion of last winter has taught us that you cannot trust that your things will be safe up on the logs, or tucked up in trees or sandbanks, even if well above the normal high tide line. Not only will you find your things damaged or missing upon your return, but this also creates a ton of unnecessary garbage and junk in our oceans and on the beach. Let’s all do our part
As we wind up our term as Directors we will remain focused on ensuring islanders know how/where/when to vote, and will keep sharing out details related to the upcoming Area A Representative (qRD) Election as well as the ASIC Director Election. We will be using our next newsletter to share details about the various candidates so you can gain more insight into their experiences and priorities, and we will do our very best to answer any/all questions to ensure you can get out and use your voice to shape the future of Savary Island.
Thanks to all who are putting themselves forward! Now go get outside and enjoy the beautiful summer weather while it lasts.
In partnership with SILT and SIPOA, and thanks to an initial seed of an idea planted by Lund Water Taxi, ASIC has collaborated on a new resource tool for drivers who are barging on to the island. While this is mainly directed at those who are driving on Savary for the first time, it will also be a helpful reminder for all. Our roads and our island aren’t built for increased traffic and while we are seeing ever-increasing numbers of people coming to the island (and many barge over to their properties) that doesn’t mean we can’t collectively work to minimize our impact. A digital copy will be made available soon right HERE, and copies will be handed out on the barge and posted in key spots on island. Please take a look! Thank you to the volunteers who put in many hours to design and create this to help support a healthy co-existence between cars, bikers, pedestrians and the environment.