All posts by Roy Hales

Development, Housing, Poverty

Addressing The Cortes Island Housing Crises

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Some vital issues undergird the impending Cortes Community Housing fund raiser, on July 14. According to David Rousseau, one of the principal organizers, “We are slowly slipping towards a community of older people who can not afford to be here. And the people who want to come here; live here;  raise families and work here are slowly being squeezed out.” He points to Hornby Island as an example of what could happen. (The population average is a decade older than on Cortes and most trades come from off island.) Cortes Island Seniors Society’s purchase of a 51 acre parcel close to downtown Mansons Landing is a significant step towards addressing the Cortes Island Housing Crises.

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History, Indigenous Nations History

The story behind Toba Inlets Name

Originally published on Cortes Radio.ca, as part of the Deep Roots Initiative, Season Two

Toba is not an English word, or Coast Salish. The first Europeans to visit this remote fjord on the West Coast of British Columbia were Spanish. Deep Roots story producer Roy L Hales interviews Michelle Robinson and Ken Hanuse, from the Klahoose First Nation, and local historian Judith Williams about the story behind Toba Inlet’s name.

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Forests

Cortes Community Forest’s First Five Years

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British Columbia’s old growth forests fertilize themselves as efficiently as a farmer looking after his fields. The tree plantations that are fast replacing them lack this ability. If this trend continues, the province’s vast forests may be a memory in the next two or three centuries. The inhabitants of one tiny island are trying to change this. In this morning’s program one of the directors, Bruce Ellingsen, tells me about Cortes Community Forest’s first five years of operations.

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Arts

Susana Vijaya: Becoming More Public

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She exploded onto Cortes Island’s Lip Sync stage four years ago, introducing the musical tastes of her native Portugal. She can also render a sultry imitation of Tina Turner. Her radio program Vinho do Porto is among CKTZ’s most popular. In this morning’s show, Susana Vijaya talks about becoming more public.

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Fire

Fourth Day Mopping up the Read Island Fire

Cortes Radio News update – Though BC Wildfires is continuing to monitor the site, there is no longer an immediate threat and firefighters have been withdrawn from Strathcona Provincial Park. To the east there are still 21 people working within a 8 hectare burn site in the Discovery Islands. BC Wildfire spokesperson Donna MacPherson describes the fourth day mopping up the Read Island fire

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