Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Harbour Authority Cortes Island (HACI) received the necessary funding to carry out needed upgrades to the 111-year-old dock in Whaletown. In today’s article Harbour Master Jenny Hartwick gives the details, and also talks about the upcoming August 30 dock swap.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Cortes Island is close to raising the funds for a wildfire detection system that identifies fires within minutes of their inception. In today’s interview Claudia van der Vorm explains what SenseNet is and Cortes Island Fire Chief Eli McKenty says why he thinks we need it.

 Claudia van der Vorm: “SenseNet is a Canadian company based out of Vancouver. They work on very early wildfire detection, in most cases under the minute, they can detect a fire when it's still in soldering stages. So when we don't smell it, we don't see it, in areas hard to access. They have a combination of sensors, camera, satellite, and a platform that all together really allows that early detection, prevention and mitigation.”

“Sensors basically are really placed in the areas that are at most risk or difficult to access. A camera can basically oversee the whole island and monitor 24 7 for any smoke. The satellite is really for if it is getting bigger.”

“The moment some activity is happening, the sensors will detect, they will start to analyze. The camera zooms in, a camera that oversees over 75 kilometers, but it also zooms into the areas. It can detect if it's a campfire. The fire department gets a notification and it also gets the cause. What is the spread location, spread and that incorporates the vegetation, the weather, the wind patterns, and things like that.”

“It also allows a little bit of prevention, so it's dry, or the weather combination is such that it's already high risk.”

Cortes Currents: Where is SenseNet in use right now?

 Claudia van der Vorm: “It's on the Sunshine Coast. The city of Vernon actually has it already for three years, and even the recent Vernon fire they knew exactly where they knew the direction, they knew the fire spread, and they managed the fire very quickly. In the three years that Vernon has the system, they haven't had a fire outbreak, but they averted over 200 fires.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Mark Lombard from the Cortes Housing Society recently gave an update on progress at the Rainbow Ridge Affordable Housing Project.

“At this point we're well along the way of building a community building with an office for the housing society. It’ll have:

- a utility space that has controls for the water systems and filtration to send water to all the homes.

- the controls for the battery and solar system that will provide backup power for the water and sewer for the buildings.

- a laundry room that'll serve the women's shelter and other people on the south end who need it.

a guest bedroom that people who live in the seniors village or at Rainbow Ridge will be able to rent for a modest price per night.

a lounge area with a kitchenette that people can have a little birthday dinner or a card game, or if the Housing Society board wants to meet, there'll be a big table that can be used for that.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - A lot has happened in the five months since Tomaaso Biasiolo became the Outreach and Admin Coordinator for ‘the Nook’ in Cortes Island’s Village Commons. The Grand Opening was on June 27, 2025, but there are still small projects to complete. Two special small rooms need to soundproofed; the Nook’s kitchen has not been installed. The original vision was to create a space where nonprofits can work and hold their meetings, but these spaces are now available for individuals as well.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Folk U - On August 11, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Nawel Izard, a Campbell River lawyer who cares deeply about community. Tune in for insights from her work, and clear, engaging explanations of legal issues that affect the Cortes community. Full of practical advice and personal reflections, Nawel makes complex topics accessible and relevant for all listeners.

Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 6:30 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents -Live and Local is more than a Tideline page, although the Tideline page advertises all of the shows on Cortes Island from Gorge Harbour Marina, Manson's Hall, Gorge Hall and the Village Commons Music Series to pop-up independent shows. It is also more than the radio program, which is broadcast over CKTZ 89.5, FM shortly after 8:00 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

According to Jemma Hicken, one of the best known personalities behind it:

"Live and Local is an umbrella program, run by Cortes Radio, that encompasses  the Live and Local page on Tideline, the Live and Local radio interviews that I've been mostly doing, also all of the promotion that we've been doing through Cortes Radio, social media, Tideline, all of the rest in terms of posters and the Village Commons Music Series as well."

She explained that Live and local came about through a collaboration with Bryan McKinnon, the President of Cortes Community Radio.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Lovefest 2025 was at Linnaea Farm on Saturday August 9th.

Cortes Currents wandered through the crowd asking people about Lovefest and why they kept coming back. In the process, I also recorded a few short clips of the music and asked one of the principal organizers, Benji Coey about this year’s program.

Howie Roman - “It started with 50 Summers of Love, which was our great hippie festival. People really dug out their old clothes. Women in long skirts; guys in bell bottoms. There was an exhibit up in the school of what you looked like in ’67, and it was very cool. The demand was that they keep it going. So I believe this is the sixth year.”

Toni Smorodin - “I’ve been coming since the very beginning. I think it was 2017. So the idea of a Lovefest, reincarnation, music and people coming together: It really excited me, especially in a beautiful location like Linnaea.”

Adam Schick from Linnaea Farm - “It’s great having Lovefest here on the farm. It's a great way to spend an afternoon in August, showcasing what a beautiful place I get to live in all the time.”

Cortes Currents - Tell me about this year's lineup, and what's changed?

Benji Coey - “This year we've got quite a few new bands who haven't been here before. One or two classics, who people on the island will know of. For example, Louis Belcourt is a classic, but if you're talking big differences, we've got a different end of the evening this year. For the last couple of years we finished with the Cuban Act, this year ending with the Righteous Rainbows of Togetherness.”

“So imagine if you can time traveling Egyptian space lords playing improvised electronica to a visual track of lasers and smoke machines. That's what's gonna culminate the evening tonight. We have Canada's best tribute to the Great Divide, which includes Rex Weyler's son Jack Weyler, a wonderful Hammond organ player and Dylan Stone, who's another island favorite. We’ve got Lily Fawn, who has been on the BC music scene for about 15-20 years. We're doing the music of David Lynch. As you know, David Lynch is a directing legend in Canadian film history. Twin Peaks obviously is one of his most famous pieces, so the band are going to play a selection of music from Twin Peaks and from some of David Lynch's other works. It'll be a theatrical element. We're gonna do that at sunset.”

Ann Mortifee - “I love to feast on love and there are so many great people here, from our community, and from afar. I love this day because it is a Lovefest where people of talent and all different kinds of things can come and dance, enjoy and visit.”

Amy Harding from the Linnaea Farm food booth - “It’s very exciting and vibrant and beautiful and I love feeling that energy.”

Cortes Currents -  It seems like there's always the McKenty element to Lovefest, whether it's onstage or as support.

Francis McKenty - “Yep, and sometimes both, but it's a fun chance to get together and work backstage, with all of my brothers, helping make Cortes’ most amazing music festival as amazing as it can be.”

Greg Osoba -  “This is my first year volunteering, but I've had the great pleasure to play at Lovefest. I was with Six Foot Johnson on, gosh, at least four occasions. I'm very happy with that. It's a great opportunity for some less experienced players to get their feet wet, as well as some very seasoned professionals. I just thought this is a great way to give back and it's wonderful to greet all the happy attendees who are looking forward to what Lovefest has to offer.”

Aland from Victoria - “I’ve been here since the beginning, I was five, maybe. It's a really fun experience and there's always music, and it's a really nice time to just connect to everyone.”

Her sister Nim - “We used to live here full time and we still come here because it's an awesome community and great music.”

Anastasia Avvakumova - “It feels like home.”

Manda AUfochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On August 4, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Sadhu Johnston, who gave an update on the developments happening at Rainbow Ridge, on behalf of the Cortes Housing Society. Tune in for a discussion about community housing, the island’s housing crisis, and construction challenges and joys!

Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 6:30 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - UBC researchers found a new virus in farmed Pacific Oysters that perished during a mass die-off in 2023.

During the die-off, researchers collected 33 dead oysters as well as 26 wild oysters from neighbouring sites. Pacific Oyster Nidovirus 1 (PONV1) was only found in 20 of the dead or dying farmed oysters.

Dr Kevin Xu Zhong, a research associate in the UBC department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS), explained this does not mean the virus was the cause of death.

“We found this new virus. There is no indication it is causing the mortality mentioned in the database, the study, or the reporting.”

Cortes Currents:  What does the virus do to oysters?

Dr Zhong:  “We don't know how this virus is working, or how it causes disease. What we can know right now is that we found this virus associated with the mass mortality for the oysters in the farm. That's what we know. There are many unknowns; many questions to address in the future.”

Dr Zhong said there have recently been mass die-offs of Pacific Oysters in BC and other parts of the world, but the cause is often unknown.

Pacific Oysters are the primary shellfish species grown in B.C. and brought in revenues of  $16 million in 2023. 

Cortes Currents:  Where have you found Pacific Oyster Nidovirus in BC?

Dr Zhong: “Fanny Bay and Deep Cove.”

Cortes Currents: I guess it's too early to ask whether Pacific Oyster Nidovirus 1 spreading?

Dr Zhong: “Yes, we only analyzed the samples from two farms. As you said, it is very early to say. We found this virus in the BC area, but based on the genetic data available in the database, it can also be found in France and in China. You can trace it back about one decade.”

Cortes Currents:  Have there been any indications that it would be harmful to human consumers of oysters?

Dr Zhong: “Oh, no, no, no. Don't worry about that. This virus can only infect the Pacific Oyster and never humans or other animal species. There's no worry about that because viral infection is mostly host specific.”

 Cortes Currents: Can you definitively say that it doesn't cause any harm to humans?

Dr Zhong: “We also eat oysters, raw too. I don't think this will be a problem.”

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Folk U - July 25, 2025 was the fourth week of the Village Commons Music Series, a simultaneously live and live-broadcast show, happening on Fridays from 1 - 2:30pm on the new Pavilion stage.

Host Manda Aufochs Gillespie was joined by local electronic music star, Aspen King. Aspen plays techno and house influenced music and came home to play this daytime set, and one evening set at the Gorge Marina, between travelling to and from many large festivals over the course of the summer.

The Village Commons Music Series is produced by Jemma Hicken, Aaron Ellingsen, and Sean Coyote. It is made possible by the Cortes Island Community Foundation, Cortes Community Radio, and the Community Radio Fund of Canada.

Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 6:30 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts.