Cost of Climate Change

The Quadra Project – A Moral Dilemma

We don’t usually consider the moral implications of our carbon dioxide emissions, but an article in The Economist (December 23, 2023) presents this issue in the bluntest of terms. How many people are dying as a result of our personal contribution to the global warming crisis?

The mathematics to calculate this are not complicated. Consider the per capita emissions of each country in the world, count the number of people globally who die as a direct consequence of climate change, and it’s possible to determine the responsibility that each person has for the death of others.

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Transportation

From Hitacu to Tofino, new public transit service connects Vancouver Island’s west coast communities

Editors note: It has been a year since the Strathcona Regional District Board instructed staff to examine the feasibility of a weekly, or bi-weekly, transit service from Campbell River to the West Coast of Vancouver Island. This will not have served Cortes and Quadra Islands, which were allowed to opt out of the plan. While there has been periodic discussions of a Cortes to Campbell River transit system, the only vehicle to serve this route is the Klahoose Community Bus. It makes the trip twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tofino, BC – On April 2, the communities of Hitacu, Ucluelet, Tofino, Esowista, Ty-Histanis, and Tofino will be connected through a long-anticipated year-round transit service.

“The ACRD is excited that we can finally offer this essential service to residents on the west coast,” said John Jack, chairperson for the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD), in a press release.  “For too long reliable public transit has been a challenge for people as they struggled to get back and forth to work, school, recreational activities, appointments, or shopping. This service will fill that void, and we look forward to connecting the west coast.”

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Communications

CityWest’s Cable Cut In Whaletown

The West Connect Infrastructure (WCI) crew had just finished laying CityWest’s main cable in Whaletown, when one  of the workers noticed that a line had been cut. They immediately informed the RCMP, whose press release states they were initially informed of three cuts to the cable. 

Scott Simpson, Senior Marketing Manager at CityWest explained: “On the evening or night of Thursday, March 21st,  there was some vandalism done to the fibre optic network that was being constructed for the service to the community of Whaletown. Crews noticed some damage to the network. Upon further investigation, we found that 17 different sites have been damaged along about a 1.5 kilometre stretch on Whaletown Road. So, 17 different sites that had been cut with multiple cuts at each site, quite a bit of restoration work. We’re looking at an estimate of about $40,000 worth of damage overall. That would include materials and the labour to fix everything.”  

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Business, Food

Island Alchemy: Twenty-Five Years of Good Libations

One of Cortes Island’s best loved businesses is a U-Brew tucked away in an old seafood plant, off the beaten track on Hansen Road. Founder and sole proprietor Doug Brown started the business 25 years ago after moving to Cortes from the Fraser Valley.

Currents interviewed Doug in mid-March 2024. Our extensive interview covers many topics including: how Doug got started in wine-making, what inspired him to start a U-Brew on Cortes, how wine is made, why wine is now a more practical product for him to offer than beer, what challenges he has met along the way, what he loves about his work, his feelings about community and customer service, and his thoughts about the future of this iconic Cortes Island business.

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Education

CIA at Folk U: The Wild Island

On the March 29th replay episode of The Wild Island, created by the 2022-2023 Cortes Island Academy cohort, young journalists cover Cortes from different angles; Ro explores the island’s history with forestry, Finley unpacks the mystery of the abandoned cars in Carrington Bay, Sophie looks at the realities of coexisting with wild animals, and Seren and Sonia profile the Children’s Forest.

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As Broadcast over CKTZ, Whats Current on Cortes and Beyond