Early in the week of March 11th, during the annual herring run, a combination of weather and tides swept an unusual quantity of herring roe ashore at Smelt Bay.
On Tuesday the 12th of March, the roe in some places was piled 6-8 inches deep on the beach. From a distance it resembled lighter coloured sand piled on top of the familiar gray sand and shingle of Smelt Bay.
From March through July of this year, Cortes Housing Society — in partnership with FolkU — is presenting a series of monthly forums featuring guest speakers and community discussion. These forums will address the vexed issue of housing — both price and availability — which remains a serious problem for the island.
The invited speakers have expertise in various aspects of this problem, and some will be sharing results from successful projects in other communities. Cortes Currents interviewed Sadhu Aufochs Johnston, executive director of the Housing Society, to find out more about this event series.
Continue reading Housing Society To Offer Event SeriesOn February 12th at the Mansons Fire Hall, Sandra Wood and Kate Maddigan hosted a grant writing workshop for social profit organisations on Cortes Island. Kate and Sandra have considerable experience in grant writing; they offered guidelines, tips, and advice for those seeking funding.
The event was organized by Andrea Fisher, of the Cortes Island Community Foundation, and sponsored by the Social Profit Forum, and attended by representatives from the Art Gallery, DCC, BetterAtHome/SOS, Cortes Currents, CIFA, CICF, FOCI, CCEDA, CHS, and SCCA.
Continue reading Grant Writing Workshop for Cortes Island Social Profit Groups
FOCI launched their new ‘Create, Connect and Conserve’ series on February 3rd at Linnaea Farm, with workshops on coexisting peacefully with wildlife. Bob Hansen of WildSafeBC explained the effectiveness and correct use of bear spray.
In the course of the presentation, he shared several interesting statistics and exploded a few common misconceptions. Bob showed a WildsafeBC video, and also gave a live demonstration; attendees learned the mechanics of ‘laying down a wall’ of spray to keep wildlife at a distance, or directly targeting the animal’s face. In a brief lecture on bear behaviour, he explained why bears attack, how often this happens, ways to avoid attacks, and what to do if a bear does attack you.
Continue reading How to Use Bear Spray: workshop at LinnaeaOn January 24th the BC Court of Appeal made known its decision in docket CA47620, the case of Anderson vs SRD. The three-judge panel found unanimously against SRD and in favour of Anderson. They found that SRD was wrong in refusing to indemnify Anderson’s defence costs during a litigation against her in 2019, and wrong also in voting to censure her in that same year.
In this four-part special radio feature we’ll be revisiting the five-year history of this legal decision, and interviewing Noba Anderson about its significance — not just for Cortes island, but for all of BC.
Continue reading Court of Appeal Decision in Anderson vs SRD: Anderson’s appeal upheld
