All posts by Roy Hales

Humpbacks Return To Cortes Island

Humpback whales were passing through our area long before Europeans arrived. The first colonial settlement was named Whalteown and Whaletown Road run across the island to Squirrel Cove. There is also a “Whaling Station Bay,” on Hornby Island and “Blubber Bay,” on Texada Island. However up until a few years ago, there have been no humpback whale sightings since 1871. This morning’s broadcast consists of a series of interviews about the humpbacks return to Cortes Island.

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The Upside Down World of Global Competitiveness

What are the most important factors that make a nation thrive? What is more important: the welfare of a people or corporate interest? Will Donald Trump’s fossil-fueled America First policies plunge the world’s leading economy into mediocrity? Which nations are best poised to lead the world into a more sustainable future? These are a few of the questions that Sol Ability’s 2017 guide to the upside-down world of Sustainable Competitiveness deals with.

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Renewables Supplied 44.1 Per Cent Of Germany’s Energy

By Roy L Hales

Germany added 2.3 GW  of new onshore wind capacity in the first half of 2017. Though it failed to meet the target last year, the Renewable Energy Act set annual target of installing 2.5 GW new solar capacity. Add in a warm autumn and the winter storms Xavier and Herwart, and it is easy to see how renewables supplied 44.1 per cent of Germany’s energy in October.

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Who Is Protecting Wild Salmon Behind The Fraser River’s Dikes & Side Channels?

By Roy L Hales

There is more than 1,400 km of salmon habitat behind floodgates in the lower Fraser Valley. The lead author of a Simon Fraser University study wrote, ” … Floodgates are installed to protect homes and farms from flooding, however, when they are closed, they also bar native fish from accessing valuable habitat.” A related study by the University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre found that there is little ongoing government oversight of fish habitat behind dikes, or fish passage through flood structures. Who is protecting wild salmon behind the Fraser River’s dikes & side channels?

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The Story Behind Phil’s Pick n Mix

Phil Allen became a DJ back in the years that Cortes Community radio was a pirate station. He likes to find new music and share it with others. Phil jokes that his show is the one man and his dog show. It can feel very lonely, being in the DJ booth by himself speaking into a microphone. You don’t know if anyone is actually listening until someone comments about your show. So why does he do it? What is the Story Behind Phil’s Pick ’n Mix?

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