April 26: Mark Winters at the Heriot Bay Inn

Mark Winters will be performing in the Heriot Bay Inn, on Quadra Island, at 3:00 PM on Sunday, April 26th. 

The Texan based singer/songwriter recently told Cortes Currents,  “I picked up music a little later than most, in my adult life after I got a degree in aerospace engineering, of all things. Music has always moved me as a listener, and I wanted to do something musical. In 2011, I picked up a guitar to play a song for my wife for our anniversary. It was the most joyful experience I’ve ever had in my life, and I became obsessed with the feeling of connection you get when you perform live for others.

“I’ve learned a lot about how you build a tour. Last year I did a spring and a fall tour, and both of them had Canadian legs. So I played a show in Vancouver, and that part of the country is phenomenally beautiful. I took a run along the little bay that wraps around up to the Children’s Museum up there, and I felt like I was running in paradise. Then I heard about the island and the live music scene there—the Heriot Bay Inn has such a great vibe. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to the booking people there to play a show, maybe write a few songs while I’m there enjoying the Bay.”

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Construction at Heriot Bay and Whaletown terminals ending, new ferries coming

Construction on the BC Ferries Heriot Bay and Whaletown terminals will soon be coming to an end, and we will probably have a brand-new-to-us hybrid electric ferry this summer.

Sheila Reynolds, Senior Communications Advisor with BC Ferries, explained: “Construction at the terminals actually began last spring to replace both berths at Heriot Bay and Whaletown, which were both nearing the end of their service lives and needed replacing.”

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Area C Director’s Report: positive sewer momentum; rural housing; OCP meeting dates

Hello,
Recent rains remind me of winters which trundled from rainstorm to deluge to showers… here’s hoping a deluge of spring blooms isn’t far off. This report has news about collaborative work on wastewater (sewer), learnings from the recent Campbell River Housing Symposium, and dates & topics for upcoming Official Community Plan discussions.

Continue reading Area C Director’s Report: positive sewer momentum; rural housing; OCP meeting dates

2025/26: A Busy Winter for Cortes Community Docks 

Cortes Community Docks has had a very busy winter. The projects in Whaletown and Squirrel Cove are nearing completion, and a new one is about to begin in Cortes Bay. Cortes Community Docks has a new website, and all the railings on its docks have been painted blue as a visible reminder that they are not a government organization.

“We never have been. These docks are here for the community, they’re utilized by the community and they’re supported by the community,” explained Harbour Manager Jenny Hartwick.

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 2026 Microgrants 4 Neighbours

The 2026 Microgrants 4 Neighbours program is out, and there are some changes this year. 

Jemma Hicken explained, “Our Microgrants 4 Neighbours is a super cool little grassroots granting program. It operates with the philosophy that our community knows what it needs, and that low-barrier granting really gives individuals a chance to get small chunks of money and make things that they’re enthusiastic about happen in our community.” 

“It developed out of Cortes Island Literacy‘s Seed Grant program in partnership with Folk U, but now Microgrants is run by the Cortes Island Community Foundation, in partnership with the Neighborhood Small Grants Island Network, which is a really cool program as well. It basically operates the same microgrants-for-neighbors program under the NSG Neighborhood name. Small grants exist in many other communities around BC, so it’s happening all over the province, but maybe Cortes did it first.”

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Whats Current on Cortes and Beyond