Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - While the number of active COVID cases in British Columbia has reached heights not seen since the beginning of this year, they continue to fall in North Vancouver Island.

At the On March 1st, there were 71 active cases. Yesterday, Island Health reported 17.

However the epi-Week report for the week ending on Saturday March 20th still shows 18 cases in the Greater Campbell River Health Area.

There are two specific reports.

On March 12th, the Quadra Island Medical Clinic posted a notice that “Today Public Health have informed us of positive cases of Covid-19 on Quadra Island.”*

On March 18th, Penfield elementary in Campbell River alerted parents that “a member of the school community has tested positive for COVID 19. . They are isolating and are being followed by Island Health. Dates of potential exposure in the school community occurred: March 15, 2021.”

>>> Vaccinations on Quadra, Read and Cortes Islands

Vaccinations for  Indigenous Quadra Island residents aged 65+ and non-Indigenous people aged 80+, started Monday.

The entire adult population of Read Island is eligible to receive vaccinations on March 31.

The whole island vaccination on Cortes Island start this morning, at Gorge Hall, and will continue until Saturday.

>>> Answers about vaccines

In light of recent media attention, the Cortes Medical Clinic posted some answers about COVID vaccines on the Tideline. Here are some highlights:

“Health Canada has determined that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine meets the stringent, safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada.”

“Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are similar in their effectiveness in preventing COVID-19.”

“Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccine products require two does for the series. You will be contacted by a public health professional to schedule your second dose.”

In the letter it says this will take place after 35-42 days, but this has been amended to 4 months.

The review for AstraZeneca is not yet complete.

There is much more, including an explanation of how the vaccines work, in the letter.

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - Campbell River Mayor Andy Adams released his affidavit supporting Grieg Seafood, MOWI Canada West and Cermaq Canada in their attempt to get an injunction to stop fish farms from being phased out of the Discovery Islands by June 2022.

The virtual Supreme Court of British Columbia hearing starts today.

In his affidavit, Adams pointed out that aquaculture has become the city’s largest economic driver and its loss would have a significant impact on the local economy.

That said, none of the big aquaculture companies made it to the city’s 2019 list of top ten municipal taxpayers.

It has been repeatedly said that closure of the Discovery Island fish farms could result in a loss of 1,500 direct and indirect jobs.

In their February 2021 report on the consequences of shutting down the Discovery Island fish farms, the BC Salmon Farmers Association mentions at least 690 direct salmon farming jobs across the entire

production cycle — broodstock farms, hatcheries, smolt farms, ocean farms, and primary processing.

estimated employee losses from Consequences of the decision to shut down salmon farming in the Discovery Islands

Estimated employee losses from Consequences of the decision to shut down salmon farming in the Discovery Islands, RAIS in, Feb 2021

The most easily identifiable component is the 222 people who actually work on the fish farms, 92 of whom appear to live in Campbell River, Sayward and the Discovery Islands.

Mayor Andy Adams – courtesy the city of Campbell River 2019 Annual Report

Spin off benefits of the fish farms

In his affidavit, Mayor Adams listed some of the businesses that have grown up to support the aquaculture companies: “net-washing businesses, warehouses, labourers, trucking companies, maintenance and repair companies, tire and servicing companies, welders, plumbers, diving companies, painting and building contractors, taxi and shuttle services that get workers from point A to B, tech and innovation companies.”

“ … The aquaculture industry created an environment where people could grow up here in Campbell River and look for training and jobs in the industry instead of moving away.”

This, of course, meant more people buying groceries, eating restaurants and paying their property taxes in Campbell River.

The mayor added that the aquaculture sector was an integral component of Campbell River’s social fabric, “I have seen Mowi and the other aquaculture companies donate huge amounts of farmed salmon to golf events; they have supported the City’s Canada Day celebrations; and I have seen them host barbecue trailers with money going to charitable causes.”

As regards the decision to phase out fish farms, Adams wrote, “… I had always understood that the decision to transition fish-farming in the Discovery Islands would be science-based. But the latest report issued by the DFO in 2020, entitled “Discovery Islands: 2011-2019/2020 Compliance and Performance, Marine Finfish”, stated that the ‘farms in the Discovery Islands are generally very well performing across almost every metric’ and that salmon farms posed minimal risk to wild salmon.”

“… The problem with the Minister’s Decision was not inadequate consultation, there was no consultation.”

The day before the decision was announced, Adams and several other North Island Mayors had a teleconference with the Parliamentary Secretary for the Fisheries Minister to discuss a plan to transition fish-farming net pens by 2025.

He wrote they were not given a hint of what was coming

Photo credit: Sockeye salmon fry by National Park Service K.Martin via Flickr (Public Domain)

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - Campbell River Mayor Andy Adams released his affidavit supporting Grieg Seafood, MOWI Canada West and Cermaq Canada in their attempt to get an injunction to stop fish farms from being phased out of the Discovery Islands by June 2022.

The virtual Supreme Court of British Columbia hearing starts today.

In his affidavit, Adams pointed out that aquaculture has become the city’s largest economic driver and its loss would have a significant impact on the local economy.

That said, none of the big aquaculture companies made it to the city’s 2019 list of top ten municipal taxpayers.

It has been repeatedly said that closure of the Discovery Island fish farms could result in a loss of 1,500 direct and indirect jobs.

In their February 2021 report on the consequences of shutting down the Discovery Island fish farms, the BC Salmon Farmers Association mentions at least 690 direct salmon farming jobs across the entire

production cycle — broodstock farms, hatcheries, smolt farms, ocean farms, and primary processing.

estimated employee losses from Consequences of the decision to shut down salmon farming in the Discovery Islands

Estimated employee losses from Consequences of the decision to shut down salmon farming in the Discovery Islands, RAIS in, Feb 2021

The most easily identifiable component is the 222 people who actually work on the fish farms, 92 of whom appear to live in Campbell River, Sayward and the Discovery Islands.

Mayor Andy Adams – courtesy the city of Campbell River 2019 Annual Report

Spin off benefits of the fish farms

In his affidavit, Mayor Adams listed some of the businesses that have grown up to support the aquaculture companies: “net-washing businesses, warehouses, labourers, trucking companies, maintenance and repair companies, tire and servicing companies, welders, plumbers, diving companies, painting and building contractors, taxi and shuttle services that get workers from point A to B, tech and innovation companies.”

“ … The aquaculture industry created an environment where people could grow up here in Campbell River and look for training and jobs in the industry instead of moving away.”

This, of course, meant more people buying groceries, eating restaurants and paying their property taxes in Campbell River.

The mayor added that the aquaculture sector was an integral component of Campbell River’s social fabric, “I have seen Mowi and the other aquaculture companies donate huge amounts of farmed salmon to golf events; they have supported the City’s Canada Day celebrations; and I have seen them host barbecue trailers with money going to charitable causes.”

As regards the decision to phase out fish farms, Adams wrote, “… I had always understood that the decision to transition fish-farming in the Discovery Islands would be science-based. But the latest report issued by the DFO in 2020, entitled “Discovery Islands: 2011-2019/2020 Compliance and Performance, Marine Finfish”, stated that the ‘farms in the Discovery Islands are generally very well performing across almost every metric’ and that salmon farms posed minimal risk to wild salmon.”

“… The problem with the Minister’s Decision was not inadequate consultation, there was no consultation.”

The day before the decision was announced, Adams and several other North Island Mayors had a teleconference with the Parliamentary Secretary for the Fisheries Minister to discuss a plan to transition fish-farming net pens by 2025.

He wrote they were not given a hint of what was coming

Photo credit: Sockeye salmon fry by National Park Service K.Martin via Flickr (Public Domain)

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Saturday, March 13th, the Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) carried out a Broom Bash at Mansons Landing Provincial Park.

As Helen Hall, Executive Director of FOCI, explained, “The broom is encroaching into both the fragile coastal sand ecosystem and the forested part of the Spit, competing with and shading out native vegetation growing here. We carry out a broom bash every year to keep it under control and to allow the native plants to recover and thrive.”

The volunteers – Leona Jensen, Ryan Harvey, Alex Bernier, Elizabeth Anderson, Don Hall, Dancing Wolf and Arlene Tompkins – removed broom re-growth from the whole of the Spit, including the threatened coastal sand ecosystem, helping to restore the natural vegetation growing here.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Saturday, March 13th, the Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) carried out a Broom Bash at Mansons Landing Provincial Park.

As Helen Hall, Executive Director of FOCI, explained, “The broom is encroaching into both the fragile coastal sand ecosystem and the forested part of the Spit, competing with and shading out native vegetation growing here. We carry out a broom bash every year to keep it under control and to allow the native plants to recover and thrive.”

The volunteers – Leona Jensen, Ryan Harvey, Alex Bernier, Elizabeth Anderson, Don Hall, Dancing Wolf and Arlene Tompkins – removed broom re-growth from the whole of the Spit, including the threatened coastal sand ecosystem, helping to restore the natural vegetation growing here.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Saturday, March 13th, the Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) carried out a Broom Bash at Mansons Landing Provincial Park.

As Helen Hall, Executive Director of FOCI, explained, “The broom is encroaching into both the fragile coastal sand ecosystem and the forested part of the Spit, competing with and shading out native vegetation growing here. We carry out a broom bash every year to keep it under control and to allow the native plants to recover and thrive.”

The volunteers – Leona Jensen, Ryan Harvey, Alex Bernier, Elizabeth Anderson, Don Hall, Dancing Wolf and Arlene Tompkins – removed broom re-growth from the whole of the Spit, including the threatened coastal sand ecosystem, helping to restore the natural vegetation growing here.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is seeking a Union of BC Municipalities grant to decrease the vulnerability of community buildings to wildfire.

The associated staff report contains written endorsements from the village of Zeballos and South Quadra Island Island Fire Protection District.

By the time SRD Protective services Coordinator Shaun Koopman explained his proposal to the Board, the Cortes Island Firefighting Association sent their endorsement and the village of Gold River expressed interest.

“The Regional District recently obtained over $200,000 for wildfire risk reduction. What you see before you is my request to apply for another wildfire risk reduction grant, for about twice that amount. The focus of this grant is to reduce the vulnerability of our critical infrastructure tfrom being destroyed or damaged during a wildfire,” said Koopman.

Proposed projects include:

a wildfire fuel treatment on 4 hectares of Crown Land adjacent to the Cortes Island Recycling Centre

The land surrounding Gorge Hall, the Whaletown Firehall and Linnaea Farm education building on Cortes Island.

The Bible Church and Camp Homewood properties on Quadra Island.

There are also projects in Sayward, Zeballos and the Nuchaltaht Nation.

The Board approved this application, which is now being sent to the Union of BC Municipalities.

Photo credit: House Fire by Albert Straub via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is seeking a Union of BC Municipalities grant to decrease the vulnerability of community buildings to wildfire.

The associated staff report contains written endorsements from the village of Zeballos and South Quadra Island Island Fire Protection District.

By the time SRD Protective services Coordinator Shaun Koopman explained his proposal to the Board, the Cortes Island Firefighting Association sent their endorsement and the village of Gold River expressed interest.

“The Regional District recently obtained over $200,000 for wildfire risk reduction. What you see before you is my request to apply for another wildfire risk reduction grant, for about twice that amount. The focus of this grant is to reduce the vulnerability of our critical infrastructure tfrom being destroyed or damaged during a wildfire,” said Koopman.

Proposed projects include:

a wildfire fuel treatment on 4 hectares of Crown Land adjacent to the Cortes Island Recycling Centre

The land surrounding Gorge Hall, the Whaletown Firehall and Linnaea Farm education building on Cortes Island.

The Bible Church and Camp Homewood properties on Quadra Island.

There are also projects in Sayward, Zeballos and the Nuchaltaht Nation.

The Board approved this application, which is now being sent to the Union of BC Municipalities.

Photo credit: House Fire by Albert Straub via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is seeking a Union of BC Municipalities grant to decrease the vulnerability of community buildings to wildfire.

The associated staff report contains written endorsements from the village of Zeballos and South Quadra Island Island Fire Protection District.

By the time SRD Protective services Coordinator Shaun Koopman explained his proposal to the Board, the Cortes Island Firefighting Association sent their endorsement and the village of Gold River expressed interest.

“The Regional District recently obtained over $200,000 for wildfire risk reduction. What you see before you is my request to apply for another wildfire risk reduction grant, for about twice that amount. The focus of this grant is to reduce the vulnerability of our critical infrastructure tfrom being destroyed or damaged during a wildfire,” said Koopman.

Proposed projects include:

a wildfire fuel treatment on 4 hectares of Crown Land adjacent to the Cortes Island Recycling Centre

The land surrounding Gorge Hall, the Whaletown Firehall and Linnaea Farm education building on Cortes Island.

The Bible Church and Camp Homewood properties on Quadra Island.

There are also projects in Sayward, Zeballos and the Nuchaltaht Nation.

The Board approved this application, which is now being sent to the Union of BC Municipalities.

Photo credit: House Fire by Albert Straub via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Strathcona Regional District awarded the contract for Cortes Island’s Garbage collection to VEM Contracting, which has held this contract for more than a decade.

Four companies were asked to submit quotes for a 3-year contract, with a potential 2-year extension, if agreed upon by both parties.

VEM Contracting was the only company that responded and the SRD Board approved their contract at their March 10, 2021, board meeting.