Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - On October 24th, more than 50% of North Island’s electorate chose Michele Babchuk to represent them in the Provincial Legislature. Though more than a month has passed, she has only just stepped down from her previous roles as a Campbell River councillor and Chair of the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board. Though yet to sit in parliament, she has been made the Deputy Government Whip and a member of the Appointment Orders Committee. I recently asked Michele what becoming our MLA is like.

She attended her last SRD Board meeting, as a director rather than Chair, on November 4th.

Last Monday, she attended her last meeting of the Campbell River City council.

“It has gone relatively smoothly. I think I have accomplished everything that I wanted to do with those organizations before I move on. The transition into the legislature is still ongoing and we’ll see what that looks like because the Premier is going to call the session back in order on December 7th,” said Babchuk.

She has not gone to Victoria yet and, thanks to COVID, may be be attending the next session virtually from her home in Campbell River.

“We haven’t seen the schedule for the schedule for next year, but with COVID, and the way the legislature is working on a hybrid model right now, we’ll see what the legislature is going to look like on December 7th,” said Babchuk.

Only a minimal number of people actually went to Victoria during the last session. Most meetings were on ZOOM.

Babchuk wants to visit the legislature, to ‘learn who’s who in the zoo,’ but does not intend to rent an apartment just yet. A hotel room will suffice for occasional visits. She can always find something more permanent accommodation should it become obvious it is needed.

She will have constituency offices in Campbell River and Port Hardy.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - On October 24th, more than 50% of North Island’s electorate chose Michele Babchuk to represent them in the Provincial Legislature. Though more than a month has passed, she has only just stepped down from her previous roles as a Campbell River councillor and Chair of the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board. Though yet to sit in parliament, she has been made the Deputy Government Whip and a member of the Appointment Orders Committee. I recently asked Michele what becoming our MLA is like.

She attended her last SRD Board meeting, as a director rather than Chair, on November 4th.

Last Monday, she attended her last meeting of the Campbell River City council.

“It has gone relatively smoothly. I think I have accomplished everything that I wanted to do with those organizations before I move on. The transition into the legislature is still ongoing and we’ll see what that looks like because the Premier is going to call the session back in order on December 7th,” said Babchuk.

She has not gone to Victoria yet and, thanks to COVID, may be be attending the next session virtually from her home in Campbell River.

“We haven’t seen the schedule for the schedule for next year, but with COVID, and the way the legislature is working on a hybrid model right now, we’ll see what the legislature is going to look like on December 7th,” said Babchuk.

Only a minimal number of people actually went to Victoria during the last session. Most meetings were on ZOOM.

Babchuk wants to visit the legislature, to ‘learn who’s who in the zoo,’ but does not intend to rent an apartment just yet. A hotel room will suffice for occasional visits. She can always find something more permanent accommodation should it become obvious it is needed.

She will have constituency offices in Campbell River and Port Hardy.

Max Thaysen/Cortes Currents - The Klahoose First Nation continues to deal with a Covid-19 outbreak in the community.

Chief Kevin Peacey posted an update to cortesisland.com yesterday, December 1, explaining that the nation has declared a state of emergency.

The Toq village has a staffed checkpoint at the Whaletown Rd entry, to prevent any unauthorized comings and goings. They are only permitting “supplies, essential deliveries, emergency services and front line workers” in order to contain the spread of the virus.

The nation has expanded the medical team, adding a nurse and getting support from the Doctor at the Cortes Community Health Centre.

Testing and contact tracing is ongoing.

Chief Peacey thanks the non-indigenous community for donations of firewood to keep the checkpoint staff warm and says they have a “good supply now”.

The Island Health Covid-19 dashboard reports that there are 39 active cases in the North Vancouver Island region and two days have passed since a new case was reported to the health agency.

Doctor Jenna Creaser, from the Cortes Community Health Centre, recommends that people take extra care during the ongoing pandemic to maximize their immune systems.

Her presciption is:

A well rounded diet with minimal sugar, lot’s of colourful fruits & vegetables, protein, plus:
1- Garlic - 2 cloves/day, best if chopped up & fresh
2- Ginger - 1 inch piece grated or steeped/day
3- Turmeric - approx. 1 tsp powder most days
4- Probiotic & fermented foods - i.e. kefir, plain yoghurt, pickled vegetables, kimchi
5- Mushrooms - i.e. culinary (shitake, button) & medicinal (reishi, chaga, lion’s mane)
And avoid added sugar as much as possible! ! 


FOUR SUPPLEMENTS - For an extra boost
Based on your diet and lifestyle, pick a few of these to take:
1- Zinc - i.e. Zinc acetate, citrate or glycinate, 30-60 mg total daily in 2-3 divided doses
2- Vitamin D - 1000-5000 IU daily (she recommend 1000 IU in summer, 2000 IU in winter)
3- Elderberry - aka Sambucus nigra, 500 mg daily
4- Vitamin C - 1000-3000mg (1-3g) daily (if not attained from diet)
Doses listed are for a healthy adult and may vary ! 


Exercise --

20 minutes each day: walking, yoga, whatever suits you.

TWO SOOTHERs - For mind, body and spirit
1- Stress reduction - identify and reduce with exercise, self care, solo time & connection
2- Sleep ! - get enough (~8hrs/night), keep the time you go to bed & wake up consistent 


ONE AFFIRMATION - Use the power of intention
Trying sitting quietly and read or say the following to yourself: “I can feel my immune
system working well inside of me. It’s strong and effective. I know it’s doing it's job to
protect my body and keep me healthy. I feel gratitude and awe for all that it does for me.” 


Doctor Creaser also recommends that folks visit the Institute of Functional Medicine at www.ifm.org for more diet and lifestyle advice related to Covid-19.

Photo credit: A lonely clove by Andy Thrasher via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Max Thaysen/Cortes Currents - The Klahoose First Nation continues to deal with a Covid-19 outbreak in the community.

Chief Kevin Peacey posted an update to cortesisland.com yesterday, December 1, explaining that the nation has declared a state of emergency.

The Toq village has a staffed checkpoint at the Whaletown Rd entry, to prevent any unauthorized comings and goings. They are only permitting “supplies, essential deliveries, emergency services and front line workers” in order to contain the spread of the virus.

The nation has expanded the medical team, adding a nurse and getting support from the Doctor at the Cortes Community Health Centre.

Testing and contact tracing is ongoing.

Chief Peacey thanks the non-indigenous community for donations of firewood to keep the checkpoint staff warm and says they have a “good supply now”.

The Island Health Covid-19 dashboard reports that there are 39 active cases in the North Vancouver Island region and two days have passed since a new case was reported to the health agency.

Doctor Jenna Creaser, from the Cortes Community Health Centre, recommends that people take extra care during the ongoing pandemic to maximize their immune systems.

Her presciption is:

A well rounded diet with minimal sugar, lot’s of colourful fruits & vegetables, protein, plus:
1- Garlic - 2 cloves/day, best if chopped up & fresh
2- Ginger - 1 inch piece grated or steeped/day
3- Turmeric - approx. 1 tsp powder most days
4- Probiotic & fermented foods - i.e. kefir, plain yoghurt, pickled vegetables, kimchi
5- Mushrooms - i.e. culinary (shitake, button) & medicinal (reishi, chaga, lion’s mane)
And avoid added sugar as much as possible! ! 


FOUR SUPPLEMENTS - For an extra boost
Based on your diet and lifestyle, pick a few of these to take:
1- Zinc - i.e. Zinc acetate, citrate or glycinate, 30-60 mg total daily in 2-3 divided doses
2- Vitamin D - 1000-5000 IU daily (she recommend 1000 IU in summer, 2000 IU in winter)
3- Elderberry - aka Sambucus nigra, 500 mg daily
4- Vitamin C - 1000-3000mg (1-3g) daily (if not attained from diet)
Doses listed are for a healthy adult and may vary ! 


Exercise --

20 minutes each day: walking, yoga, whatever suits you.

TWO SOOTHERs - For mind, body and spirit
1- Stress reduction - identify and reduce with exercise, self care, solo time & connection
2- Sleep ! - get enough (~8hrs/night), keep the time you go to bed & wake up consistent 


ONE AFFIRMATION - Use the power of intention
Trying sitting quietly and read or say the following to yourself: “I can feel my immune
system working well inside of me. It’s strong and effective. I know it’s doing it's job to
protect my body and keep me healthy. I feel gratitude and awe for all that it does for me.” 


Doctor Creaser also recommends that folks visit the Institute of Functional Medicine at www.ifm.org for more diet and lifestyle advice related to Covid-19.

Photo credit: A lonely clove by Andy Thrasher via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Max Thaysen/Cortes Currents - The Klahoose First Nation continues to deal with a Covid-19 outbreak in the community.

Chief Kevin Peacey posted an update to cortesisland.com yesterday, December 1, explaining that the nation has declared a state of emergency.

The Toq village has a staffed checkpoint at the Whaletown Rd entry, to prevent any unauthorized comings and goings. They are only permitting “supplies, essential deliveries, emergency services and front line workers” in order to contain the spread of the virus.

The nation has expanded the medical team, adding a nurse and getting support from the Doctor at the Cortes Community Health Centre.

Testing and contact tracing is ongoing.

Chief Peacey thanks the non-indigenous community for donations of firewood to keep the checkpoint staff warm and says they have a “good supply now”.

The Island Health Covid-19 dashboard reports that there are 39 active cases in the North Vancouver Island region and two days have passed since a new case was reported to the health agency.

Doctor Jenna Creaser, from the Cortes Community Health Centre, recommends that people take extra care during the ongoing pandemic to maximize their immune systems.

Her presciption is:

A well rounded diet with minimal sugar, lot’s of colourful fruits & vegetables, protein, plus:
1- Garlic - 2 cloves/day, best if chopped up & fresh
2- Ginger - 1 inch piece grated or steeped/day
3- Turmeric - approx. 1 tsp powder most days
4- Probiotic & fermented foods - i.e. kefir, plain yoghurt, pickled vegetables, kimchi
5- Mushrooms - i.e. culinary (shitake, button) & medicinal (reishi, chaga, lion’s mane)
And avoid added sugar as much as possible! ! 


FOUR SUPPLEMENTS - For an extra boost
Based on your diet and lifestyle, pick a few of these to take:
1- Zinc - i.e. Zinc acetate, citrate or glycinate, 30-60 mg total daily in 2-3 divided doses
2- Vitamin D - 1000-5000 IU daily (she recommend 1000 IU in summer, 2000 IU in winter)
3- Elderberry - aka Sambucus nigra, 500 mg daily
4- Vitamin C - 1000-3000mg (1-3g) daily (if not attained from diet)
Doses listed are for a healthy adult and may vary ! 


Exercise --

20 minutes each day: walking, yoga, whatever suits you.

TWO SOOTHERs - For mind, body and spirit
1- Stress reduction - identify and reduce with exercise, self care, solo time & connection
2- Sleep ! - get enough (~8hrs/night), keep the time you go to bed & wake up consistent 


ONE AFFIRMATION - Use the power of intention
Trying sitting quietly and read or say the following to yourself: “I can feel my immune
system working well inside of me. It’s strong and effective. I know it’s doing it's job to
protect my body and keep me healthy. I feel gratitude and awe for all that it does for me.” 


Doctor Creaser also recommends that folks visit the Institute of Functional Medicine at www.ifm.org for more diet and lifestyle advice related to Covid-19.

Photo credit: A lonely clove by Andy Thrasher via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Another one of North Vancouver Island’s 26 Active COVID cases identified himself over Facebook last week.  Lawrence O'Connor is a stock car driver who contracted the disease while participating in a benefit race for Amnesty International in the Arizona Desert.

“There’s nothing pleasant about this painful illness; I feel like I’ve been eaten by wolves, and s**t off a cliff,” he wrote.

He arranged for friends to drop off groceries at his door, in Port Hardy, and is currently in quarantine.

Closer to home, Chief Kevin Peacey posted an update about the situation in the Klahoose village at Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island.

“Several people have been tested. They are self isolating. We are waiting for the results. The storm did not help delaying our ability to get the swabs off the island. We should know by Monday whether we have more confirmed cases. We will continued to announce the number of confirmed Covid19 cases as we get the results back. We hope that more “positive” cases are not going to happen but we are getting ourselves prepared.

“Officially we have only one confirmed case and the contact tracing is STILL ongoing. This is why it is VERY IMPORTANT for everyone to follow the provincial guidelines and stay home, stay in your household bubble, wash your hands and mask up if you do leave your home. We are doing our due diligence, following the guidelines from various government agencies, as well as advice from our sister nation Tla’amin’s Covid19 emergency response team.

“We do all live on this island together and I very much appreciate the whole community rising to this occasion and doing your part of shutting down COVID. On another note, I’m getting a lot of people asking how they can actually help, right now bringing a couple armloads of DRY firewood to keep our frontline workers warm at the check point is a fantastic contribution to our efforts here. Once again I raise my hands to you all. Emote.”

Island Health has not disclosed the whereabouts of the other 24 active cases in the North Vancouver Island Health Service Delivery Area.

The 2016 census lists more than 122,000 people in this 40,225 square kilometre region.

There are a great many small islands and rural communities, as well as urban centres like Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Campbell River, Courtenay and Comox.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Another one of North Vancouver Island’s 26 Active COVID cases identified himself over Facebook last week.  Lawrence O'Connor is a stock car driver who contracted the disease while participating in a benefit race for Amnesty International in the Arizona Desert.

“There’s nothing pleasant about this painful illness; I feel like I’ve been eaten by wolves, and s**t off a cliff,” he wrote.

He arranged for friends to drop off groceries at his door, in Port Hardy, and is currently in quarantine.

Closer to home, Chief Kevin Peacey posted an update about the situation in the Klahoose village at Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island.

“Several people have been tested. They are self isolating. We are waiting for the results. The storm did not help delaying our ability to get the swabs off the island. We should know by Monday whether we have more confirmed cases. We will continued to announce the number of confirmed Covid19 cases as we get the results back. We hope that more “positive” cases are not going to happen but we are getting ourselves prepared.

“Officially we have only one confirmed case and the contact tracing is STILL ongoing. This is why it is VERY IMPORTANT for everyone to follow the provincial guidelines and stay home, stay in your household bubble, wash your hands and mask up if you do leave your home. We are doing our due diligence, following the guidelines from various government agencies, as well as advice from our sister nation Tla’amin’s Covid19 emergency response team.

“We do all live on this island together and I very much appreciate the whole community rising to this occasion and doing your part of shutting down COVID. On another note, I’m getting a lot of people asking how they can actually help, right now bringing a couple armloads of DRY firewood to keep our frontline workers warm at the check point is a fantastic contribution to our efforts here. Once again I raise my hands to you all. Emote.”

Island Health has not disclosed the whereabouts of the other 24 active cases in the North Vancouver Island Health Service Delivery Area.

The 2016 census lists more than 122,000 people in this 40,225 square kilometre region.

There are a great many small islands and rural communities, as well as urban centres like Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Campbell River, Courtenay and Comox.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Another one of North Vancouver Island’s 26 Active COVID cases identified himself over Facebook last week.  Lawrence O'Connor is a stock car driver who contracted the disease while participating in a benefit race for Amnesty International in the Arizona Desert.

“There’s nothing pleasant about this painful illness; I feel like I’ve been eaten by wolves, and s**t off a cliff,” he wrote.

He arranged for friends to drop off groceries at his door, in Port Hardy, and is currently in quarantine.

Closer to home, Chief Kevin Peacey posted an update about the situation in the Klahoose village at Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island.

“Several people have been tested. They are self isolating. We are waiting for the results. The storm did not help delaying our ability to get the swabs off the island. We should know by Monday whether we have more confirmed cases. We will continued to announce the number of confirmed Covid19 cases as we get the results back. We hope that more “positive” cases are not going to happen but we are getting ourselves prepared.

“Officially we have only one confirmed case and the contact tracing is STILL ongoing. This is why it is VERY IMPORTANT for everyone to follow the provincial guidelines and stay home, stay in your household bubble, wash your hands and mask up if you do leave your home. We are doing our due diligence, following the guidelines from various government agencies, as well as advice from our sister nation Tla’amin’s Covid19 emergency response team.

“We do all live on this island together and I very much appreciate the whole community rising to this occasion and doing your part of shutting down COVID. On another note, I’m getting a lot of people asking how they can actually help, right now bringing a couple armloads of DRY firewood to keep our frontline workers warm at the check point is a fantastic contribution to our efforts here. Once again I raise my hands to you all. Emote.”

Island Health has not disclosed the whereabouts of the other 24 active cases in the North Vancouver Island Health Service Delivery Area.

The 2016 census lists more than 122,000 people in this 40,225 square kilometre region.

There are a great many small islands and rural communities, as well as urban centres like Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Campbell River, Courtenay and Comox.

Tan Mei Xi/Vancouver Coop Radio - Last week, Vancouver City Council approved the five-year Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP), which contains 19 actions and sets Vancouver on a path to reduce Vancouver’s carbon pollution by 50 per cent by 2030.

According to the City, 54 per cent of Vancouver's carbon pollution comes from burning natural gas used to heat space and water in buildings, and 39 per cent of the city's emissions come from burning gasoline and diesel in vehicles.

The "game-changer" actions of the CEAP include setting carbon emissions limits for existing buildings; setting requirements for low-carbon construction materials and practices in new building construction; expanding the paid-parking-permit program across the city; and creating a plan to implement transport pricing, or congestion pricing, in the city by 2025.

Matt Horne, the City's Climate Policy Manager, said that while the CEAP is focused on mitigation, the city has adopted other strategies for helping Vancouver adapt to climate change. Some strategies he noted were increasing tree cover to reduce the "urban heat island" effect and access to cooling stations for residents during extreme heat events.

According to a report released earlier this year by the urban-solutions organization Evergreen, strategies that will help Downtown Eastside residents adapt to climate change include increasing access to clean, well-maintained washrooms; increasing access to clean drinking water; increasing tree cover in the neighbourhood; and additional cooling spaces.

Photo credit: Vancouver, Taken at the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park by Kim Siever via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Tan Mei Xi/Vancouver Coop Radio - Last week, Vancouver City Council approved the five-year Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP), which contains 19 actions and sets Vancouver on a path to reduce Vancouver’s carbon pollution by 50 per cent by 2030.

According to the City, 54 per cent of Vancouver's carbon pollution comes from burning natural gas used to heat space and water in buildings, and 39 per cent of the city's emissions come from burning gasoline and diesel in vehicles.

The "game-changer" actions of the CEAP include setting carbon emissions limits for existing buildings; setting requirements for low-carbon construction materials and practices in new building construction; expanding the paid-parking-permit program across the city; and creating a plan to implement transport pricing, or congestion pricing, in the city by 2025.

Matt Horne, the City's Climate Policy Manager, said that while the CEAP is focused on mitigation, the city has adopted other strategies for helping Vancouver adapt to climate change. Some strategies he noted were increasing tree cover to reduce the "urban heat island" effect and access to cooling stations for residents during extreme heat events.

According to a report released earlier this year by the urban-solutions organization Evergreen, strategies that will help Downtown Eastside residents adapt to climate change include increasing access to clean, well-maintained washrooms; increasing access to clean drinking water; increasing tree cover in the neighbourhood; and additional cooling spaces.

Photo credit: Vancouver, Taken at the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park by Kim Siever via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)