Hoskyn Channel is the body of water separating Read and Quadra Islands. It is named after Richard Hoskyn, a Royal Navy officer who retired in 1867. In 1999, a group of about ten families and Marine Harvest purchased a net cleaning barge-float for $2,850. Five years later, Regional Director Jim Abram secured a lease on the 0.8 acre Quadra Island dock site. The SRD provided $10,000 to have a ramp built, but the work was done by volunteers. On November 15, 2019, Paul Grey, President of BC Marine Trails (BCMT) informed the SRD “the Hoskyn Channel Launch is steep and requires a four-wheel drive.”
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Should We Reopen Island Rail?
The Island Railway suspended operations on March 18, 2011, due to safety concerns about the condition of the tracks. Plans to reopen the line continue to this day. In fact, one of the items of correspondence at the Strathcona Regional District’s May 13th Board Meeting was an email from Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog.
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Revised: Sunburst Over Mansons Hall
The Sunburst pattern on the west gable end of Mansons Hall dates back to the renovations of 1978-80. As the siding was not painted, it faded.
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Some Items of Interest At the May 13th SRD Board Meeting
The Strathcona Regional District finally posted the recording of their May 13th SRD Board Meeting late in the afternoon of the 21st. Given the lack of interest most of their constituents show for local politics, this is understandable. However the minutes of their meeting are little more than a record of votes and links to (far more valuable) attachments. There were several items of interest to Cortes, Read and Quadra Island residents.
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Species at Risk on Cortes Island
Originally published on Cortes Radio.ca This radio broadcast was funded by a grant from the Community Radio Fund of Canada and the Government of Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative.
Helen Hall has been the Friends of Cortes Island’s (FOCI) Executive Director for close to five years. Autumn Barret Morgan came to FOCI as a summer student and continues on as the volunteer Conservation Assistant. In this morning’s program they talk about species at risk on Cortes Island.
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