Silas White Explained

Silas White
Term Start:November 1, 2022 [1]
Predecessor:Bill Beamish
Term Start1:November 10, 2022 [2]
Term Start2:December 4, 2014 [3]
Term End2:January 1, 2017
Term Start3:December 2, 2014 [4]
Term End3:November 6, 2018
Term Start4:December 3, 2005
Term End4:December 7, 2014
Term Start5:December 6, 2007
Term End5:December 3, 2013
Predecessor5:Greg Russell
Office6:Vice-Chair for British Columbia Public School Employers' Association
Term Start6:January 26, 2013
Term End6:July 30, 2013
Predecessor6:Alan Chell
Successor6:Michael Marchbank
Office7:Director for British Columbia Public School Employers' Association
Term Start7:January 24, 2010
Term End7:January 26, 2013
Birth Name:Silas David White
Birth Date: July 9, 1977
Birth Place:Sechelt, British Columbia
Children:Simone White, Eloise White
Residence:Gibsons, British Columbia

Silas White (born 1977) is a Canadian publisher, editor, author, musician, songwriter and politician.[5]

Early life and education

White grew up in a literary household in Pender Harbour, British Columbia, where his parents Howard and Mary White operated Harbour Publishing, one of British Columbia's major book publishers. White worked at Harbour Publishing during his youth and co-authored Local Heroes, a history of the Western Hockey League while still in high school. He attended the University of British Columbia on a President's Scholarship, receiving a BA in 1999 and moved to Toronto, where he pursued his interest in indie rock music, writing songs and performing in venues around the city with his band Electric Fences. In August 2019 he released a retroactive album of Electric Fences recordings from 15 years prior, Retroact 2001-2004, with Vancouver indie label Kingfisher Bluez.[6] White now lives in Gibsons, British Columbia with his daughters Simone (b. 2007) and Eloise (b. 2010). In 2011 he received a master's degree in public administration from the University of Victoria.

Publishing

In the early 2000s he took over the historic Canadian literary press, Nightwood Editions Ltd. (formerly blewointment, founded by bill bissett), and began publishing poetry and fiction by Canadian writers such as Renée Sarojini Saklikar, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Tim Bowling, Rita Wong, Philip Kevin Paul, Laisha Rosnau, Ray Hsu, Rob Winger, Sandy Pool, Joe Denham, Kayla Czaga, Doretta Lau, Raoul Fernandes, Danny Ramadan, Carol Rose GoldenEagle, Adele Barclay and jaye simpson.[7] Under his leadership Nightwood Editions became the flagship press for the generation of literary writers who emerged in Canada during the 2000s. White has also pursued an independent career as editor and author, serving as contributing editor of the Encyclopedia of British Columbia and editing both prose and poetry for other Canadian publishers, including Raincoast Books, ECW Press, Harbour Publishing and Saturday Night Magazine. One of his editing jobs, The Fly in Autumn by David Zieroth, won the 2010 Governor General's Award for Poetry, Canada's highest literary honour.

Elected office

A community activist since his teens, in 2005 White was elected to the Board of Education at School District 46 Sunshine Coast.[8] In 2007 he was selected by his colleagues as board chair, the youngest person to hold that post in British Columbia.[9] He also served as a Director and Vice-Chair of the British Columbia Public School Employers' Association until Premier Christy Clark replaced the board with a public administrator to exercise direct control over teacher bargaining by the provincial government.[10]

In 2014 he left the board of School District 46 to run as councillor for the Town of Gibsons, topping the poll.[11] As a councillor he represented the Town for two years at the Sunshine Coast Regional District and led initiatives to improve a major intersection; start a homeless shelter; expand the local, self-sustaining water service; and secure federal land for a provincial supportive housing facility. He also collaborated regionally with Josie Osborne, Lisa Helps and others to start the British Columbia Social Procurement Initiative, the first of its kind in Canada.[12]

After returning to Nightwood Editions and working as a local government consultant in homelessness, housing, economic development, water stewardship, public engagement and Indigenous relations, White ran for mayor of Gibsons in 2022, winning with 82.4% of the vote.[13]

General reference

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. News: Gibsons council members sworn in for 2022-2026 term . Coast Reporter, Sunshine Coast, BC . 2022-11-04 . 2023-01-01.
  2. News: Leonard Lee named SCRD board chair . Coast Reporter, Sunshine Coast, BC . 2022-11-10 . 2023-01-01.
  3. News: New board sworn in, chair lists priorities. December 14, 2020 . Coast Reporter . December 4, 2014.
  4. News: Inaugural council meeting begins with hope for a more unified community . December 14, 2020 . Coast Reporter . December 4, 2014.
  5. Web site: WHITE, Silas . ABCBookWorld . 2010-06-14.
  6. Web site: Silas releases newly mastered tunes . Coast Reporter, Sunshine Coast, BC . 2019-08-30 . 2020-12-14.
  7. Web site: Nightwood Editions . December 14, 2020.
  8. Web site: Four new school trustees . Coast Reporter, Sunshine Coast, BC . 2005-11-25 . 2010-06-14.
  9. Web site: Education, Pender Harbour, Sunshine Coast . 2008-06-07 . 2010-06-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080607021345/http://www.penderharbour.org/Community/Education/education.html . 2008-06-07.
  10. Web site: Fassbender appoints Marchbank, dismantles BCPSEA . Coast Reporter, Sunshine Coast, BC . 2013-08-10 . 2020-12-14.
  11. Web site: Rowe team sweeps Gibsons council . Coast Reporter, Sunshine Coast, BC . 2014-11-20 . 2020-12-14.
  12. Web site: BCSPI: About . 2022-09-04.
  13. News: Silas White has a landslide win in Gibsons . 2022-12-30.