Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - The licenses for 19 salmon farms in the Discovery lslands expired today. Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is reissuing licenses for 18 months, during which time “no new fish of any size may be introduced into Discovery Islands.” “fish at the sites can complete their growth-cycle and be harvested,” but “all farms be free of fish by June 30th, 2022.”

interview with Stan Proboszcz, Science Advisor with the Watershed Watch Salmon Society, as well as clips from previous interviews with independent biologist Alexandra Morton and Chief John Hackett, of the Tla’amin First Nation, as well as press releases from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the BC Salmon Farmers Association about the closing down of open net salmon farms in the Discovery Islands.

Photo credit: Protesting in front of Cermaq Canada in Campbell River on Sept 26, 2020 – Rod Burns photo

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - The fourth of BC Ferries Island Class ferry was launched early Thursday morning, at Damen Shipyards Galati, in Romania. The yet-to-be named ship is the second e-Ferry destined for the Campbell River – Quadra Island route.

As BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall explained, “We’ve got two vessels right now. One is sailing between Texada and Powell River. The other one is on the Port McNeill-Alert Bay-Sointula run. The third and fourth vessels will sail the Campbell River - Quadra run. Nanaimo Harbour - Gabriola for the fifth and sixth.”

The Powell River Queen, which currently services the Campbell River, will be replaced by two Hybrid electric ferries in 2022.

This will increase the ferries capacity from 59 to 94 vehicles per hour, and hopefully eliminate some of those long summer ferry line-ups that Quadra and Cortes residents are currently experiencing during the summers.

Photo credit: screenshot from BC Ferries video BC Ferries' Fourth Battery Electric-Hybrid Island Class Ferry Launch

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - The fourth of BC Ferries Island Class ferry was launched early Thursday morning, at Damen Shipyards Galati, in Romania. The yet-to-be named ship is the second e-Ferry destined for the Campbell River – Quadra Island route.

As BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall explained, “We’ve got two vessels right now. One is sailing between Texada and Powell River. The other one is on the Port McNeill-Alert Bay-Sointula run. The third and fourth vessels will sail the Campbell River - Quadra run. Nanaimo Harbour - Gabriola for the fifth and sixth.”

The Powell River Queen, which currently services the Campbell River, will be replaced by two Hybrid electric ferries in 2022.

This will increase the ferries capacity from 59 to 94 vehicles per hour, and hopefully eliminate some of those long summer ferry line-ups that Quadra and Cortes residents are currently experiencing during the summers.

Photo credit: screenshot from BC Ferries video BC Ferries' Fourth Battery Electric-Hybrid Island Class Ferry Launch

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - The fourth of BC Ferries Island Class ferry was launched early Thursday morning, at Damen Shipyards Galati, in Romania. The yet-to-be named ship is the second e-Ferry destined for the Campbell River – Quadra Island route.

As BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall explained, “We’ve got two vessels right now. One is sailing between Texada and Powell River. The other one is on the Port McNeill-Alert Bay-Sointula run. The third and fourth vessels will sail the Campbell River - Quadra run. Nanaimo Harbour - Gabriola for the fifth and sixth.”

The Powell River Queen, which currently services the Campbell River, will be replaced by two Hybrid electric ferries in 2022.

This will increase the ferries capacity from 59 to 94 vehicles per hour, and hopefully eliminate some of those long summer ferry line-ups that Quadra and Cortes residents are currently experiencing during the summers.

Photo credit: screenshot from BC Ferries video BC Ferries' Fourth Battery Electric-Hybrid Island Class Ferry Launch

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - This past week was the deadliest British Columbia has seen since the pandemic began. Dr Bonnie Henry reported 24 new deaths yesterday, which brings the total number of fatalities since last Friday to 105. The number of active cases in the province is close to 10,000.

However there is also good news.

British Columbia's first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were given to front line health care workers on Tuesday. A small shipment, possibly consisting of two trays of vaccine, will arrive on Vancouver Island next week.

The number of active COVID cases is falling on Vancouver Island.

There were 19 active cases reported in North Vancouver Island yesterday. Only two weeks ago, there were 41.

Thanks to prompt action by the Klahoose First Nation’s emergency operation team, there are no known active cases on Cortes Island. But Island Health does not report the whereabouts of individual cases. So the public does not know when the virus actually reached Cortes and, to paraphrase Dr Charmaine Enns, Medical Health Officer for North Vancouver Island, it is best to assume it is still among us.

In the podcast, Dr Enns describes contact tracing and close encounters

photo credit: Syringes with bottle with COVID 19 vaccine on white background by Marco Verch, Professional Photographer, via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - This past week was the deadliest British Columbia has seen since the pandemic began. Dr Bonnie Henry reported 24 new deaths yesterday, which brings the total number of fatalities since last Friday to 105. The number of active cases in the province is close to 10,000.

However there is also good news.

British Columbia's first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were given to front line health care workers on Tuesday. A small shipment, possibly consisting of two trays of vaccine, will arrive on Vancouver Island next week.

The number of active COVID cases is falling on Vancouver Island.

There were 19 active cases reported in North Vancouver Island yesterday. Only two weeks ago, there were 41.

Thanks to prompt action by the Klahoose First Nation’s emergency operation team, there are no known active cases on Cortes Island. But Island Health does not report the whereabouts of individual cases. So the public does not know when the virus actually reached Cortes and, to paraphrase Dr Charmaine Enns, Medical Health Officer for North Vancouver Island, it is best to assume it is still among us.

In the podcast, Dr Enns describes contact tracing and close encounters

photo credit: Syringes with bottle with COVID 19 vaccine on white background by Marco Verch, Professional Photographer, via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - This past week was the deadliest British Columbia has seen since the pandemic began. Dr Bonnie Henry reported 24 new deaths yesterday, which brings the total number of fatalities since last Friday to 105. The number of active cases in the province is close to 10,000.

However there is also good news.

British Columbia's first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were given to front line health care workers on Tuesday. A small shipment, possibly consisting of two trays of vaccine, will arrive on Vancouver Island next week.

The number of active COVID cases is falling on Vancouver Island.

There were 19 active cases reported in North Vancouver Island yesterday. Only two weeks ago, there were 41.

Thanks to prompt action by the Klahoose First Nation’s emergency operation team, there are no known active cases on Cortes Island. But Island Health does not report the whereabouts of individual cases. So the public does not know when the virus actually reached Cortes and, to paraphrase Dr Charmaine Enns, Medical Health Officer for North Vancouver Island, it is best to assume it is still among us.

In the podcast, Dr Enns describes contact tracing and close encounters

photo credit: Syringes with bottle with COVID 19 vaccine on white background by Marco Verch, Professional Photographer, via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - Folk U December 11th Natural Burial & Community-Led Deathcare: FolkU [email protected]

Folk U Radio 101 Show. Where we ask our neighbours: What do you know? It’s that time of year when the light is short and the natural world around is in its big rest, preparing for transformation. I feel particularly appreciate to be spending this season in this strange and tumultuous time, here on this island, surrounded by the natural world and by this community. Margaret Verschuur helped bring together the Cortes Island Deathcare Initiative and has served as a death doula on Cortes and Quadra Islands. In this episode she and Emma Tius, the new contact person for the Death-Care Collective, to discuss what community death care are and what natural burial looks like on Cortes and Quadra Islands.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - Folk U December 11th Natural Burial & Community-Led Deathcare: FolkU [email protected]

Folk U Radio 101 Show. Where we ask our neighbours: What do you know? It’s that time of year when the light is short and the natural world around is in its big rest, preparing for transformation. I feel particularly appreciate to be spending this season in this strange and tumultuous time, here on this island, surrounded by the natural world and by this community. Margaret Verschuur helped bring together the Cortes Island Deathcare Initiative and has served as a death doula on Cortes and Quadra Islands. In this episode she and Emma Tius, the new contact person for the Death-Care Collective, to discuss what community death care are and what natural burial looks like on Cortes and Quadra Islands.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - Folk U December 11th Natural Burial & Community-Led Deathcare: FolkU [email protected]

Folk U Radio 101 Show. Where we ask our neighbours: What do you know? It’s that time of year when the light is short and the natural world around is in its big rest, preparing for transformation. I feel particularly appreciate to be spending this season in this strange and tumultuous time, here on this island, surrounded by the natural world and by this community. Margaret Verschuur helped bring together the Cortes Island Deathcare Initiative and has served as a death doula on Cortes and Quadra Islands. In this episode she and Emma Tius, the new contact person for the Death-Care Collective, to discuss what community death care are and what natural burial looks like on Cortes and Quadra Islands.