Golden Opportunity - Sunset Community Fire Hall - Salt Spring Island, BC
Golden Opportunity - Sunset Community Fire Hall - Salt Spring Island, BC
The Issue
Update 30 March 2026
Golden Opportunity - Sunset Community Fire Hall - Salt Spring Island, BC
Background:
There are various residential locations around our Beautiful Island of Salt Spring that are beyond 8Km from one of our 3 Fire Halls. One area in particular is Sunset Drive, North from West Eagle Drive to Southey Pt and around the North End on North End Rd to just past Epron Rd.
In December 2023 a number of Ratepayers from that area came to me as a Fire Board Trustee and asked if I could help mitigate the cost of their current Fire Insurance Premiums. Some Ratepayers are paying upwards of $3400/Yr or more in increased premiums for fire insurance for being beyond the 8Km distance criteria.
As we continue to move forward with the effects of Climate Change, the costs of not being Fully Fire Protected will continue to increase, perhaps exponentially. 2021 was the driest Summer and last Summer was 2nd driest in recent memory. The potential for being denied Fire Insurance altogether from the Insurance Underwriters is definitely a potential threat in the coming years. Once our New Fire Hall No. 1, across from Foxglove Farm on Lower Ganges Rd, hopefully by the end of June 2026 (a 4 year build since the June 2022 Referendum) Fire Hall No. 3 at Central Hall basically becomes redundant at that point, due to its close proximity 1.8Km and 2 minutes away. Wth the New Fire Hall being crewed by Career Firefighters 24/7/365 days of the year, call outs will be addressed in most cases from the New Fire Hall, with the Central Fire Hall being used only as a backup on rare emergency occasions.
The potential cost effective way forward for all 8400 Ratepayers but more importantly the 172 Ratepayers who will benefit most from proper Fire Protection on the North End of the Island:
In January of 2024, I met a potential Donor of land on Sunset Drive and they graciously came forward with the intent to donate land for a New Satellite Fire Hall. Not only is the property strategically located to provide 172 Residents with Full Fire Protection, the Donor has offered their ponds as an alternate source of water for firefighting. This location basically ticks all the boxes as the perfect location. In other words its a “Golden Opportunity” for 172 Ratepayers and a cost neutral option for all 8400 Ratepayers.
Unfortunately this Golden Opportunity has garnered little interest in the past by the Chair, my fellow Board of Trustees Trustees and the CAO of the Fire Improvement District. The standard comment is - “One Fire Hall at a time, we are currently engaged with the New Fire Hall Project”. The Chair and CAO seem to be amenable to the idea of the Land Donation but I think it’s fair to say they are not even remotely interested in building a straight forward Rural Fire Hall for another 5 years. Their current cost projections for the build are simply unreasonably high.
With the help of 172 Ratepayers in the North End & Channel Ridge, along with the support of the remaining 8200 Ratepayers, join us in presenting the “Sunset Community Fire Hall No. 3 Concept”. What really changes up this commitment, is the recent Generous and Gracious Donation by an Anonymous Donor of the 75' Ladder Truck from the Saanich Fire Dept, arranged by our Fire Chief and CAO. We owe a debt of Gratitude to this Individual and Foundation.
1. We potentially have the gracious offer of a Land Donation, in the perfect strategic location for the last 27 months.
2. Financing the Project would come from the Sale of Central Fire Hall and the potential Lease Back of the facility in its current operational state from the Purchaser until the Sunset Community Fire Hall location is ready for occupancy. Are there potential Purchasers out there under these terms, we believe the answer is - YES. Current build projection is 12 - 18 months from start to finish. In realty it would take 6 months to build and approximately 12 months of paper work garnering approvals. Is it possible that some of the 172 Ratepayers who live beyond the 1100 Block on Sunset Dr. (abeam the Beach Access), might consider a Donation similar to the Donation of funds to purchase the Ladder Truck? Perhaps if it meant maintaining Fire Insurance Protection from the Underwriters and significantly lowering their fire insurance premiums.
3. The Satellite Fire Hall Building itself is a 2 Bay Pre Engineered Steel Building - 2500 square feet which is approximately 700 square feet larger than the current Central Fire Hall. The new facility would be built to post disaster, seismic building code standards.
4. Site Prep - Civil works and excavation costs, including concrete slab to post disaster seismic building code, electrical, water, plumbing, septic system and landscaping could easily be done by using our Local Contractors.
5. Valuation of the Central Fire Hall facility, equates approximately to the build costs. That means this concept is especially unique from the standpoint its cost neutral to all 8400 Ratepayers. No Referendum, No AAP (Alternate Approval Process) required. The only requirement is to have the fortitude to get it done, cost effectively and in a timely fashion with the help the of Our Community and Contractors.
Where does the Fire Improvement District fit into this Community Fire Hall Concept?
Our concept is for the Community of 172 Ratepayers without full fire protection, with the support of 8400 other Ratepayers on a cost neutral basis, using Local Contractors wherever possible to take on the build and meet the Specifications of the New Building Code. For the Community of 172 Ratepayers it will directly serve at the North End of the Island and the enhanced Fire Protection it will provide to the Channel Ridge Residents/Ratepayers.
The Fire Improvement District deals with the paperwork, approvals and the funding through the Sale of Central Fire Hall No 3. Approvals from the ALC, Islands Trust and Building Inspection will be required.
Join us and Petition the current Chair and Board of Trustees of the Salt Spring Island Fire Improvement District by adding your name to this Petition as one of the 8400 Ratepayers of Salt Spring Fire Improvement District.
Thank you for your support on behalf of 172 Ratepayers who live in the North End on Salt Spring Island and to the other ~8200 Ratepayers, who see the cost neutral value in this concept.
SSIFID AGM - Monday, April 13, 2026 at 6:30PM – Downtown Fire Hall. Please consider attending in person or via online.
Thank you, SSIFID Trustee David Courtney.
Email – vrcourtney@gmail.com
Disclaimer - These opinions are that of the Author and do not represent the Board of Trustees, Committees or that of the Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District.
Notice - In Person Voting closes on Saturday, April 11, 2026. Would sincerely appreciate you support. Thank you, David.
Public Notice is hereby given to the electors of the Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District that an Election by Voting will be held to elect three Trustees, each for terms of three years, commencing at the Annual General Meeting to be held on Monday, April 13, 2026 and terminating at the end of the Annual General Meeting to be held in 2029. The Trustees will fill offices on the Board of the SSIFPD. The persons nominated as candidates are:
Martin, Darryl (New Candidate)
McClean, Jennifer (New Candidate)
Courtney, David (Incumbent)
Hetherington, Mary Lynn (Incumbent)
Cook, Roland (Incumbent)
Qualified electors have the option to vote either by mail, or in-person on the days given below (Voting more than once in an election contravenes the BC Elections Act and is subject to one or more of the penalties in section 255 (7) of the Act.) The list of Qualified Electors normally contains errors and omissions. All Qualified Electors, whether on the voters list or not, can opt to vote in person. With appropriate identification, those not on the voters list can be registered and enabled to vote.
Mail in ballot packages are available by request by calling or emailing the Ganges Fire Hall at 250-537-2531 and/or corpadmin@saltspringfire.com. Mail in ballot packages must be received at the Ganges Fire Hall by 4:00 p.m., Friday, April 10th, 2026.
ADVANCE VOTING shall be open to QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF THE SALT SPRING ISLAND FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT on Wednesday, the eighth (8th) day of April 2026. The location for advance voting will be at the Community Gospel Chapel, 147 Vesuvius Bay Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC.
VOTING DAY for the election of Trustees shall be open to QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF THE SALT SPRING ISLAND FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT on Saturday the eleventh (11th) day of April 2026. There are two locations for voting day: 1. The Community Gospel Chapel, 147 Vesuvius Bay Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC and 2. The Fulford Hall Annex, 2591 Fulford-Ganges Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC.
Voting hours on both days shall be between the hours of Nine (9:00) A.M. and Five (5:00) P.M.
ELECTOR QUALIFICATIONS – You are qualified as an Elector if you are:
(a) A Canadian Citizen
(b) Eighteen years or older on Voting Day
(c) A resident in the Province British Columbia for at least six months before Voting Day
(d) An owner of land within the boundaries of the Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District
(e) An Authorized agent, designated in writing as the said agent, of a Board or Corporation that owns land within the Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District.
(f) If more than one person is registered on title as owner of land, each owner is entitled to vote, providing the qualifications set out above are met. No persons may vote more than once, with the exception that they may vote as an authorized agent and personally if they own land on a personal basis. Eligible voters not found on the List of Registered Electors may register on Voting Day and Advance Voting Day by providing two pieces of identification, one of which has a signature, preferably with an identification photo, e.g. driver’s license; and documentation proving ownership of the land for which a vote is to be cast, e.g. tax notice, assessment notice, or duplicate certificate of title.
Corporate votes – Written proof must be provided by a Corporation or Board that owns land within the SSIFPD and wishes to authorize an agent to vote on its behalf. For detailed requirements, please e-mail the Returning Officer at anthonykennedy10@shaw.ca.
Dated at Salt Spring Island, B.C. this 13th day of March 2026.
Anthony A. Kennedy, Returning Officer
295 Mountain Park Drive, Salt Spring Island, BC, V8K 1G3
250-537-8815, 1-647-284-2900
74
The Issue
Update 30 March 2026
Golden Opportunity - Sunset Community Fire Hall - Salt Spring Island, BC
Background:
There are various residential locations around our Beautiful Island of Salt Spring that are beyond 8Km from one of our 3 Fire Halls. One area in particular is Sunset Drive, North from West Eagle Drive to Southey Pt and around the North End on North End Rd to just past Epron Rd.
In December 2023 a number of Ratepayers from that area came to me as a Fire Board Trustee and asked if I could help mitigate the cost of their current Fire Insurance Premiums. Some Ratepayers are paying upwards of $3400/Yr or more in increased premiums for fire insurance for being beyond the 8Km distance criteria.
As we continue to move forward with the effects of Climate Change, the costs of not being Fully Fire Protected will continue to increase, perhaps exponentially. 2021 was the driest Summer and last Summer was 2nd driest in recent memory. The potential for being denied Fire Insurance altogether from the Insurance Underwriters is definitely a potential threat in the coming years. Once our New Fire Hall No. 1, across from Foxglove Farm on Lower Ganges Rd, hopefully by the end of June 2026 (a 4 year build since the June 2022 Referendum) Fire Hall No. 3 at Central Hall basically becomes redundant at that point, due to its close proximity 1.8Km and 2 minutes away. Wth the New Fire Hall being crewed by Career Firefighters 24/7/365 days of the year, call outs will be addressed in most cases from the New Fire Hall, with the Central Fire Hall being used only as a backup on rare emergency occasions.
The potential cost effective way forward for all 8400 Ratepayers but more importantly the 172 Ratepayers who will benefit most from proper Fire Protection on the North End of the Island:
In January of 2024, I met a potential Donor of land on Sunset Drive and they graciously came forward with the intent to donate land for a New Satellite Fire Hall. Not only is the property strategically located to provide 172 Residents with Full Fire Protection, the Donor has offered their ponds as an alternate source of water for firefighting. This location basically ticks all the boxes as the perfect location. In other words its a “Golden Opportunity” for 172 Ratepayers and a cost neutral option for all 8400 Ratepayers.
Unfortunately this Golden Opportunity has garnered little interest in the past by the Chair, my fellow Board of Trustees Trustees and the CAO of the Fire Improvement District. The standard comment is - “One Fire Hall at a time, we are currently engaged with the New Fire Hall Project”. The Chair and CAO seem to be amenable to the idea of the Land Donation but I think it’s fair to say they are not even remotely interested in building a straight forward Rural Fire Hall for another 5 years. Their current cost projections for the build are simply unreasonably high.
With the help of 172 Ratepayers in the North End & Channel Ridge, along with the support of the remaining 8200 Ratepayers, join us in presenting the “Sunset Community Fire Hall No. 3 Concept”. What really changes up this commitment, is the recent Generous and Gracious Donation by an Anonymous Donor of the 75' Ladder Truck from the Saanich Fire Dept, arranged by our Fire Chief and CAO. We owe a debt of Gratitude to this Individual and Foundation.
1. We potentially have the gracious offer of a Land Donation, in the perfect strategic location for the last 27 months.
2. Financing the Project would come from the Sale of Central Fire Hall and the potential Lease Back of the facility in its current operational state from the Purchaser until the Sunset Community Fire Hall location is ready for occupancy. Are there potential Purchasers out there under these terms, we believe the answer is - YES. Current build projection is 12 - 18 months from start to finish. In realty it would take 6 months to build and approximately 12 months of paper work garnering approvals. Is it possible that some of the 172 Ratepayers who live beyond the 1100 Block on Sunset Dr. (abeam the Beach Access), might consider a Donation similar to the Donation of funds to purchase the Ladder Truck? Perhaps if it meant maintaining Fire Insurance Protection from the Underwriters and significantly lowering their fire insurance premiums.
3. The Satellite Fire Hall Building itself is a 2 Bay Pre Engineered Steel Building - 2500 square feet which is approximately 700 square feet larger than the current Central Fire Hall. The new facility would be built to post disaster, seismic building code standards.
4. Site Prep - Civil works and excavation costs, including concrete slab to post disaster seismic building code, electrical, water, plumbing, septic system and landscaping could easily be done by using our Local Contractors.
5. Valuation of the Central Fire Hall facility, equates approximately to the build costs. That means this concept is especially unique from the standpoint its cost neutral to all 8400 Ratepayers. No Referendum, No AAP (Alternate Approval Process) required. The only requirement is to have the fortitude to get it done, cost effectively and in a timely fashion with the help the of Our Community and Contractors.
Where does the Fire Improvement District fit into this Community Fire Hall Concept?
Our concept is for the Community of 172 Ratepayers without full fire protection, with the support of 8400 other Ratepayers on a cost neutral basis, using Local Contractors wherever possible to take on the build and meet the Specifications of the New Building Code. For the Community of 172 Ratepayers it will directly serve at the North End of the Island and the enhanced Fire Protection it will provide to the Channel Ridge Residents/Ratepayers.
The Fire Improvement District deals with the paperwork, approvals and the funding through the Sale of Central Fire Hall No 3. Approvals from the ALC, Islands Trust and Building Inspection will be required.
Join us and Petition the current Chair and Board of Trustees of the Salt Spring Island Fire Improvement District by adding your name to this Petition as one of the 8400 Ratepayers of Salt Spring Fire Improvement District.
Thank you for your support on behalf of 172 Ratepayers who live in the North End on Salt Spring Island and to the other ~8200 Ratepayers, who see the cost neutral value in this concept.
SSIFID AGM - Monday, April 13, 2026 at 6:30PM – Downtown Fire Hall. Please consider attending in person or via online.
Thank you, SSIFID Trustee David Courtney.
Email – vrcourtney@gmail.com
Disclaimer - These opinions are that of the Author and do not represent the Board of Trustees, Committees or that of the Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District.
Notice - In Person Voting closes on Saturday, April 11, 2026. Would sincerely appreciate you support. Thank you, David.
Public Notice is hereby given to the electors of the Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District that an Election by Voting will be held to elect three Trustees, each for terms of three years, commencing at the Annual General Meeting to be held on Monday, April 13, 2026 and terminating at the end of the Annual General Meeting to be held in 2029. The Trustees will fill offices on the Board of the SSIFPD. The persons nominated as candidates are:
Martin, Darryl (New Candidate)
McClean, Jennifer (New Candidate)
Courtney, David (Incumbent)
Hetherington, Mary Lynn (Incumbent)
Cook, Roland (Incumbent)
Qualified electors have the option to vote either by mail, or in-person on the days given below (Voting more than once in an election contravenes the BC Elections Act and is subject to one or more of the penalties in section 255 (7) of the Act.) The list of Qualified Electors normally contains errors and omissions. All Qualified Electors, whether on the voters list or not, can opt to vote in person. With appropriate identification, those not on the voters list can be registered and enabled to vote.
Mail in ballot packages are available by request by calling or emailing the Ganges Fire Hall at 250-537-2531 and/or corpadmin@saltspringfire.com. Mail in ballot packages must be received at the Ganges Fire Hall by 4:00 p.m., Friday, April 10th, 2026.
ADVANCE VOTING shall be open to QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF THE SALT SPRING ISLAND FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT on Wednesday, the eighth (8th) day of April 2026. The location for advance voting will be at the Community Gospel Chapel, 147 Vesuvius Bay Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC.
VOTING DAY for the election of Trustees shall be open to QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF THE SALT SPRING ISLAND FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT on Saturday the eleventh (11th) day of April 2026. There are two locations for voting day: 1. The Community Gospel Chapel, 147 Vesuvius Bay Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC and 2. The Fulford Hall Annex, 2591 Fulford-Ganges Rd, Salt Spring Island, BC.
Voting hours on both days shall be between the hours of Nine (9:00) A.M. and Five (5:00) P.M.
ELECTOR QUALIFICATIONS – You are qualified as an Elector if you are:
(a) A Canadian Citizen
(b) Eighteen years or older on Voting Day
(c) A resident in the Province British Columbia for at least six months before Voting Day
(d) An owner of land within the boundaries of the Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District
(e) An Authorized agent, designated in writing as the said agent, of a Board or Corporation that owns land within the Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District.
(f) If more than one person is registered on title as owner of land, each owner is entitled to vote, providing the qualifications set out above are met. No persons may vote more than once, with the exception that they may vote as an authorized agent and personally if they own land on a personal basis. Eligible voters not found on the List of Registered Electors may register on Voting Day and Advance Voting Day by providing two pieces of identification, one of which has a signature, preferably with an identification photo, e.g. driver’s license; and documentation proving ownership of the land for which a vote is to be cast, e.g. tax notice, assessment notice, or duplicate certificate of title.
Corporate votes – Written proof must be provided by a Corporation or Board that owns land within the SSIFPD and wishes to authorize an agent to vote on its behalf. For detailed requirements, please e-mail the Returning Officer at anthonykennedy10@shaw.ca.
Dated at Salt Spring Island, B.C. this 13th day of March 2026.
Anthony A. Kennedy, Returning Officer
295 Mountain Park Drive, Salt Spring Island, BC, V8K 1G3
250-537-8815, 1-647-284-2900
74
Petition Updates
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Petition created on April 4, 2025