Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Alexandra Morton is now the official Green candidate for North Island. She described her reasons for entering politics, and what needs to be done, in a quick ZOOM interview.

“The reason I’m running is that, over the last twenty years, I’ve seen that the politics and policies that are killing off the wild salmon of this coast are also destroying our communities.”

“At this point, I think everyone is very worried as to what we are leaving to our children, the ones who come after us. They aren’t going to nearly as much as we got. I think it is time to figure out how to do things differently … We need to figure out how we can thrive and the environment around us can thrive. So our kids get a chance.”

“There has to be solutions.”

“Obviously I am very informed about salmon and I know there is no reason to lose these fish. It is so frustrating to watch the mismanagement just go on and on.”

“In fact, we can have an aquaculture industry. We could have a very successful, cutting edge aquaculture industry. We have people that know how to grow fish, but it has to get out of the ocean and get onto land - like it is elsewhere.”

“Then with the wild salmon, the ones in the ocean, there is some phenomenal science in DFO that can actually read their immune systems. So the fish then start to ‘talk’ to us and tell us what is going on. That is so exiting, it goes back to the legends of the people who were here first. They always said the salmon could talk. Now we get a chance to catch up with them and be able to do that as well. We can ‘hear’ the fish say, ‘this is what is going on with us.’ Then we can try to change our behaviour and go back to the fish and say ‘did we make it better for you or not.”

“Now I know that salmon aren’t the only issue for the North Island.”

“So I’m going to be on a steep learning curve. I want to hear from people. I don’t really want to complain. We’re past that. I want to know the issues and what people think are the solutions.”

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“I’m a hard worker. I’m ready to learn. I have a very open mind.”

“For the people who are worried about splitting the vote, I know, I hear you - I’ve been one of those people.”

“We have seven years to change climate change around. I don’t really know what we are saving ourselves for.”

“As far as I am concerned, the current NDP Government has done some really good things. They’ve taken us through COVID as much as is possible. A lot came at them, things that governments have never faced before. I watched a government actually listen to science, which to me - was astonishing. I appreciate that they have spoken to us as adults because we are adults. We can take it. Also, the NDP government - when the First Nations in the Broughton Archipelago said salmon farms are going to get out, there is no two ways about it and here is how it is going to work - they went along with it.”

“But on many other issues, I think they need help because if there is one thing I know, it is how hard it is to deal with these big corporations.”

[Corporations] “ … have a model, which is growth. They are based on share price, not even necessarily the sale of the fish, they are based on share price. They are have toi simply get bigger and bigger and bigger - and that is not going to work in the natural world.”

“They just need strict rules from government and I am sure they will comply. They will carry on under new rules that have to do with sustainability - because we are all heading for the cliff.”

“This effort to become MLA of this fabulously rich North Island riding where I have lived for 37 years is very exciting to me.”

“I’m really looking forward to hearing from people.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Current - The word is out. Sue Moen, who ran for the Green party in the last provincial election and had hoped to do it again, informed Cortes Currents on Tuesday. The Green candidate in North Island will be independent biologist Alexandra Morton.

Morton proclaimed her intention to run on Facebook four days ago, “I am seeking nomination to run for MLA for North Island as a Green Candidate. I need 175 signatures by 1st ferry on Wednesday. I will be at the Li'l Wild Gift Shop at the new dock (in Sontula) from 12-2:30. You can sign, or give me an earful!”

That meeting occurred yesterday.

The Norwegian based website salmonbusiness.com has been observing events and posted that “the anti-salmon farming activist” has “more than double” the number of signatures required on her nomination.

As of this morning, the Green party has yet to announce Alexandra Morton is their candidate and Morton has not returned Cortes Currents queries, but the Tyee ran the story yesterday.

Sue Moen is quoted saying, “I admire and respect Alexandra and think she’ll be a wonderful candidate and I will work with her to get her elected.”

Dallas Smith, who ran as a BC Liberal in 2017, told the Tyee, “I think Alexandra will definitely take away from the NDP in this one.”

Alexandra Morton said the NDP has done some good things, but the best election outcome would be a minority government “with a Green rudder on it.”

photo credit: Sointula by Paul Hamilton via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Roy L Hales/Cortes Current - The word is out. Sue Moen, who ran for the Green party in the last provincial election and had hoped to do it again, informed Cortes Currents on Tuesday. The Green candidate in North Island will be independent biologist Alexandra Morton.

Morton proclaimed her intention to run on Facebook four days ago, “I am seeking nomination to run for MLA for North Island as a Green Candidate. I need 175 signatures by 1st ferry on Wednesday. I will be at the Li'l Wild Gift Shop at the new dock (in Sontula) from 12-2:30. You can sign, or give me an earful!”

That meeting occurred yesterday.

The Norwegian based website salmonbusiness.com has been observing events and posted that “the anti-salmon farming activist” has “more than double” the number of signatures required on her nomination.

As of this morning, the Green party has yet to announce Alexandra Morton is their candidate and Morton has not returned Cortes Currents queries, but the Tyee ran the story yesterday.

Sue Moen is quoted saying, “I admire and respect Alexandra and think she’ll be a wonderful candidate and I will work with her to get her elected.”

Dallas Smith, who ran as a BC Liberal in 2017, told the Tyee, “I think Alexandra will definitely take away from the NDP in this one.”

Alexandra Morton said the NDP has done some good things, but the best election outcome would be a minority government “with a Green rudder on it.”

photo credit: Sointula by Paul Hamilton via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - I asked Norm Facey, the BC Liberal candidate for North Island riding, why are you running for office?

>>> Why are you running for office?

Norm Facey: “I’ve always admired good government and the strength that it takes to do that. There is a strength of personality, integrity and the intelligence to pull it all together. So I’ve always had an interest.”

“On top of that, we are in incredibly challenging times and I see a need for strong, calm leadership.”

“I think Canada and the US are blessed with a political structure that many around the world envy and I want to make sure that that stays at the very high level that it is.”

“We talk about corruption in our government, [but] it’s just trivial compared to other nations. That’s important to me.”

“I have to admit the final little impetus is being called into an election at

this point in time. We didn’t need an election. We weren’t supposed to

have an election and it’s not for the people it’s for benefit of a particular party.

“I think that needs to be challenged, so I am here for the challenge.”

>>> Why should I vote for you?

Norm Facey: “I bring a great range of ability, training and experience.”

“People tend to focus on the fact I have an engineering degree, I’ve been trained in business and I have been Executive Vice President for different companies over the past few years.

“ … My father was a faller. He had a massive injury and had to reinvent himself. He became a log scaler and then a very successful businessman in a small business realm - a log sorting realm.

That’s where I grew up. I grew up underneath sawmills. I dug ditches and I worked on the booms, in the sorting ground. That’s where my basis comes from and i tend to associate with middle businesses and, particularly in the North Island, want to see people do well … and communities grow strong.

That’s where I am putting my energies and I think I have that blend of abilities and experience to help it come true. I think I’m a great candidate.”

>>> What’s the biggest issue for this election?

Norm Facey: “It’s COVID related.

“It isn’t COVID itself, because I think we have had great health leadership. Dr Henry is superb and I know that no matter who comes in, she is going to be supported and that is going to continue.”

“ … The challenge is the economics that is going to come home fairly quickly. We’ve had too many people off business, off work. The bills are building and we must address that.

“I’m not saying we’re going to run in and balance the budget - because we’re not. We are going to run in and take care of people. We’re going to make sure that services are extended. We’re going to reduce costs. We are going to make sure that people come first and we get a recovery that includes everybody, not just a few.

“That is the main challenge and it is complex. It has so many facets to it, but that is the crux. We have to take care of the economy and the people together. So that five years down the road, we are where we want to be. We’re building. We are prosperous, happy, not still digging our way out.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - I asked Norm Facey, the BC Liberal candidate for North Island riding, why are you running for office?

>>> Why are you running for office?

Norm Facey: “I’ve always admired good government and the strength that it takes to do that. There is a strength of personality, integrity and the intelligence to pull it all together. So I’ve always had an interest.”

“On top of that, we are in incredibly challenging times and I see a need for strong, calm leadership.”

“I think Canada and the US are blessed with a political structure that many around the world envy and I want to make sure that that stays at the very high level that it is.”

“We talk about corruption in our government, [but] it’s just trivial compared to other nations. That’s important to me.”

“I have to admit the final little impetus is being called into an election at

this point in time. We didn’t need an election. We weren’t supposed to

have an election and it’s not for the people it’s for benefit of a particular party.

“I think that needs to be challenged, so I am here for the challenge.”

>>> Why should I vote for you?

Norm Facey: “I bring a great range of ability, training and experience.”

“People tend to focus on the fact I have an engineering degree, I’ve been trained in business and I have been Executive Vice President for different companies over the past few years.

“ … My father was a faller. He had a massive injury and had to reinvent himself. He became a log scaler and then a very successful businessman in a small business realm - a log sorting realm.

That’s where I grew up. I grew up underneath sawmills. I dug ditches and I worked on the booms, in the sorting ground. That’s where my basis comes from and i tend to associate with middle businesses and, particularly in the North Island, want to see people do well … and communities grow strong.

That’s where I am putting my energies and I think I have that blend of abilities and experience to help it come true. I think I’m a great candidate.”

>>> What’s the biggest issue for this election?

Norm Facey: “It’s COVID related.

“It isn’t COVID itself, because I think we have had great health leadership. Dr Henry is superb and I know that no matter who comes in, she is going to be supported and that is going to continue.”

“ … The challenge is the economics that is going to come home fairly quickly. We’ve had too many people off business, off work. The bills are building and we must address that.

“I’m not saying we’re going to run in and balance the budget - because we’re not. We are going to run in and take care of people. We’re going to make sure that services are extended. We’re going to reduce costs. We are going to make sure that people come first and we get a recovery that includes everybody, not just a few.

“That is the main challenge and it is complex. It has so many facets to it, but that is the crux. We have to take care of the economy and the people together. So that five years down the road, we are where we want to be. We’re building. We are prosperous, happy, not still digging our way out.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Managing Director Jane Newman explains how the Cortes Museum weathered the pandemic, financially

“It’s been an interesting and challenging year. We closed in mid March and then were fortunate to reopen for July and August,”she explained.

The Cortes Museum is normally open Tuesdays to Sundays for four months during the 'Summer' season.

“We would normally open by at least mid June and until mid September. This year … even though the directive is coming from the government in British Columbia, that we as a museum could potentially open in early June, it just seem like it was the right timing for us. It took a lot of preparation to open with a very solid safety plan and all the protocols in place,” said Newman.

Consequently, visitations were down about 50% and donations about 75%.

“We didn’t have [the] donations, we didn’t have our fund raising events, we didn’t even have membership renewals because there was no AGM,” said Newman.

Luckily, the museum receives funding from the BC Arts Council, BC Gaming, Department of Heritage and Canada Summer jobs. They provided the funding that the museum normally obtains through its normal fundraising efforts.

Those government agencies have not made any commitment to continue supporting the museum in 2021.

Newman added, “We feel that the funding that came through as emergency relief funding may have to carry us through 2021 as well. So we’re being very frugal and looking very conservatively at how we might offer programming.”

The Cortes Island Museum And Archives is currently open Friday and Saturday afternoons, as is normal during the Fall, Winter and Spring seasons.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Managing Director Jane Newman explains how the Cortes Museum weathered the pandemic, financially

“It’s been an interesting and challenging year. We closed in mid March and then were fortunate to reopen for July and August,”she explained.

The Cortes Museum is normally open Tuesdays to Sundays for four months during the 'Summer' season.

“We would normally open by at least mid June and until mid September. This year … even though the directive is coming from the government in British Columbia, that we as a museum could potentially open in early June, it just seem like it was the right timing for us. It took a lot of preparation to open with a very solid safety plan and all the protocols in place,” said Newman.

Consequently, visitations were down about 50% and donations about 75%.

“We didn’t have [the] donations, we didn’t have our fund raising events, we didn’t even have membership renewals because there was no AGM,” said Newman.

Luckily, the museum receives funding from the BC Arts Council, BC Gaming, Department of Heritage and Canada Summer jobs. They provided the funding that the museum normally obtains through its normal fundraising efforts.

Those government agencies have not made any commitment to continue supporting the museum in 2021.

Newman added, “We feel that the funding that came through as emergency relief funding may have to carry us through 2021 as well. So we’re being very frugal and looking very conservatively at how we might offer programming.”

The Cortes Island Museum And Archives is currently open Friday and Saturday afternoons, as is normal during the Fall, Winter and Spring seasons.

Tan Mei Xi/Vancouver Co-op Radio LJI - After a protracted Council meeting that spanned two days, Council has passed a motion directing City staff to research and report back on five options for providing shelter to unhoused Vancouver residents ... during the council meeting, some unhoused residents had expressed discomfort with BC Housing operation protocols. When asked about issues that could arise given the negative perception of BC Housing of some residents, Bligh noted that Council is early in learning about this dynamic.

"I don't really have an answer in terms of what we need to do," said Bligh, "but I think it's an emerging conversation and we need to lean into this conversation as elected officials with BC Housing to find out where we're letting people down in this situation."

Tan Mei Xi/Vancouver Co-op Radio LJI - After a protracted Council meeting that spanned two days, Council has passed a motion directing City staff to research and report back on five options for providing shelter to unhoused Vancouver residents ... during the council meeting, some unhoused residents had expressed discomfort with BC Housing operation protocols. When asked about issues that could arise given the negative perception of BC Housing of some residents, Bligh noted that Council is early in learning about this dynamic.

"I don't really have an answer in terms of what we need to do," said Bligh, "but I think it's an emerging conversation and we need to lean into this conversation as elected officials with BC Housing to find out where we're letting people down in this situation."

Odette Auger/Cortes Currents - Tla’amin weaver. Sosan Blaney is an Indigenous woman, artist, mom, wife. She's also a very talented Tla’amin weaver. Sosan came to Klahoose to teach weaving workshops before COVID-19 interrupted. In this story we'll catch up with Sosan and what she's been doing during COVID-19.

photo of women weaving L-R: Gail Blaney, Elsie Paul. Photo Credit: Sosan Blaney.