North Salt Spring Waterworks District Letter to Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Kahlon re Request for Salt Spring Island Housing Opportunity Support

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Every Drop Counts 
   761 Upper Ganges Road • Salt Spring Island, B.C. • V8K 1S1 • Canada | 250.537.9902 | board@nsswaterworks.ca | www.northsaltspringwaterworks.ca 
May 16, 2025 
 
Honourable Ravi Kahlon  
Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs  
Parliament Buildings          
Victoria, BC  
V8V 1X4 
 
Sent via email: Ravi.Kahlon.MLA@leg.bc.ca 
 
 
Re: Request for Salt Spring Island Housing Opportunity Support 
 
Dear Minster Kahlon, 
 
The North Salt Spring Waterworks District (NSSWD) would like to thank you and the Province 
for your support of our improvement district over the last 2 years. In particular, we are 
grateful for the $10 million one-time funding to enhance the climate resiliency of our water 
system by raising the Duck Creek weir at St. Mary Lake. 
 
Our Board is now reaching out to present a unique opportunity to support affordable and 
workforce housing on Salt Spring Island. On March 31, 2025, the District approved a limited 
release of water supply from the Maxwell Lake side of our system—which serves Ganges—
following a 10-year moratorium on new connections. This short-term allocation permits up to 
50,000 m³ of water annually, the equivalent of approximately 300 multi-unit dwellings. 
 
This is a rare and timely opportunity to address the Island’s urgent housing needs. As outlined 
in the recently released Islands Trust interim Housing Needs Assessment, the 5-year housing 
need projection for Salt Spring Island is 821 units. However, as confirmed by Provincial staff, 
NSSWD does not have the jurisdiction to direct new connections to specific types of housing. 
While we have engaged with the Islands Trust to prioritize affordable and workforce housing, 
we believe that stronger action is needed and are therefore seeking assistance from the 
Province. 
 
We have worked collaboratively with the Islands Trust, the Capital Regional District (CRD), and 
Ministry staff to reach this point, and our housing priorities are well-aligned. We respectfully 
ask the Province to empower the Islands Trust or NSSWD with the regulatory tools necessary to 
ensure these new water connections are allocated to where they are needed most in our 
community, and if possible, for BC Housing to immediately prioritize any potential new 
projects/partnerships within the Ganges area. 
 

 
 
Every Drop Counts 
   761 Upper Ganges Road • Salt Spring Island, B.C. • V8K 1S1 • Canada | 250.537.9902 | board@nsswaterworks.ca | www.northsaltspringwaterworks.ca 
This short-term availability of new connections is part of NSSWD’s broader Building Resiliency 
Strategy. Just last week, 74% of our residents voted in favour of a $12 million loan referendum 
to fund a new treatment plant at Maxwell Lake. Step by step, we are advancing toward a 
climate-resilient water system that will help secure our limited supply for the future. 
 
As a small local government organization with limited powers, we are doing all we can to make 
the most of the tools at our disposal t

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