Trying to keep the grid up has been very challenging these past three weeks. BC Hydro crews were constantly on call throughout the region, since Christmas Eve, repairing power outages caused by falling trees and snow encrusted power lines. Sub-zero temperatures meant skyrocketing heating bills. When local resident John Sprungman recently asked why his lights were flickering, a BC Hydro repair technician informed him that Cortes Island is trying to draw more power than the infrastructure on Cortes can handle. BC set a new record for peak electricity demand between 5 and 6 PM on December 27th, 2021: 10,902 megawatts.
Continue reading Keeping the grid up on Cortes IslandAll posts by Roy L Hales
Fairy Creek: Roadside camp closes down; Elder Bill Jones given environmental award
Roadside, one of the last remaining Forest Defender camps at Fairy Creek, officially closed down yesterday. In the end, it was severe weather rather than police actions that brought this about.
An unknown number of Indigenous folks remain at a nearby watch camp.
Continue reading Fairy Creek: Roadside camp closes down; Elder Bill Jones given environmental award
As Omicron spreads, the number of unreported COVID cases keeps growing ( local data)
According to the provincial government’s Daily Update, there are now at least 3,906 active COVID cases on Vancouver Island. This statistic is low. The number of people who are believed to have COVID and gone into self isolation, but have not yet been tested, is growing
“As many people have noted in the past few weeks, we reached our capacity both from testing, from the lab equipment, from the personnel and the reagents,” said BC Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry on Friday.
Continue reading As Omicron spreads, the number of unreported COVID cases keeps growing ( local data)
The accelerating pace of Species becoming ‘at Risk’
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently released a survey that showed the total number of marine species at risk within the Salish Sea doubled between 2002 and 2015. While the Discovery Islands are within the study area, the EPA study did not list specific locations. So Cortes Currents asked Max Thaysen, President of the Friends of Cortes Island, about the species of risk in our area.
Continue reading The accelerating pace of Species becoming ‘at Risk’
Reel Youth’s ‘Partners in Education’ course launches January 10th
Fifteen youth, aged 8 to 14, signed up for the Reel Youth Partners in Education (PIE) film program, which starts on Monday January 10th.
This online program is run by the Powell River School Board but, as might be expected, considering Reel Youth’s strong connection to Cortes Island, seven of the fifteen students are Cortesians. (Five students come from the Comox Valley and three from Powell River.)
Continue reading Reel Youth’s ‘Partners in Education’ course launches January 10th