Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - David Ellingsen will be giving the residents of Cortes Island two presentations of his latest fine art photography series this year.

“I'm going to be speaking at the Cortes Island Museum and Archives AGM on the 27th. It's a fairly short talk, probably about 45 minutes, and then some time for Q and A. So it's not a huge amount of time. I'm going to be speaking a little bit about the ‘Falling Boundaries’ series. I also am planning on exhibiting this series, the actual prints, in the summer time,” he explained.

The second exhibit will be at the Old Schoolhouse Gallery on the weekends of July 29 - 31 and August 5th-7th.

“Falling Boundaries” is an emotional response to the decline of British Columbia’s first growth forests. Ellingsen’s original inspiration for the series came from the stumps near his childhood home at Reef Point Farm on Cortes Island. The Cortes Island Museum gave him access to its’ ‘Von Donop Shed,’ allowing Ellingsen to take the old logging tools into the forest to be photographed.

The current project came into being after a biologist invited him to take ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures of an old growth forest, north of Campbell River, that was about to be cut.

“It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to say with these images and that's why I wanted to inject the historical, archival photos into these to speak to a span of time here. So then I worked with the Royal BC Museum here in Victoria, and almost all of the photographs are from Vancouver Island as well. I wanted to try and keep those close to the same area where I made my original photographs, and then installed those images into my original photographs. The result is as you see with the ‘Falling Boundaries’ series,” explained Ellingsen.

“I think most of us feel an incredible sense of loss just over the last couple of years, with the realization that we are down to less than 3% of the big tree old growth, as they call it.”

He described the recent logging protests at Fairy Creek as “an emotional response to the predicament that we find ourselves in.”

“I was really interested in looking at this from the perspective of what has happened since the arrival of the colonists, the settlers. Which of course is exactly my family history, and so my story to tell because that's the history of my family. We've been working in the forest, basically, since we got here.”

Ellingsen’s ancestors were among the first settlers to arrive on Cortes Island. The Mike Manson whose name persists in Mansons Landing was among them. Generations of the Ellingsen family were born on Cortes Island and remain there to this day.

“I live in Victoria, but still consider Cortes my home base. I probably will my whole life just because of being born and raised down on Reef Point Farm on the south tip. It's such an incredible place to grow up as a child and as a youth with the forest,” he said.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - Could it be true? What does it mean? How can my kids or I participate/help/get involved? Jeff Lontayao, District Coordinator of Student Options and Opportunities, Rhonda Teramura, Homestay Coordinator, join host Manda Aufochs Gillespie to discuss the Cortes Island Academy and what this innovative high school program means for the Cortes Island community.

The school district is creating a unique pilot project in partnership with the Cortes Island Community Foundation, Folk University, and the people of Cortes Island to provide some high school programming on the island for grade 9-12 students.

The Cortes Island Academy will be piloted starting in September 2022 to try to address community feedback that the lack of high school programming on Cortes has been one of the largest barriers to keeping families on the island and creating a resilient local economy.

The academy will run for five months from September to January and feature four modules that run for five weeks each, in alignment with the secondary schools' quarter model. Students will get to experience the island and earn academic credits through experiential learning and a connection to the land.

Jeff Lontayao, the district coordinator for student options and opportunities, has been working with parents and volunteers on Cortes Island to develop this support for rural students.

The first module will be Leadership Outdoor Recreation and Local Ecology in which students will earn credits for PE and/or leadership through learning about food prep and planning, overnight hiking, camping and navigation, survival skills and edible plants, kayaking and marine navigation.

Our Oceans Aquaculture and Stewardship will be the second module and students will explore and learn about the marine environment towards a science credit. They will explore and research types of fisheries and aquaculture, marine ecology and climate change, and the Indigenous cultural connection with the oceans, stewardship, and resource use.

The third module, Creative Tools for Truth Telling, will study the basics of journalism, essay writing and oral storytelling through such tools as podcasting, and students will earn credits in new media and English.

Film Making with Reel Youth will complete the modules, using film as a medium for students to tell their story and the module will end with students creating a short documentary film about an elder or local older person with knowledge and wisdom to share. Students that successfully complete this module will earn media design credits.

The intention of the pilot is to create immersive hands-on, place-based learning that embraces Indigenous learning approaches and is connected to real life applications and offers personalized education planning.

The Cortes Island Academy modules will be featured as an option in the 2022-2023 secondary school course offerings and Campbell River or international students will be able to billet with families on Cortes Island.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - 350.org, the Council of Canadians, students from Carihi Secondary school and other members of the community will be holding a ‘Just Transition Day of Action’ in from of MP Rachel Blaney’s office in Campbell River, on March 12th.

Similar demonstrations are taking place in cities, towns and villages across Canada, from Victoria to Halifax.

“We're gonna have a little demonstration around what we feel should be in the act. Rachel Blaney herself will be there to speak. The whole purpose is to call attention to the ‘just transition act’ that prime minister Trudeau and the liberals promised during the 2019 election election, but have not brought in yet. We feel it's imperative given the climate emergency that we're and given the need for transitioning to renewable energy,” said Richard Hagensen, from the Campbell River chapter of the Council of Canadians.

“Things are accelerating to the point where, unless we cut the carbon emissions and start looking very seriously at alternative sustainable energy sources we're going to be in deep trouble.”

He recited a number of recent extreme weather events as examples: BC’s heat dome last summer, the droughts, especially in California, the floods that happened in BC and elsewhere.

Hagensen believes Canada needs to:

wind down the fossil fuel industry,

end the estimated $4.8 billion of fossil fuel subsidies that is being paid out by the federal and provincial governments

reduce emissions by at least 60% over 2005 levels,

expanding the social safety net through new income supports

fund affordable public transit.

Paying for the transition by taxing the wealthiest people in corporations and financing through public bank

protecting and strengthening human rights

respect Indigenous rights and

include First Nations, their knowledge and sovereignty in the planning process for the Just Transition Act.

“Thus far, there has been pretty much silence from the liberal government in power when the issues have been brought up in parliament by various MPS across the country, including Rachel Blaney,” said Hagensen.

The rally in support of a ‘Just Transition’ Act will be held outside Blaney’s constituency office (427-10th Ave.) at 11:30 AM. of Rachel Blaney, North Island-Powell River MP.

“You are encouraged to join us! For more information, contact Council of Canadians, Campbell River Chapter [email protected]," said Hagensen.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The libraries in our area are preparing for a strike. Shortly after BC General Employees’ Union, which represents the librarians, issued a 72-hour strike notice, last Wednesday, the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) made a new offer to its librarians. This was rejected and the union responded with a counteroffer.

BCGEU President Stephanie Smith said, “Unless the employer comes back with a serious offer, pickets will be up at VIRL branches starting Wednesday, March 9.”

Her press release did not state how many, or which, branches will be involved, but indicated this would be the beginning of an ‘escalated job action.’ 

In a joint letter, the 46 librarians who voted in favour of job action stated “Our wages are not aligned with the cost of living in our communities, yet the VIRL budget indicates a surplus for BCGEU staff. Given VIRL’s recent decisions to build and renovate branches, and to hire multiple non-union management positions, we believe VIRL is able to invest in its librarians, by allocating some of that BCGEU surplus for reasonable wage increases.”

In a previous interview, Smith explained, “We're seeing 40 year highs in rates of inflation. And we just learned that the bank of Canada is going to be increasing interest rates and, and our members are falling behind when it comes to cost of living and MLA's have their wage increases tied through legislation to protect inflation and we believe that all working people should have the same.”

“Over the last two years, the pandemic has been very, very challenging for many working people. We represent thousands of BCG members who remained right on the front lines, providing vital services for communities and people sometimes don't react well to additional stresses. We've seen lots of incidences of people reacting very strongly to mask mandates, for example, or being asked to socially distance.”

The librarians wrote, “VIRL management has refused to agree to many important proposals – including solutions to workplace violence and mental health impacts – without offering alternative solutions.”

On Friday VIRL issued a press release stating, “It is regrettable that an agreement has not yet been achieved. VIRL remains focused on the mediation process. The latest VIRL proposal included two term options, each featuring compensation increases beyond those previously tabled, and an agreement would have included the numerous non-monetary provisions recently bargained.”

Taking notes - Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The tiskʷat Mill has been a cornerstone of Powell River’s prosperity for more than a century. While it no longer has a future producing newsprint, up until two weeks ago it seemed like the site was on the verge of being reborn as a hydrogen company. Then Paper Excellence refused Renewable Hydrogen Canada’s offer and listed their property with an International Real Estate firm.

Powell River mayor Dave Formosa said, “I was all over the news talking about Renewable Hydrogen Canada. So when Juergen Puetter (Chair/CEO of Renewable Hydrogen Canada) told me that he refreshed his offer, he went to refresh it, that his contact at Paper Excellence said, ‘we can't accept that, you got to give it to Colliers - I said, ‘I'm shocked.’ And he goes, ‘you're shocked.’ That was two weeks ago, but hey, it's still may happen.”

Mayor Dave Formosa - Photo courtesy city of Powell River

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Up until now, CityWest has been offering to install high speed internet to Cortes Island homes for free. They did not take some of the island’s long driveways into account. This has changed, CityWest says some people will need to pay extra.

As Regional Manager Dino Tsakonas explained, “We're talking thousands and thousands of dollars to get to one person sometimes. It's just not feasible, but if the customer can kick in a little bit and then amortize over two years, it definitely can work.”

While there is a grant for the Last Mile project, it only applies to the first 30 meters.

“We've got people with one kilometer driveways!” said Tsakonas.

Blue Jay Lake Farm’s driveway is three kilometres long, and the 6 to 8 homes there would like internet too.

Then there are the homes around Tiber Bay.

CityWest is still offering free installation for up to 100 metres. They will make that 250 metres, if customers want the last 150 metres on top of the ground.

“If you wanted it buried the whole way, there could be some costs for that too,” said Tsakonas.

However CityWest has agreed to amortize the cost over two years.

“If you have to amortize 500 bucks over two years, it's going to just make your life a lot easier anyway. I see it as a win-win, but it's a tough conversation to have when everyone thinks it's going to be free,” said Tsakonas..

He expects to be talking to a lot of Cortes homeowners over the next few weeks.

“If someone knows their driveway's already long, give me a call 250-202-6004.”

Meanwhile, crews are working in Squirrel Cove and Mansons Landing right now.

“We've got some more contractors coming to the island. So the drop is going to start happening a little quicker.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Picket lines could go up in front of Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) branches as early as 8 AM Thursday.

The BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) served the Vancouver Island Regional Library board with 72-hour strike notice on Monday.

This does not mean they are going on strike. The union has 90 days in which to exercise its right to go strike, which goes into effect on Thursday. If there is a strike, it could involve the closure of some or all VIRL branches. Other forms of potential job action include work slowdowns or rotating strikes.

In a press release, BCGEU president Stephanie Smith explained, “Librarians don’t want job action. What they want is a fair collective agreement that recognizes the value of their work to the communities they serve, protects their wages from sky-rocketing inflation, and gives them the safe, healthy workplaces they deserve.”

Smith told CHEK News, “MLAs have their salaries, legislatively tied to address inflation. We think workers deserve the same.”

In some communities, the only public washroom is in the library. They are also a warm, dry place, which has led to what the press release describes as, “safety issues including workplace violence and mental health impacts, and disrespectful working conditions.”

The 48 Librarians working in 39 branches on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, Cortes and Quadra Islands, Bella Coola and Haida Gwaii have not had a collective agreement with Vancouver Island Regional Library since December 2020.

According to a press release from the Vancouver Island Regional Library, negotiations have been ongoing since September 2021.

The BCGEU added that a mediator from the Labour Relations Board was brought in during January, but negotiations broke down in mid February.

quote the employer refused to provide cost-of-living wages and minimizing proposals to address workplace violence. unquote

Smith said all the Librarians have received from their employer is quote “unnecessary delays and proposals that can only be described as disrespectful. It's unacceptable." unquote

46 of the 48 librarians have voted in favour of job action.

CUPE Local 401, whose members work at more than half the librairies, issued a press release stating, quote “In the event of a work stoppage, it is our expectation that no CUPE member will cross a BCGEU picket line. This includes members working at home. If your regular place of work is being picketed, you should not be working.” unquote

CUPE members will be issued buttons saying, ‘I Support Librarians.’

Vancouver Island Regional Library’s 2022 operating budget is $31 million, 95% of which are fixed costs and 65% of those are wages and benefits. 

The Library wrote, “We regret that VIRL’s service delivery will be impacted, though precise impacts remain unclear at this time. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and commit to continuing constructive efforts towards bargaining resolution with our valued colleagues.”

Smith maintains it is time for the board of trustees, which governs the Vancouver Island Regional Library, to get involved. The board is made up of elected representatives from 28 municipalities and 10 regional districts, including the Strathcona Regional District.

She said, "Trustees are responsible for guiding library operations and that includes hiring the staff who are at the table with our members bargaining this contract. These trustees are also responsible to the people who elected them. It's high time they got involved to help prevent the withdrawal of library services.”

Image credit: Reaching for a book - Photo by Guzel Maksutova on Unsplash

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Cortes Island’s newest citizen science project, monitoring Dungeness crabs, was announced last Friday. Local Project leader Mike Moore, Helen Hall from the Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) and Kelly Fretwell from the Hakai Institute joined Manda Aufochs Gillespie on CKTZ’s Folk U Friday.

Moore explained that when he was diving around Hernando Island in the early 2000s, he saw hundreds mating in the sand flats at Stag Bay.

“I recently started diving down on Hernando island again, just in the last five or six years and was really shocked. I could dive all season and not see a single Dungeness crab,” he said.

Moore cited two possible causes for their population decline:

crab traps and the “tremendous amount of fishing gear” in the ocean.

Juvenile Dungeness crabs are finding in difficult to form a shell because of the acidification of the ocean waters in the Salish sea

FOCI and the Hakai Institute have partnered on a Dungeness Crab monitoring project. They will be putting be a light crab trap in Cortes Bay. Fretwell explained that traps are being deployed in an area stretching from Southwestern and Southeastern Vancouver island up to Quadra and Cortes Islands. All of the lights will be turned on during the evening of April 15th.

“It's just a very cool visual is having all these little lights popping up around the Salish sea at the same time,” she said.

Moore added, “These traps are about 35 centimetres in diameter. They go a meter deep and float at the surface, but they hang down into the water column. They have battery operated lights that aluminate the water column. Larva plankton creatures are attracted to the lights and they'll swim towards it. It's a live trap. They just get held there under the lights. Then every two days normally, the trap keeper will come and pull it up onto the dock. in hot weather, we have to pull this trap every day.”

This is FOCI’s most recent citizen scientist project on Cortes Island. Previous ones include monitoring water quality in Hague and Gunflint Lakes, recording bird populations and observing sea star populations.

The later was another joint project with Hakai.

Fretwell observed that there were 21 people involved when this project launched on Cortes Island a year and a half ago. Now there are 100 involved in the Discovery Islands and they have collected 490 observations of sea stars.

Hall said, “Anyone can do this. You don't have to be a scientist. Anyone can take part and learn a lot more about the species and the habitats around you. it's a way of engaging people in the environment in a fun and interesting way,” said Hall.

Moore said he would like to see kids involved in the Dungeness Crab Monitoring program.

“If you want to learn more about the light trap project, you can go to https://sentinels.hakai.org/approaches/light-traps. You can also go to https://hakai.org/inaturalist/ to learn more about iNaturalist and there are links there out to our various iNaturalist projects that we have going on.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - This is Roy Hales with Cortes Currents

BC Ferry traffic on both the Cortes and Campbell River ferries were almost back to pre-COVID levels in 2021.

2,700 more vehicles sailed from Campbell River than the previous year and there were almost 4,600 more from Cortes Island.

According to a recent BC ferries press release, there has been a 26% increase in vehicle traffic throughout the province.

It looked like 2019 was going to be a good year, until COVID 19 arrived in the Spring.

The number of cars boarding the ferry immediately dropped by 50%.

On March 20, 2019, Quadra Island Director Jim Abram issued a press release stating, quote “We all know now that isolation and limiting travel are key strategies in fighting this epidemic. Our community is asking anyone thinking of visiting Quadra, for discretionary reasons, reconsider and make plans to come at a safer time when we look forward to welcoming our visitors back.”unquote

As southern Quadra is closely tied into Campbell River, ferry traffic bounced back when the restrictions were lifted that summer.

The Cortes-Quadra Island run did not reach pre-pandemic levels until September.

That was almost 18 months ago.

Things are getting back to normal now.

Mark Collins, BC Ferries’ President and CEO, “This quarter’s numbers are encouraging given the pandemic’s ongoing impacts on travel and the uncertainty it added through the holiday season. While COVID-19 continues to present staffing and operational challenges I want to take this moment to recognize the continued commitment of our employees in delivering safe and efficient service to our customers.”

On Cortes Island, the numbers for November and December were better in 2021 than either 2020 or 2019.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U -