All posts by Guest Post

Housing, Poverty

Port Moody calls on province to mandate supportive housing requirements for TOD areas

Editor’s note: Port Moody was one of the communities that participated in 2023 Homeless Count Greater Vancouver.  It is one of the Tri-cities, whose homeless population people has almost doubled in the three years since the previous Point in Time Count (2020). A total of 4,821 people were listed in Greater Vancouver. When asked, the #1 cause respondents cited was ‘not enough income’ to afford housing. This was the same answer that Point in Time Counts found in Campbell River, the Comox Valley, Parksville/Qualicum, Powell River, Port Alberni and Sechelt/Gibsons.  ‘Low wages,’ ‘the inability to pay rent or mortgages’ and the lack of available housing during the tourist season were among the reasons given by the 46 Cortes Island residents known to have ‘couch surfed,’ found some other temporary shelter or lived outside at some point during 2022.

By Patrick Penner, Tri-Cities Dispatch, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Port Moody is calling on the province to provide dedicated supportive housing for homeless populations in cities expected to densify around their transit hubs.

The motion, introduced by Coun. Amy Lubik on Jan. 9, advocates for an amendment to recent provincial legislation mandating densification around all SkyTrain stations.

Port Moody will be sending the policy to the Lower Mainland Local Government Association and Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conventions in 2024, and copies have been forwarded to the provincial ministers of housing, municipal affairs, mental health and poverty reduction.

Continue reading Port Moody calls on province to mandate supportive housing requirements for TOD areas →
Weather

Dakota Ridge remains closed due to unseasonably warm weather

Editor’s note: Last Friday we reprinted an article discussing the lower snowfalls on Mount Washington and the Comox Glacier in recent years. On the other side of the Salish Sea, Whistler Blackcomb opened on November 23, 2023, but conditions are poor. Closer to Vancouver, Mt Seymour, Cypress Mountain and Grouse Mountain are all open but so far this year report poor conditions.

By Jordan Copp, Coast Reporter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

While the snow may be taking its time to reach the Sunshine Coast, forecasts suggest that this may be changing over the next week. In the meantime, the Coast’s winter playground, Dakota Ridge, remains closed.

Continue reading Dakota Ridge remains closed due to unseasonably warm weather →
Rivers & Oceans, Tourism

How will cruises impact Prince Rupert’s future?

Editors Note: There were once plans for a cruise ship terminal in Campbell River. The facility was built just before the recession of 2008, at which point the cruise ship companies opted to stick with their tried and tested routes, as well as older terminals like Vancouver and Victoria. Never-the-less, cruise ships continue to pass between Campbell River and Quadra Island. They are also visible from Smelt Bay and parts of Mansons Landing in Southern Cortes Island.

By Seth Forward, Prince Rupert Northern View, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Cruise ships bring cash, and lots of it. For a city such as Prince Rupert facing a huge infrastructure deficit, funnelling thousands of potential customers into the small coastal town could be the boost it desperately needs to get back on its feet.

But catering to the international cruise market comes with plenty of baggage.

Continue reading How will cruises impact Prince Rupert’s future? →
Cost of Climate Change, History

Magic mountain, melting snow: Climate uncertainty in the Comox Valley

Editor’s note: Some of the places mentioned in this article, like Mount Washington and the Comox Glacier, are only about 20 km southwest of Cortes Island as the crow flies. Mount Cain is about 100 km west of us. If the snowpack has been decreasing since 2005, is it surprising that we’ve been experiencing droughts during the summer on Cortes and other parts of the Greater Campbell River since 2021?

By Madeline Dunnett, The Discourse,  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

My dad, far left, and students in a ski retail and repair class he taught at Forbidden Plateau in the early 90s. Submitted photo

When I was a kid, I used to play with the pile of toys at Ski Tak Hut in Courtenay while my dad closed up shop.

Ski Tak Hut has been selling skis and snowboards in Courtenay since 1976. My dad has worked there since before I was born, and when I was a baby he would divide his time seasonally — working as a fishing guide in the summer and at the ski shop in the winter. He became a store partner in 1993 up until his recent retirement, and in a way it became part of the family. 

Continue reading Magic mountain, melting snow: Climate uncertainty in the Comox Valley →
Community

Ethnic diversity increasing in Greater Victoria, but still lags behind the rest of BC (incl. Cortes, Quadra and Campbell River stats)

Editor’s Note: The ethnic minorities in our area are far less numerous than the than provincial average cited below (34.4%). According to the 2021 census, only 2,120 of the 37,505 tabulated Campbell River residents (5.65%) are members of a visible minority. The most numerous being: South Asian -535, Filipino -410, Southeast Asian -260, Black -205, Korean -130, Japanese -110, Latin American -125, and Arab -15. On Cortes Island only 35 of the 1,055 tabulated residents (3.32%) are members of a visible minority. The most numerous being Filipino -10 and Southeast Asian -10. In Area C, 65 out of 2,675 tabulated residents (2.4%) were members of a visible minority. The most numerous being: Chinese -20, Japanese -20, Filipino -10 and South Asian -10. (All census numbers appear to be rounded off at the nearest multiple of 5.)

By  Diary Marif, New Canadian Media, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Greater Victoria is experiencing a demographic shift as more visible minorities choose to settle on Vancouver Island, according to the latest federal statistics.

Continue reading Ethnic diversity increasing in Greater Victoria, but still lags behind the rest of BC (incl. Cortes, Quadra and Campbell River stats) →