Contrary to what a lot of people believe, Mark Vonesch is not yet the Regional Director for Cortes Island. That will happen on November 9, when he and the other Directors are all sworn in at the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) building in Campbell River. In today’s interview Vonesch talks about some of the preparations, the first things he hopes to accomplish as our Director and his new Alternate Director.

Related: an in depth series of articles profiling Mark Vonesch and his positions

“I don’t know the exact timing of where it’ll happen, but I’m going to take some pictures and post them on my Instagram.  It’s going to be a really awesome process. The cool thing and maybe challenging thing is that there’s been a huge turnover  at the Regional District level. There’s a lot of new people and there’s a lot of people learning how to work together.  I think this is a real opportunity for us to start fresh,  find common ground and start taking action,” he said.

“I met with the other Regional Directors right after the election and had an informal zoom meeting where we can chat about each of our priorities and got to know each other a little bit.  I’m feeling very confident that we’re going to have a lot more ‘Yes,’ on the Regional District side as far as cooperation from the other rural directors and just really excited to work with this new group of people.”

All of the rural directors are meeting at Gerald Whalley’s home in Sayward today. Whalley represents Area A, which has the lowest property taxes within the SRD. As the only member of the outgoing Electoral Areas Services Committee serving this term, he will likely be the committee’s new Chair.

“Our politics are very different, but he’s straight up about what he cares about and what’s important to him. I’m feeling really good about working with him and also just getting to see his community,” said Vonesch. 

He added, “One of my big things, as I was running my campaign was  how can we help more people and more diverse voices feel like they can connect to the political process?  That’s really what I want to do, have a  civil and a human connection with the people on Cortes whether they agree with everything I want to make happen or not. I think the most important thing in democracy is that we have ways for us  to talk to each other and come to agreement.”

Vonesch’s orientation meeting with SRD staff took place on Tuesday. There were about 8 of them waiting to brief the new Cortes Island Director, when he arrived at 9:30. The meeting lasted for about 5 hours.

“It was really awesome to be able to sit down with all these folks that are technically working for Cortes, and working for the district. They are excited to start taking action and get some work done. I was really impressed.  They want new ideas. They’re excited by the new energy that’s coming in. I’m expecting a really great team environment this term,” said Vonesch.    

“There’s a lot that I want to move forward on and my opportunity now is to figure out how exactly to do that.  The staff at the SRD is certainly going to be a playing a big role in that.”

The first item on Vonesch’s agenda is a new 3% tax on short term rentals. The province needs to approve this, but Vonesch will be asking the new SRD board for a letter of support at either their inaugural meeting (Nov 9) or the meeting after that. 

“In order for the application to go through, we need over 50% support from hotels on the island. This is something that Hollyhock has signed on to, Gorge Harbour Marina has signed on to and the Cortes Motel has signed on to. So all of the major hotel providers on Cortes have signed on to it. Now it is a matter of getting a letter of support from the Regional District so we can send the application in to the provincial government.”

Vonesch said this is a way to help address the housing crisis without taxing the rest of Cortes Island’s property owners. He expects to raise between $30,000 and $50,000 from the proposed tax on the island’s short term rentals. The money will be used to help build the Rainbow Ridge affordable housing project.

“This is a development most people are really aware of, and support. There are 24 one, two, and three bedroom homes. 16 of the 24 units are going to priced below market value and then 8 of the units are going to be used for professionals. We all know we need space for doctors and professional staff on Cortes. That is an ongoing issue.  There’s 150 people on the waiting list for Rainbow Ridge. What that says to me is people want it, people need it,” explained Vonesch.

Sandra Wood, Executive Director of Cortes Community Housing, has been helping him draw up the application. Vonesch hopes the tax will be in place for the spring 2023 tourist season. 

He asked SRD staff about ways to improve the garbage pick-up at Cortes Island docks. 

“This is an ongoing challenge for HACI (Harbour Authority Cortes Island), for Cortes Island and for a lot of people who are living on boats, at docks, or around docks, “ said Voensch.

“One of the things that I’m going to be looking at is how we can spend our gas tax funding. We’ve got quite a large pot of gas tax funding that can only be spent on very specific things. I’ve asked staff to brief me on how exactly we can spend that money, then I want to start moving forward with using that for climate change initiatives.”

He also verified the amounts that will be available through the Hall tax this year. Mansons Hall will receive $41,000 and Gorge Hall $21,000. This money is raised through the island’s property taxes.

Vonesch has chosen Max Thaysen to be his Alternate Director.

“For those of you that don’t know Max, one of the reasons I picked him is he shares the value with me of the importance of being able to speak with people and connect with people regardless of whether they are 100% aligned with your political vision. I think that’s one of the most important things for politics, and I think Max Thaysen emulates that. He’s also extremely passionate about climate change, like a lot of Cortesians.  I expect that he’s going to be really pushing me on that issue and working with me to make progress there. Max is someone that I trust and I think he has a lot of trust in the community. He’s done a lot of good work in the community and I am really excited to have him on my team as we move forward. ”

He concluded, “One of the things I wanted to also do in this interview,  is just thank  Noba Anderson for her service. She put in 14 years on Cortes  and managed to make progress on a lot of things that are important to us.  The Whaletown Commons, Hanks Beach, the Hall Tax: these are all things that are going to have a lasting impact on Cortes. Noba also helped start the move forward with the Cortes Community Foundation and has been a key part in the Cortes Housing Society moving forward with their progress. So I just want to formally thank her for the work that she’s put in and the dedication.”  

“Obviously it’s been challenging for her in some aspects and I think it’s difficult for anybody to step up into public service. It puts them into a place where there’s a lot of expectation and not necessarily a ton of understanding of what the position is. Noba has made a lot of progress in the last 14 years. Our approach is going to be slightly different moving forward, but  she’s approached me and is being really, really, graceful and supportive in the transition. She made it very clear  that I can contact her at any time if I have questions about things or procedures or issues that she’s already had to deal with.” 

Top photo credit: Looking across the waters from the BC Ferry to Cortes Island – Photo by Roy L Hales

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