More people participated. At its peak, seventy listeners connected to the conference by computer or phone and an unknown number listened to the radio broadcast. Yet Cortes Island’s first virtual town hall meeting was essentially a continuation of the recent online conferences Regional Director Noba Anderson has been having with local businesses and organizations.
Continue reading Cortes Island’s First Virtual Town Hall MeetingAll posts by Roy Hales
Organizing A Collective Response To COVID-19
At the first virtual Community Conference, Cortes Island organizations and businesses described their preparations for the impending COVID 19 pandemic. The process of reporting continued into the second conference, where callers also discussed off-island travel. At the third, on March 27, 2020, callers were divided into ten break out groups as Cortes organises a collective response to COVID -19.
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Second Cortes Community COVID-19 Response Conference
Around 29 local businesses and organizations signed in to the second Cortes Community COVID-19 Response Conference. This session was more topical: front line services like medical response and stores, off-island traffic, and enforcing the provincial guideline.
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The Bird’s Eye Suspending Business
One of Quadra Island’s foremost local news outlets is suspending publication until further notice. “The Hungry Eye” was originally an advertising and events sheet. Quadra Island news items started appearing after it was rechristened “the Bird’s Eye” in 2013. Amanda Smith brought 26 years of experience to the periodical when she took over as Publisher/editor four years ago. She is a former reporter, and editor, of daily newspapers in the UK and Calgary. In the Bird’s Eye’s March 25th edition, Smith announced that as a consequence of the “huge drop in advertising revenue due to the closure of businesses and cancellation of events … we cannot cover the costs of printing and Canada Post distribution at this time.”
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A Remote Island Prepares: Can Cortes Self Isolate?
Regional Director Noba Anderson invited many of Cortes Island’s key businesses and community groups to a Zoom conference call to explore responses to COVID-19. Thirty-nine people connected by phone or computer and a second person appeared on several computer screens. Many embraced the idea that we should act as if the virus is already here. In-so-far as is practical, most attendees appeared to want to see Cortes self isolate.
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