Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - More than 800 adult Cortes Island residents were vaccinated during the Whole island immunization March 25th to 27th, and the previous clinics at the Klahoose village, but some people still missed out. If you are one of them, there is still a chance to get vaccinated.

Call Public Health to book an appointment on April 28th with Cortes Island’s health nurse. Limited number of spots available. 250-850-2110

Or call 1-833-838-2323 to book an appointment with Quadra Island’s immunization clinic May 3rd to 7th.

Vaccination update for Quadra residents

Adrienne Breen, Patient & Public Engagement Advisor at Island Health, emailed that some Quadra Island residents have mistakenly been booked into Campbell River

“I understand that initially, some Quadra Island residents experienced .challenges with the provincial booking system. If you or someone you know encounters this challenge, telling the booking agent that you are within the Island Health Authority and are eligible to book at the clinic in the Quadra Community Centre will help them clarify and get you booked in,” she wrote.

Photo credit: COVID 19 by Ricardo Huñis via Flickr (Public Domain)

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Cortes Island Museum ZOOM AGM is this Sunday, April 25th, at 1:30 PM.

As managing Director Jane Newman explained, “The only other I would love to tell people is that we have an AGM coming up. We have a really fascinating speaker, Gordon Cyr of Mason Bee Central, who lives over in Back Creek and he is a North American champion of Mason Bees. He is really, really engaged. His family has a business building bee houses and educating people about mason bees and their importance as a pollinator.”

On Cyr’s website, Bee Canadian.ca it says “Most home orchards and gardens can be well pollinated with as little as 50 Orchard mason bees. Each female can visit up to 2,000 blossoms a day. One acre of a commercial apple orchard can be pollinated with approximately 250 female Orchard mason bees.”

A description of the Cyr family business is given under the About us tab,

“Our staff is 1 husband , 1 wife, 2 kids,1 cat and a group of volunteers. We have been raising Mason bees for about 20 years; it has been a huge learning process.”

For the first several years we enjoyed successes and suffered through failures, learning from both. We started supplying friends, family and neighbours and the growing interest in Mason bees inspired the creation of a website. We have been selling Mason bees and Mason bee homes online since 2007, currently available at masonbeecentral.com.”

“In 2019 our rental program filled the pollination needs of over 600 homeowners and 3 commercial orchards in the Campbell River, Courtney area and produced 180,000 Mason bees. Our ever-increasing amount of Mason bees allows us to expand our service to the South Island.”

“Our rental program now services Vancouver Islanders from Campbell River to Victoria.”

“In 2015 we won NEDC’s “Best Environmental and Sustainable Business of the Year Award” and in 2018 Honorable Mention in NAPPC “Pollinator Advocate Award Canada” category.”

Mason Bee Central offers mason bee kits for rent, starting at $20/year, to help gardeners increase their crop yields.

You do not have to be a member to attend the AGM, but you would not be permitted to vote unless you are a member.

“Having said that, it is very easy to become a member of the museum and we are really encouraging anybody that may have been a member in the past three or four years has been a member, but for some reason has not visited or felt like this was something they would follow through with. We are looking to rebuild our membership and bring it back to what it was in 2019. As we did lose members through the pandemic year,” said Newman.

She added, “There are so many ways you can become a member, just by volunteering time, by volunteering money, and if you have done any of those things prior to the AGM you can vote on the things that need to be decided.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Cortes Island Museum ZOOM AGM is this Sunday, April 25th, at 1:30 PM.

As managing Director Jane Newman explained, “The only other I would love to tell people is that we have an AGM coming up. We have a really fascinating speaker, Gordon Cyr of Mason Bee Central, who lives over in Back Creek and he is a North American champion of Mason Bees. He is really, really engaged. His family has a business building bee houses and educating people about mason bees and their importance as a pollinator.”

On Cyr’s website, Bee Canadian.ca it says “Most home orchards and gardens can be well pollinated with as little as 50 Orchard mason bees. Each female can visit up to 2,000 blossoms a day. One acre of a commercial apple orchard can be pollinated with approximately 250 female Orchard mason bees.”

A description of the Cyr family business is given under the About us tab,

“Our staff is 1 husband , 1 wife, 2 kids,1 cat and a group of volunteers. We have been raising Mason bees for about 20 years; it has been a huge learning process.”

For the first several years we enjoyed successes and suffered through failures, learning from both. We started supplying friends, family and neighbours and the growing interest in Mason bees inspired the creation of a website. We have been selling Mason bees and Mason bee homes online since 2007, currently available at masonbeecentral.com.”

“In 2019 our rental program filled the pollination needs of over 600 homeowners and 3 commercial orchards in the Campbell River, Courtney area and produced 180,000 Mason bees. Our ever-increasing amount of Mason bees allows us to expand our service to the South Island.”

“Our rental program now services Vancouver Islanders from Campbell River to Victoria.”

“In 2015 we won NEDC’s “Best Environmental and Sustainable Business of the Year Award” and in 2018 Honorable Mention in NAPPC “Pollinator Advocate Award Canada” category.”

Mason Bee Central offers mason bee kits for rent, starting at $20/year, to help gardeners increase their crop yields.

You do not have to be a member to attend the AGM, but you would not be permitted to vote unless you are a member.

“Having said that, it is very easy to become a member of the museum and we are really encouraging anybody that may have been a member in the past three or four years has been a member, but for some reason has not visited or felt like this was something they would follow through with. We are looking to rebuild our membership and bring it back to what it was in 2019. As we did lose members through the pandemic year,” said Newman.

She added, “There are so many ways you can become a member, just by volunteering time, by volunteering money, and if you have done any of those things prior to the AGM you can vote on the things that need to be decided.”

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - If everything goes according to plan, every community within the Strathcona Regional District will soon have emergency supplies at hand in case of an earthquake.

The topic came up within a larger conversation, in which SRD Protective Services Coordinator Shaun Koopman described the emergency preparation grants the District is applying for.

I asked him, “Are you doing anything for earthquakes?”

“Not with any of the grans specifically. Unfortunately aside from the Union of BC Municipalities grants to help with communications, there is not a lot of funding for earthquake and seismic notation mapping. That is what it is. I do sit on the province’s Seismic Safety Council and I’ve advocated for that for a number of years,” said Koopman.

He added, “Through the Emergency Support services grant, we have been staging Seacans with a mixture of group lodging an post earthquake supplies in all of our rural communities. If all the dominos fall according to plan, this year every major area in the SRD, including Cortes Island, will have a Seacan in their area. Now it is not stocked with enough food, water and shelter for the whole island for two weeks, It is a bare bones start, but at least it is something.”

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - If everything goes according to plan, every community within the Strathcona Regional District will soon have emergency supplies at hand in case of an earthquake.

The topic came up within a larger conversation, in which SRD Protective Services Coordinator Shaun Koopman described the emergency preparation grants the District is applying for.

I asked him, “Are you doing anything for earthquakes?”

“Not with any of the grans specifically. Unfortunately aside from the Union of BC Municipalities grants to help with communications, there is not a lot of funding for earthquake and seismic notation mapping. That is what it is. I do sit on the province’s Seismic Safety Council and I’ve advocated for that for a number of years,” said Koopman.

He added, “Through the Emergency Support services grant, we have been staging Seacans with a mixture of group lodging an post earthquake supplies in all of our rural communities. If all the dominos fall according to plan, this year every major area in the SRD, including Cortes Island, will have a Seacan in their area. Now it is not stocked with enough food, water and shelter for the whole island for two weeks, It is a bare bones start, but at least it is something.”

Max Thaysen/ Cortes Currents - At the end of March, Tamias was riding its bike when it was nearly struck by a pickup truck.

It was Tamias’ first time heading to the Freestore since it reopened this year – it was going to get new shoes for its child, Dera.

Tamias had the child-trailer in tow behind its bike, but fortunately not Dera. The trailer was just for cargo this time – usually if it has the trailer in tow, it has a child on board.

On its way home, Tamias was rounding the horse field, heading to Manson’s, when it noticed a pick-up approaching from behind.

Max Thaysen/ Cortes Currents - At the end of March, Tamias was riding its bike when it was nearly struck by a pickup truck.

It was Tamias’ first time heading to the Freestore since it reopened this year – it was going to get new shoes for its child, Dera.

Tamias had the child-trailer in tow behind its bike, but fortunately not Dera. The trailer was just for cargo this time – usually if it has the trailer in tow, it has a child on board.

On its way home, Tamias was rounding the horse field, heading to Manson’s, when it noticed a pick-up approaching from behind.

Max Thaysen/ Cortes Currents - At the end of March, Tamias was riding its bike when it was nearly struck by a pickup truck.

It was Tamias’ first time heading to the Freestore since it reopened this year – it was going to get new shoes for its child, Dera.

Tamias had the child-trailer in tow behind its bike, but fortunately not Dera. The trailer was just for cargo this time – usually if it has the trailer in tow, it has a child on board.

Cyclist nearly struck by pick-up

On its way home, Tamias was rounding the horse field, heading to Manson’s, when it noticed a pick-up approaching from behind. Tamias remembers thinking that from its position, it would be able to make it

up to the motel, a safe spot to pass, before the vehicle overtook it.

The truck caught up faster than expected and was right behind Tamias as it rounded the last corner before the last hill to the motel. From the corner, it could see a smaller white car coming in the oncoming lane.

Then, the pickup began to pass on the left, on this blind corner, on a collision course with the car.

Tamias’ memory is blurry from this point, but it seems that both vehicles were able to come to a stop before impact. Tamias had thought for sure that the pickup would have to swerve into it’s lane to prevent

a big crash, but calamity was avoided. Tamias was super scared.

By the time Tamias recovered from the shock and terror – the vehicles had left the scene.

Tamias didn’t feel fit to ride any further, given the emotional upset.

It sat in the field across from the motel and cried for about 1/2 an hour. Ten cars passed without checking in with Tamias. Eventually Sonya Friessen passed by, and realized that something was wrong

and came to check on Tamias.

Max Thaysen/ Cortes Currents - At the end of March, Tamias was riding its bike when it was nearly struck by a pickup truck.

It was Tamias’ first time heading to the Freestore since it reopened this year – it was going to get new shoes for its child, Dera.

Tamias had the child-trailer in tow behind its bike, but fortunately not Dera. The trailer was just for cargo this time – usually if it has the trailer in tow, it has a child on board.

Cyclist nearly struck by pick-up

On its way home, Tamias was rounding the horse field, heading to Manson’s, when it noticed a pick-up approaching from behind. Tamias remembers thinking that from its position, it would be able to make it

up to the motel, a safe spot to pass, before the vehicle overtook it.

The truck caught up faster than expected and was right behind Tamias as it rounded the last corner before the last hill to the motel. From the corner, it could see a smaller white car coming in the oncoming lane.

Then, the pickup began to pass on the left, on this blind corner, on a collision course with the car.

Tamias’ memory is blurry from this point, but it seems that both vehicles were able to come to a stop before impact. Tamias had thought for sure that the pickup would have to swerve into it’s lane to prevent

a big crash, but calamity was avoided. Tamias was super scared.

By the time Tamias recovered from the shock and terror – the vehicles had left the scene.

Tamias didn’t feel fit to ride any further, given the emotional upset.

It sat in the field across from the motel and cried for about 1/2 an hour. Ten cars passed without checking in with Tamias. Eventually Sonya Friessen passed by, and realized that something was wrong

and came to check on Tamias.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The number of active COVID cases is rising in North Vancouver Island and two Campbell River schools are now listed on Island Health exposure list..

As of yesterday, Friday April 16th, Island Health stated there are 40 active cases in North Vancouver Island. A week ago there were 32.

While it is not yet known where these cases are, the only North Vancouver Island schools on Island Health’s school exposure page are in Campbell River

A member of Ecole Middle School tested positive and on April 13th the school sent out a potential exposure notice.

A member of the Willow Point elementary community also tested positive and a potential exposure notice was posted for April 7,8,9, 12 and 13.

However the numbers for Southern and Central Vancouver Island have declined, so that while there were 504 active COVID 19 cases throughout Island Health a week ago, there are now 446.

To put this in context, a recent estimate states there are more than 870,000 people living on Vancouver Island and almost half of them are in Victoria. There are only 44,000 people throughout the entire Strathcona Regional District.