Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Tamara McPhail was wearing her paramedic’s uniform, when she met with Cortes Currents over ZOOM. She was on call and the phone could ring at any moment.

“I often say that I had to get a job to support my farming habits because farming just doesn't quite pay. I mean, it pays in a lot of ways, but just in terms of the financial things: If you need to send your kids to university or buy a new car or invest in a new wood stove, there's just not a lot of extra at the end of the year,” explained McPhail.

She talked about the anxieties connected to running Linnaea Farm.

During the winter it has been: ‘did we grow enough hay? Is there enough food? Is there enough sawdust to care for the animals? Now it is Spring and the weather is too cold for planting.

“Maintaining the farm is a pretty big job. There's a lot of infrastructure, livestock and people,” she said.

While McPhail is acutely aware of Cortes Island’s housing shortage, Linnaea needs residents who want to farm.

“Not everybody wants to shovel manure in the barn. Unfortunately all winter, that's what we do. So, we have some good folks living on the farm. We have some people that are convalescing from major diseases on the farm. We have a core group of us that work on the farm, and a few of us have jobs off the farm,“ she said.

Linnaea Farm has explored a number of different avenues the past couple of years:

they are members of the soil apprenticeship program,

and take in WWOOFers (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms - a worldwide effort to link visitors with organic farmers)

the Linnaea Farm Food Guild, which was launched after the pandemic hit in 2020.

They opened up the food guild to new members this year. There are currently about 60 members, who order whatever and whenever they wish.

Linnaea just had its first field day, with farm stock, seeds, kitchen goods, and more.

Once some of its freezers are empty, Linnaea will partner with other local farms to give guild members access to a wider selection of goods.

As she watches the prices of so many things rise, McPhail said “It's definitely going to impact us” - but also too early to say how.

So, what about the money that she and Adam Schick earn at the farm?

“Well, it's hard to break that sort of piece down into an hourly wage because it's darn right depressing. I think the last time Adam did it, he was making just under $7.50 an hour,” said McPhail.

“People believe that food should be cheap. I don't know how many times we sold this beautiful cauliflower that is over two pounds and we're like asking $5 or $6 at Mansons Friday Market and people are like, that's too expensive. It is hard for us to make people understand what it takes to produce the food, unless you've actively done it yourself. You have no idea because food has traditionally been so cheap and it's been brought from so many different avenues that most of the time we no longer know where our food comes from, who has produced that food, and what it has taken to get it onto our tables.”

People still expect to pay $3 for that cauliflower.

She added, “I often think about what it would have been like years ago when you had family farms and the butcher and the family baker. We do have one of those on our island. We do have a lot of really skilled people and I would always really encourage people to source as local as possible because the further that food chain goes and the more it stretches, the less resilient and strong it is.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Seven adults and two children came to monitor wildlife in the Dillon Creek Wetlands, on April 1st.

Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) streamkeepers Cec and Christine Robinson and FOCI’s Autumn Barret Morgan led the educational event.

They began by listening to the birds, whose calls came from every side, and the gurgling flow of Dillon Creek.

The aroma of damp earth rose to everyone’s nostrils.

Gusts of wind pushing against the microphone produced the periodic rumbling in this recording. A drizzle produced the tinkling sound.

Morgan acknowledged that this is the unceded territory of the Klahoose, Tla’amin and Homalco First Nations.

Amidst the ever present cacophony of voices in the podcast, you can hear Morgan and the Robinsons discussing where they should put a live fish trap.

There were three traps.Two were placed in the creek. They decided to put the last trap in the middle of the wetland’s ‘fish pond.’

Morgan explained, “We have the stream keepers here with us. We're just testing for the fish presence and we'd like to see with this specific method that the streamkeepers use.This is the true way to truly document if we have fish presence in the wetland, other than through observations.”

“We have never done this before,” said Christine Robinson.

She immediately corrected herself, “I have never done this before. Have you put a trap in here?”

“Nope,” replied Morgan.

“So we're curious. When the winter rains have come and the creek is higher, then clearly there has been flow from the creek into the wetlands. So anything that's here came from the creek,” said Christine.

No fish were caught that day, but Morgan said she has seen them on other occasions.

“I have seen fish flowing in the inlet. When the inlet is actually dry, there is one pool that still remains wet and I've seen a fish trapped in that pool and we did bring it back to the creek. I got to see the size and see it up close, such a beautiful fish,” she said.

“Also, when the wetland is very still, I've seen ripples that pop up - like a fish scooping an insect off the top. That is more of a passive observation. I haven't seen the fish themselves doing that.”

A number of scientific measurements were taken in the water and air.

The group was beside the fish pond when Cec Robinson said the oxygen level in the water was ’10.8 parts per million.’

Morgan said the water temperature was 11.5 degrees celcius and the air 8 degrees.

That sparked a discussion. Why was the water warmer than the air? Could it be the fact that the pond is shallow and its’ water is not moving? Were the suns rays being magnified? Is that reading is correct?

Five year old Zyla Schmidt asked, “What are we doing next on the field.”

De Clarke & Mike Moore/ Cortes Currents - [researched and written by Mike Moore, edited and produced for radio by De Clarke]

Cortes Islanders are very aware that we live on an island. The landbase has a very defined perimeter with the ocean; but the way the land wraps around and encloses the island’s many harbours and bays means that the land has a very intimate and close connection with the ocean. We know that the land, lakes, creeks and ocean are all interrelated.

Standing on a Cortes beach allows one to see what is happening on the lands around us in a bigger perspective. From Smelt Bay, we could witness the clearcuts sprawling across the mountainsides on Vancouver Island. From either side of Sutil Point, we could see the pulp mills in Campbell River and Powell River belching steam and smoke into the sky.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - On Thursday, March 31, Regional Director Noba Anderson gave Mosaic Forest Management a petition calling for them to make changes to their plan for logging on Cortes Island

The petitioners are concerned that Mosaic’s plan to log between 6,000 - 8,000 m3 per year is more than Cortes forests can grow back.

They stated they will support harvest only within these guidelines:

“At an annual volume which is less than 20% of the volume of wood the forest grows each year in the Cortes harvest land base, so forests may increase in volume and age through time.

No cutting or roadbuilding where winter water stands or where there will be harm to riparian areas.

No cutting of trees presently older than 140 years old – these are irreplaceable.”

They are also inviting Mosaic to a respectful community meeting in mid-April.

(You can access an online copy of the petition here)

Anderson said that Molly Hudson, Mosaic’s Director of Sustainability,

was understandably cautious about the proposed meeting when the two met on Thursday.

“I reiterated to her that although this community is very passionate and can speak out, we have a great history about doing really good, respectful community process and meetings. I assured her that I would do everything in my power, as would other organizers, to have it be respectful,” said Anderson.

She added that, “The petition is not my initiative. It has nothing to do with me and I have not signed it, but I certainly know about its existence and was in receipt of a copy of it last week. And again, I'm copied on the letter sent to Mosaic yesterday with, I believe, some 440 signatures.”

Hudson said she is thinking about the April meeting and will get back to Anderson this week.

“As is often the case with liaising between the Cortes community and external agencies, I take a position of process support. So what I have said to Mosaic Island Timberlands, and again, reiterated my conversation with Molly Hudson their community person, yesterday is that I'm offering my support to find a better community engagement process and way with the island. I will stay out of the content around forestry management, the sustainability content et cetera, but rather trying to support the dialogue,” said Anderson.

Mosaic is planning to take two groups of up to 12 people on field walks through some of the proposed harvest area near the Gorge on April 21.

Anderson asked them to expand the area to include the Delights Lake area.

She also said the current date for Mosaic’s proposed open house on Cortes Island does not work for the community.

“June doesn't really work well for the community here. We would like to see that sooner. She had no problem, in theory, moving that up till May and bringing her team at that time,” said Anderson.

“Then I indicated to her that the community was very interested in having a community meeting when they were up here in April to do their community walks and to share with them some of the community knowledge and history about our relationship with those private forest lands that are now owned by Island Timberlands Mosaic. We've had a long, long history, as a community, with those lands.”

Cortes Island residents have already done extensive mapping and ground truthing in the areas to be cut.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ FOLK U - Are You Prepared? In this part 1 of a 2 part series (2art 2 is a LIVE, In person event on April 22 at 1 p.m.), Shaun Koopman from the Strathcona Regional District will join host Manda Aufochs Gillespie to discuss what it looks like for Cortes Islanders (and others) to be prepared for a number of emergencies including fire, earthquake, multi-month power outages, and more.

How resilient are you as an individual? Are we as a community? What’s the role of the Regional District in big disasters? When do we evacuate and when do we shelter in place and what happens when the answers differ from person to person?

And, see you on April 22nd at 1 p.m. under the CCEDA big tent (beyond Manson’s Hall parking lot) for a Cortes-specific take on Preparing for the Big One with local emergency services, results from CKTZ emergency preparedness survey, and tips on getting truly ready for surviving and thriving through Big Disasters.

Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 and Mondays at 6:30 @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - On Monday a new study confirmed what environmentalists have been saying for years, sea lice have developed a resistance to SLICE the treatment fish farms most often use against them.

“in many ways, this paper mark's a new era. First Nations are very keen to manage their territories. One of the extraordinary things about this paper is two First Nation Chiefs are co-authors,” explained independent biologist Alexandra Morton. “They didn't write the science, but they made it possible for this science to occur, which is one of the measures of whether you can be an author of a scientific paper.”

The scientists who worked on 'Salmon lice in the Pacific Ocean show evidence of evolved resistance to parasiticide treatment’ said this paper would not have been possible were it not for the Namgis, Mamalilikulla and Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis Nations. This is the first time have been given access to raw bioassay data and it was only possible because

First Nations were given a monitoring and management role over fish farms operating in the Brought Archipelago.

“In a province with a long history of industrial exploitation of resources in Indigenous territories, these agreements and their outcomes represent a compelling example of Indigenous self-governance that may become more prevalent as First Nations endeavour to gain more control over industrial operations in their traditional territories,” wrote one of the authors.

Brian Kingzett, Science and Policy Director for the BC Salmon Farmers Association, emailed, “Despite activists trying to paint this as a conspiracy the information has never not been confidential and has been reviewed and discussed with regulators for a long time.”

In the recent BC Salmon Farmers report about sea lice monitoring in the Discovery Islands, Kingzett claimed, “Five years of sea lice monitoring has demonstrated that sea lice levels have been low with most out-migrating salmon not infected by sea lice. Additionally, we did not see sea lice levels change after decreased production of salmon farming in the region.”

Morton said, “Wild salmon in the Broughton Archipelago have been in a population nose dive since salmon farming moved in and we all know why. Yes, climate change is catastrophic but these little fish are not making it to sea. They are covered with sea lice and we also now know they have been infected.”

“These nations in the Broughton have hired some of the best scientists: pathologists, sea lice researchers.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes CUrrents - Food security is a big issue on Cortes Island. There has been papers, studies and round table discussions, but as the Cortes Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA) COVID recovery coordinator, Filipe Figueira has to deal with practical solutions. Specifically, what projects can CCEDA achieve in a year?

He recently sat down with Cortes Currents in a wide ranging discussion about the first steps towards food security that touched upon local farmers, the food bank, meals on wheels and food storage.

Along the way, Figueira also touched upon longer range questions, like how a food hub would work within the island’s local economy.

According to the Strathcona Community Health Network’s 2019 profile, Cortes Island’s median household after-tax income is $20,000 less than the Strathcona Regional District average.

The Strathcona Housing needs Assessment states that close to a quarter of the Cortes Island children and youth under the age of 17 are living in households whose income is below the poverty line.

“That data is now old, it's 2018,” responded Figueira. “Housing costs have increased significantly since then. Inflation has increased significantly since then and I think the need is going to be grow greater over the next couple of years, post-COVID I think we're facing a situation where there's more people who are likely to be food insecure going forward.”

The challenges are complex: people who are food insecure; the stigma attached to reaching out for help; local food producers competing with imported goods that have a fraction of the production; rising food costs; being able to respond in emergency situations.

Figueira said housing costs for some of the rural poor have now risen to as much as 80% of their disposable income.

“That's only going to increase, which means people have less money to feed themselves. They have to make difficult choices and it becomes a real poverty trap where they can't really move forward,” he explained.

Figueira added, “There's been some fantastic efforts in the past on Cortes to address food insecure folks. The food bank has been running on a volunteer basis for 20 years with some sterling work by Samantha Statton.

Then we've got some new initiatives like meals on wheels, some wonderful work being done by Desta Beattie in family support, but I feel that the true need is bigger than is really being served and we've got the resources to serve.”

CCEDA identified some easy steps towards food security:

thanks to a $9,000 grant from the Strathcona food hub, they purchased three large upright freezers - which makes it possible for the food bank and meals on wheels to store large amounts of food.

CCEDA is working together with Linnaea Farm to help the Cortes Island food bank become a member of Food Banks BC. As Linnaea is already a registered charity, this association could spare the food bank from all of the paper work and organizational changes needed to obtain charitable status. If they succeed, a whole new level of funding could become available.

“These are pretty easy wins, and I think that's the first step in this food security thing,” said Figueira.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Quadra ICAN sells 250 gallon water storage tanks at cost ($200 each).

According to Kris Wellstein, from the ICAN water security team, they have sold about 200 so far. She connected Cortes Currents with two Heriot Bay residents to get further details about their installations.

“Were you around last summer? I think water is a big topic now. Such a dry hot summer. It was a real eye-opener. I think, to a lot of people - if you do garden, you're going to be taxing your well,” said Kathryn Manry.

She and her husband grow all the vegetables they need in their garden.

“I do it because it feeds my soul. It gives me joy. I like feeling that I've produced the food we eat. It's probably more nutritious food, I know where it came from. It just seems the responsible thing to do. It is a lot of work, but I enjoy it - So it makes sense.”

Manry added, “It seems absolutely ridiculous to be using well water if we can store what's coming out of the sky the rest of the year.”

Jason Overend has a shallow well which was ‘pretty low’ last summer, luckily “the five or six tanks we have up at the house fed our garden all year.”

While he has not yet become food self sufficient, this is Overend’s goal.

He would like to use rainwater for household needs as well, but there are alders by his house.

“I've been trying to figure out how to filter out some of the debris that comes off the roof, all of their little pod droppings and whatnot,” explained Overend.

In the podcast above, they describe their respective water storage systems.

Overend and his wife had water tanks installed on their property when they moved to Quadra Island, four years ago.

Manry has a dozen tanks. Half were installed last summer and she recently purchased the remainder from Quadra ICAN.

“I feel that this is a responsible thing looking forward, and it's something that can be done incrementally. The task would be depending on your configuration of your land, how to use gravity. If you don't have a slope, it's going to be more challenging. And if you don't have a system where your gutters drain, you'd have to figure out a way to continue that, but that's not a monumental thing to overcome,” she said. “it is just a lovely feeling of security. We enjoy using and it makes us feel good when we do water our plants this way.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Regular water taxi trips between Lund and Cortes Bay are only one of services that the Access Point Marine Group is bringing to our area. They are transforming Finn Bay, a two minute walk north of Lund, into a hub for water transportation and tourism

The water taxi started making scheduled trips to Cortes Island last November, but went to charter service at the end of February because of low volumes.

Sue Bossley of Access Point Marine Transportation says regular service will resume in May.

“Our target is for that to open on the May long weekend,” she said. “We are going to be offering three runs to Cortes and back per day in the peak summer months, June 4th to September 5th. Starting in May, there will be a morning and late afternoon run on Mondays, Fridays and possibly Sundays.”

Access marine continues to offer day trips to the wharf on Savary Island and this year are adding hourly drop-offs at South Beach. This is Savary’s most popular beach, but up until this point tourists have had to hike across the island to reach it.

“Also groups or individuals can book charters at any time. We can take up to four people with their bikes on our smaller landing craft, and that's $200 an hour for the boat, but there's also an extra fuel surcharge of $50 an hour right now because of the fuel prices. We also have a larger landing craft that can be chartered for $300 an hour, and that can take up to eight people,” said Bossley.

They can drop people off at any ‘marine access only’ campgrounds in Desolation Sound.

“We also can drop people off at Sarah Point, which is the Sunshine Coast Trail drop off point. We've got fishing adventures in the Salish sea. We've got a new 44 seater boat and we're going to be taking people on Desolation Sound cruises to see the wildlife.”

The Access Point Marine Group has also developed a campground and two cabins for people to stay at Finn Bay.

While everyone is eating at the restaurant, the boat will be used for a Powell River Harbour tour. MOVED BELOW

They plan to offer a dinner and sunset cruise from Lund to the Seasider at Beach Gardens and back to Lund after dinner. During the time they are eating, the boat will also pick up folks at Beach Gardens and take them on a 90 minute Powell River Harbour Tour. Bossley said the details are still being fleshed out, but both tours ”will include a close up cruise by the famous hulks in Powell River. There are big concrete ships with a ton of history that are being used as a breakwater for that area. They're really cool. It's actually one of the top 10 things to do in Powell River.”

The harbour tour will be over by the time the group from Lund is ready to leave Beach Garden and the boat will return to pick them up

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents -A number of questions have arisen in regard to the report of BC First Nations supporting fish farms brought forward last week

Firstly the author of this very polished 20 page is not mentioned and while a great many facts are presented, few sources are given.

There is some question as to who the First Nations for Finfish Stewardship actually represents.

There were initially said to be 17 Nations, but their map only displays 13 names on their map.

The K’omoks First nation is one of the 13, but on Facebook, Chief Nicole Rempel of K’omoks First Nation wrote, “previous Chief signed us up in 2014 or 2015 I think, without consulting community and I’ve been trying to get us out of it since 2017. Our community members do not want us to be connected with them.”

They were one of the seven First Nations that DFO consulted prior to deciding that fish farms must be phased out of the Discovery Islands.

The We Wai Kai were also among the seven and one of its members insisted that that’s nation’s name does not belong on that list.

She wrote, “This has to stop. It’s all about money we will never see. We want to eat wild salmon that’s what we grew up on. My family says no to farm fish.”

Two Ahousat expressed their disapproval of their nation being on the list and called for consultation.

While these last references were from band members rather than chiefs, there are also questions about the land where the Tlowitsus Nation wants to see fish farms. Tlow it see

They are not the only First Nation claiming it as their ancestral territory and the Ma’a̱mtagila Nation is opposed to fish farms.

As Chief Ernest Alfred recently explained in a recent press conference given by the Maaamtagila and three other Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw nations, “The Ma’a̱mtagila own this area! They own this area, but it isn’t exclusive. You need to understand that this is disputed territory.”