Tag Archives: 2019 Cortes GIAs

What is going on within the SRD?

Cortes Island’s Regional Director, Noba Anderson, has been under attack throughout 2019. The first that many of us heard of this was probably in January, when one of the silliest lawsuits ever was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. I almost felt sorry for the plaintiffs’ lawyer on June 10, as he sat in court listening while the random gossip that his clients brought forward as evidence was torn apart.

He did not dispute a single argument, and in fact filed a joint submission with the defendants’ lawyer admitting there was no basis for the allegations made in his clients’ legal petition. The only excuse he offered was that his clients “were put up to it.” He did not say who was the real instigator of the legal petition; but we know that something odd has been happening within the Strathcona Regional District Board for more than a year, in addition to partisan shenanigans on Cortes Island. Are the two somehow related? What is going on within the SRD Board?

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Outstanding Cortes Issues

The following letter is my personal opinion and not necessarily shared by the Cortes Radio Board, staff, volunteers or membership.

Dear Chair Babchuk and SRD Board Members:  

I want to thank Mr Yates and SRD staff for the manner in which they oversaw yesterday’s referendum, but need to point out that there are still outstanding Cortes issues to be addressed.

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Can EASC Treat Cortes Fairly?

The article that follows was originally published on July 14 and had additional material added July 18, 2019. It is my personal opinion, not necessarily the opinions of the Cortes Radio Society, its’ board, staff, volunteers, or membership.

By Roy L Hales

Regional Director Jim Abram recently accused me of unfairly targeting him, and by extension I would include Director Brenda Leigh, in my posts and radio program. This is a fair question. The legal petitioner’s lawyer claim his clients were “put up to” that frivolous lawsuit, but there is no definitive proof that Abram and/or Leigh were the instigators. Similarly, Director Leigh may have been receiving phone calls and emails from disgruntled Cortes Islanders for the last decade, but this does not prove they warped her ability to carry out her duties. While there are times neither of these two appear to like Director Noba Anderson personally, they are not required to. However they also appear to be continually opposing Anderson as she attempts to carry out her duties as Regional Director of Cortes Island. As Abram and Leigh are the Chair and Vice Chair of the Strathcona Regional District’s four member Electoral Areas Services Committee (EASC), can EASC treat Cortes fairly?

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The SRD Has Significant Cortes Issues To Address

By Roy L Hales

Some progress was made at the June 27 Strathcona Regional District Board Meeting. When the bylaw for Cortes Island’s proposed Hall service tax finally passed,  Chair Babchuk announced she wanted to do a happy dance. Cortes Island’s 2019 Advisory Planning Commission has finally been appointed. Frances Guthrie, Mike Manson, Carrie Saxifrage, Sam Mayer, Brittany Baxter, and Kristen Schofield-Sweet have all previously served on the APC. The bylaw for the proposed hall tax passed and, assuming that there are no hold-ups with the Ministry for Municipal Affairs, we are likely to see a referendum this fall, but the SRD has significant Cortes Issues to address.

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Cortes Island Grants-In-Aid Approved

Originally published on Cortes Radio.ca

This is Roy Hales with a Cortes radio news update from the Strathcona Regional District Board meeting of June 12, 2019. The Board has reversed its decision regarding the Cortes Island Grants in Aid that were turned down on May 24. The Cortes Grants-in-Aid are approved.

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