Cortes Currents

Manda Aufochs Gillespie - Cortes Currents/Folk U - What can going back to school in a pandemic teach us about the future of education? Five Educators from the live listening area of Cortes Radio chime in to discuss what their districts are doing to get kids safely back to school and how the future of education in our area may change forever from what we learn in this time.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Cortes Currents - Cortes Island is about to become home to four new units of BC Housing supported housing in the Cortes Seniors Village. The Seniors Village expansions is “already more than 50% complete,” says Sandra Wood the Housing Coordinator for the Cortes Island Senior Society.

This week interior finishing starts, including painting. She says they are “hoping that people will be in their new homes in time to celebrate Christmas.”

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Cortes Currents - Cortes Island is about to become home to four new units of BC Housing supported housing in the Cortes Seniors Village. The Seniors Village expansions is “already more than 50% complete,” says Sandra Wood the Housing Coordinator for the Cortes Island Senior Society.

This week interior finishing starts, including painting. She says they are “hoping that people will be in their new homes in time to celebrate Christmas.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Three quarters of Quadra Island lies outside of the fire protection zone. BC Wildfires responds to forest fires in this area, but normally do not come on to private property. Last June, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) asked North Island residents if they would to have the same level of coverage as the south. While roughly half of the respondents said they thought all Quadra residents should have the same level of protection, 64% indicated they were happy with the present system and less than 10% were willing to pay for any additional coverage. The Electoral Areas Services Committee (EASC) instructed SRD staff to draw up a report on how to move forward. Staff suggested forming an advisory group, comprised of representatives from each of the residential areas on the north island. Instead, EASC decided to let the proposal to extend Quadra’s fire protection die.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Three quarters of Quadra Island lies outside of the fire protection zone. BC Wildfires responds to forest fires in this area, but normally do not come on to private property. Last June, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) asked North Island residents if they would to have the same level of coverage as the south. While roughly half of the respondents said they thought all Quadra residents should have the same level of protection, 64% indicated they were happy with the present system and less than 10% were willing to pay for any additional coverage. The Electoral Areas Services Committee (EASC) instructed SRD staff to draw up a report on how to move forward. Staff suggested forming an advisory group, comprised of representatives from each of the residential areas on the north island. Instead, EASC decided to let the proposal to extend Quadra’s fire protection die.

Some Canadians of European descent find the fact three Indigenous nations claim Cortes Island as their traditional territory confusing, but a member of the Klahoose Nation explained this in a recent interview. Norm Harry’s (“Tal-wa-ska“) father was originally xʷɛmaɬkʷu (Homalco) but became ƛohos (Klahoose). Some of Norm’s uncles and aunts are ɬəʔamɛn (Tla’amin) and his family also has close relatives among the K’omox. As Norm Harry understands it, these nations were all one people before the Canadian government put them onto reservations.

Some Canadians of European descent find the fact three Indigenous nations claim Cortes Island as their traditional territory confusing, but a member of the Klahoose Nation explained this in a recent interview. Norm Harry’s (“Tal-wa-ska“) father was originally xʷɛmaɬkʷu (Homalco) but became ƛohos (Klahoose). Some of Norm’s uncles and aunts are ɬəʔamɛn (Tla’amin) and his family also has close relatives among the K’omox. As Norm Harry understands it, these nations were all one people before the Canadian government put them onto reservations.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The latest version of a Strathcona Regional District staff report on directors input into the reporting process was not received by the Electoral Areas Services committee. Cortes Island Regional Director Noba Anderson said. "I think that’s the first time I’ve ever voted in opposition to receipt of a report in 12 years.” Regional Directors Jim Abram and Brenda Leigh joined her in opposition. The vote against this report was 3 to 1.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The latest version of a Strathcona Regional District staff report on directors input into the reporting process was not received by the Electoral Areas Services committee. Cortes Island Regional Director Noba Anderson said. "I think that’s the first time I’ve ever voted in opposition to receipt of a report in 12 years.” Regional Directors Jim Abram and Brenda Leigh joined her in opposition. The vote against this report was 3 to 1.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The old Surge Narrows store, on Read Island, closed its doors in 2007. A Strathcona Regional District staff report sates, “since that time the building and its associated boardwalk, floating dock and fuel shed have been left in a state of disrepair.” Last November, the SRD board applied for a $2.2 million grant to revitalize the property and was turned down. Now it looks the Surge Narrows Store Revitalization project is going forward.

Starts 1:09:56

BC’s Minister of Municipal Affairs, Selina Robinson, recently met with representatives from the SRD.

Regional Director Jim Abram wrote, in the September 2020 issue of Surge Currents, “This year staff and the Chair of the Board had three topics for the Board to consider and vote on as the topics to be discussed. I read them prior to the meeting and noticed that there wasn’t a single Rural Area issue on the list! Very upsetting since this IS our local government. So, I did the research and came up with one that I felt needed to go forward and it was directly related to this Minister’s portfolio.”

The Minister subsequently agreed that the Surge Narrows store project should go forward.

So did the Federal Ministry.

The Electoral Areas Services Committee gave its recommendation to the project at their September 16th board meeting.

When the SRD meets again, on October 7th, they will decide whether to send an application to the Canada Infrastructure Program - Rural and Northern Communities grant program.

According to Abram, Read Island already has the grant, “This is just the board endorsing it.”

In Surge Currents, he wrote, “The grant is for $2.2 Million for the Surge Narrows revitalization project which includes an additional wharf and dock, a rebuild of the Surge Narrows Store historic property and dozens of other wonderful projects within the property that we purchased a year or so ago. It will also look at a small seniors' village to accommodate the aging population that does not want to leave: Aging in place!”