Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Construction on the BC Ferries Heriot Bay–Whaletown route will soon be coming to an end, and we will probably have a brand-new-to-us hybrid electric ferry this summer. Sheila Reynolds, Senior Communications Advisor with BC Ferries, explained: “Construction at the terminals actually began last spring to replace both berths at Heriot Bay and Whaletown, which were both nearing the end of their service lives and needed replacing.” “While the majority of that work over the past year didn't disrupt ferry service, the project did require that both terminals be closed for three weeks in February. Since March 2, both of the terminals have been replaced and are safely open to customers, with regular service between Quadra and Cortes operating as usual. During the closures, people would have noticed that there was water taxi service, shuttle, bus service, and barge service for essential goods and services.” “We're well aware that these disruptions and construction in the community can be unnerving or cause some anxieties for people, but your communities were very collaborative. It went remarkably smoothly, actually. There weren't any significant hiccups. Passengers seemed to get back and forth as needed. They did have a lot of lead times where people were pretty well prepared and aware, but the smoothness was largely due to the Quadra and Cortes communities, who are not only patient, but extremely collaborative throughout the planning, construction and during those temporary service changes. It was clear people understood and appreciated that this short-term disruption was going to result in long-term improvement.” Cortes Currents: How did they help out? Sheila Reynolds: “We are collaborating with all sorts of partners—residents, Indigenous partners, contractors, regional stakeholders. There were lots of conversations about how the closure period could be shortened, because originally it was going to be a longer closure period and potentially more disruptive. “With the upgrades, the load limit is now increased to the highway-legal limit of 63,500 kilograms. That's actually double the capacity of the old berths. Both berths also have hydraulic lifts, so they won't be subject to tidal restrictions that the route used to experience with very low tides. The ramps are much wider, so trucks will be able to maneuver at Whaletown much more easily. For foot passengers, it's a wider pathway, so people with bikes and luggage or other things will find it easier to navigate on and off of the vessels. And most importantly, the berths are designed to accommodate the arrival of the 'new-to-you' larger Island Nagalis.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Cortes Community Docks Cortes Community Docks has had a very busy winter. The projects in Whaletown and Squirrel Cove are nearing completion, and a new one is about to begin in Cortes Bay. Cortes Community Docks has a new website, and all the railings on its docks have been painted blue as a visible reminder that they are not a government organization. "We never have been. These docks are here for the community, they're utilized by the community and they're supported by the community," explained Harbor Manager Jenny Hartwick. Narrator: That was also the rationale behind their recent name change. Jenny Hartwick: "We wanted to choose a name that really reflected the direction we want the organization to go and why those docks exist." "Our biggest news is that the rebuild of the Whaletown dock is almost complete. Cortes Community Docks was extremely lucky. We got a $560,000 ReadUP grant to rebuild the Whaletown dock. There's been a lot of construction in Whaletown Bay recently, and the Ferry Construction has kind of overshadowed what we've had going on at the dock, but we've had a contractor there since about September of last year. There's been an extensive rebuild done, and the facility looks phenomenal." "The Whaletown dock is owned outright by us. So to obtain a contractor we solicited bids from several local Vancouver Island contractors, based on recommendations from engineers. We are extremely thrilled to have Rob Clarke of Coastal Marine Maintenance doing the work for us at Whaletown. Rob incidentally is also doing some Small Craft Harbours work on the other docks, but we didn't have a role to play in awarding those contracts." "Rob was the maintenance manager at the Comox Harbor Authority for well over a decade before he opened his own company doing dock maintenance and repair. He's now a familiar face up and down the entire coast at Harbor Authorities doing maintenance work. Rob incidentally also was the president of the Harbor Authority Association of BC, which is our umbrella organization for all of the harbor authorities on the coast." Rob Clarke, of Coastal Maintenance and Repairs, explained, "The Whaletown rebuild project went really well. We rebuilt 11 footings and nine separate pilings, reconstructed the top side and shortened the whole facility up a little bit." Jenny Hartwick: "The majority of the construction material for a marine structure is a very specialized type of material, which is treated with ACZA, which is not a standard pressure-treated material, and there's actually only one plant in Western Canada that manufactures it. So a large portion of our material was actually specially ordered, but outside of that, wherever possible, Rob made an effort to get everything he could locally. So the cedar decking for the railings, the upright posts, everything on the Whaletown dock that he could was specially ordered, milled through Klahoose at their sawmill."

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Microgrants 4 Neighbours program is out, and there are some changes this year. Jemma Hicken explained, "Our Microgrants 4 Neighbours is a super cool little grassroots granting program. It operates with the philosophy that our community knows what it needs, and that low-barrier granting really gives individuals a chance to get small chunks of money and make things that they're enthusiastic about happen in our community." "It developed out of Cortes Island Literacy's Seed Grant program in partnership with Folk U, but now Microgrants is run by the Cortes Island Community Foundation, in partnership with the Neighborhood Small Grants Island Network, which is a really cool program as well. It basically operates the same microgrants-for-neighbors program under the NSG Neighborhood name. Small grants exist in many other communities around BC, so it's happening all over the province, but maybe Cortes did it first." Cortes Currents: I understand that you've increased the potential amount of funding available for projects. Jemma Hicken: "Yes, we've increased our maximum to $1,000 this year. So you can apply for grants from $50 up to $1,000. The only consideration is that the Cortes Foundation has to issue you a T4A if you receive more money than $500. So that's something to consider when you're thinking about how much you'd like to apply for your project." Cortes Currents: Do you have to be a social-profit organization to apply? Jemma Hicken: "No, definitely not. In fact, this is actually the first year that we're opening it up to social-profit organizations to apply for microgrants. So organizations can apply this year, but individuals definitely can apply, and individuals have been the priority and focus of Microgrants 4 Neighbours all along." Cortes Currents: How much funding do you have available for Microgrants 4 Neighbours? Jemma Hicken: "That's a good question, and I can't answer it yet because we're still sorting it out, but we'll have upwards of $7,000 for sure, and it might be a little more than that." Cortes Currents: Can there be projects that are in the planning process, like this is what they want to do if they get the funding? Jemma Hicken: "Absolutely. You can apply for a project that is in process and that is dependent on the funding." Cortes Currents: Can you give me some examples of past projects? Jemma Hicken: "Past projects include the Cortes Skate Jam, which has received funding a couple of years in a row; the youth dance classes; the Death Care Collective, before they became an organization, received funding to do bereavement packages for the community. There have been cooking workshops, funding the picnic table at the Seniors Village; a youth kayaking trip. There's been sound gear for community events, tech support, drop-ins. There are endless possibilities." Cortes Currents: What happens if your project cannot be completed for some reason? Jemma Hicken: "We would love for your projects to be completed within the year, but if you need an extension, don't hesitate to ask. We really just want to support projects as they happen. I'm more than happy to lean in and help you finish your project. That being said, I'm also super happy to help anybody who needs it with their application." "If you need support, feel free to email me. My email is microgrants@Cortesfoundation.ca."

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Between the opposition MPs who crossed the floor and three by-elections coming up on April 13, Mark Carney's Liberal government is on the threshold of forming a majority government. Jessica Wegg, the Green Party candidate during the last two elections, observed, “We're two votes away from the Liberals having a majority. I don't know that it matters that much to Carney. His policies skew so far toward what Conservatives would want anyway, he is getting lots and lots of support. I think it would be risky for him to call a general election because it's not necessary. As he gets closer and closer to having a majority without a general election, it would be harder and harder to sell to Canadians that it would be necessary to call everybody to the polls again, spend all this money again on a general election when he's doing everything he wants and just ramming through bills without even having a majority.” Narrator: In another one of his social media posts, Aaron Gunn declared, "Mark Carney is currently attempting what is maybe the least democratic thing in Canadian history, cobbling together an illegitimate majority he didn't earn through backroom deals and who knows what else." Only this is not the first time MPs have crossed the floor. Most Canadian Prime Ministers have had opposition MP's join their party. The current record is held by John A MacDonald's Conservative government, which saw 9 MPs  join them. They are closely followed by Jean Chrétien's Liberals, who gained 8.  Stephen Harper, whose Conservative government benefited from 3 such crossings, once said,  "Members of Parliament should have that freedom and be accountable to their constituents for their decisions at the next election. But I will say this, Mr. Speaker: in my observation, the only parties that really had this as an obsession are the parties that no one ever crosses to." Cortes Currents: In addition to the floor crossings, there will be three by-elections on Sunday, April 13, 2026.  Jennifer Lash explained, “We've had two Liberal ministers step down as they've taken on different positions, so by-elections are required. Then in Terrebonne, Quebec, the Liberals had won by one vote and that had to go to a by-election. Of those three by-elections, two of them are Liberal strongholds and it's pretty much assumed that they will go Liberal again. The Quebec by-election is really up for grabs. I've listened to people saying the Bloc are going to put everything they can into it and win. I've also heard that the polling shows the Liberals are going to win. So who knows? If the Liberals win those two Liberal strongholds (University–Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest) that they have in Ontario, that will bring us to 172 seats, which gets us to a one-seat majority. If we win in Terrebonne as well, that will get us to 173 seats, which means a slightly stronger majority.” “I've never seen a situation like this in Ottawa before, but it's fascinating for political nerds like myself who love counting seats.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents -Michael Manson started clearing the land for what is now Linnaea Farm in 1887. The Hansen family lived there during the early 1900s, and in 1998, the farm became a charitable land trust. In this morning's interview, Adam Schick and his daughter, Nola McPhail, talk about their experiences and the next generation of Linnaea Farm. Adam Schick: "One of the biggest challenges of the last few years is having people live here long term. Farming offers more of a lifestyle opportunity, but as our population ages, often the only thing left you have is to sell your property to ensure you can retire successfully. That's a real problem. Because this farm is a trust, we don't get to sell the property. We simply have the honor of looking after it. While I feel it is an honor, more and more, it seems that people see it as a burden; they want a job, or something that's paying you money." "We are at a place on Cortes where, to get anyone to even answer the phone, it costs $25 an hour. In the summertime, there are groups of landscapers making $40 or more. It is pretty hard to entice those people to come to the farm to work unless they have a personal interest in these things. To me, this represents a breakdown in our society where we've decided to value people's time only in this way. Personally, I never really got into this for the money. The things that don't show up on a spreadsheet are the things that truly make a community a good place to live." "The lifestyle aspect is harder to entice people with. Farming is sometimes very difficult, and community living can be equally challenging. We try to do both of those things here together. We can get people to stay for a year or two, but then when we ask them to commit further, they realize that committing more means taking on more responsibility without a pay raise. It is simply the responsibility of looking after the property. Maybe we should ask the young person in the room why she is here." Nola McPhail: "I'm Nola, the daughter of Tamara and Adam. I've grown up on the farm my whole life, but I left the island after high school and only returned last November. I've been back for a bit over a year now, full-time, which has been really nice. As my dad is saying, it's common in many places that the younger generation isn't returning to do this type of work. There are many other things happening in the world, so this is becoming a bit of a lost art. A lot of our work this year is focused on changing our methods and thinking about how we can better include the community—starting more activities and inviting more people here so we can find more interest and build more capacity." Adam Schick: "Nola is going to take on the role of interim manager. It's one thing to have people here, but you need to figure out exactly what they are going to do on the farm, and Nola has stepped up to take on that role. When it comes to the interns, Tamara and I will still be guiding them through the actual work." "Someone has to ask the human questions like, 'How are you doing? How is the house? How is your time?' Nola is a great communicator. Many of the interns are young, and because Nola is also of that generation, there is a natural relatability. She has a great work ethic and a real keenness for this work, so it seemed like a natural fit." "We are currently in the Ed Centre. I'm sitting at the table where we have our weekly farm team meetings. We talk about everything from the minutia—like needing a chain to fix a leaking toilet—to the bigger picture, such as talking to other organizations about how they manage their interns and business. We discuss how to host Lovefest, large community events, workshops, and literary afternoons with the seniors."

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - BC Hydro is replacing the switches on pole-mounted transformers set up beside private residences and buildings on Cortes Island.   They subcontracted this work to Allteck, an electric ransmission & distribution services company with a branch office in Nanaimo. A three-person crew arrived in Squirrel Cove on Tuesday, March 10. Two of them either use a bucket truck or climb the pole, while the third supports them from the ground. Once set up, the whole procedure typically takes about 15 minutes per transformer. There are close to 900 houses and unknown number of other buildings on Cortes Island. Most are tied directly in to the grid. Only about 100 structures have lines coming to a pole set up beside them. The crew will be staying at Gorge Harbour Marina over the coming days and hope to finish all the poles on Cortes by Saturday.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The BC's Seniors Advocate is calling upon the province to address a critical shortfall in long term care beds. There were 7,212 people on the waiting list during 2025 and the average wait time was 290 days. The number of seniors is increasing and the need for long term beds is expected to grow 49% by 2035. "We are in trouble," warns Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Health Critic for the Conservative Party, "This is why I am pushing for 'aging in place.' While Kindy maintains that the Campbell River Hospital should receive its long-promised long-term care wing, the project was one of seven hospital expansions deferred this year. Given the current state of BC's finances, she does not expect construction to begin soon. "We desperately need long-term care beds in Campbell River," Kindy stated. "Wait times can reach up to four years. Furthermore, 'alternative level of care' patients—those waiting in hospital beds for long-term care placements—often remain there for weeks or months. My husband was part of the transition team discussing a new facility as far back as 2017. It was in last year's budget but vanished this year. We need to know: is it canceled or simply delayed?" The provincial government claims the $1.8 million per bed cost to build the Campbell River wing and six similar projects is too much Kindy responded, "We have to remember that the Eby government inherited a surplus and now we are at a $13 billion deficit. So if you're looking at the cost, so I just pulled out some numbers for you. The Campbell River Long-Term Care project was 153 beds. The total cost of the build was $134 million that would mean each bed would be $875,000. When they're talking about $1.8 million, they're not talking about Campbell River ... It could be an average of the seven projects." She added, "Approximately 12.5% of residents currently in long-term care could have remained home with proper support. The cost of home support averages $15,000 a year, compared to $100,000 for a long-term care bed. It is fiscally responsible to keep people home, yet we only spend 18% of our long-term care budget on home support. In Denmark, that figure is 50%." Kindy argues that current support is "completely inadequate." She advocates for expanding home support hours and removing financial barriers. "We need flexibility. Sometimes support means someone to take the garbage out. We also need to support the 80% of caregivers who are family members by expanding respite care and adult day programs. If you are working, you shouldn't have to leave a senior unsupported all day." To advance this, Kindy is calling for better education and data transparency regarding waitlists. "We cannot put seniors last. Spending a year in a hospital bed waiting for a placement is unacceptable. Last month, our hospital hit a record 161 patients in a facility built for 95. These issues are linked; the debt interest alone—nearly $6 billion—could have funded the infrastructure we desperately need. We must prioritize our seniors now."

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On February 27, 2026, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Regional Director, Mark Vonesch, for a live check-in about priorities, current issues, and other updates for Cortes residents. Phone-in and mail-in questions were welcomed. 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 - We've probably all encountered AI by now. Some Large language model (LLM) AI programs are among the fastest and most comprehensive information tools on the Internet, and arguably, the most “stupid.” Have you ever been harassed by an AI-powered telephone service whose programmer neglected to include the concept of wrong numbers? Or been fed incorrect political information by an AI program that did not know which party or Prime Minister was in power? However if you want to check something like medieval canon law, to ensure the character the attitude of a character in the novel you're writing accurately portrays the times:  it can take seconds with ChatGPT. Everything has to be fact-checked and sources verified, but tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude remain remarkable and they'll improve as the glitches are addressed.  My guest this morning is Dr Vered Shwartz, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, a CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute, and the author of the book "Lost in Automatic Translation." Vered Shwartz:  "AI is a really broad category, so I'll mostly maybe focus on generative AI, and, more specifically, large language models like ChatGPT. Several aspects could lead to betterment of humanity in accelerating knowledge discovery, like scientific knowledge discovery which could lead to solving problems such as cures for diseases, boosting economic productivity and even at the personal level, automating everyday tasks for us and making our lives easier. In fields like education, it can be used to provide access to knowledge to underserved communities and be used as a personal tutor."

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - More than a month has passed since Prime Minister Mark Carney took centre stage at the World Economic Forum with a speech calling for middle powers to forge strategic partnerships across energy, food, critical minerals, finance, and supply chains - standing up to lawless superpowers pursuing their own interests. Days have elapsed since Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre addressed the Economic Club of Canada, outlining his vision for a stronger Canada. In this morning's interview, Jennifer Lash, a former senior policy advisor for Environment Canada, compares their visions for the nation's future.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On February 27, 2026, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Regional Director, Mark Vonesch, for a live check-in about priorities, current issues, and other updates for Cortes residents. Phone-in and mail-in questions were welcomed. 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 -Work is about to resume in the Cortes Community Forest. Mark Lombard, General Manager for the Cortes Forestry General Partnership, explained, "The spring cut is going to happen in the Coulter Bay area of the community forest. We'll probably start a small segment of road in about three weeks. While the road is being built, maybe a month from now, we're going to move over to Larson's Meadow. They're both relatively small projects."

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - If everything goes as planned, the first two rental suites at Rainbow Ridge Affordable Rental Project on Cortes Island will be ready in June, and six units could be occupied as early as January. In this morning's interview, Mark Lombard, the Construction Manager, provides an overview of how the work is progressing at Rainbow Ridge, as well as updates from the Cortes Housing Society's other housing sites—Orchard Village and the Makerspace.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Green party leader, Elizabeth May claims it's safer to move bitumen by rail than through pipelines. She has mentioned this in the House of Commons, written about it in her blog and told reporters. 'In a marine environment, diluted bitumen is, impossible to clean up.' To which Michael Lowry from Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, responds, "The biggest spill we've ever cleaned up was a diluted bitumen spill." Elizabeth May: "It wasn't dilbit." (DILuted BITumen) They were actually referring to two different products. Lowry's company was cleaning up SynBit (SYNthetic BITumen), which is lighter, more likely to float, and thus easier to clean up than dilbit. They're both diluted bitumens that are shipped through pipelines, but SynBit is a 50/50 blend of bitumen and synthetic crude oil, whereas dilbit usually consists of approximately 70% bitumen and 30% diluent. Lowry is the only one who means something other than dilbit when they mention diluted bitumen in this story. Elizabeth May: "Since it's a solid, to put it in a pipe to get it to flow, they stir in fossil fuel condensate, naphtha, butane. Imagine that they stir in lighter fluid, stir in anything they can to get this solid tar called bitumen to flow through a pipeline, but unlike upgrading, this is not a step in the process of getting to a refineable product. This is only about getting it to flow through a pipeline. At its ultimate destination, a refinery, the diluent has to be removed." May isn't endorsing the further expansion of Canada's fossil fuel sector. Her position on that is quite clear: Elizabeth May: "Don't promote fossil fuel use. Don't build fossil fuel infrastructure - full stop - because of the climate crisis." However if you are going to do it anyway: Elizabeth May: "Our coastal waters are very, very much more at risk if we put bitumen in a pipeline." "When Alberta and Federal fossil fuel supporters attempt to characterize British Columbia as a province or British Colombians and First Nations, as objectors to pipelines, they frame that objection as these people, these first nations, these environmentalists, this provincial government whatever, are trying to stop Alberta getting its resources to market." "That's a quite familiar framing; That is completely false. Nobody would ever object to carrying solid bitumen to market, that's not the issue. The issue isn't keeping bitumen from going overseas." "If you really want to get your product to market without getting British Colombians up in arms about destroying our ecosystems, threatening the 800 stream crossings between the Alberta border and the Burnaby Turnable terminal. If you want to ship that bitumen to buyers elsewhere in the world, you can put it on a train."

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - Listen in on February 20th, 2026 to this episode of FolkU, which features a recording of Dr. Michael De Danann Datura's discussion of the spectacular (in the Guy Debord sense of the word) nature of ideology in late 20th and early 21st century culture. This included an exposé of the layered and concealed aspects of commodities via Kinder Surprise eggs; a critique of Hollywood's authoritarian master fantasies as embodied in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, and a brief foray into what it might mean to embrace desire without stuff. 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 - In this morning's interview Manda Aufochs Gillespie, Executive Director of the Cortes Island Community Foundation, discusses a fund called Communitas and explains how the Cortes Foundation doubled the money for this year's Grant in Aid. The Cortes Island Community Foundation's roots go back to 2018 when, operating under the charitable umbrella of the Cortes Island Seniors Society, it raised $1.2 million for the downpayment on the 51 acre parcel in Mansons Landing now owned by the Cortes Housing Society. The Foundation obtained charitable status in 2021. Unlike more traditional foundations, it does not rely on a long-standing endowment to fund its work. Manda Aufochs Gillespie: “As some people know, because I like to say it a lot, we've only been around (as a charity) for four years and we're from a new breed of foundation that does not have money sitting in an endowment. We're a new foundation and we don't want to wait to help the community organizations and groups and volunteers and neighbours that are doing good things. There's so much to be done now.” They've been fortunate in that, over the past four years, the government and Community Foundations of Canada have provided funding to distribute directly through community foundations to local groups. So the Cortes Foundation was able to distribute $100,000 to different Cortes organizations doing COVID recovery and between $200,000 and $300,000 to issues related to gender equity. "We also have been practicing community granting by helping adjudicate and advise what we thought the Grant in Aid should be used for. Mark Vonesch, our Regional Director, has taken those recommendations to the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board for final decision making. But every year there are projects that come forward that we are not able to fund because they're not eligible for Grant in Aid, or there's just not enough money. The Grant in Aid has more or less stayed the same for years, and $25,000 does not go that far." “We were really lucky this year because a donor came to us and said, ‘Hey, we want to direct some funds into the community for our greatest need.' And we said, ‘Well, if you would trust us, what we would love to do is put this into a new fund called Communitas, where we would use it to do community granting and to engage in the process where we get community input and look at needs.'” “So when Grant in Aid came around this year, we were so excited because, for the first time ever, we had our own funds! We could give out as we wanted and leverage the Grant in Aid funds that the SRD was giving out. We used that process that we were going through anyway, and we were able to make more with what was already there. It wasn't just having more money. We could fund organizations such as the Cortes Island School Parent Advisory Committee (PAC), which had not been eligible for our Grant in Aid funding.” “The total pot we were able to give away this year was $25,000 that came from the Community Foundation via the Communitas Fund and $25,000 that came via the SRD through the Grant in Aid process, which is taxpayer dollars coming back to your community.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents -Once again, the polls suggest Mark Carney's government could win a majority if there were an election right now. 338Canada suggests the Liberals could win as many as 185 seats, while the Conservatives shrink back to 125. In North Island–Powell River, Aaron Gunn is still projected as the winner with 36% of the popular vote, according to 338Canada, but the Liberals and NDP are right behind him with 30% each. Some believe Canada may have a spring election. Gunn said, "If I were a betting man, I would bet there'd be an election within the next two years for sure, but this spring we'll see. I think it will be up to Prime Minister Carney and the Liberal government. Speaking as a Conservative, I don't think we're going to force an election this spring." Jennifer Lash, the Liberal candidate in our riding during the last election, explained, "When you have a minority government, there's always speculation about whether there's going to be an election or not. There's a lot of talk, but I think that's also a conversation that's happening very much inside the Ottawa bubble of what's going to happen." "I think there are two things we need to look at really carefully. One is, I don't think Canadians really want to go back to the polls. It's expensive; it's time consuming. I think in general, if Canadians feel that government is functioning and getting the job done, then they would like to see the work being done as opposed to spending time in an election." "The other thing is, in the past week both the Conservatives and the Liberals have talked about how they're going to work more collaboratively to try to get some key pieces of legislation through — pieces that could have been confidence votes and caused the House to fall if they didn't have the votes." "I think they're all hands on deck right now to try to avoid an election and get through some of these key pieces that need to be done in order to help us deal with this rupture that we're going through, as the Prime Minister calls it. Having said that, things happen. If the Conservatives start to block things and it becomes very challenging for this government to get anything done, I could see the Prime Minister going to the Governor General and saying, 'We need to have another election because this House, as it's currently formatted, is not being effective and we can't run the country.'"

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Our local MP, Aaron Gunn, is holding a series of town hall meetings in the North-Island Powell River riding. He will be in Courtenay tonight (Feb 17), Campbell River on February 21, Port McNeil on March 16 and Powell River on March 19.  Gunn may also come to Cortes Island, but the dates have not been set.  Aaron Gunn: " We want to come to Cortes, but if I just come to Cortes with no plan - I haven't really accomplished anything other than a photo op. So we always try to set up some kind of coffee or meeting where people that live there know that I'm coming and if they want to come and engage, they have an opportunity to do so." Cortes Currents: We will promote it on the radio. We will promote it over our bulletin board. It's called the Tideline. The size of the crowd's hard to tell, could be as few as 20, or as many as 100. The hundred would be surprising, but who knows? We haven't had a Conservative candidate or politician on the island for years. Aaron Gunn: It's always better to have more people show up, but the most important thing from my perspective is you give everyone an opportunity to come out and voice their opinions and ask their questions. Different communities certainly have different amounts of political engagement. Power River has an incredible amount of engagement for the size of its community.We'll see how the Comox Valley goes tomorrow, but of course only half of the valley's in my riding. So a bunch of people who I'm not representing might show up at the door, but that's okay." While the Conservative party saw increased support on Cortes during the last election, Gunn will face a variety of perspectives.  Max Thaysen, the alternate director for Cortes Island and co-leader of the Cortes Climate Action Network, responded, "I welcome him to come and I will be happy to ask him some questions, find out more about what he thinks about some really important stuff. I think having open and public dialogue with people who've been elected to the House of Commons is very important. There were some early concerns that Aaron Gunn was not interested in hearing from constituents. That was something that I heard in a few different places from people who were trying to get hold of him to share their concerns with him. I think he's become more open to hearing from people and sharing with them. That's a good thing." "I also want to say that, as a very climate concerned person, I am very concerned about the public position that the Conservative party has taken. It borders on climate denial and that is very dangerous. I think we'll have some pretty serious conversations to have. I hope we get lots of people out. It should be fun. Come bring your own questions." Cortes Currents asked Gunn what he hoped to achieve through his town hall meetings. Aaron Gunn: "The primary vision is to give constituents an opportunity to hear directly from me and ask any questions that might be on their mind. We get hundreds of emails every week and try to meet with as many constituents as possible, but this is a very efficient and transparent way to engage with the people that you're representing and give them a chance to hold you accountable."

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Cortes Island's second housing survey was launched on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. Like the first housing survey conducted a little more than two years ago, this was a joint endeavour between Regional Director Mark Vonesch and the Cortes Housing Society, who together provided a look at the first responses to the 2026 survey. There had already been 70 respondents when Cortes Currents interviewed Sadhu Johnston a day after the release. Sadhu Johnston: "The first survey was really, really helpful for us in guiding the work of the Cortes Housing Society. We wanted to do another housing survey to gauge where people are at and how they're feeling about the housing challenges on Cortes. Also, for us, as we're building out Rainbow Ridge, it helps to get clarity on what people are looking for in terms of their housing needs. We want to make sure we're building the right size units, the right number of bedrooms, and things of that nature," he explained. Cortes Currents: By the time Mark Vonesch was available to comment on Sunday, the number of respondents had grown to 170. Mark Vonesch: "Having data helps us make good decisions. We did a housing survey two years ago and we just released a new housing survey earlier this week. We asked similar questions to understand people's lived experience with housing, both as owners and renters. Then we added a few more questions drilling down into some of the challenges that people are having, and we asked some opinion questions on policy decisions." "We've had 170 people fill out the survey so far, which is about 15% of the island. I would like to see at least another hundred people. So, if you're listening to this and you haven't filled out the housing survey, it just takes a few minutes. The link is on the Tideline. If you subscribe to my newsletter list, it's been released there, and through the Housing Society's social media and newsletter as well. I'm also putting it up on Tideline and we've mailed it out to all the mailboxes that receive drop mail on Cortes. We're hoping to increase the number of people that fill it out this year. Last time, we had almost 25% of the island fill it out, which is huge for a survey, but obviously the more people that fill it out, the better." Cortes Currents: How long do people have to fill it out? Mark Vonesch: "We are running the survey until March 6th. We're running it for a similar time as last time—roughly three weeks—so there's lots of time for people to fill it out, but the earlier the better. We've made a few changes this year."

Teen Takeover/Folk U -This episode of FolkU features an exploration of sovereignty by CIA student Tristan. What it is to be sovereign in relation to our fellow humans, and in relation to the land? How can we teach ourselves and others how to self-govern? Featuring two interviews, this podcast challenges us to think about our society a little differently, even if it's just for an hour. This show is the fourth instalment in the culmination of the 2025/26 podcasting course at the Cortes Island Academy, an intense deep dive into the techniques and art of podcasting in which each student picks a topic, then researches & produces a full feature-length show on it from start to finish, including interviews, scripting, recording, and editing their show. To learn more about the Cortes Island Academy, visit www.cortesislandacademy.ca 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 - The Cortes Community Foundation has once again shown how invaluable resource it is to the community. Regional Director Mark Vonesch has a budget of about $25,000 a year for Grants-in-Aid. When the time to disburse the funds arrives, he normally receives requests for far more money than is available. This year was no exception; however, thanks to the Cortes Island Community Foundation, nearly all these requests will be met. As Director Vonesch explained at the January 28 Board Meeting: "Similar to previous years, we received a lot more applications than we had funding for. I had roughly $25,000 to spend and we had over $50,000 in applications. I worked with the Cortes Island Community Foundation to put together a community jury of members who were not on non-profit boards or staff, and were not connected to those non-profits in a way that would create a conflict of interest. They held a series of meetings and went through the applications." "I'm delighted to say that the Cortes Island Community Foundation privately raised an extra $25,000 for these applications this year. So, almost all of the funding requests will be met—assuming these are passed by the board today—both through the SRD Grant-in-Aid program and through the Cortes Island Community Foundation. I'm happy to take any questions."

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - In this morning's interview we hear from Sara Stewart of Wildflower Produce and Cidery, near the southern tip of Cortes Island. Sara Stewart: “I'm not a religious person, but when you depend on the natural world you become deeply ingrained in it. I used to think I was building connections with the natural world when I lit a fire on Imbolc (Ancient Celtic beginning of Spring) and celebrated Samhain (end of the harvest season). I now find that rituals or ceremonies can disconnect you from nature. So I try to cultivate the spirituality of a squirrel. I don't see wildlife celebrating Imbolc—you just notice what's happening in your body and respond accordingly.” Cortes Currents: Where do you come from and what inspired you to get into agriculture? Sara Stewart: “I grew up in a subdivision in Southern Ontario, so I didn't have farming in my family. I gardened for a long time and I was vegan because, once you learn about the food industry, it's pretty appalling. I worked for nonprofits before farming because I've tried to align my work with my values, not with the goal of a higher income. Nonprofits aren't profitable, and farming is very, very difficult to make ends meet financially and to turn a profit. The most I've made farming for myself is about $5 an hour, so it's definitely a challenging lifestyle.” “I first got into it as a farm hand when I was 33, but I'm a little bossy, so I became the boss the next year. I became the field manager. I'm pretty good with spreadsheets. I have a very logical mind, and I often say that farming is like playing Sudoku in your mind, but with plants.” “So if I plant this here, then this has to go here; if I time it like this, this has to go over here. So it's a lot of planning in the winter. So I do spreadsheets showing where everything is. I have a calendar for when I seed things, when I transplant them, and when I harvest them, and that's very left-brain.” “Then in the summertime it's very right-brained and creative to apply that plan to what's actually happening, because it rarely lines up with what I intend.” “This is my 11th season being a market gardener, and season number seven on Cortes. That part has become a lot more established and less challenging. The first year here was a carpet of weeds and very poor soil quality. I test every year. It's been nice watching the nitrogen and organic matter increase.” “I grow about $50,000 worth of produce a year, mostly on my own. I do have volunteers who contribute about 15 hours a week in the summer, which is nice. I sell mostly at my farm stand here and at the Cortes Natural Food Co‑op as well.” Cortes Currents: Tell me about coming to Cortes. Why did you come here and when? Sara Stewart: “I was working on farms for a few years as a farm manager and then decided I wanted to lease land for myself. I toured the Gulf Islands and down in Saanich. When I finished, someone recommended Cortes. I came here on a visit and I crashed a funeral and realized there were people my age here; elsewhere it had been mostly seniors. Someone told me about Reef Point Farm and that this might be a place to lease land. I contacted them, they were paying caretakers, and I had the idea of paying them to farm here. That was in 2019.” “I started my first year farming here in 2020 with the goal of being a market gardener—growing vegetables. It just kept growing from there. The next year I got chickens, the year after that I got sheep, and in 2022 I did the business plan for the cidery.”  Cortes Currents: How many years in total have you been making cider? Sara Stewart: “This is number three.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents -The Quadra Island Recreation Society is asking the community for their input into what the island's Community Centre and a new pavilion at Blenkin Park should be used for. Marc Doll, Vice Chair of the Society, explained: “We started by looking at one desperate need for the community centre, which was the lack of a proper kitchen facility. We came up with some solutions, but the price tag came in higher than what we wanted for a very small improvement. So, conversations continued, and we decided that we really had to look at the bigger picture. The Quadra Island Community Centre has been serving the community since 1985, and we felt it was time to go back to the public and ask: what do we need this building to do for the next 20 years?” “At the same time, we've been working with the SRD for the last number of years to get an outdoor pavilion in Blenkin Park. The funding is in place, and we're looking to start building as early as 2026.” “So, we're going to the community to ask: does this community centre suit the needs of the community for the next 20 years? Or are there things that we need to start preparing for now? At the same time, now that we have money in place for a pavilion, we want to make sure we reach out to all the groups that currently use the facility—the concert groups, Quadra Palooza, the theatre groups, etc.—to say, 'Is this something that you would want?' And if so, what form would it need to take to best suit your use? How does the community imagine using it? Where should it be placed? What elements need to be incorporated to ensure it is well-used?” Cortes Currents: Have you received any new ideas coming out of this so far? Marc Doll: “The press release just went out. We have put a postcard into every mailbox on Quadra, which directs people toward a questionnaire online@yourcommunitycentre.ca. I think the postcards only hit mailboxes yesterday. I'm not going to look into the responses until everything is in. The survey closes on March 1st, and then there is a committee meeting to synthesize the responses and plan the next step, which will likely be a public open house.” Cortes Currents: Can people mail in their responses instead of going online? Marc Doll: “Yes. The idea is that there are also forms available at the community centre for those who don't want to do it online. They can stop by the centre or grab a form from Jane for a written response.” Cortes Currents: How integral are these projects to the community? Marc Doll: “The community centre is the only piece of public infrastructure that Quadra Island has. When we look forward to the challenges that the future is going to place on us, having strong communities and places for people to gather, organize, and learn is what's going to hold us together.” Cortes Currents: Why does Quadra need a new pavilion at Blenkin Park? Marc Doll: “The summer months offer so much opportunity. The park is large but generally not well-used in the summer. We want to bring people together; currently, we have no place for a theatre group to put on 'Shakespeare in the Park,' or even for the public to gather under cover for a family picnic on a rainy day. The community centre is a wedding venue in many ways, but it doesn't have that outdoor capacity to allow a young couple to get married without the fear of being rained upon. All these things are important community offerings that we're currently just not able to do.”

Teen Takerover/Folk U -In the first half of this episode, Cortes Island Academy students Elsie, Lacey, and Elias discuss the housing situation on Cortes, from three different angles. This includes tiny homes, Rainbow Ridge, the Seniors Village, and interviews with five different locals, as well as their own stories and observations on the topic. Travel with them as they learn about the challenges of finding housing on Cortes, and the creative solutions that are emerging to try and solve the issue. In part two, Nathaniel Maki interviews Margaret Verschuur and Fawn Baron from the Death Care Collective, and discusses the importance of having a healthy culture and communication around the topic of death and dying. This show is the third instalment in the culmination of the 2025/26 podcasting course at the Cortes Island Academy, an intense deep dive into the techniques and art of podcasting in which each student picks a topic, then researches & produces a full feature-length show on it from start to finish, including interviews, scripting, recording, and editing their show. To learn more about the Cortes Island Academy, visit www.cortesislandacademy.ca 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 -The Cortes Island Academy offers an accredited 20 week experimental, project-based education for students in grades 10 through 12. They just wrapped up their fourth year and, on February 9, are about to start taking applications for 2026-2027. In this morning's interview Executive Director Manda Aufochs Gillespie talks about the school and their recent annual showcase in Mansons hall.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - In addition to being a former candidate in our area, Jennifer Lash is a former senior advisor to Canada's Minister of Environment with a lot of insight into what motivates the Liberal government. So Cortes Currents recently asked her,  “Tell us a little bit about the tightrope that Mark Carney's been walking with separatism rising in Alberta and Quebec; environmentalists saying that we should be adapting faster; the rising cost of living, needs for more housing, more jobs; Trump's economic tantrums, the need to just diversify Canada's economy and the threat of recession.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents -With all the current hype about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), Cortes Currents reached out to two rural politicians to ask how they see this legislation working at the local level. Mark Vonesch is the Regional Director for Area B (Cortes Island) and Robyn Mawhinney is the Regional Director for Area C, which includes Quadra and most of the other Discovery Islands. They both sit on the board of the Strathcona Regional District (SRD).

Desolation Sound/Folk U - Tune in on January 30, 2026, for this week's episode of Desolation Sounds, where student journalists of the Cortes Island Academy tackle some big topics: where is the line on climate change? What's the deal with UAPs? Is Queerness inherently a radical act? Journey with Dean, Dylan, Devin, and Lin as they interview experts on these topics, and report on their findings. This show is the second instalment in the culmination of the 2025/26 podcasting course at the Cortes Island Academy, an intense deep dive into the techniques and art of podcasting in which each student picks a topic, then researches & produces a full feature-length show on it from start to finish, including interviews, scripting, recording, and editing their show. To learn more about the Cortes Island Academy, visit www.cortesislandacademy.ca 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 - British Columbia is currently navigating a widening divide. On one side, the courts are handing down historic decisions affirming Indigenous rights. On the other, a growing wave of anxiety over private property and economic certainty. Today, we look at the fallout from the Gitxaala and Cowichan Tribes decisions—and the political battleground forming around the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). These are actually three separate topics: two court cases regarding the duty to consult before registering mining claims (Gitxaala versus British Columbia and the 2025 appeal); a court case regarding the Aboriginal title to an ancient village site that was sold out from beneath the Cowichan Tribes (Cowichan Tribes v. Canada); and DRIPA, the provincial legislative framework that formally adopts and implements the the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) The tension spiked following Cowichan Tribes v. Canada. For hundreds of years, the Cowichan tribes wintered in the Southern Gulf Islands and then regrouped at Tl'uqtinus village, in Richmond, during the warmer months. David Rosenberg, Senior Counsel for the Cowichan Tribes, explained, ‘These lands were settlement lands and settlement lands were supposed to be put aside for as reserves for First Nations.' Instead, Tl'uqtinus was sold to settlers. The court has restored the 800 acres of the historic village site ‘over which they have proven sufficient and exclusive occupation,' to the Cowichan Tribes.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents -The Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement Society grew out of poor salmon runs in the 1970s and 80s and has been a non-profit organization (and registered charity) since 1981. In this morning's interview Lauren Miller, a director, talks about the 2025 salmon run, climate change and some of the projects her organization has undertaken.

Cortes Island Academy/ Folk U - Tune in on January 23, 2026, to hear student journalists Minton, Jasmine, and Willow, of the Cortes Island Academy, explore the topics of storytelling and play, and why they are vital and important parts of healthy culture, both in the past, and today. Journey with them as they interview experts on these topics, report on their findings, weave in their own stories, and bring us a new and playful understanding of these timeless concepts and why they remain as important today as they did hundreds of years ago. This show is the first instalment in the culmination of the 2025/26 podcasting course at the Cortes Island Academy, an intense deep dive into the techniques and art of podcasting in which each student picks a topic, then researches & produces a full feature-length show on it from start to finish, including interviews, scripting, recording, and editing their show. To learn more about the Cortes Island Academy, visit www.cortesislandacademy.ca 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 - It has been two months since Mark Carney survived a non-confidence vote and went on to sign an MOU in which he agreed to support a new bitumen pipeline across British Columbia. In this morning's interview, Jennifer Lash, the Liberal candidate for our North Island Powell River riding in the last election,  explains why she still thinks Mark Carney is the right Prime Minister for Canada. 

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - In addition to being the MLA for our North Island riding, Dr. Anna Kindy is also the Health Critic for the Conservative Party of British Columbia. She recently had a conversation with Cortes Currents about the state of healthcare in British Columbia. Anna Kindy: “That portfolio has kept me quite busy, to be honest. There are issues throughout British Columbia, like we've heard on the news. I have my tentacles in all sorts of health authorities, and people are communicating with me from the front lines.” “When we're looking at healthcare right now, it probably will be getting worse before it gets better unless we start shifting. What we're seeing is that issues with accessing primary care are still a big issue for people. There are issues with accessing specialty care. The Consultant Specialists of BC put out that 1.2 million people are on a waitlist right now. Just to give you an example of what specialists need to do now—for example, in neurology—they get so many referrals that they need to triage what is important, what needs to be dealt with right away, and what doesn't, because they can't keep up. What happens is some people end up getting worse as they're waiting. Over 4,600 British Columbians have died waiting for care.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Over the past few years, the Quadra Island Foundation has channeled hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy. Now, thanks to a change in their charitable status, they may be able to do a great deal more. Marc Doll, Vice President in Charge of Communications, explained: “We have had charitable status since our inception. The change is in the scope of that status. Previously, we were only able to work with charities within a very, very defined set of parameters. Our charitable purposes really limited us to only working with established charities on the island. We couldn't work with individuals or societies. It handcuffed us, so even when we gave out our small neighborhood grants, we had to work with the Rec Society because we didn't actually have the ability to funnel that money directly to people who were not registered charities.” “Now, we wrote these charitable purposes really broadly so that we have the right to make donations, create funds, create bursaries, and work directly with societies and small groups on basically everything our imagination could allow us to write up at the time.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Two films by veteran journalist, educator, and NDP candidate Avi Lewis are being shown at the Linnaea Education Centre this weekend. At 7 PM on Friday, January 23, 2026, Lewis and his wife Naomi Klein tell the story of Argentinian workers who took control of a bankrupt auto plant and turned it into a cooperative. At 7 PM on the following night, their documentary ‘This Changes Everything' connects climate action to economic justice. Max Thaysen, who is organizing the showings, explained, “Avi Lewis is running for the leadership of the Federal NDP, and he has made a couple of awesome films that I actually haven't seen yet. So, I thought that it would be interesting to see his films, learn more about him, share that with the community, and take the opportunity to chat about the leadership race and how people can get involved if they want to.”

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents -Strathcona Regional District (SRD) staff will be asking the Ministry of Forests about the possibility of obtaining two provincial lots on Quadra Island for development. Three of the four Regional Directors at the Wednesday, January 14, 2026, Electoral Areas Services Committee meeting voted to proceed. Meredith Starkey, Manager of Planning for the SRD, brought a list of 13 Federal, Provincial and Regional properties to the meeting. She explained that the report provides an overview of public land available near Quathiaski Cove and Heriot Bay on Quadra Island which could be considered for future affordable housing.  “There's really only three sites that are currently undeveloped in a suitable size and some other conditions that make them more suitable than others. They all have constraints.” She advised that the appropriate next step is an inquiry to the relevant land manager to determine if the province is willing to sell or lease the land. Subsequent steps would depend on the tenure type but would likely include legal surveys, management plans, First Nations consultation, and site condition assessments. These assessments would cover environmental, archeological, geotechnical, potable water, and sewage disposal factors. Robyn Mawhinney, the Regional Director for Area C, responded, “ I wanted to say thank you for this great report. It's really comprehensive, clear to understand maps and came back really quickly. I really appreciate all of that. And I think for me, when I, once I looked at it, it really feels like there are two provincial land lots of particular interest identified in the report. I think the report identifies them as lot 7 and 8 in on Hyacynth Bay Road and those are the ones that kind of sparked my curiosity in the first place when I was looking at the provincial IMAP website and what led to the request for this report. So I'm really happy that they made it onto the report.” John Rice, Regional Director for Area D, had some concerns: “When I read the report, it seems like there's a fair amount of hurdles that need to be jumped through. What is the likelihood that anything can be achieved from this?”  Meredith Starkey: “I think that there is certainly likelihood. We don't know what the current intent for these parcels is from the provincial perspective. Without opening that line of inquiry, I can't really say with any certainty. Through our other park processes to pursue tenures, we know that the province does consider this. There's nothing today that would tell us that they wouldn't, if that makes sense. It isn't likely something that would be concluded in a short period of time. Tenure processes usually do take a number of years.” Director Rice: “That was exactly what my line of thought was thinking and here we are, in year four and I'm wondering is this something that is going to take a fair amount of effort? What I would like to see staff working on is our existing projects and get them completed before the next election cycle. I really don't see a quick end game to this.” Mark Vonesch, Regional Director for Cortes Island, had a different perspective.  “I just want to give a little bit of perspective on a similar situation on Cortes where there was a piece of land owned by Ministry of Transportation. The previous regional director pursued it for three years. I've been pursuing it since and it has only just finally been announced that the Ministry of Transportation is willing to release it.” “I think these things do take time and I've certainly been impatient around the process, but just wanted to let fellow directors know that these things do take time and taking the small steps to move them forward is ultimately worth it in the end.” Director Rice voted against the motion, but Directors Mawhinney, Vonesch and Whalley were in favour, so the motion to further look into the possibility of developing these lots for housing will proceed.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - 2026 is a municipal election year and some people hope Campbell River residents will use this opportunity to elect a city council that will help alleviate the homeless situation.  “We have an opportunity as a community to come together and actually create solutions with the support of the city, because they are the only ones that have the capacity to be able to do the longevity of some of these projects, but they need us. They need the nonprofits, they need the grassroots, they need citizens and residents to help them and to buy into those solutions in ways where we create a much more inclusive, safe, welcoming community for everybody, not just for some,” explained Sue Moen, a Kwesa Place volunteer and coordinator for the Campbell River Community Action Team.  “Many of these counsellors and new people are going to be campaigning over the next 10 months. I think that's really important for voters and citizens to say, ‘okay, how are you going to work with others to do this?'”

De Clark/Roy Hales/Cortes Currents -DOne of Cortes Island's longstanding traditions is the Christmas Bird Count; for almost 25 years, local residents have volunteered in a coordinated week-long audit of the island's bird life. For many years this effort has been coordinated in the field by longtime islander George Sirk, host of the 'Nature Boy' Radio Show on CKTZ. Roy Hales interviewed George about this year's bird count.

De Clark/ Roy Hales/ Cortes Currents -One of Cortes Island's longstanding traditions is the Christmas Bird Count; for almost 25 years, local residents have volunteered in a coordinated week-long audit of the island's bird life. For many years this effort has been coordinated in the field by longtime islander George Sirk, host of the 'Nature Boy' Radio Show on CKTZ. Roy Hales interviewed George about this year's bird count.

De Clarke/Cortes Currents - In the second part of an interview with Emilia Belliveau from Environmental Defence Canada, she describes specific tactics Playbook, Environmental Defence has condensed the industry's PR and political efforts into ten major categories, and provided a description and deconstruction of each one.  "We're laying out these 10 tactics that the fossil fuel industry is using, we're showing how they work in a coordinated way, and we're connecting the dots between some of the tactics that are more publicly well known -- like fossil fuel industry lobbying — with some of the things that are not as well known to the public, like the revolving door. That is, the workforce that is moving between fossil fuel industry executive positions and regulatory positions, or the public service. We're drawing attention to these things — things we think are really problematic, and explain why Canada is having such a hard time transitioning off of fossil fuels and addressing the climate crisis."

De Clarke/Cortes Currents -Exposed. The report is playfully illustrated, but quite serious in concept; its purpose is clearly laid out on the first page: The goal of this report is to paint a clear picture of how oil and gas companies operate, how they generate support for the industry and leverage it against effective climate solutions. Some of their tactics, like greenwashing and lobbying, have been well-publicized. Yet others have been largely hidden from the public, like funding astroturf groups, supporting anti-renewable energy campaigns, and infiltrating educational institutions. The report documents ten established tactics used by the fossil industry in its battle against climate activism and decarbonisation policy.  Currents interviewed one of its lead authors, Emilia Belliveau from Environmental Defence Canada, about this project.  The broadcast version of this story is in two episodes. In the first part, Emilia explains the ten standard tactics. In the second part we dig a bit deeper into the details: how these tactics work, and their effects on communities and political life.

De Clarke/ Cortes Currents - As of the end of 2025, Campbell River, RCMP reported a significant decline in crime within their jurisdiction. Roy Hales interviewed Inspector Jeff Preston of the RCMP and Campbell River's Director of Community Safety, Jeff Fort, to find out what they think about these statistics, whether there really is a decrease in crime and what may have caused this.  A few weeks ago, I did a report to the city council here to give them an overview of how crime stats have been going within the city. And we were comparing year over year, from January to the end of November from 2024 to 2025. And the numbers that we were able to report were: our calls for service within the city of Campbell River were down 11%. The violent crime numbers were down about 20%, and the property crime for the entire city was down nearly 28%. More specifically in the downtown core of the city. The overall call for service, were down 21%. The violent crime in the downtown core was down 29%, and the property crime in the downtown core was down 38% or nearly 38%. They were very encouraging numbers to be able to report. — RCMP Inspector Jeff Preston

Roy L Halesd/Cortes Currents - It has been nine months since Katia Sol took over the helm as Hollyhock's CEO. She has also had more than two decades of experience working with nonprofits, starting as a volunteer in a Bolivian Indigenous community and going on to co-direct the Ecology of Leadership at the Regenerative Design Institute, founding her own coaching and leadership development business, and teaching at Stanford University. In today's interview she talks about this past year at Hollyhock and what lies ahead in 2026. 

De Clarke/ Cortes Currents - The second party of an interview with Regional Director Mark Vonesch about whether Cortes Island should incorporate. As Mark says, “The worst that can happen really, if we bring this to the Province and it's approved and we start this process, the worst that can happen is that we'd learn a lot about local governance. We'd have opportunities to have conversations and speak to each other and explore the options. And in the end maybe we would vote it down… but this is a petition just simply saying, Hey, let's see if there's a better way. Let's explore it and let's decide for ourselves what makes sense.” Since the Province would fund the consultation and research process, Mark feels there is no risk to Cortes residents in pursuing it.

De Clarke/ Cortes Currents - Cortes residents may have noticed a petition available in paper form at our post offices and grocery stores, or received an email update from our Regional Director inviting them to consider signing the online version. The petition mentions governance and incorporation: what's it all about? I interviewed Regional Director Mark Vonesch to get a better understanding of the issues and why he's chosen this moment to launch a petition regarding our governance model. As Mark is quick to point out, signing this petition doesn't indicate that the signer wants Cortes to become some kind of municipality rather than a Rural Area. The petition is intended to find out if there's sufficient local support to initiate a process of research and discovery (with Provincial support and funding) to figure out whether incorporation is — or isn't — a practical or desirable alternative to our current system of government.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - With 2025 coming to a close, it seems like a good time to get an update from the Cortes Island Fire Department. Currently, there are about 38 people working out of the island's two fire halls, with another 20 enrolled in the wildfire brigade. Chief Eli McKenty noted, "I haven't totalled this year's call volume yet, but last year we had 105 calls. This year, we're likely slightly higher at around 110.” “We had one significant structure fire, which was fortunately not a total loss. Two factors likely contributed to that. It was a reasonably modern building that was tightly closed.  If you have a tightly sealed building and the doors, windows are closed and you have multi pane windows that don't break from the heat, you can actually have a fire that fully starves of oxygen and goes out. A landscaper working next door noticed the smoke and got a garden hose on it. We were able to mop up the rest.” “We had one minor fire onboard a boat and a few hydro lines sparked minor brush fires, but nothing significant on that front this year." In response to a question about the nature of the call-outs, McKenty explained, "They make up the bulk of our call volume. Of our 105 calls last year, 64 were medical first responders, which is similar to what most first responder departments in the province. We had a reasonably high number of motor vehicle incidents this year.” "We received numerous burning complaints and duty investigations in the summer. It's fairly common for someone to smell smoke for one reason or another, leading to calls for investigation. We even received a call for a suspected lightning strike." When asked about the extensive training and upgrades the Fire Department has been undergoing, McKenty shared that near the beginning of Mac Diver's term as chief, the province recognized that the existing fire service training model was very challenging for small rural departments to achieve. They established a system with three declared service levels. “Most small rural departments provide exterior operations fire service. We're not currently allowed to enter a burning building like they would in larger cities such as Vancouver.” “The next level is interior certification, which is what Quadra Island currently has. It's half way to full service. They're allowed to enter simple structures and commercial buildings with a pre-plan in place, but not into high rises.” Then there is full service. Campbell River is fully staffed with members present at all times, and an additional volunteer crew that steps in as needed. The Cortes Island Fire Department has traditionally been an exterior operations department. However, in the last two years they have been discussing moving toward interior certification. “There's not a huge advantage to us going interior on Cortes because response times are longer than they are in the city since we're only two halls and we have a lot of drive time. So there are not too many situations where an interior attack would make the difference in saving a structure, although there have been cases where it would. What really keeps me up at night is we are not currently allowed to go into a building to rescue somebody if the building's on fire. That would be a really nice piece to be certified for.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - A new study found that Northern Resident Killer Whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins have formed a cooperative hunting relationship to catch Chinook salmon in the Johnson Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound. The dolphins utilize echolocation to locate fish at depth, but their small teeth are designed primarily to grip prey, and they cannot swallow large species like Chinook salmon whole. Instead, dolphins locate the fish, and then wait for the killer whales move in to tear them apart, scattering bits of tissue and flesh into the water. Dr. Andrew Trites, a professor and director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, explained, “The dolphins are getting leftovers, but that seems to be reward enough, so there's no competition for what is ultimately killed. Everybody comes out a winner.” This was the first time Customized Animal Tracking Solutions Tags (CATS) were used on whales and allowed the researchers to collect 3D kinematic data with video and acoustics, continuously recording high-resolution dive data, along with vocalizations and feeding-related sounds. “ This tag has got a video recorder. It's got a hydrophone. It's listening for all the calls that are being made by the killer whales, but it's also recording dolphin calls as we discover. It has a depth sensor so we know what depth the whale is at. It's got three-dimensional accelerometers. So we can reconstruct all the swimming movements of the whale, whether it turns or heads down or heads up. It does water temperature as well. So it's a very sophisticated fitbit that was designed to be put onto marine life, such as Killer Whales.” “All of my life I've seen whales from a boat, with a camera in hand or binoculars. Here we're getting a bird's-eye view with a drone, which others have used before, but for the first time, we got the orca eye view of what's really going on, and that changes everything, to see the world as the killer whales experience it.” Trites suspects but does not know if killer whales and dolphins cooperate in the same manner around Cortes, Read, and Quadra Islands. “ I don't know how frequently you see white-sided dolphins around Cortes. There is a resident population of white-sided dolphins living in the Salish Sea. I don't know much about their distribution and whether or not those dolphins behave the same as the ones that are up in Johnson Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound. Certainly, the northern residents that are going to your area know how to work with dolphins. The question is whether or not the dolphins in your area know how to hang out and work cooperatively with northern residents.” Initially, the research team believed these dolphins were harassing Southern Resident Killer Whales, but this perception changed after Keith Holmes, a drone pilot with the Hakai Institute, observed their interactions. He noted, “From above, you could see this incredible amount of activity. It was clear that there was some sort of communication happening, and they were actively foraging together,” as stated in the UBC press release. Dr. Sarah Fortune, the lead author and Canadian Wildlife Federation Chair in Large Whale Conservation, emphasized the significance of these observations by saying, “We've long known that resident killer whales interact with Pacific white-sided dolphins, but seeing them dive and hunt in sync with dolphins completely changes our understanding of what those encounters mean.”

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - Tune in on December 12, 2025, for a pre-recorded episode of FolkU with author Ruth Ozeki, who sits down with the Cortes Island Academy for a deep, generous conversation about her book A Tale for the Time Being. Ruth shares how the novel emerged from Zen teachings, natural disasters, and we chat about the mysterious voices that spark creative work.   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 -In yesterday's broadcast, Jennifer Lash, a former senior advisor from Environment and Climate Change Canada, explained that  the Prime Minister had to make an MOU with Alberta in order to bring that province on board to initiate further climate initiatives. The potential cost was building a pipeline across BC, but she believes the opposition in BC is too strong for this to become a reality. She also talked about other past and present Liberal environmental policies. Max Thaysen from Cortes Island's Climate Action Network responds in this morning's interview. 

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Justin Trudeau's environmental policy is often either purchasing the Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMX) or expanding Canada's LNG sector. Yet Jennifer Lash, a former senior advisor with Environment and Climate Change Canada, speaks of his accomplishments in the fight against climate change. In this morning's interview, she explains the rationale behind Liberal environmental policies. As it is actually quite simple once you get the underlying theme, Cortes Currents is calling it ‘Liberal Environmental Policies for Dummies.' Jennifer Lash: “There's two ways that you can address climate change. One is through the policies that reduce the emissions here in Canada, and the other is by taking action to leave fossil fuels in the ground so that they're not even extracted.” “Both approaches have merit, so I'm not here to just say whether one is right or wrong. Both are out there, and there is a substantial part of society that's very concerned about how much fossil fuels we're taking out of the ground. When TMX was purchased, that provided space for the oil sands to expand.” “When LNG is approved, it obviously increases the extraction of LNG, which is then burned in other countries. We're all trying to meet our Paris targets; that doesn't count emissions burned in other countries. So with the Paris Agreement, we are responsible for the emissions that we generate here in Canada. When the LNG is exported and burned in China, China has to account for those emissions. It's just the math of how the system works. As a major oil and gas supplier globally, Canada has a moral responsibility for how much fossil fuels we put into the system.” “There is also the argument that at this moment in time, if we leave our LNG in the ground, another country is going to take it. So it's not like global emissions are, or the global supply of LNG is going to go down. It's going to go up. It's just that we leave it in the ground and don't have the economic benefit, and another country does. That's just the lay of the land of the issues that surround the climate debate.” “When Trudeau came into power, he and his various environment ministers—Minister McKenna, Minister Wilkinson, and then Minister Guilbeault—all played a part in delivering these policies. They put together the first national climate plan, which was designed to reduce our emissions. We call it the PCF, the Pan-Canadian Framework on Climate Change and the Economy.” “The ability to get all the provinces to sign onto that—namely to get Alberta to sign onto that—required a pipeline. So that was the first grand bargain that the Liberal government did with Alberta. You can say it was really bad to get TMX, and I'm leaving out all the ocean risk issues—that's a whole other interview as a threat to the ocean—but in terms of climate, the pipeline was approved in order for us to get a national climate plan, which we did get.”

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - On Saturday, December 6, more than three dozen people gathered for the grand opening of ithe Cortes Wood Makerspace, in Mansons Landing. Shopmaster Hannu Huuskonen explained,   “A lot of people need to do stuff in a woodworking shop and not everyone needs to build themselves a shop, especially big enough to do certain things with it properly equipped. It's a big outlay of money. So it makes total sense to have people be able to come to a common space.