Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents -In the past, Rural Directors have not always appreciated Campbell River ‘interference' in their affairs. An initiative coming out of the Strathcona Regional District's (SRD) Municipal Services Committee could result in a lot more interference from Campbell River and other municipalities. Planning is one of the most fundamental and strategic activities within the SRD. They would like to take control of the Electoral Areas Planning Service. Some of the municipal directors were already discussing the idea of joining the service for months, prior to it surfacing at the August SRD Board meeting. At that point Cortes Island Director Mark Vonesch asked, “ I just have a question for folks that brought this forward. My understanding is municipalities already have a planning function. I'm just confused as to why you might want to join when you already have your own planning service. Looking at this report, it's looking at Campbell River paying half a million dollars for something that they already have and given tight budgets everywhere and being conservative with our tax dollars and responsible. I'm just curious as to the sort of reasoning behind it.” Campbell River Director Susan Sinnott replied,  “The region is important to Campbell River and we are an unfortunate region where we are so dominant that what happens in the region does impact us because we're paying a good amount of money for it. So it's a consideration we have to look at, but no determination at this point.” The matter was referred to the Municipal Services Committee. The following program consists of gleanings from the Municipal Services Committee Meeting of September 3, 2025.

This is the unedited audio from the September 8, 2025 Public Meeting about Cortes Island's zoning bylaw chaired by Regional Director Mark Vonesch. Annie Girdler, from the SRD's panning department gave an overiew of the proposed bylaw changes Cortes Island residents commented about: regulations preventing people from doing what they want on their property we need regulations to protect the community we need more Advisory Planing Committee meetings (There recently was one for zoning) people should get jobs and buy houses with their own money, not get hand-outs regulations & penalties pertaining to liveaboards support for the proposed zoning bylaws the need for more housing the need for more houses on large lots how the proposed bylaws do not help Cortes Island's climate resilience the need to protect landlords from abusive tenants Can Cortes Island's aquifers support more housing Cortes Island's Aquifer study (which was published last week) the water pollution problem in Hague Lake & how it was resolved by the Dillon Creek Restoration Project

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents -Cortes Island's aquifer health study has been released and in this morning's interviews we are speaking with Sylvia Barroso, of GW Solutions, the Senior Hydrologist who participated in this project, Sadhu Johnston, Executive Director of the Cortes Island Housing Society and Mark Vonesch, Regional Director of Cortes Island.  First, there are two key questions at the top of many people's minds. Is there enough water in Cortes Island's aquifers to support further development? And why were some of the island's shallow wells not recharging during the recent drought?  Barroso's answers to both questions were complex. Aside from her reference to climate change and the fact conditions are going to get worse, you'll have to wait for her full answer to the question about our shallow wells. However one of her statements about the state of Cortes Island's aquifers is very illuminating:  “Our study showed that in general Cortes has abundant water sources and that at the current usage levels, we have not found that there's overuse. When we look at it from a water management approach, we did not find that any of the water management areas had greater than 5% of the available water being used. That suggests that there is room for growth, and it gives us an opportunity to strategically develop water sources and develop those in protected areas.”  Cortes Currents: The issue is much more complex and there are steps we should take to ensure the health of Cortes Island's water supply, but for that you have to listen to the long version.  

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents -Cortes Island will have a public meeting on its proposed Bylaw changes on Monday, Sept 8th, 5pm at Manson's Hall.  “This is a chance for folks to weigh in on the proposed draft. We're really looking at a ‘yes' or ‘no' decision on this zoning bylaw. There's almost two years of community consultation and input, and this is what staff have produced and the best, happy medium for what folks are asking for,” explained Mark Vonesch, Regional Director for Cortes Island. “The public hearing will be a chance for people to express their opinions and their thoughts. Those will get recorded and added to the public record. It's important that folks show up whether you're opposed to or in support of this new zoning bylaw. People who show up make the decisions, and this is an opportunity to have your voice heard. If you can't make the meeting, you can email planning@srd.ca and that will also be included in the public record.” Sadhu Johnston, Executive Director of the Cortes Housing Society, added,  “The Housing Society took a number of positions that we were advocating for with the Regional District.” “The first thing we were advocating for is larger cottages and additional dwelling units on existing properties. There are lots of people on Cortes have a second or third cabin on their land, and they're out of compliance with the current zoning. That makes people uncertain in their living environments. If you're renting a cabin from somebody and that cabin is technically illegal, that creates insecurity. Many people on Cortes rely on that type of housing. “The Housing Society was encouraging what used to be called cottages in the zoning bylaw. They were only 60 square meters — about 500 square feet and really too small for a family to live in - as a second house on a property. We were encouraging for that to be bigger and the SRD has made that change. Now that secondary unit, the accessory dwelling unit (ADU), can be 110 square meters.” “The new density rules allow for multiple dwelling units on a single lot. Depending on the zoning type, more than one ADU is now permitted. That can provide passive income for island property owners, and also create additional rental units. These can't be subdivided or sold, so by nature they provide important rental housing. This proposed bylaw really addressed our concern about larger cottages and additional dwelling units on existing land. “I think the best opportunity for us to get more housing on Cortes is not to build up in the northern part if the island or to develop new sites, but to use properties that already have houses, driveways, electricity, septic, and wells — and enable them to add one or more additional homes. “The previous bylaw had a maximum of three dwellings per lot in the RR1 (Rural Residential 1) and R1 (Residential 1) zones, and they've removed that maximum. There's a new tiered system that allows up to five dwellings in R1 and RR1, and up to six dwellings in RU1 (Residential Urban 1), depending on lot size. Basically, this allows one or two additional houses on existing lots. “They didn't go as far as the Housing Society was thinking would be helpful, but they did go quite far in allowing additional houses on existing lots.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - From August 29 to September 14, the Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery will host ‘How Do You Like the Underworld?—Kristen Scofield-Sweet's final large-scale exhibition.  “This is my retirement party swan song on the wall,” she began. “This is a body of work that's complete. One of the remarkable things about that is the artist doesn't usually get to see their work all hung together, obviously, unless they have a show. You're used to seeing a piece over the couch with the pillows or the throw at the back. To actually see them having a conversation with each other is really special.” “Every picture tells a story, so you can get all tangled up with how it got painted and why, how I work and yada, yada. In an exhibition like this, the work gets to speak for itself, and that's really profound.” Cortes Currents: How did you come up with the title? Kristen Scofield-Sweet: “It's just an image from walking down the road in my neighborhood, looking for something significant, clicking along, taking pictures. When I got back home and looked at them, it was like, ‘whoa!' The notion ‘How do you like the underworld?' just popped into my head, and so there it is.” Cortes Currents: I have to ask, how do you like the Underworld? Kristen Scofield-Sweet: “I think we live there.” Cortes Currents: What is the Underworld?

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The Cortes Island Food Bank was one of the nation's first food banks to receive Standards of Excellence accreditation from Food Banks Canada. The Associations President Beatrix Baxter, explained, “Filipe Figueira, our Executive represented us at the Food Banks Canada Conference in Montreal. During the event, Food Banks Canada honoured food banks across the country that have met their rigorous Standards of Excellence. We are proud to share that Filipe was among a handful of leaders recognized. Achieving this standard takes a tremendous amount of work—especially since so many food banks, like ours, are largely volunteer-run. Few organizations have the capacity to dedicate the hundreds of hours required, which makes this recognition even more meaningful.” Over the years, Food Banks Canada has found that food banks have been pretty uneven in the types of services they offer, and their values. Baxter stressed the fact that the number of Canadians struggling with hunger is increasing. “ It's a bad situation for many Canadians who are struggling to make the decision of whether they are going to afford rent, or food? Are they going to be able to offer their children one meal a day, or no meals?” There is no government program to address this. The Standard of Excellence Program has three main goals: Raising everyone's service quality, so food banks across Canada have the same ethics, transparency and level of financial accountability. Improving transportation systems so that, for example, locally grown food can be shipped from the east, where it is plentiful, to areas like BC, which is really behind the rest of the nation agriculturally. ( “We are producing a shockingly low amount of food for the amount of farmland that's been cleared.”) Submitting all of the data into one system, so that Food Banks, Canada can go to government officials every month and say, ‘look, our numbers are going up. We don't have enough food. We don't have enough money. We need the support. We are offering frontline emergency support to Canadians. You need to deal with this.' Operations Manager Angelica Raaen said that in October, Food Banks Canada will be sending two inspectors to inspect the Cortes Island facility, ensuring they continue to meet and maintain these high standards. “ Locally we've seen donations have been going down so much, while need has been rising,” said Baxter. “We don't understand why this is happening because there's such wealth in this community. It is heartbreaking, honestly, to see this happening. We really want to understand why people are feeling less generous. Ultimately we're really hoping that if we prove ourselves to be of a high ethical standard, providing a high client care service, people will entrust us with their donations and their support”

Manda Aufochs Gillespie /Folk U - Psychologist and scientist, Wendy D'Andrea does research that looks at the impacts of acute trauma (such as a car crash) versus chronic trauma (such as abuse) and what happens with each in the brain and body. D'Andrea is a Professor at the New School and Chief Science Officer at the Trauma Research Foundation  This episode isn't always easy to listen to as topics such as abuse, rape, etc., are mentioned but this is a fascinating and empowering look at the new frontier of trauma research and practice.  Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 3 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts. 

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U -On August 25, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Esther Shalev-Gerz, a renowned artist who has exhibited all around the world. Tune in for insights from her work, reflections on art, Cortes living, and what it's like to be a well-known artist in the world today. Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 3 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts.

Manda AUfochs Gillespie/ Folk U -Thanks for joining us on August 22, 2025 for another 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. Guest host Immanuel McKenty was joined by Johnny Hanuse, Josie Simpson, and Mary Beth Cysewski, 3 local musicians who sat together on stage for an in-the-round style performance, swapping songs, stories, and jokes. 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 3 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 - A hundred people turned out for Cortes Island's Sandcastle Day on Saturday, August 23rd, 2025. “It was a blast because all the families are so involved and all the kids are so involved. The day is absolutely beautiful. What's amazing is to see all the cooperation that the children have with each other and the creativity and the enjoyment that comes from this,” explained Nancy Silver, one of the judges. “It is an another community building activity and what could be better and healthier then families creating together or children alone doing it and feeling so empowered.” “Every person received some kind of award and that makes the little ones feel so great about themselves. They go on with their day, but something has changed in their lives and that is the beauty of this event.” Cortes Currents also interviewed two of the participants and a spectator. Monk and three of his friends were among the contestants: “It was a very fun experience and we did our own thing on each part of the castle. We based it off of a book called ‘Percy Jackson.' It's the Percy Jackson Palace, or Palace of Percy Jackson. We just rolled from there and built this really awesome different themed castle. We didn't really have a specific part that everybody worked on. We just did whatever we wanted.” Zyla Schmidt was in a team that included her mother, grandmother, a lady named Heather and two other kids: “It was really fun, It's kind of about the Children's Forest, like Enchanted Dragon Children's Forest, and I chose to do that because the Children's Forest is trying to get bought. I love it so much that I thought I'd make something based on that. I did a dragon. I didn't do wings, so it looked more like a dinosaur. There was going to be a city, then I turned it into a volcano because there wasn't enough time. We made paths and then raked out the rest. So you could go inside but not wreck the sculpture.” Bruce Hayden brought a professional architect's eye to the event. “One of the ones that I don't know who made it that is very beautiful is the two mountain, one of which looks like a volcano and village on the edge of the sea. The thing that I really like about it is that it's a beautiful integration of landscape and a sense of village. So it's humans meeting landscape in a really beautiful way. We had a good debate about whether it was a fortified village or not. My friend Heidi thought passionately it was a fortified village. I said, well, maybe it's a welcome spot that this is the place where you richly cleanse before you enter the sacred city on the edge of the ocean.” Cortes Currents: Are there any highlights you can think of? Nancy Silver: “For me it was with one group of kids who were so excited about what they did. They kept wanting to go deeper into the details, to take me through it and each part of it was like going into wonderland with them.” “I felt like the children were really in their fantasy world and no one was putting any boundaries on it. When children can go into that experience so fully and grab the adult and try to share with them that world, that to me, was the best experience.” A quick perusal of the Cortes Island Museum website showed there's been sandcastle days at Smelt Bay as far back as the summer of 1991, possibly earlier.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents -The Cortes Food Bank is trying to raise the $35,000 needed to relocate their base of operations to two sea-cans in the Village Commons at Manson's Landing. Operations Manager, Angelica Raan, explained, “We have raised $14,000 so far, and we have a generous donor who's offered to match donations up to $10,000. So we're hoping that by the end of this month we can get $10,000 in community donations to match the $10,000 this donor has offered.” Cortes Currents: Why is it necessary for the food bank to expand? Beatrix Baxter, president of the food bank, replied, “We really scaled up our operations after realizing that there was a community need not being met. In 2022, we started offering regular pickup days. We joined Food Banks BC so we could access more regional resources, including food from partners. We also received grants, which allowed us to provide more food at regular intervals. But because of the extreme need, we were just doing way too much work for the system we had.” “We have to go to our warehouse, pack all the boxes, bring them to the pickup location. It's a lot of driving for staff and volunteers. At this point, we either need our own delivery vehicle or a headquarters. On top of that, our current storage won't be available much longer.” “Our clients have also asked for a more shopping-style model, which many food banks use. Instead of volunteers pre-packing boxes, people come in and choose their own food. That provides more choice, more flexibility, and overall a better system for everyone.” “We partnered with the Community Foundation to use their sea cans at the Village Commons. One will be storage, the other will be set up as a shopping space where people can pick up food. Angelica will also be able to work out of that space.”

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.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Folk U - On July 21, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Dr. Eric Posen to discuss naturopathy, health, and healing. This conversation unpacks what naturopathic doctors do, illness and alternative medicine, and the future of mental and physical health. 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.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Folk U - July 11, 2025 was the second 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 Kaia Bryce (piano, melodica, vocals) and Adrian Esau (guitar, harmonica, vocals) - Lasqueti islanders with big hearts and a big sound! They played a lively genre-bending show full of creative time-feel changes and rural island sentiments. 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.

Manda Aufochs Goillespie/ Folk U - July 18, 2025 was the third 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 legend Rick Bockner. Tune in for Rick's unique fingerpicking style, lots of jokes, and some beautiful songs by a favourite Cortesian songwriter. 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.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Folk U - July 4, 2025 saw the launch 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 Denise Wolda, Owyn Pengelly, and Thomas Aerie, 3 local musicians who sat together on stage for an intergenerational in-the-round style performance, swapping songs, stories, and jokes. 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.

Jemma Hicken/Folk U - On June 20th, 2025 guest host Jemma Hicken was joined by the Awakeneers, a 6-person, mostly-sibling folk band, for a short live set and interview. Tune in to listen to some fiddle and folk, hear about the upcoming grand opening of the Village Commons on June 27th, and learn quite a lot about beans. Performance Highlights: Vancouver Island MusicFest (2023), Shaw Spotlight (2022 & 2024), Duncan Showroom (2024), CBC Radio One. "One of the most talented and professional groups of musicians I've ever worked with" — Karen Seaboyer, Best Roots & Traditional Album JUNO juror, Campbell River Arts Council "wonderfully entertaining show ... left us all with a smile on our faces and a song in our hearts!" — Patty Castle, Artistic Director, Victoria Folk Music Society.

On June 13, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by community leaders and organizers, Duane Hanson, Mark Vonesch, Jemma Hicken, Sadhu Johnston, Cora Moret, and Immanuel McKenty, to chat about summer 2025. There's a lot happening on our small island! Tune in for community updates, developments, programming, and more! 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.

Spring Gardening Tips & Museum Hours by Cortes Currents (https://cortescurrents.ca/)

Manda AUfochs Gillespie - Folk U - On May 2, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Ashley Zarbatany to to unpack the outcomes of the recent federal election, explore the roots of confusion around strategic voting, and consider what these results might mean for the future of Canada and Cortes! 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 - What does it mean to be a neighbour on Cortes Island? This question is at the heart of the new Cortes Island Museum exhibition 'Won't You Be My Neighbour?' curated by Melanie Boyle, Managing Director of the museum and Monica Hoffman. Opening Sunday May 4th the exhibit invites visitors on a visual and narrative journey through both the historical and contemporary communities that shaped life on the island. “The  idea of focusing on neighbourhoods came from the prior exhibition, ‘From the Ground Up,” explained Hoffman. Boyle added, “We did touch on how people work together to build structures, in terms of collaboration.  It was also about repurposing material and sharing of resources and, in a way, this is also what this new exhibition is about. Collective land arrangements are a way for people to live affordably on Cortes, to share  the land, but also to share the material, resources and work collaboratively. So there's a lot of overlap.”  Monica Hoffman: “This is about those very focused areas on the island, such as Tiber Bay, Blue Jay Lake, or Siskin Lane - that sort of community, and what it means to be a neighbour is all about.”  Cortes Currents: It is also about the definition of ‘community,' in all its manifestations from the pioneer era to modern times, from ‘communal groupings' to individual dwellings. Monica Hoffman: “A focal point for this exhibition is this north facing wall where we have a map of Cortes Island. We focus on various communities and give a little bit of commentary and interviews  with  the shareholders and the landholders. Some of these we did look at briefly in the prior exhibition, but this allows there to be a bit more space and more opportunity to explore them more.”  Melanie Boyle: “Monica's right, this wall is a little microcosm of the community itself. It's a reference to all the voices that make this exhibition happen. This exhibition stemmed  from an interview we did during the last exhibition with Amy Robertson, who is one of the co-founders of Treedom. Jill Milton and Bernice McGowan interviewed Paul Kirmmse, who is one of the co-founders of Redlands.  We spoke with Ron Bazaar. Jim Murphy came into the museum and spoke about Tiber Bay.  We also interviewed Ron Wolda, more to do with the mill itself. I know Ron from selling the spoons  as a craftsperson and I didn't know his ties to Vancouver, the business community and now Tiber Bay.”  Monica Hoffman: “I didn't know where that Tiber Bay connection started.”   Melanie Boyle: “It was serendipity and people looking at that particular time for options to live on Cortes or just live on the coast.  Land comes available  and  they organize a bunch of people to get together to purchase the land. Everwoods came out of discussions that were happening at Hollyhock at the time.” “We respect the fact that these are the co-ops and collaborative living arrangements on Cortes, of people who are willing to actually share their story.  We only can profile a small handful. There are people who choose to remain private and we respect that, of course, but these would be ones that are publicly known.” 

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - It was Earth Day at Wild Cortes, Cortes Island's centre for natural history, community science and collaborative conservation. “It is a very exciting place to be, with new displays coming in every year, always on Earth Day. That's probably the most important thing to say. It's Earth Day, so let's celebrate,” explained Sabina leader Mense, a professional advisor to Wild Cortes. The centrepiece of this year's displays is the ‘Humpback Comeback' section highlighting the stunning recovery of Humpback Whales in our local waters. Sabina Leader Mense: “They used to be everywhere, then the Douglas Whaling Station was set up in Whaletown Bay. Its history is in the little display here, ‘the Dawson Whaling Company, 1869.' It only lasted a year. They realized it was not the most optimum site, so moved it down to Hornby Island the next year. So we only had the legacy of bonking Humpback Whales on the head and flensing them for a year, but the name stuck. That's how ‘Whaletown' got its name. The Humpbacks completely disappeared. We eliminated them from the Strait of Georgia, not a Humpback to be seen.” Cortes Currents: When did they start coming back? Sabina Leader Mense: “Some of the first Humpbacks that we saw were in the early eighties. I was working out at the Bamfield Marine Station,running research programs, but I put myself through university fishing off the West Coast and would interact with the fishermen. They started telling me that they were seeing Humpback Whales out on the finger bank in the early eighties and sure enough, the Humpbacks were coming slowly back to the coast of BC.” “Then we have this brilliant work by the Marine Education Research Society (MERS) whose work Donna Collins is featuring in this display.” “The Marine Education and Research Society has been documenting them and identifying them individually,” said Collins, who is also one of Cortes Wild's co-curators. “Donna has done a fantastic job. There's lots of pictures and all kinds of interesting things, including two sea lion skulls, both of which were found on local beaches,” added Laurel Bohart, Cortes Wild's other co-curator. Sabina Leader Mense: “We can reliably identify Humpback Whales from the underside of their tail flukes, as well as the little nubbin that we call the dorsal fin but the underside of the tail flues is very characteristic. They have these colorations, black and white splotches, big chunks taken out of them, very readily identified by the underside of the tail flukes.” Donna Collins: “As of 2024, 776 Humpback Whales have been identified.” Sabina Leader Mense: “That's in their entire catalog for BC.” “We brought Jackie Hildering, from MERS, in six years ago. 86 individual Humpback Whales were identified in 2019. This figure of 86, why it's so impressive is it's from here. There were 86 individua Humpbacks found in the area from the northern end of Cortes to Powell River, across to Heriot Bay on Quadra Island.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - I volunteered for the NDP Party during the 1968 election. Aside from that, the only campaign headquarters I've stepped inside was Elizabeth May's Salt Spring Island office in 2019. So when in the midst of doing errands in Campbell River, I found myself with more than an hour to spare, it seemed like a fun idea to visit a campaign headquarters. Somebody told me the ‘red guys' are behind Save On Foods, which is how I ended up at Jennifer Lash's headquarters. After returning home, I learned that yet another poll has been conducted in our riding. The first two were not connected to any political party, but the LIberals comissioned #3. Like poll #2 which was not their's, it shows the Liberals having taken over the second place slot. After contacting 318 voters in North Island Powell River between April 20 and 21, Spadina Strategies reported that 37% intended to vote for the Conservatives, 30% for the Liberals, 25% for the NDP, 5% Green and 2% were undecided. The projection website Poliwave is also reporting a shift in voter intention. On April 18, they stated the #2 party in our riding was the NDP. Their latest projection, published on Wednesday April 23, showed the Conservatives at 45%, the Liberals trailing at 29%, the NDP at 20% and the Green's at 5%. This is not what I intended to report, when I dropped in at the Liberal Party's Campbell River office on Friday. Jennifer Lash was away, knocking on doors, but there were five people gathered in the entrance when I arrived. A young woman immediately detached herself from their conversation. She was one of the four staffers from Ottawa who are working on the Liberal campaign. Sarah Manney gave me permission  to walk around the office taking pictures and interviewing people. I started with her.  Sarah Manney: “Well, I'm Sarah, I'm the campaign manager. I was working in Ottawa, but grew up in Comox. My family's in Nanaimo. When I found out that Jen was running, I knew her in Ottawa and I said, ‘this is the candidate I've always dreamed of for my hometown.' What better person could I ask for to represent the people I grew up with.' So it was just a dream to be able to come work for her and try to make that a reality here in North Island Powell River.” “My whole family's been knocking on doors. We have Jen's family. We have at least five times the number of volunteers that we've ever had in this riding. It's amazing just to see the energy. The other day someone remarked, ‘I've never seen so many Liberals in one place.' It was just this magical feeling like we've all waited for this moment to have someone like Jen to rally around.” The next person I interviewed looked a lot like Jennifer Lash, for good reason. “My name is Wendy Lash. I am Jennifer's sister.”  Cortes Currents: How did you end up working for her in a campaign office?  Wendy had not been expecting that question, but after a few hesitant seconds she suddenly sounded like an old pro. “Well, how can you not support somebody when they're living their purpose? Jen has had a fabulous career of doing good for many people and many things in Canada, but right now -  this is an important time for us! She's bravely taken this on and she's doing a fabulous job. When we heard that she was going to be doing this,  as a family, we knew we needed to support her. So we booked our tickets and we've come from Ontario. We are thrilled to be here and in action.” Cortes Currents: Whereabouts in Ontario are you from?  Wendy Lash: “My husband and I are from Barrie.  Our sister Catherine is coming from Toronto. Jen's kids  are coming back from Ontario and they're also here with us.”

Manada AUfochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On April 4, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Dayna Davis and Christina Macwilliam to chat about education, the importance of play, attachment, and children's development. This is a fascinating conversation with two incredible Cortesian educators. 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 - NDP candidate Tanille Johnson will coming to Gorge Hall on Cortes Island. This is the last in a series of Meet and Greets organized by the Cortes Island Climate Action Network that has also included meetings with Green Party candidate Jessica Wegg and Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash. Conservative candiate Aaron Gunn was also invited, but has not taken advantage of this. As I am going to be off island when Tanille is here, we had an interview ahead of time. Cortes Currents: What's the big question on voters' minds during this election? Tanille Johnson:  “Oh man, there's a lot of big questions right now!Honestly, what I spend most of my day talking about is people are terrified at the possibiloity of having Conservative representation in the federal government, and like ‘what's the strategic vote for North Island Power River?'” “I really end up being in a lot of these conversations, breaking down strategic voting, what it means and apologizing for it. We're in this situation because our Liberal government did not follow through with its promise of proportional representation, which would've allowed people to vote for the person that they felt was going to do the best job for them. We are now essentially getting shoved into a two party system that nobody wants. We don't want to mimic our United States relations to the south, but here we are. That's a big discussion right now across the board. Every riding is talking about it.” “It doesn't discount the real threat of all the ongoing tariffs from Trump. It doesn't discount the threat of annexation that Trump is bringing. It doesn't diminish our healthcare crisis, our housing crisis, or our opioid crisis, but right now it feels like people are most fearful of a Conservative government.” Cortes Currents: Two polls have just come out,—one by Research co suggests you're best placed to stop a Conservative win, the other by Mainstreet Research says it's the Liberals. What do you make of this? Tanille Johnson: “I t honestly doesn't make sense because there is such a stark contrast, there shouldn't be a stark contrast at all. I think it's fairly well known that Mainstreet is operated by Conservative pollsters.” Cortes Currents:   I wasn't aware of that, so I did a quick fact check. There's a list of national polls on the 338Canada website. The vast majority of the 94 polls taken between April 1st and April 21nd, reported that the Liberals were leading in this race, but there are 6 polls that stated the Conservatives were either leading or tied with the Liberals. 5 of those 6 ‘outlying' polls were taken by Mainstream Research. Tanille Johnson: “I think it was 571 people out of like a hundred thousand voters. Like, if you had a hundred thousand people and you only asked 500 of them a question, are you really going to solidly depend on that answer for whatever your decision making is moving forward? I would hope not, because that is a tiny sample size.” Cortes Currents: Tell me some highlights of the campaign for you. Tanille Johnson: “Here's a super funny one. We were door knocking in Campbell River just the other week. I knocked on a door and this gal opened and she was so excited to see me. She kissed both of her hands and then put her hands on either sides of my face. She's like, 'keep doing what you're doing.' It was just so cute and awesome.” “It's been a highlight watching people get creative with their support. There's been some really cool like self-made bumper stickers that say, 'Go Tanille' or 'Vote NDP, Vote Tanille.'" “It was a huge honor to have Megan Hildebrandt donate a vote Tanille Design, to be able to screen print 'Vote Tanille' t-shirts by hand in Powell River. That was super, super cool and amazing.” “It's been really just an honor to travel the whole riding and get to meet people from all over the place and have the time to sit and listen to their concerns.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - With only five days of campaigning left until the election, Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash says the energy on the ground in North Island–Powell River is palpable.  “We've been door knocking, doing ‘meet and greets' and town halls and phone banking. I am  hearing just an amazing amount of support. So I'm loving it,” she said.  “This poll to me reflects  what people are telling us. So I am optimistic that the undecided will come over and join us and that we can send a Liberal to Ottawa.”  She was referring to the poll that Mainstreet Research released on Monday, April 21, which is one of the reasons I wanted to speak with her. You can access it on the Mainstreet website, but need to pay. I also wanted to ask about last night's all candidates meeting in Campbell River, which was cancelled at the last minute. Cortes Currents: So tell me about this poll. Jennifer Lash: “ We did not commission this poll, that's why it's behind a paywall. If we commissioned it, we would own it and we could share it. What it shows is that while the Conservatives are still in the lead, the Liberals are second and within the Conservative's margin of error, while the NDP are in third, quite considerably.” Cortes Currents: Jennifer sent that data, which shows the Conservatives at 35%, the Liberals at 27% and the NDP at 18%. As this is the property of Mainstreet Research, I cannot post the chart but the Liberal campaign staff have drawn up a chart of their own.  Jennifer Lash:  “The margin of error is plus or minus 4.1%, with a 95% confidence level.”  Given that they are only 8% apart, this poll indicates that it is possible, though unlikely, that Liberals are actually tied with the Conservatives In another poll, released on Sunday and commissioned by the David Suzuki Foundation, it was the NDP who came in second and the Liberals trailing considerably behind.   Jennifer Lash:  “What this tells me is that there's going to be a lot of different polls and projections that say different things. I know there's a lot of angst out there amongst people who particularly are worried about the Conservatives winning and really looking for some direction on how they should cast their vote so that they can unite as much as possible to keep the Conservatives out. But right now there's no data that says exactly what you should do, and I don't think there ever will.”   “Some people are going to choose to believe some polls and not others, and that's totally fine. People can do that, but I think what it comes right down to is there is no definitive poll that's going to tell people exactly what to do.  People need to vote for either the Prime Minister, the party, or the MP that they want.”  “What we're hearing is overwhelmingly, people want to have Mark Carney as the Prime Minister,  which means you have to vote Liberal.  I know  that people say that Carney's just going to win no matter what, but that's not necessarily true.” “If we really want Mark Carney as Prime Minister, people need to vote for the Liberal party. If people want a member of Parliament who is part of Mark Carney's government and can help deliver programs, then people need to vote for the Liberal party and that means voting for me.” Cortes Currents: I also wanted to ask about the all candidates meeting that was cancelled last night. 

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - With just six days remaining until election day, a new poll reveals the Conservatives hold a strong lead in the North Island—Powell River riding. Among the 402 eligible voters surveyed between April 17 and April 19, 45% said they intend to vote for Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn. NDP candidate Tanille Johnston trails in second with 23%, followed by Liberal contender Jennifer Lash at 13%. Both Jessica Wegg of the Green Party and Paul Macknight of the People's Party received 2% support, while independent candidate Glen Staples sits at 1%. Meanwhile, 15% of voters remain undecided.There is some good news for retiring MP Rachjel Blaney whose performance was approved by 51% of the respondents. 40% disapproved. Pierre Poilievre of the Conservative Party is the top-rated federal leader among voters in this constituency, with 53% support. He is followed by Liberal leader Mark Carney at 42%, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh at 41%, Green Party co-leaders Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault at 27%, and People's Party leader Maxime Bernier at 19%. Poilievre draws strong backing from men (53%), as well as from voters aged 35 to 54 (48%) and those 55 and older (49%). In contrast, Carney leads among younger voters aged 18 to 34, with 45% support, and the two men have an almost equal following among female votres. (Carney 35%, Poilievre 34%). The poll was sponsored by the David Suzuki Foundation and conducted by Vancouver-based Research Co, led by Mario Canseco, a veteran public opinion researcher since 2003. Canseco is a regular political commentator and columnist for Glacier Media, with work published in the Vancouver Sun, Globe and Mail, and National Observer. In related news, Research co also carried out a National survey which found that 43% of decided voters would vote Liberal as opposed to 38% for the Conservatives. This fits a pattern that all but one Canadian pollster has been reporting this week. The exception being Mainstreet Research, which reported a Conservative victory in 2 out of 3 surveys. If the election were to take place today CBC Polltracker, which draws upon the data from all polls, states the odds of a Liberal victory 96%. 338Canada states the odds are 90%. Both companies state the most likely scenario is the LIberals will form a majority government. On Vancouver Island, 338Canada's projection is that the four northern ridings will turn Conservative, but the only ‘CPC Safe seat' (which means victory is almost certain) is North Island Powell River. The three south Vancouver Island ridings are all ‘toss-ups', but Elizabeth May now has a slim lead in Saanich-Gulf Islands, the Liberals are ahead by a nose in Victoria and the Conservatives in Esquimalt, Saanich - Sooke.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The federal election in North Island–Powell River (NIPR) may be far closer than recent projections suggest, but the ‘progressive' vote is split between three parties (Green. Liberal and NDP). Some people are urging voters to rally behind a single alternative to Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn. The Votewell and Smart Voting websites both declared the strategic vote in our riding is the NDP candidate Tanille Johnson. As of Thursday, April 17, Johnson became the 18th Canadian candidate officially endorsed by Lead Now. So did the participants in a recent virtual townhall meeting on Cortes Island.

Folk U -Tune in on April 18th for a special collaborative FolkU episode, featuring Emily Bootle, a funeral director and founder of DeathCare BC. This is a live recording featuring Emily's presentation at the Cortes DeathCare Collective's AGM, and it covers body-care, green burials, and the importance of planning ahead. 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 - Jennifer Pickford will be showing her documentary ECO Warriors at Mansons Hall on Tuesday April 22.   “This film is telling the story of several environmental activists who have faced imprisonment for their actions, as well as the actual and real threat of being labeled terrorists for protecting the land and the forest that they love,” she explained.   “Eco Warriors is about 12 years old. It's one of my earlier works, but following on the footsteps of last year's Earth Day screening of 'Sacred India, A Plastic Revolution,' I wanted to show another film because I felt that not only is it still a relevant topic, but also it's just nice to have that continuity of having an Earth Day screening here on Cortes Island.”

Unedited audio from Green candidate Jessica Wegg's meeting on Cortes Island by Cortes Currents (https://cortescurrents.ca/)

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Green Party candidate Jessica Wegg came to Gorge Hall, on Wednesday, April 16th, 2025. She won't be the next Member of Parliament for North Island Powell River. “We commissioned a poll at our riding level. I think they made the phone calls March 20th to 24th, and it matched what 338Canada is saying. The Conservatives will likely win and the progressive vote will be split pretty evenly by the NDP and the Liberals. As long as the NDP and the Liberals are both running, neither party will get in,” she explained. “My numbers were less than 10%. If you added me to either one, it wasn't going to cross the threshold of the number of votes the Conservatives were expected to get. We are actually saying this is a great time to feel like you can vote Green because it's not a wasted vote.  We need 2% nationally to maintain official party status, which means we get resources in Ottawa, we get to participate in the question period, we get to be on committees, that kind of thing. Without that 2% national level, we lose official party status and we lose the ability to really participate in government in an effective way.  It really, really matters to us and if you want to be able to have a Green party in the future, when we do get proportional representation, we need to keep as many votes as possible.”  Cortes Currents: How important is it to have a Green presence in the election?  Jessica Wegg: “So, so important.  Shakespeare said, ‘Though she be but little she is fierce' (A MIdsummer's Nights Dream). Greens are little, but we use that little power that we have to come up with big, wild ideas that the big parties aren't going to have.” “They don't want to make people think they're thinking too far outside the box. People are happy with the status quo, generally speaking. They don't want to waiver. That's how the big parties feed, is ‘how do I keep the people who we already have in this box.' But we are thinking of big ideas that nobody else is thinking of and we bring them to the table, we bring them to the big parties that have the power in parliament and we say,' have you even thought about doing something like this?' Or, ‘where is that in your planning?'"   “We do what we can to hold them to account. All of  the Green candidates across the country  are showing up and they're showing that there are people who care. There are people who acknowledge the climate crisis that we're in and we're going to keep showing up.”  “I think it's also important because  Canada  is getting awfully close right now to  a two party system, which is not healthy for a democracy. It's dangerous to have just two parties and we're all falling into one camp or the other. We cannot let that happen. We need to keep showing up as these small parties. We need to keep fighting for presence so that we can have these creative big ideas that nobody else is going to say out loud because they don't want to step on anybody's toes or make anybody uncomfortable with the idea of something new or different or big. We cannot progress as a country without doing new and different and big things. So we need the Green party to show up and keep bringing our creative ideas across the country.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - A sense of momentum is building—quite literally—in Manson's Landing, where work is underway on a new pavilion designed to bring community members together for music, events, and gatherings. This is the latest in a series of structures erected in the Village Commons. The pavilion's frame was raised on Friday, April 11, 2025 “ We hope to have all the details done by the end of May. It'll be in service this summer,” explained Richard Andrews, Project Manager of the Village Commons. He and his three crew members had just finished erected the rear frame, or bent, and were breaking for lunch. There was one more bent to go. “ You see these two forward footings. They will be taking yet another set of another pair of posts and braces and one more large beam. That's the big, long black package lying right there. It's about 39 feet long. They are are big glulam beams and the frame was made by Island Timber Frame out of Cumberland.” “T here will be a stage built about 12 feet deep and 16 to 18 feet wide. Not a very high stage, but 8 inches up.  Behind it will be a wall so that we don't disturb the neighbors with noise.”   “On the sides there'll be a pony wall, and above the pony wall on both sides. It'll be clear polycarbonate probably. That'll provide a wind barrier, so people who are using the stage won't have to deal with wind on their mics.”  “There'll also be a big clear panel on barn tracks, that'll go forward to stop windblown rain” Cortes Currents:  What are they going to do with the audience area? Richard Andrews: “I'm not too sure yet. We'll probably spread out the soil and throw some grass seed down on it. There's no plan to do any kind of surface under the covered area. We don't have the budget, just getting this up is going to eat up the rest of our funding.” Cortes Currents: Did you want to mention anything else that's happening around here? Richard Andrews:   “We have the Nook, which is the shared office space and shared meeting space. The Cortes Housing Society is making good use of it today, and they're the main people who've been using it so far.” A block to the west of us, preparations for construction were taking place on the Cortes Housing Society's premiere project. A four acre block had been carved out of the forest for the Rainbow Ridge Affordable Housing Project. Construction on the first building will soon commence. As we spoke, two carpenters were erecting a wooden fence on the project's border with the Cortes Island Senior's Village. There was undoubtedly some mention of this in the meeting that was underway in the Nook. Cortes Currents: What's happening to the Village Common's old shared meeting place, the Pod? Richard Andrews: “T he little trailer, that's going to be repossessed by CCEDA and used as an information booth somewhere. I'm not sure what their plan is with it. What the Pod has been offering, the Nook will be offering more of the same, just bigger space.” He pointed to some long containers, close to the stage. “We have four C cans here and the two to the north of the site, closer to Manson's Hall are going to be used by the food bank. Their intention is to use them for food storage in Mansons because their facility attached to the radio station is too small for the amount of food that they're distributing. We don't have a plan for the middle one, yet. The other one that's furthest to the south will be used as the storage can for anything related to the pavilion. So for the lights, sound system, chairs, audio and what have you.” Cortes Currents left before the final bent was put up for the pavilion, but they sent pictures later that day. The new stage this summer will undoubtedly be well used this summer.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The Blue Hat Memorial Project opens at 10 AM this morning, Tuesday, April 14, 2025. Campbell River artist and city councillor Ron Kerr has installed 50,000 flags at Tyee Spit (ʔUxstalis), representing the number of people who have lost their lives through Canada's ongoing opioid crisis.   “What I really want to do is to stimulate conversation about the gaps in men and boy's healthcare. These deaths are generally fentanyl drug deaths. If you look at the other results of addiction, alcohol addiction, and other kinds of addiction, the numbers are far higher. I don't think the men's health system is doing an adequate job of addressing that,” he explained.” “ We're trying to do a ‘one size fits all' and I understand that from a financial economic point of view, but I think we need a lot more recovery facilities, better access, and second stage housing. We need ‘dry' housing where they can get their lives together without the daily influence of addictive substances. Unfortunately, supportive housing right now is completely full of people still in their addiction. So if not onto the street, they're right back into that same kind of environment they left. That is a really important part of the picture.”   “I think we need male specific facilities, so they're not going to go back into a situation where they're not being supported. We've only got one dedicated men's center in the province, where men can actually go and find services, find support, and find programs. It's just not supported.”  “There's a reluctance to have something that is specifically male orientated, but I think we need men's health clinics where men and boys know that they're going to find people that understand them. Peer supportive groups are probably a lot less expensive, and I think it's more powerful for supportive recovery than all the psychiatrists in the world.”  Cortes Currents: How did this become the Blue Hat project?  Ron Kerr: “The problem for me, as an artist, was how to actually convey that number into something that people could feel.  Initially I had the concept  of having  a huge number  of blue hard hats,  because the number of men in trades and throughout a blue collar workforce  have been right from the start overrepresented in the numbers.” “I thought of using the blue hard hat itself as a symbol, but the problem was that any kind of an installation, or art project, using blue hard hats was very expensive and just logistically hard to do. So it was a challenge and  I had been thinking about that for a year or two.” “Last summer when I was sitting in my garden recovering from knee surgery, I looked at a project that I'd started in the yard before my operation. I had a number of sprinkler flags marking spots around the garden. I was sitting there watching them blow in the wind, and it just came to me that that was a way of  really signifying the immensity of death.” 

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On April 11, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Yasmina Cartland and Emma Tius to discuss their work with the DeathCare Collective and recent learnings from visiting guest presenter Emily Bootle. This conversation re-imagines end-of-life care through community-driven death education, advocacy, and support. 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 - There are some Cortes Island elements to the story of a boat stolen from Campbell River on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Someone living in the Potlatch Road area of southern Cortes Island observed ‘big military type planes' and some helicopters flying around the ocean that morning and thought it might be a Sea-Air Rescue excerise. He did not think about it again until reading about the incident on CHEK News. At 8 AM the Powell River RCMP received a request from the Quadra detachment to help intercept the stolen boat. GPS tracked it to the vincinty of Mitlenatch Island. An RCMP vessel from Powell River responded and was en route to Mitlenatch when it was notified that the Quadra detachment had already located the stolen vessel. The stolen boat was escourting it to the Mansons Landing dock, on Cortes Island, where it was secured and two ‘suspects' were arrested for Possession of Property Obtained by Crime over $5,000. They were transported back to Campbell River and turned over to the Campbell River RCMP. Mansons Landing dock is maintained by Harbour Authority Cortes Island (HACI), but as it was a straighforward matter police did not think it necessary to inform them. Consequently HACI did not learn of the incident for another five days. The Quadra Island detachment used to issue weekly reports of their activities on Quadra, Cortes and other Discovery Islands, but have discontinued that service. The RCMP press release for this incident comes from the Powell River detachment.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - More than 400 Cortes Island residents responded to the recent survey about limiting the size of new houses. They were given a number of possible limitations, ranging from 2,500 to 4,300 square feet. While the vote was close, 52% of the respondents said ‘no' and so there will be no size limits in Cortes Island's draft Zoning Bylaw.  Regional Director Mark Vonesch explained, “ I just want to start by thanking everybody for participating in the survey. We had 415 people respond and it was very divided.  For that reason, I'm not moving forward with the maximum house size.  There's clearly no consensus and that's okay. The reason  we do these surveys  is to be able to talk about an issue and express ourselves around what we want our island to look like. So I really appreciate everybody who filled it out  and lots of passion on both sides of the issue.”

Unedited recording of Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash's Wednesday April 9 meeting in the Pioneer room at Mansons Hall. The event was co-sponsored by the Cortes Island Seniors Society and Cortes Island Climate Action Committee.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - More island residents turned out to hear Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash than could fit into the Pioneer Room at Mansons Hall. Half a dozen were looking on from the hallway. The Wednesday April 9 event was co-sponsored by the Cortes Island Seniors Society and Cortes Island Climate Action Committee. Karen Mahon, the MC, began, “I met Jen 25 years ago.”  To which Lash responded, “I don't remember life before Karen.”  Karen Mahon: Yeah, it was a long, long time ago. I was working at Greenpeace on forests and Jen wanted to really take on marine conservation in Canada in a big way. So she started an organization called Living Ocean Society, which became Canada's leading marine conservation organization.She led that and really spearheaded the notion of marine conservation in Canada. So we worked alongside each other. I was the forest and she was the fish, for some decades.” Lash was living in the little island community of Sointula throughout that period and still does. She raised her two children there.  More recently she became a Senior Advisor in the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. It says something about her effectiveness in that role that four other government staffers have become the backbone currently of her campaign staff in North Island Powell River. One of them, Deputy Campaign Manager Holly Johnson, recently told Cortes Currents that 150 people had come forward as volunteers. A critic suggested some of these were probably just people who set up lawn signs,' which is probably equally true of the ‘well over 50, maybe more' volunteers that the NDP campaign manager recently said were helping them. Jennifer Lash: “I have voted NDP for my entire life, but in 2021 I voted NDP and I really struggled with it. The reason for me was that they had no climate plan. I feel like if we don't deal with that issue, all the marine protection areas in the world are in vain.  This was a really important issue.” “The NDP had no plan and the Liberal government did. They had a plan that was mapped out and it was backed by economists and scientists. I'm not gonna stand here and tell you that the Liberal plan fund is perfect, that is a conversation that I'm sure can go on forever. But it was something, and it was designed to reach a specific target.” “So I started to kick the tires of the Liberal party, see what it was and I liked what I saw. Again, I am not going to defend everything. Yes, you can bring up electoral reform, I'm just as disappointed as probably everybody in this room that that was dropped. I'm happy to also criticize 'em for the things that didn't work. What I liked about them was that they understood that advancing on things like climate change, like social programs, like biodiversity conservation also requires building an economy and shifting an economy towards one of the future. That doesn't happen overnight and that it's hard to do and they really try to put together thoughtful policies that would drive that change.” “About a year ago, I started thinking about running. It was a really big decision for me to do this. It's kind of like being in a popularity contest in high school, but the results are printed all across national news in the whole country. I'm feeling very vulnerable right now, but I just really felt like it was important to have a conversation in this riding because this writing has been an NDP/Conservative split forever. To me, this riding has so much more to offer than just getting caught up in that tension.” She submitted her application to become a Liberal candidate last October:

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Michael Keith and his wife Iris Gildea are leaving Cortes Island.   “This was a decision we made a while ago.  My wife teaches at the University of Toronto. When we moved to Cortes, we thought she was going to be leaving there, but in the last couple years some things changed and she's decided to stay. It's quite the commute between semesters and we started investigating the possibility of moving somewhere a bit closer to her work.  We found the ideal situation in the Maritimes. The commute is about a fraction of the time and we can get the place that really suited us. So we made that decision. It was tough, but  it's time for the next part of the journey,”  he explained.  Cortes Currents: I heard you found a place in the Annapolis Valley  Michael Keith: “That is correct. We have a friend down there help us arrange  to check it out and it's kind of like our dream place. Where we have been here on Cortes has been wonderful and very dreamy. This is a lot more suited to our needs, about six acres of land and right on the ocean. We're so excited,  but it's bittersweet.”  “I will firstly miss just the beauty of this island, which I feel so blessed to have experienced for the last almost eight years. I'm sitting here right now looking over Hague Lake. I've recorded so much music, played and created so much right from here. I'll miss that greatly.” “I also felt like I made some really lifelong connections with some people but  I really plan on maintaining a relationship with the island. It's important to me and of course  I felt very supported by just random people  who would come out and see me play and always have kind things to say.” “I've done some awesome gigs with my friend Zach Sukuweh  who's just a great percussionist and fun guy.  Him and I have such a lovely rapport. We just played about a week and a half ago at the Gorge Hall  with Rick Bockner and Jerome. We each did a set and it was really, really fun.”  Scotty Martin added, “Michael Keith and his wife Iris were a huge part of this community. It's going to be a giant loss that they are gone. People around here don't always realize how lucky we are to have such talented people. Michael and I have both been professional players. I could just call out a song, tell 'em what key and off we would play. My wife Shelly enjoyed playing with Michael.”  “We had a great get together at Rex Weyler's. He's got a nice little jam space there, and it was a going away party for Michael Keith, one of the legendary guitarist entertainers of Cortes Island.”  Rex Weyler explained “I got a call from Scotty, about a month ago and he said, ‘would you host a party for Michael and Iris who are going to leave the island?' First of all, Michael and Iris leaving the island is a very sad thing 'cause they've been such a wonderful addition to the island and they're just two beautiful people. Michael is funny, talented. He's really brought the music quality up on the island a notch. His guitar playing and his creativity are wonderful and we will miss him. So anyway, I said to Scotty, ‘yes, we'll have a party here for Michael' and we did.   “Lots of Michael's friends showed up. We just had an afternoon in the studio here. We played music, we had a little jam, and sang some songs. We had some food, wine and beer.  It was a really nice day and it was people out on the lawn and people in the studio. Some people stayed over for dinner and so it was a really nice day.” “We're going to really miss Michael. he can't come to LoveFest this year, but I'm going to invite him to LoveFest for 2026.”  Michael Keith: “I love the idea. I would love  to do that. I know I'd have no problem finding a place to stay.” 

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Harbour Authority Cortes Island started taking applications for summer moorage spots at 9 AM on April 1st. Harbour Master Jenny Hartwick explained, “This is our way of helping to manage the number of boats using. What's happened over the last few years on Cortes especially after Covid, is we've seen a steady increase in summer visitors and local residents getting out on the water. That's put additional pressure on the available mortgage that we have at the docks.” “The one point that I want to make really clear is we have ample space available for anyone who is looking for mortgage at the docks. What we do not necessarily have is available mortgage at your first choice dock. We have some areas of higher population density and the docks that are in those areas tend to be the most popular. For safety reasons, we cannot accommodate every single boat that puts in a request for mortgage at those docks. If we tried, there would be too many security issues, be it vessels getting damaged, the, the possibility of people getting hurt and literally the facilities themselves wouldn't be able to support the weight of all of the boats that we have asking to stay there.” “Again, just making it clear for the community, absolutely we have the space and we will accommodate you. We just need your understanding in working with us to make sure that our docks are both accessible and safe to everybody.” Cortes Currents: Do you have any docks that are already fully booked for the summer? Jenny Hartwick: “I'm still working my way through numbers and applications. people give us the dates that they'd like to be there and we really try our best to fit everybody in. We say, okay, this person only wants three weeks, we can partner them with this person.” “Typically the Cortes Bay and the Whaletown docks are full. That's been the pattern for the last number of years. Those two tend to be the most popular, again, simply because of their geographical location.” “I have mockups of every single dock down to the exact footage. We plot out whose boat and then who we can raft together. We try to get everybody their first choice, but I would suspect this year, like last year and the previous years that Cortes Bay and Whale Town will be full.” Cortes Currents: My next question was going to be about waiting times, but you mean there's just no chance of getting to those two? Jenny Hartwick: “Most likely but, again, that's not always true.” “We encourage everybody to reach out and communicate with us because stuff happens. Your boat breaks down. You go on an extended three week sailing trip. If people communicate that and they let us know, we're down on the docks every single day. We monitor and we watch.” “If we notice that something's going on, we keep a wait list. If we can move somebody into their first choice doc, we'll do that.” “One of the important things to remember in this, our Small Craft Harbours docks give priority to commercial and CFB mortgage. That is the mandate that we're given from the federal government, we are to support those users first.” “The Gorge Dock for example, is primarily commercial users only. We actually don't solicit recreational mortgage at that dock because we really don't have room just with the number of commercial users that we have.” “So there's multiple factors in play, but it's an ongoing process for us and we keep wait lists. We'll get you in if we can.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - This broadcast opened with the Klahoose Singers chanting a blessing to the forest and the land in general,  at the Forest Trust For The Children of Cortes Island Society AGM on Saturday, April 5, 2025.    As many of you are aware, the Society was set up to try and obtain 624 acres of forest adjacent to Carrington Bay Regional Park on Cortes Island, that are currently managed by Mosaic. Around 40 people were present when Chair Chris Dragseth announced they were making progress in the negotiations for 261 acres.   “The society's been in place for 15 years and we've been in serious discussions with Mosaic since 2019, about the operational issues around negotiating a fair market value for the properties. We've done some work jointly with Mosaic over this period of time. We've hired timber valuation companies and land valuation companies to come to a point where we've had what we feel is a fair market value for the property. The big step is coming up. We are probably going to be in a position in the very near future to actually make an offer. This will really be the key point for 2025,” he began. “Once that agreement is reached, the clock will start ticking because it will have a built in provision to allow us to do serious and significant fundraising over the coming months.” “We can't and are unable at this point to give the value yet because we haven't finalized the price with Mosaic, but it's my expectation and my hope that in the very near future we're going to be able to give you some very positive news. Then we'll start moving forward.”  The Society intends to purchase another 363 acres that are not included in this initial purchase.    Chris Dragseth: “There's still three properties that are not in the package right now. Those three parcels were put into the carbon capture by Mosaic, through the Big Coast Program, and  they have another 20 years to unfold before those properties will come up for discussion. Those parcels will eventually become part of  a longer term discussion.  Once we take possession, probably in a year's time is what we're hoping for, then a longer term vision will be required.”  Christine Robinson gave a slideshow of the property, what had taken place during the year, and an outline of the society's history.  She asked, “I'm just curious, if you've been anywhere in the Children's Forest, just raise your hand.”   It seemed like the whole room responded. Christine Robinson: “Lovely. We have a very familiar audience right now, all of you pretty much long term on Cortes, but it is  a gem in the heart of Cortes.” As the audio quality was poor, here is a quick summary of her talk as written in the slideshow:  The Children's Forest Trust was created in 2010 and would not have been possible without the expressed support of the Klahoose First Nation.  These lands are ecologically significant and support 14 species at risk and the rare occurrences of 11 ecological communities. Cortes Island is part of the Discovery Islands Archipelago that forms a ‘bridge' between Mainland British Columbia and Vancouver Island and may provide important information on genetic diversity in species. The geographic location of the 50th parallel north marks the transition between the Coastal Douglas-fir and Coastal Western Hemlock bio geoclimatic zones. Important wildlife corridors are provided by landscape level ecological networks through the Children's Forest. In the last 12 years the Forest Trust For The Children of Cortes Island Society has delivered a strong youth nature based program that has become an important part of the youth culture on Cortes Island.