Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - A timeline on the REC-REATE – Strathcona Gardens Revitalization Project website traces the origins of this project back to an operational review in 1998. At that time, most of the community was satisfied with the existing facility and the idea of building a new complex did not gain momentum until 2015. A community survey taken between February 2nd and March 2nd that y...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Campbell River’s Strathcona Gardens is in the midst of re-development. Following a successful Alternative Approval Process (APP) in Campbell River and Area D, whose residents use this complex, in 2023 the Board authorized borrowing up to $64.6 million for this project. Crews are currently building the foundations. The SRD is exploring the possibility of using Area C p...

De Clarke/ Cortes Currents - The grand finale of a series of interviews in which Rex Weyler offers his personal memories of the early Greenpeace campaigns and of Paul Watson, who became a lifelong friend.

De Clarke/Cortes Currents - The second in a series of five broadcasts in which Rex Weyler offers his personal memories of the early Greenpeace campaigns and of Paul Watson, who became a lifelong friend.

De Clarke/CityWest - In the third of a series of five programs, Rex Weyler talks about Captain Paul Watson, some of the personality dynamics onboard the Greenpeace vessal and blockading the Russian whaling fleet.

De Clarke/Cortes Currents - The fourth in a series of interviews in which Rex Weyler offers his personal memories of the early Greenpeace campaigns and of Paul Watson, who became a lifelong friend.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - This is Roy Hales with Cortes Currents and as the data for the following report was almost exclusively collected by email or phone, the only voice in the following report is mine. CityWest started hooking Cortes Island residents up to the internet in December 2023, but many homes are still waiting. As the evidence is anecdotal, it is difficult to say how many people a...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - There are approximately 100 short term rentals, collectively earning between $1million and $5 million a year, on Cortes Island. At of the end of 2021, there were 177 on Quadra.  As of May 1st, all Airbnbs and short-term rentals in BC have to register with the provincial government.  “It's a process where the provincial government is asking short term rental operators...

De Clarke/Cortes Currents - In December 2024, the environmental activist Paul Watson was freed by Danish authorities from detention in Greenland.  He had been held there due to an Interpol red-notice (warrant) issued against him by the government of Japan. The Danish Ministry of Justice denied official requests to extradite Watson for trial in Japan, and he was released to rejoin his family. What...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The Cortes Island Academy’s third semester is wrapping up and in this year’s end showcase the students are taking the audience on an imaginative visit to the year 2040. It starts at 7:00 this Thursday, January 13, 2025 at Mansons Hall.    “A really important part of the Cortes Island Academy is our year end showcase where the students are  given the task of finding a...

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Folk U - On January 9, 2025, Max Thaysen and Erik Lyon hosted a hands-on workshop on all things shellfish! This fantastic teaching team chatted harvesting, sustainability, identification, risks and benefits of eating local shellfish, and so much more! This is a field-recording-style episode made possible by Decoda Literacy, the Cortes Island Community Foundation, and the Co...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The Cortes Community Housing Society will soon break ground on Rainbow Ridge. They are also renting out two houses, are about to explore the possibility of a tiny house village, and hope to launch a homeshare program this summer. There is also news about the aquifer study, more online housing forums, the Cortes Island Trade Directory and Cortes Island’s vacant homes....

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - On January 9, 2025, Campbell River’s City Council gave first and second readings to a public nuisance amendment bylaw intended to prevent floodlighting, spotlighting and directional lighting from shining beyond the properties they protect onto residential areas. Council is giving the public to respond in writing before making a decision.  Bylaw Services Manager (SM) K...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents -  Election fever seems to be in the air again and in the first of a series of interviews with the candidates, Cortes Currents talked with Jessica wig the green party candidate for North Island-Powell River. “We have a chance now to show the world that we will not Follow the trend of electing conservative right wing governments out of fear because we're told that things...

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Max Thaysen and Erik Lyon led a shellfish harvesting workshop in Mansons Lagoon on Thursday January 9, 2024. This was a free event sponsored by the Cortes Island Community Foundation, Decoda Literacy, and the Cortes Island Food Bank. Cortes Currents interviewed Max a few days prior to the workshop.  “ I would love to support people to get more of their food from our...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents -While there is some disagreement as to whether we have passed the 1.5°C threshhold set at COP 21 in Paris, scientists agree that we are on the brink and 2024 was the hottest year on record. At COP 29 last November, Jim Skea, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) explained, “Children born today will not know a world without climate change. The IP...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Starting on Saturday, January 11th,  Dance Temple Cortes will be held every two weeks in Manson's hole.   "Everyone has an excuse not to dance. In Gabriel Roth's book, Sweat Your Prayers, there's  a two page list or maybe a three page list of all the reasons. That's great, if that's your choice, but there's something to be said for  getting over the resistance because...

Max Thaysen/Climate Action Network - When filmmaker Jon Cooksey talks about kicking ass in his frog-boiling film, he's referring to the application of pressure, embarrassing, shedding light on the people and institutions that are doing bad things. He points to the fact that we have massive access to video and publishing resources, so we can be ass-kicking youtube stars (or tiktok if that's your ja...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - French filmmaker Jérémy Mathieu’s award winning documentary ‘Salmon Secrets,’ will be coming to Gorge Hall at 1 PM on Sunday, January 12. This 40 minute film was produced by Clayoquot Action, whose co-founders Bonny Glamback and Dan Lewis will be speaking at the screening. Mike Moore, President of the Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI), stated,   “The film is hosted by F...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The Audobin Society has been holding Christmas Bird Counts across North America for the past 125 years. On Cortes Island it is co-sponsored by the Cortes Island Museum and Birds Canada. Thirty-nine walkers, cyclists, boaters, and people in cars participated in Cortes Islands 2024 Christmas Bird Count. This was the third time that more than 4,000 birds have been counte...

De Clarke/Cortes Currents - There has been a flurry of media stories about the dangers of eating raw oysters lately, but Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) confirmed that there have been no problems with Cortes Island grown oysters. (And there have been no problems anywhere with cooked oysters.) Only one of the 8 emergency closures DF0 listed, in response to Cortes Currents request, is in the Disco...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Modern geneticists have shown us that the past is much closer than most of us realize. We carry the genetic coding from previous generations in our DNA and it can be traced back 200,000 to 300,000 years. Adam Rutherford went further, proclaiming everyone with European roots descends from Charlemagne (as well as his most humble followers). His point being that the numb...

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Folk U - On Friday December 27th Manda Aufochs Gillespie from Folk U and Jane Newman from the Cortes Island Museum teamed up to present stories of snow on Cortes. A festive radio story telling event where neighbours tell their favourite stories of fun, festivities and mishaps. All things snowy on Cortes. Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mon...

Greg Osoba/Folk U - On December 20, 2024, host Greg Osoba was joined by guitarist Michael Keith to chat about all things guitar: theory, terminology, sounds, effects, and practice. This is a fun, demonstrative interview for both total beginners and advanced players looking for some new inspiration. Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 6:30 p.m./Wednesday at...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - At their December 11 meeting, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board passed a bylaw to regulate bulk water processing, bottling and sales on Maurelle, Sonora, Stuart, and the Rendezvous islands. Three Campbell River Directors voted against receiving the staff report for this bylaw. Director Susan Sinnott explained,  “I just want to hear from staff, the reasons n...