By Regional Director Mark Vonesch

After 3.5 years in this position I have seen youth and seniors organizations on Cortes struggle to find the funding to support the needs of Cortes Island’s youngest and oldest residents.

In the last SRD board meeting I proposed two new services for Cortes Island residents to consider. If the services are approved by the board and the Inspector of Municipalities there will be a referendum question on the ballot in the October election, which means you all get to choose as a community whether we want to create these new services.

A dedicated service would provide a stable source of funding that organizations can rely on from year to year. In a remote community like ours, investing in youth and seniors helps build a healthier, more connected, and resilient island by supporting the people who will shape our future and those who have helped build our community.

Each service would cost the average property up to $40/year and would raise up to $35,000 in funding for each service. The funding could be used by youth and senior serving organizations on Cortes in the following ways:

Youth

• a) after-school and educational programming;
• b) recreation, arts, and cultural activities;
• c) leadership and mentorship opportunities;
• d) food security initiatives;
• e) transportation and accessibility supports;
• f) wellness, social connection, and mental health supports;
• g) childcare and family supports;
• h) environmental and outdoor education;
• i) volunteer and community engagement initiatives for youth;
• j) youth outreach and inclusion initiatives;
• k) intergenerational programming;
• l) Indigenous cultural programming and learning opportunities;
• m) staffing, coordination, administration, training, and operational capacity related to youth wellbeing;
• n) capacity building within organizations that support, engage or provide services benefiting youth and families;
• o) collaborative community initiatives, pilot projects and emerging community needs related to youth well-being.

Seniors

• a) recreation, arts, cultural, and social connection activities;
• b) wellness and healthy aging initiatives;
• c) food security and meal support programs;
• d) volunteer and peer support initiatives;
• e) accessibility and aging-in-place supports;
• f) outreach, navigation, and community connection services;
• g) intergenerational and community-building activities;
• h) deathcare, end-of-life support, grieving support, and compassionate community initiatives;
• i) emergency preparedness and resilience initiatives;
• j) staffing, coordination, administration, training, and operational capacity related to senior citizen well-being;
• k) capacity building within organizations that support, engage, or provide services benefiting senior citizens, caregivers, families, or the broader community;
• l) collaborative community initiatives, pilot projects and emerging community needs related to senior citizens’ well-being; and
• m) transportation and accessibility supports.

The draft bylaw and staff report can be found here:
https://agenda.strathconard.ca/SRDAttachments/SRDCommittees/Open/EAS/10-Jun-26/20260604-Bylaw-No_-651-CI-Seniors-Support-REVISED.pdf

I believe these services could have a significant positive impact on the well being of young people, older folks, and their families. But this isn’t my decision. A referendum in October would allow you all to decide whether this is important or not.

We have four months to have conversations with each other and I will be hosting a live streamed and in-person town hall meeting in September so that we can come together and discuss it before we decide as a community. If you choose to support the creation of these new services, they would come into effect in 2027.

Please reach out if you have questions or want to chat!

In service,
Mark

Mark Vonesch
Cortes Island Regional Director
ph/txt: 250-202-4422