Salt Spring Island Electoral Area

Salt Spring Island is the largest of the gulf islands, at 180 square kilometres, and stretches for 17 miles along the east side of Vancouver island. It is bordered to the east by Galiano and Prevost Islands, to the south by the Saanich Peninsula and Portland Island and to the north by Thetis and Kuper Islands. With a population of 10,500, Salt Spring hosts several thriving communities, clustered mainly around Vesuvius, Fulford Harbour and Ganges, the island's main town centre. Other residences are scattered throughout the island's pastoral or wooded interior and along its beautiful coastline.

Community

farm on salt spring

Renowned for its thriving art scene, Salt Spring Island also has a long established farming community as well as a large alternative community, many of whom arrived on the island in the 1960s and 1970s as escape from the stresses of urban life. A colourful, outdoor market takes place each summer, when over 160 vendors display their wares each Saturday in the heart of Ganges.

Geography

Path near Burgoyne Bay, Salt Spring Island

Salt Spring Island's terrain is varied and rich. The south island is dominated by the Peaks of Mount Tuam and Mount Bruce, with the rich soils of the Fulford valley stretching below. Mount Maxwell and Mount Erskine, mid-island, provide stunning views of the surrounding Gulf Islands and waterways; the north of the island boasts more agricultural land and a higher population density.

Mossy outcrops, Garry oak meadows, vestiges of old growth forest and both rocky and sandy shorelines flourish in the island's mild climate. A plethora of wildlife make their home here. Whales can be seen offshore, along with porpoise, otter, mink and seal; the occasional cougar or bear swims across from Vancouver island at Dodd Narrows. Wildflowers such as the rare chocolate lily bloom in clearings in the spring. Mill Farm Regional Park Reserve supports the endangered Phanton Orchid.

History

Mist on St. Mary's Lake, Salt Spring Island

Salt Spring was a seasonal home of the Coast Salish for centuries before Europeans arrived. The Wasanac Peoples of the Saanich Peninsula also frequented its shores to harvest food. In the 1850s nine African-American freed slaves arrived along with thwarted Gold Rush pioneers to settle on the island, followed by Europeans, Hawaiians and Japanese, who fished the local waters. Some residents can trace back their ancestry on the island five generations.