Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - 283 people from Cortes, Quadra and the Outer Island’s as well as some visitors participated in CCEDA’s passenger transportation survey.  They were asked about a variety of options for passengers on the islands; a bus, taxi, carpool, van pool, or rideshare. "We found that the most popular option for all respondents was a bus on Quadra that included both ferries. Cortes...

Louis Belcourt/CKTZ News - The Cortes Community Forest Cooperative has obtained funding to implement two wildfire risk reduction projects in the community forest, a project that’s been in the works for years. “The Forest Enhancement Society of BC gave funding to the community forest focused on fiber utilization, but since last year, they’ve been spending half their money on wildfire risk reduction...

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - A crew of seven volunteers was just starting to put up the stage, when Cortes Currents arrived at Linnaea Farm on Wednesday. The doors to Love Fest 2024 will open at 11 AM on Saturday, August 10.  “This is  the fifth year. We took two years off during COVID, so it's seven years since we started in 2017,” said Rex Weyler, one of the founding organizers of Love Fest,  ...

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Folk U - On Friday, August 2, Johnny Hanuse performed a live + live-broadcast FolkU concert in the big Village Commons tent. The Village Commons Music Series is put on every Friday by a partnership between Cortes Island Community Foundation, FolkU, and CKTZ Cortes Community Radio. The series is generously sponsored by Decoda Literacy and Coastal Community Credit Union. This...

Louis Belcourt/CKTZ News - A local sailing company “Calma Sailing” is offering a free sailing course aimed at providing Indigenous and lower-income people an opportunity to learn the sport. “I think sailing is a bit of an elitist sport,” said Dominik Domanski, co-owner of Calma Sailing. “It seems so inaccessible.” Funding is provided by Sail Canada’s “Sailing for All” initiative, created to suppor...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Rick and Cheryl Schellinck have been trying to obtain approval to subdivide their Quadra Island property, as the first step towards development, since 2011. The most recent version of the proposed Gowland Harbour Views project consisted of twenty-two 2 hectare rural residential lots,  a 5 hectare Agricultural Land Reserve parcel, and two small Regional District Parks....

Greg Osoba/Folk U - On Friday, July 26, Josie Simpson performed a live + live-broadcast FolkU concert in the big Village Commons tent. Hosted by Greg Osoba, singer-songwriter Josie Simpson draws from influences of classic American jazz, blues, and country. "The timeless quality of her phrasing...sonorous melodies and tender songwriting are Simpson's strengths" - Regular Occasion. The Village Commo...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The Strathcona Regional District Board SRD is considering amending the Grant in Aid process. A proposed ‘Financial Assistance to Organizations’ policy from 2021 is being considered. Regional Directors Gerald Whalley from Area A, Robyn Mawhinney from Area C and Mark Vonesch from Area B (Cortes Island) voted in opposition, but were defeated.   The associated staff repor...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Peter Wrinch is stepping down from his position as CEO of Hollyhock.  "My last day will be July 31st this year. That will be exactly seven years, to the day," he explained. "The reason I'm leaving is a much deeper question. I'm 49 years old.  I'm turning 50 next year.  This is my second job as an executive director or CEO.  When I finished the first one, I said, 'Well...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - In 2008, the city of Berkely had a problem. They wanted to hasten the adoption of solar technology, but the $20,000 to $30,000 bill was too steep for a lot of homeowners. Cisco DeVries, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, came up with what Scientific American would later call one of the top 20 “world-changing” ideas of the year. The capital would come from private investors,...

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Tamara Dawn has been travelling to India for the past 15 years. On August second she brings her personal interpretation of Tibetan Thangka art to the Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery in a watercolour collection called 'Buddha as a Principle.’  “I was 18 when I took my first trip to the east, I went to Nepal. I went to India when I was maybe 20.  I've been  back and forth...

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - There’s a lot happening at Wild Cortes this summer.  “Come to Wild Cortes because it's the coolest place on the island, literally and figuratively. Literally because we're in the basement and it's always cool here,” said co-curator Dawn Collins. At 2 PM on Wednesday July 24, they are holding a bug hunt at Wild Cortes. There will be a taxidermy display at an as yet to...

Manda Aufochs Gillespie: On Friday, July 19, Rick Bockner performed a live + live-broadcast FolkU concert in the big Village Commons tent. Hosted by Manda Aufochs Gillespie and Greg Osoba, Rick Bockner is a guitarist, songwriter, teller of tales, and social commentator. He mixes a deep love of traditional music with contemporary influences and topics. The Village Commons Music Series is put on eve...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Once or twice a year, visitors are given an opportunity to ‘gumboot’ into the natural and human history of Mansons Lagoon. This is a joint event put on by the Cortes Island Museum and Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI). Jane Newman provides the glimpse into the lagoon’s past. In the following article, Cortes Currents supplemented her account with materials from the Museu...

Louis Belcourt/CKTZ News - The Cortes Island Community Foundation announced its funded projects for the 2024 Microgrants for Neighbors Program. There were thirty-two applications, which was more than last year, and fourteen projects were funded that used up their entire budget of around six thousand dollars, says Isabelle Mcknight, Executive Administrator at the Foundation. Within in the successfu...

Louis Belcourt/ CKTZ News - Construction has officially begun on the first two of the four new battery-electric hybrid Island Class vessels at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania. “Today, the first steel plates were cut, marking the official start of production for our newest Hybrid Island Class ships,” said Ed Hooper, Executive Director of Shipbuilding at BC Ferries. “Their innovative design will a...

Louis Belcourt/ CKTZ News - July 18, 2024 - Cortes Island was included in the third annual Oceanwise Conservation Association’s 2024 Whale Blitz, which included events all over the Vancouver coast, educating people on whale information and how to spot whales and report on their sightings. A booth hosted by the coordinator of the Oceanwise Conservation Association provided information on whales in...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Elevenses is coming to the Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery. “A lot of people are like, ‘Elevenses? What is Elevenses?’ Well, Elevenses is the time of day.  I believe it's a Harry Potter thing, but it's not really why I like it. I like it because it's a great name for the time of day. We're going to meet at 11 and really the whole intent of doing this is to spark imaginati...

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On Friday, July 12, Michael Keith performed a live + live-broadcast FolkU concert in the big Village Commons tent. Hosted by Manda Aufochs Gillespie, Michael Keith is a guitarist from Toronto, now living on Cortes, who plays globally-informed, original music. The Village Commons music series is put on every Friday by a partnership between Cortes Island Community F...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - It began with sacred songs, drumming and dancers.  Executive Director Kristie Lamirande would later tell Cortes Currents that while many healing centres have Indigenous spiritual components, as far as she knows none of them possess the 50/50 blend of Indigenous and Western healing methodology that the new Tsakwa’luten Healing Centre will offer. Some will remember this...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - MLA Michelle Babchuk was on Cortes Island for a few days last week. She spoke to Cortes Currents after meeting with some of the island’s non-profits in the Village Commons. This was the third time she’s visited the island since she was elected in 2020.  “I'm hearing that Cortes actually has a lot of capacity and we've known that for a long time. There's a lot of not f...

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The audio version of this story starts with Michael Keith’s impromptu response to a car horn sounding off during his Friday, July 12, performance in the Village Commons Music Series.   “I don't want to live in this crazy place,  all the horns are beeping all over the place.  Every time I try to play, I can’t - I hear another horn,  it's probably someone shopping for...

Lovefest 2024 is coming to Cortes Island on Saturday, August 10. The full slatep of performers has now been confirmed and today’s program is going to be a sampler from five of the acts: 6 Foot Johnson, Doc Fingers, Elise Le Blance, the Adonis Puentes Cuban band and Ann Mortifee  “ It'll be a great  day of music; it’s a family affair. There's food, of course, and all the crafts vendors and  there w...

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - As anyone passing through Squirrel Cove in recent months knows, there has been a great clearing in the upper part of the new Klahoose property. QXMC, the business arm of the Klahoose First Nation, hopes to open a store and gas bar there by March 2025. Ron Buchhorn, Chair of the Board of QXMC, explained, ”We retained a project manager back in November of last year and...

Maureen Williams/Cortes Currents - Last week, I sat down on zoom with television showrunner and independent film maker Jon Cooksey to talk about his 2010 film, “How to Boil a Frog”. The film, which also features Rex Weyler, is being screened at Manson’s Hall on Tuesday, July 9, at 7PM. Jon and Rex will be there to participate in discussion after the film. In the interview, we talked about the even...