Cortes Currents

De Clark/ Cortes Currents - [OPINION/EDITORIAL/RESEARCH]

The “fish farm” issue simmering for decades on the BC Coast has boiled over again, in the controversy over DFO’s recent decision to close down open-net Atlantic salmon “farms” in the Discovery Islands and Broughton Archipelago areas. Locally, the issue is mostly being discussed in terms of First Nations sovereignty vs employment, though debate continues over the scale and impact of externalities like sea lice infestations, chemical and biohazard effluent, etc.

I’d like to back up a bit and try to put this local conflict into a larger perspective. “Fish farming” is a global issue, with a long history. Canada is only one minor player in the international Great Game of Atlantic salmon feedlots. This is such a big subject that it can’t be fully covered in a readable article; I’ve compiled a brief bibliography (of links) by topic, at the end. There are also many links and footnotes throughout the text, so readers can dig deeper.

Max Thaysen/ Cortes Currents - An injured hawk has recovered and recently been released by a local wildlife advocate.

Cortes Currents reached Autumn Barrett-Morgan at home, by zoom, for the story.

On January first, Autumn's neighbours found the red-tailed hawk by Gunflint Lake and they called the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS), in Merville BC, for advice. MARS told them to get in touch with their Cortes contact for support – Autumn Barrett-Morgan – who happened to live right across the street.

When Autumn got to the hawk, it was wet and muddy and hungry – Autumn says one can assess the latter by body language.

They brought the hawk inside, keeping her safe in a dog crate. Autumn got in touch with MARS for furthur advice. The bird would need to come in to the rescue centre for an evaluation.

As luck would have it, due to stormy weather the ferries weren't running, so Autumn had to care for her overnight. She says the hawk seemed to enjoy drying herself out by the fire.

The next day, when Autumn got the bird to the MARS recovery centre, the experts there gave her an assessment. She might have needed a bath, but the MARS experts erred on the side of less intervention – and the hawk was able to clean herself just fine after a solid meal. The bird seemed to just need rest and food.

Two weeks later MARS said the bird was ready to be released. Autumn brought her back at the end of a weekend of volunteering at MARS, and said that the hawk looked like a brand-new bird. Autumn released the bird in the same spot where it was found. She said, “it was a really, really beautiful experience to see that full circle.”

She's not too sure what happened to the hawk -- they are a smaller bird, so they can be bullied by larger birds-of-prey, but also a large truck had recently driven by, and the hawk could have gotten struck or tumbled in the air turbulence.

Autumn has been building a relationship with MARS ever since she found a northern pygmy owl, with a broken wing – a species at risk.

It was difficult to get the bird over to MARS – it was summer, so ferries were overloaded. Autumn helped the owl hitchhike to the centre in Merville. Through the experience, Autumn identified a need for someone to have some skills more locally to fill the gap in emergency care and transportation – a non-human ambulance service. The transportation is such a stressor for animals – it really needs to be done by someone with a bit of education and experience and the right temperament.

MARS had the owl for over three months, but decided that the bird could not be rehabilitated. And it was killed. Unfortunately, MARS does not have the resources to care for animals indefinitely, so animals that cannot eventually care for themselves and be returned to the wild, have to be euthanized.

Autumn has just recently began volunteering for MARS at their rescue centre.

Autumn would like to take the opportunity to encourage folks to learn more about MARS, and participate in their fundraisers – they'll take your cash, your time, and other stuff too! Autumn is in the process of finding other ways that Cortesians can support MARS.

Autumn would like the public to know something she learned on her weekend of volunteering. While bird feeders bring many joys to people, they can be problematic for birds – they can become contaminated if not cleaned properly and regularly, and become breeding grounds for salmonella.

Bird feeders can also be bear-feeders – becoming an attractant that can get bears and people in trouble (it is against the law to provide food to a bear).

Autumn recommends that people don't have bird feeders. It is better to learn what plants support birds through the winter and consider planting some of those.

Autumn would like the public to know that if you find a distressed or orphaned animal – leave it, watch it, and call her or MARS.

Max Thaysen/ Cortes Currents - An injured hawk has recovered and recently been released by a local wildlife advocate.

Cortes Currents reached Autumn Barrett-Morgan at home, by zoom, for the story.

On January first, Autumn's neighbours found the red-tailed hawk by Gunflint Lake and they called the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS), in Merville BC, for advice. MARS told them to get in touch with their Cortes contact for support – Autumn Barrett-Morgan – who happened to live right across the street.

When Autumn got to the hawk, it was wet and muddy and hungry – Autumn says one can assess the latter by body language.

They brought the hawk inside, keeping her safe in a dog crate. Autumn got in touch with MARS for furthur advice. The bird would need to come in to the rescue centre for an evaluation.

As luck would have it, due to stormy weather the ferries weren't running, so Autumn had to care for her overnight. She says the hawk seemed to enjoy drying herself out by the fire.

The next day, when Autumn got the bird to the MARS recovery centre, the experts there gave her an assessment. She might have needed a bath, but the MARS experts erred on the side of less intervention – and the hawk was able to clean herself just fine after a solid meal. The bird seemed to just need rest and food.

Two weeks later MARS said the bird was ready to be released. Autumn brought her back at the end of a weekend of volunteering at MARS, and said that the hawk looked like a brand-new bird. Autumn released the bird in the same spot where it was found. She said, “it was a really, really beautiful experience to see that full circle.”

She's not too sure what happened to the hawk -- they are a smaller bird, so they can be bullied by larger birds-of-prey, but also a large truck had recently driven by, and the hawk could have gotten struck or tumbled in the air turbulence.

Autumn has been building a relationship with MARS ever since she found a northern pygmy owl, with a broken wing – a species at risk.

It was difficult to get the bird over to MARS – it was summer, so ferries were overloaded. Autumn helped the owl hitchhike to the centre in Merville. Through the experience, Autumn identified a need for someone to have some skills more locally to fill the gap in emergency care and transportation – a non-human ambulance service. The transportation is such a stressor for animals – it really needs to be done by someone with a bit of education and experience and the right temperament.

MARS had the owl for over three months, but decided that the bird could not be rehabilitated. And it was killed. Unfortunately, MARS does not have the resources to care for animals indefinitely, so animals that cannot eventually care for themselves and be returned to the wild, have to be euthanized.

Autumn has just recently began volunteering for MARS at their rescue centre.

Autumn would like to take the opportunity to encourage folks to learn more about MARS, and participate in their fundraisers – they'll take your cash, your time, and other stuff too! Autumn is in the process of finding other ways that Cortesians can support MARS.

Autumn would like the public to know something she learned on her weekend of volunteering. While bird feeders bring many joys to people, they can be problematic for birds – they can become contaminated if not cleaned properly and regularly, and become breeding grounds for salmonella.

Bird feeders can also be bear-feeders – becoming an attractant that can get bears and people in trouble (it is against the law to provide food to a bear).

Autumn recommends that people don't have bird feeders. It is better to learn what plants support birds through the winter and consider planting some of those.

Autumn would like the public to know that if you find a distressed or orphaned animal – leave it, watch it, and call her or MARS.

Max Thaysen/ Cortes Currents - An injured hawk has recovered and recently been released by a local wildlife advocate.

Cortes Currents reached Autumn Barrett-Morgan at home, by zoom, for the story.

On January first, Autumn's neighbours found the red-tailed hawk by Gunflint Lake and they called the Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS), in Merville BC, for advice. MARS told them to get in touch with their Cortes contact for support – Autumn Barrett-Morgan – who happened to live right across the street.

When Autumn got to the hawk, it was wet and muddy and hungry – Autumn says one can assess the latter by body language.

They brought the hawk inside, keeping her safe in a dog crate. Autumn got in touch with MARS for furthur advice. The bird would need to come in to the rescue centre for an evaluation.

As luck would have it, due to stormy weather the ferries weren't running, so Autumn had to care for her overnight. She says the hawk seemed to enjoy drying herself out by the fire.

The next day, when Autumn got the bird to the MARS recovery centre, the experts there gave her an assessment. She might have needed a bath, but the MARS experts erred on the side of less intervention – and the hawk was able to clean herself just fine after a solid meal. The bird seemed to just need rest and food.

Two weeks later MARS said the bird was ready to be released. Autumn brought her back at the end of a weekend of volunteering at MARS, and said that the hawk looked like a brand-new bird. Autumn released the bird in the same spot where it was found. She said, “it was a really, really beautiful experience to see that full circle.”

She's not too sure what happened to the hawk -- they are a smaller bird, so they can be bullied by larger birds-of-prey, but also a large truck had recently driven by, and the hawk could have gotten struck or tumbled in the air turbulence.

Autumn has been building a relationship with MARS ever since she found a northern pygmy owl, with a broken wing – a species at risk.

It was difficult to get the bird over to MARS – it was summer, so ferries were overloaded. Autumn helped the owl hitchhike to the centre in Merville. Through the experience, Autumn identified a need for someone to have some skills more locally to fill the gap in emergency care and transportation – a non-human ambulance service. The transportation is such a stressor for animals – it really needs to be done by someone with a bit of education and experience and the right temperament.

MARS had the owl for over three months, but decided that the bird could not be rehabilitated. And it was killed. Unfortunately, MARS does not have the resources to care for animals indefinitely, so animals that cannot eventually care for themselves and be returned to the wild, have to be euthanized.

Autumn has just recently began volunteering for MARS at their rescue centre.

Autumn would like to take the opportunity to encourage folks to learn more about MARS, and participate in their fundraisers – they'll take your cash, your time, and other stuff too! Autumn is in the process of finding other ways that Cortesians can support MARS.

Autumn would like the public to know something she learned on her weekend of volunteering. While bird feeders bring many joys to people, they can be problematic for birds – they can become contaminated if not cleaned properly and regularly, and become breeding grounds for salmonella.

Bird feeders can also be bear-feeders – becoming an attractant that can get bears and people in trouble (it is against the law to provide food to a bear).

Autumn recommends that people don't have bird feeders. It is better to learn what plants support birds through the winter and consider planting some of those.

Autumn would like the public to know that if you find a distressed or orphaned animal – leave it, watch it, and call her or MARS.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - In 2020, Campbell River stores reported 275 cases of shoplifting to the RCMP. That is in a city, what is the shoplifting situation like in more settings like Cortes Island.

Cst. Maurey Tyre said those 275 cases in Campbell River are a major problem, “For staggering statistics, some quick online research points to shoplifters only getting caught 1 out of every 48 times they steal. That would mean over 13,000 instances of shoplifting would have occurred in Campbell River last year, putting losses easily into the millions of dollars for local businesses.”

A U.S. study estimated that the average American pays an extra $423 every year because of the resulting price increases.

Tyre explained, “The losses these businesses face are then made up by the rest of the consumers who shop in the stores by paying price increases and sometimes in the case of a small struggling business it can be more than they can manage as losses mount and shoplifters can put them out of business.”

He added, “There are of course all sorts of social ills that lead to the thefts, not the least of which is an increasing addiction problem as drugs become more toxic and addictive.”

This report comes from Campbell River, a city of more than 35,000 people.

What is the situation like on Cortes Island: where the population is a little more than a thousand, most residents at least recognize their neighbours, and the only police are stationed on another island?

Bill Dougan, Manager of the Gorge Harbour Marina and General Store, emailed, “Yes, there has been shoplifting in the past. Each time they occurred it was either through an addiction (stealing booze) or hunger, that caused them to steal. These are the ones who are caught and we have not caught many, less than a handful in 10 years.” 

Curt Cunningham, from the Squirrel Cove General Store, added, “I believe that we have a very strong supportive community and shoplifting is at a minimum.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - In 2020, Campbell River stores reported 275 cases of shoplifting to the RCMP. That is in a city, what is the shoplifting situation like in more settings like Cortes Island.

Cst. Maurey Tyre said those 275 cases in Campbell River are a major problem, “For staggering statistics, some quick online research points to shoplifters only getting caught 1 out of every 48 times they steal. That would mean over 13,000 instances of shoplifting would have occurred in Campbell River last year, putting losses easily into the millions of dollars for local businesses.”

A U.S. study estimated that the average American pays an extra $423 every year because of the resulting price increases.

Tyre explained, “The losses these businesses face are then made up by the rest of the consumers who shop in the stores by paying price increases and sometimes in the case of a small struggling business it can be more than they can manage as losses mount and shoplifters can put them out of business.”

He added, “There are of course all sorts of social ills that lead to the thefts, not the least of which is an increasing addiction problem as drugs become more toxic and addictive.”

This report comes from Campbell River, a city of more than 35,000 people.

What is the situation like on Cortes Island: where the population is a little more than a thousand, most residents at least recognize their neighbours, and the only police are stationed on another island?

Bill Dougan, Manager of the Gorge Harbour Marina and General Store, emailed, “Yes, there has been shoplifting in the past. Each time they occurred it was either through an addiction (stealing booze) or hunger, that caused them to steal. These are the ones who are caught and we have not caught many, less than a handful in 10 years.” 

Curt Cunningham, from the Squirrel Cove General Store, added, “I believe that we have a very strong supportive community and shoplifting is at a minimum.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - In 2020, Campbell River stores reported 275 cases of shoplifting to the RCMP. That is in a city, what is the shoplifting situation like in more settings like Cortes Island.

Cst. Maurey Tyre said those 275 cases in Campbell River are a major problem, “For staggering statistics, some quick online research points to shoplifters only getting caught 1 out of every 48 times they steal. That would mean over 13,000 instances of shoplifting would have occurred in Campbell River last year, putting losses easily into the millions of dollars for local businesses.”

A U.S. study estimated that the average American pays an extra $423 every year because of the resulting price increases.

Tyre explained, “The losses these businesses face are then made up by the rest of the consumers who shop in the stores by paying price increases and sometimes in the case of a small struggling business it can be more than they can manage as losses mount and shoplifters can put them out of business.”

He added, “There are of course all sorts of social ills that lead to the thefts, not the least of which is an increasing addiction problem as drugs become more toxic and addictive.”

This report comes from Campbell River, a city of more than 35,000 people.

What is the situation like on Cortes Island: where the population is a little more than a thousand, most residents at least recognize their neighbours, and the only police are stationed on another island?

Bill Dougan, Manager of the Gorge Harbour Marina and General Store, emailed, “Yes, there has been shoplifting in the past. Each time they occurred it was either through an addiction (stealing booze) or hunger, that caused them to steal. These are the ones who are caught and we have not caught many, less than a handful in 10 years.” 

Curt Cunningham, from the Squirrel Cove General Store, added, “I believe that we have a very strong supportive community and shoplifting is at a minimum.”

Roy L hales/ Cortes Currents - The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is applying for a grant to assess the extent and potential vulnerabilities of sea level rise on Cortes and Quadra Islands.

The Grant

The Union of BC Municipalities is willing to provide successful applicants with up to $150,000 to ensure they have accurate knowledge of the potential flood hazards and develop effective strategies to mitigate the risks.

Geographic data would be used to model the potential threat to residences, docks, marinas, Regional and Provincial Parks.

Specific areas on Cortes and Quadra Islands

Smelt Bay, Mansons Landing park, Rebecca Spit, Quathiaski Cove, Hoskyn Channel, Hank’s Beach, Gnat Park and Moon Park were among the locations specifically mentioned.

Once completed, the proposed project will support local governments’ and First Nations’ ability to better understand the risk of sea level rise, support land use planning and policy development and provide information for public outreach efforts.

Roy L hales/ Cortes Currents - The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is applying for a grant to assess the extent and potential vulnerabilities of sea level rise on Cortes and Quadra Islands.

The Grant

The Union of BC Municipalities is willing to provide successful applicants with up to $150,000 to ensure they have accurate knowledge of the potential flood hazards and develop effective strategies to mitigate the risks.

Geographic data would be used to model the potential threat to residences, docks, marinas, Regional and Provincial Parks.

Specific areas on Cortes and Quadra Islands

Smelt Bay, Mansons Landing park, Rebecca Spit, Quathiaski Cove, Hoskyn Channel, Hank’s Beach, Gnat Park and Moon Park were among the locations specifically mentioned.

Once completed, the proposed project will support local governments’ and First Nations’ ability to better understand the risk of sea level rise, support land use planning and policy development and provide information for public outreach efforts.

Roy L hales/ Cortes Currents - The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is applying for a grant to assess the extent and potential vulnerabilities of sea level rise on Cortes and Quadra Islands.

The Grant

The Union of BC Municipalities is willing to provide successful applicants with up to $150,000 to ensure they have accurate knowledge of the potential flood hazards and develop effective strategies to mitigate the risks.

Geographic data would be used to model the potential threat to residences, docks, marinas, Regional and Provincial Parks.

Specific areas on Cortes and Quadra Islands

Smelt Bay, Mansons Landing park, Rebecca Spit, Quathiaski Cove, Hoskyn Channel, Hank’s Beach, Gnat Park and Moon Park were among the locations specifically mentioned.

Once completed, the proposed project will support local governments’ and First Nations’ ability to better understand the risk of sea level rise, support land use planning and policy development and provide information for public outreach efforts.