A relatively recent arrival to Salt Spring, Ian and his partner moved here part-time in 2020 and full-time in 2022.  Semi-retired, he enjoys taking full advantage of the hiking, kayaking, and biking opportunities the island presents.  He has over thirty years of consulting and leadership experience working with health and social service organizations, their associations and regulators in Canada, the Caribbean, South and Central America and Africa.  The move to SSI has also given him the opportunity to spend more time reading for pleasure and exploring new ideas and skills.

Originally from the U.K., Julie moved to Canada in 1985 following a few years of travelling interspersed with working. She moved from the Lower Mainland to Salt Spring with her husband in 2008, later retiring from a career in Community Nursing and case management for Island Health. A long time distance runner, most of her volunteer activities have centred around sports organizations, including a term as President of the Connaught Skating Club in Richmond. She is an active member of the Salt Spring Sneakers running club, and can often be found swimming in St. Mary’s Lake or at the Rainbow Road pool. On our island Julie volunteers for ArtSpring and has enjoyed assisting with the Books & Bling sale for several years. Now that she has more time to relax she continues to make an impact on her reading list.

Mary has been working in the non-profit sector for more than 30 years: as a fundraiser for children’s charities including Kids Help Phone, Ronald McDonald Houses and Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation Hospital. As she watched six grandchildren develop language and reading skills, Mary became interested in the empowerment that those skills bring to all – both in language and numeracy. Skills that improve confidence and well-being as well as opening doors for new opportunities. Recently retired, Mary moved to Salt Spring Island in 2020, and spent the year of COVID teaching a grandson to read. Then she went to a fabulous Books & Bling event and learned what an important community resource Salt Spring Literacy has been and will continue to be. She looks forward to supporting such a legacy. As for reading: Mary’s favourite author now is Kristan Hannah (and especially the book: The Four Winds).

Karen is a biologist who worked for First Nations in BC and has lived on Salt Spring for almost 30 years. She is an active member of the Lady Minto Hospital Auxiliary, Salt Spring Weavers and Spinners Guild, Salt Spring Conservancy, and the Sneakers running club. She, along with her partner and three daughters who grew up on Salt Spring, are avid readers and literacy advocates.

Igor is a recent resident of Salt Spring Island. He moved with his family to Canada from Ukraine in 2018 to start a new life and give his daughter a better future. Working as a sales manager, in Ukraine he enjoyed learning new things and teaching the team to set goals and achieve them. Now he works at Thrifty Foods as Grocery Supervisor. Due to the desire to learn something new, he started working at Lady Minto Hospital, on the service support team. In 2020 he started painting for the first time and thinks he will for the rest of his life! He has a small studio where he works. He uses all the proceeds from  his work for social projects to aid, mainly to children, in Ukraine. Back in Ukraine, his hobby was cooking and he enjoyed  working with meat cooked over fire,  for which he received a certificate. He is also interested in the psychology of human behavior.

Since moving to Salt Spring Island from Toronto in 2020, Nancy has been renewing her longstanding interest in natural history through volunteering with her community Land Stewardship Committee, Salt Spring Island Conservancy, and SSI’s annual Christmas Bird count.  She is also enjoying using her sales and marketing experience in educational publishing to assist with Salt Spring Literacy’s annual Books and Bling fundraiser. During her career, she was fortunate to enjoy leadership positions in sales, marketing and product development, culminating in overall business unit leadership. She and her Golden Retriever, Willow, are avid walkers and Nancy has been able to realize a long-held dream of learning to kayak and ride horses.

Janet moved to Salt Spring from Eastern Ontario in 2021, after retiring from a career in education. A former elementary school teacher, special education consultant and principal, Janet has a passion for literacy development in students of all ages and abilities. In addition to teaching, she worked closely with the Ontario Ministry of Education in implementing a funding model for supporting students with exceptional learning needs. Janet also served on the Ontario Principals Council as a regional secretary and mediator in contract negotiations. Janet is a volunteer at Lady Minto Thrift Store and member of the Hospital Auxiliary. She is active in her local community, helping out with the butterfly count and various Land Stewardship tasks. She enjoys spending time in the garden, sailing and exploring the many hiking trails. As a member of the Salt Spring Painters Guild, Janet has renewed her love of painting landscapes and wildlife.