Cortes Currents

QXMC, the Klahoose management company, has received a grant to build a new restaurant at Gorge Harbour Marina. They also recently purchased a former manager's home for additional guest accommodations and are reporting the best season ever at the Klahoose Wilderness Resort

Gorge Harbour's old Floathouse Restaurant was torn down in early 2023 because of infrastructure issues. Now, thanks to a one-million-dollar grant from the BC Government’s Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP), a new restaurant will rise on the same site.

 "The view over Gorge Harbor is spectacular. We're really excited because it's a really key piece of the marina and Cortes Island that was missing the last few years," explained Christ Tait, QXMC's tourism Manager. "As far as the menu, it'll probably be a little bit more elevated. Of course we're going to have burgers, steaks and traditional restaurant food. That's standard, but seafood is something we want to elevate using some of that seafood from the Klahoose themselves and other partners: mussels, clams, scallops, salmon, and that sort of thing. Whatever we can source locally."

The new restaurant will have 10 to 12 tables and be able to serve about 60 guests. There is also a covered upper deck and an open lower deck. This will give them more flexibility when it rains and allow QXMC to extend their season during the spring and fall.

Takeout will also continue to be a key service for guests, boaters and Cortes Island residents.

The new restaurant will probably employ 5 to 6 staff. While some of these will be experienced personnel, there will be training opportunities for anyone who wants to work in the food and beverage sector.

QXMC is in the final phases of the restaurant's architectural set and expects to break ground around May. Construction will continue as unobtrusively as possible throughout the summer, but the restaurant won't be ready until 2027. The Klahoose food truck will be serving guests for the 2026 season.  

"We're hiring right now for that," Tait added. "I don't have the menu, but expect it to be burgers and that sort of thing. It'll probably be breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

Guests can also purchase food in the store and some of the accommodations have little kitchen areas.

Tait gave an overview of some of Gorge Harbour Marina's recent renovations. Glamping domes were added in 2024; The RV sites now have power.

"Of course we'll still have summer music; we'll still do morning yoga for guests; the massage studio will be open again this year; We'll still have family movie night. We're going to be adding a few new things this year too. There's a dance class happening. I just got an email about some new things, we'll put those on the calendar at Gorge Harbour for people to see."

QXMC has also purchased the adjoining house where former manager Bill Dougan and Tammy Allwork once lived.

"That will be part of Gorge Harbour's accommodation for the 2026 season. It's a two bedroom house with a full kitchen, a big deck with a barbecue outside, another lower deck. What's really unique about it is a private dock, so you'll be able to moor your boat there."

Business is better than ever at QXMC's other tourist venues as well.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Mark Winters will be performing in the Heriot Bay Inn at 3:00 PM on Sunday, April 26th.

The Texan based singer/songwriter recently told Cortes Currents,  "I picked up music a little later than most, in my adult life after I got a degree in aerospace engineering, of all things. Music has always moved me as a listener, and I wanted to do something musical. In 2011, I picked up a guitar to play a song for my wife for our anniversary. It was the most joyful experience I've ever had in my life, and I became obsessed with the feeling of connection you get when you perform live for others.

"I've learned a lot about how you build a tour. Last year I did a spring and a fall tour, and both of them had Canadian legs. So I played a show in Vancouver, and that part of the country is phenomenally beautiful. I took a run along the little bay that wraps around up to the Children's Museum up there, and I felt like I was running in paradise. Then I heard about the island and the live music scene there—the Heriot Bay Inn has such a great vibe. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk to the booking people there to play a show, maybe write a few songs while I'm there enjoying the Bay."

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Construction on the BC Ferries Heriot Bay–Whaletown route will soon be coming to an end, and we will probably have a brand-new-to-us hybrid electric ferry this summer.

Sheila Reynolds, Senior Communications Advisor with BC Ferries, explained: “Construction at the terminals actually began last spring to replace both berths at Heriot Bay and Whaletown, which were both nearing the end of their service lives and needed replacing.”

“While the majority of that work over the past year didn’t disrupt ferry service, the project did require that both terminals be closed for three weeks in February. Since March 2, both of the terminals have been replaced and are safely open to customers, with regular service between Quadra and Cortes operating as usual. During the closures, people would have noticed that there was water taxi service, shuttle, bus service, and barge service for essential goods and services.”

“We’re well aware that these disruptions and construction in the community can be unnerving or cause some anxieties for people, but your communities were very collaborative. It went remarkably smoothly, actually. There weren’t any significant hiccups. Passengers seemed to get back and forth as needed. They did have a lot of lead times where people were pretty well prepared and aware, but the smoothness was largely due to the Quadra and Cortes communities, who are not only patient, but extremely collaborative throughout the planning, construction and during those temporary service changes. It was clear people understood and appreciated that this short-term disruption was going to result in long-term improvement.”

Cortes Currents: How did they help out?

Sheila Reynolds: “We are collaborating with all sorts of partners—residents, Indigenous partners, contractors, regional stakeholders. There were lots of conversations about how the closure period could be shortened, because originally it was going to be a longer closure period and potentially more disruptive.

“With the upgrades, the load limit is now increased to the highway-legal limit of 63,500 kilograms. That’s actually double the capacity of the old berths. Both berths also have hydraulic lifts, so they won’t be subject to tidal restrictions that the route used to experience with very low tides. The ramps are much wider, so trucks will be able to maneuver at Whaletown much more easily. For foot passengers, it’s a wider pathway, so people with bikes and luggage or other things will find it easier to navigate on and off of the vessels. And most importantly, the berths are designed to accommodate the arrival of the 'new-to-you' larger Island Nagalis.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Cortes Community Docks Cortes Community Docks has had a very busy winter. The projects in Whaletown and Squirrel Cove are nearing completion, and a new one is about to begin in Cortes Bay. Cortes Community Docks has a new website, and all the railings on its docks have been painted blue as a visible reminder that they are not a government organization.

"We never have been. These docks are here for the community, they're utilized by the community and they're supported by the community," explained Harbor Manager Jenny Hartwick.

Narrator: That was also the rationale behind their recent name change.

Jenny Hartwick: "We wanted to choose a name that really reflected the direction we want the organization to go and why those docks exist."

"Our biggest news is that the rebuild of the Whaletown dock is almost complete. Cortes Community Docks was extremely lucky. We got a $560,000 ReadUP grant to rebuild the Whaletown dock. There's been a lot of construction in Whaletown Bay recently, and the Ferry Construction has kind of overshadowed what we've had going on at the dock, but we've had a contractor there since about September of last year. There's been an extensive rebuild done, and the facility looks phenomenal."

"The Whaletown dock is owned outright by us. So to obtain a contractor we solicited bids from several local Vancouver Island contractors, based on recommendations from engineers. We are extremely thrilled to have Rob Clarke of Coastal Marine Maintenance doing the work for us at Whaletown. Rob incidentally is also doing some Small Craft Harbours work on the other docks, but we didn't have a role to play in awarding those contracts."

"Rob was the maintenance manager at the Comox Harbor Authority for well over a decade before he opened his own company doing dock maintenance and repair. He's now a familiar face up and down the entire coast at Harbor Authorities doing maintenance work. Rob incidentally also was the president of the Harbor Authority Association of BC, which is our umbrella organization for all of the harbor authorities on the coast."

Rob Clarke, of Coastal Maintenance and Repairs, explained, "The Whaletown rebuild project went really well. We rebuilt 11 footings and nine separate pilings, reconstructed the top side and shortened the whole facility up a little bit."

Jenny Hartwick: "The majority of the construction material for a marine structure is a very specialized type of material, which is treated with ACZA, which is not a standard pressure-treated material, and there's actually only one plant in Western Canada that manufactures it. So a large portion of our material was actually specially ordered, but outside of that, wherever possible, Rob made an effort to get everything he could locally. So the cedar decking for the railings, the upright posts, everything on the Whaletown dock that he could was specially ordered, milled through Klahoose at their sawmill."

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Microgrants 4 Neighbours program is out, and there are some changes this year.

Jemma Hicken explained, "Our Microgrants 4 Neighbours is a super cool little grassroots granting program. It operates with the philosophy that our community knows what it needs, and that low-barrier granting really gives individuals a chance to get small chunks of money and make things that they're enthusiastic about happen in our community."

"It developed out of Cortes Island Literacy's Seed Grant program in partnership with Folk U, but now Microgrants is run by the Cortes Island Community Foundation, in partnership with the Neighborhood Small Grants Island Network, which is a really cool program as well. It basically operates the same microgrants-for-neighbors program under the NSG Neighborhood name. Small grants exist in many other communities around BC, so it's happening all over the province, but maybe Cortes did it first."

Cortes Currents: I understand that you've increased the potential amount of funding available for projects.

Jemma Hicken: "Yes, we've increased our maximum to $1,000 this year. So you can apply for grants from $50 up to $1,000. The only consideration is that the Cortes Foundation has to issue you a T4A if you receive more money than $500. So that's something to consider when you're thinking about how much you'd like to apply for your project."

Cortes Currents: Do you have to be a social-profit organization to apply?

Jemma Hicken: "No, definitely not. In fact, this is actually the first year that we're opening it up to social-profit organizations to apply for microgrants. So organizations can apply this year, but individuals definitely can apply, and individuals have been the priority and focus of Microgrants 4 Neighbours all along."

Cortes Currents: How much funding do you have available for Microgrants 4 Neighbours?

Jemma Hicken: "That's a good question, and I can't answer it yet because we're still sorting it out, but we'll have upwards of $7,000 for sure, and it might be a little more than that."

Cortes Currents: Can there be projects that are in the planning process, like this is what they want to do if they get the funding?

Jemma Hicken: "Absolutely. You can apply for a project that is in process and that is dependent on the funding."

Cortes Currents: Can you give me some examples of past projects?

Jemma Hicken: "Past projects include the Cortes Skate Jam, which has received funding a couple of years in a row; the youth dance classes; the Death Care Collective, before they became an organization, received funding to do bereavement packages for the community. There have been cooking workshops, funding the picnic table at the Seniors Village; a youth kayaking trip. There's been sound gear for community events, tech support, drop-ins. There are endless possibilities."

Cortes Currents: What happens if your project cannot be completed for some reason?

Jemma Hicken: "We would love for your projects to be completed within the year, but if you need an extension, don't hesitate to ask. We really just want to support projects as they happen. I'm more than happy to lean in and help you finish your project. That being said, I'm also super happy to help anybody who needs it with their application."

"If you need support, feel free to email me. My email is [email protected]."

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Between the opposition MPs who crossed the floor and three by-elections coming up on April 13, Mark Carney's Liberal government is on the threshold of forming a majority government.

Jessica Wegg, the Green Party candidate during the last two elections, observed, “We're two votes away from the Liberals having a majority. I don't know that it matters that much to Carney. His policies skew so far toward what Conservatives would want anyway, he is getting lots and lots of support. I think it would be risky for him to call a general election because it's not necessary. As he gets closer and closer to having a majority without a general election, it would be harder and harder to sell to Canadians that it would be necessary to call everybody to the polls again, spend all this money again on a general election when he's doing everything he wants and just ramming through bills without even having a majority.”

Narrator: In another one of his social media posts, Aaron Gunn declared, "Mark Carney is currently attempting what is maybe the least democratic thing in Canadian history, cobbling together an illegitimate majority he didn't earn through backroom deals and who knows what else."

Only this is not the first time MPs have crossed the floor. Most Canadian Prime Ministers have had opposition MP's join their party. The current record is held by John A MacDonald's Conservative government, which saw 9 MPs  join them. They are closely followed by Jean Chrétien's Liberals, who gained 8. 

Stephen Harper, whose Conservative government benefited from 3 such crossings, once said,  "Members of Parliament should have that freedom and be accountable to their constituents for their decisions at the next election. But I will say this, Mr. Speaker: in my observation, the only parties that really had this as an obsession are the parties that no one ever crosses to."

Cortes Currents: In addition to the floor crossings, there will be three by-elections on Sunday, April 13, 2026. 

Jennifer Lash explained, “We've had two Liberal ministers step down as they've taken on different positions, so by-elections are required. Then in Terrebonne, Quebec, the Liberals had won by one vote and that had to go to a by-election. Of those three by-elections, two of them are Liberal strongholds and it's pretty much assumed that they will go Liberal again. The Quebec by-election is really up for grabs. I've listened to people saying the Bloc are going to put everything they can into it and win. I've also heard that the polling shows the Liberals are going to win. So who knows? If the Liberals win those two Liberal strongholds (University–Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest) that they have in Ontario, that will bring us to 172 seats, which gets us to a one-seat majority. If we win in Terrebonne as well, that will get us to 173 seats, which means a slightly stronger majority.”

“I’ve never seen a situation like this in Ottawa before, but it’s fascinating for political nerds like myself who love counting seats.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents -Michael Manson started clearing the land for what is now Linnaea Farm in 1887. The Hansen family lived there during the early 1900s, and in 1998, the farm became a charitable land trust. In this morning's interview, Adam Schick and his daughter, Nola McPhail, talk about their experiences and the next generation of Linnaea Farm.

Adam Schick: "One of the biggest challenges of the last few years is having people live here long term. Farming offers more of a lifestyle opportunity, but as our population ages, often the only thing left you have is to sell your property to ensure you can retire successfully. That’s a real problem. Because this farm is a trust, we don’t get to sell the property. We simply have the honor of looking after it. While I feel it is an honor, more and more, it seems that people see it as a burden; they want a job, or something that's paying you money."

"We are at a place on Cortes where, to get anyone to even answer the phone, it costs $25 an hour. In the summertime, there are groups of landscapers making $40 or more. It is pretty hard to entice those people to come to the farm to work unless they have a personal interest in these things. To me, this represents a breakdown in our society where we’ve decided to value people’s time only in this way. Personally, I never really got into this for the money. The things that don't show up on a spreadsheet are the things that truly make a community a good place to live."

"The lifestyle aspect is harder to entice people with. Farming is sometimes very difficult, and community living can be equally challenging. We try to do both of those things here together. We can get people to stay for a year or two, but then when we ask them to commit further, they realize that committing more means taking on more responsibility without a pay raise. It is simply the responsibility of looking after the property. Maybe we should ask the young person in the room why she is here."

Nola McPhail: "I’m Nola, the daughter of Tamara and Adam. I’ve grown up on the farm my whole life, but I left the island after high school and only returned last November. I’ve been back for a bit over a year now, full-time, which has been really nice. As my dad is saying, it’s common in many places that the younger generation isn't returning to do this type of work. There are many other things happening in the world, so this is becoming a bit of a lost art. A lot of our work this year is focused on changing our methods and thinking about how we can better include the community—starting more activities and inviting more people here so we can find more interest and build more capacity."

Adam Schick: "Nola is going to take on the role of interim manager. It’s one thing to have people here, but you need to figure out exactly what they are going to do on the farm, and Nola has stepped up to take on that role. When it comes to the interns, Tamara and I will still be guiding them through the actual work."

"Someone has to ask the human questions like, 'How are you doing? How is the house? How is your time?' Nola is a great communicator. Many of the interns are young, and because Nola is also of that generation, there is a natural relatability. She has a great work ethic and a real keenness for this work, so it seemed like a natural fit."

"We are currently in the Ed Centre. I’m sitting at the table where we have our weekly farm team meetings. We talk about everything from the minutia—like needing a chain to fix a leaking toilet—to the bigger picture, such as talking to other organizations about how they manage their interns and business. We discuss how to host Lovefest, large community events, workshops, and literary afternoons with the seniors."

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - BC Hydro is replacing the switches on pole-mounted transformers set up beside private residences and buildings on Cortes Island.  

They subcontracted this work to Allteck, an electric ransmission & distribution services company with a branch office in Nanaimo. A three-person crew arrived in Squirrel Cove on Tuesday, March 10. Two of them either use a bucket truck or climb the pole, while the third supports them from the ground. Once set up, the whole procedure typically takes about 15 minutes per transformer.

There are close to 900 houses and unknown number of other buildings on Cortes Island. Most are tied directly in to the grid. Only about 100 structures have lines coming to a pole set up beside them.

The crew will be staying at Gorge Harbour Marina over the coming days and hope to finish all the poles on Cortes by Saturday.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The BC's Seniors Advocate is calling upon the province to address a critical shortfall in long term care beds. There were 7,212 people on the waiting list during 2025 and the average wait time was 290 days. The number of seniors is increasing and the need for long term beds is expected to grow 49% by 2035. "We are in trouble," warns Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Health Critic for the Conservative Party, "This is why I am pushing for 'aging in place.'

While Kindy maintains that the Campbell River Hospital should receive its long-promised long-term care wing, the project was one of seven hospital expansions deferred this year. Given the current state of BC’s finances, she does not expect construction to begin soon.

"We desperately need long-term care beds in Campbell River," Kindy stated. "Wait times can reach up to four years. Furthermore, 'alternative level of care' patients—those waiting in hospital beds for long-term care placements—often remain there for weeks or months. My husband was part of the transition team discussing a new facility as far back as 2017. It was in last year’s budget but vanished this year. We need to know: is it canceled or simply delayed?"

The provincial government claims the $1.8 million per bed cost to build the Campbell River wing and six similar projects is too much

Kindy responded, "We have to remember that the Eby government inherited a surplus and now we are at a $13 billion deficit. So if you're looking at the cost, so I just pulled out some numbers for you. The Campbell River Long-Term Care project was 153 beds. The total cost of the build was $134 million that would mean each bed would be $875,000. When they're talking about $1.8 million, they're not talking about Campbell River ... It could be an average of the seven projects."

She added, "Approximately 12.5% of residents currently in long-term care could have remained home with proper support. The cost of home support averages $15,000 a year, compared to $100,000 for a long-term care bed. It is fiscally responsible to keep people home, yet we only spend 18% of our long-term care budget on home support. In Denmark, that figure is 50%."

Kindy argues that current support is "completely inadequate." She advocates for expanding home support hours and removing financial barriers. "We need flexibility. Sometimes support means someone to take the garbage out. We also need to support the 80% of caregivers who are family members by expanding respite care and adult day programs. If you are working, you shouldn't have to leave a senior unsupported all day."

To advance this, Kindy is calling for better education and data transparency regarding waitlists. "We cannot put seniors last. Spending a year in a hospital bed waiting for a placement is unacceptable. Last month, our hospital hit a record 161 patients in a facility built for 95. These issues are linked; the debt interest alone—nearly $6 billion—could have funded the infrastructure we desperately need. We must prioritize our seniors now."

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On February 27, 2026, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Regional Director, Mark Vonesch, for a live check-in about priorities, current issues, and other updates for Cortes residents. Phone-in and mail-in questions were welcomed.

Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 3 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts.