Tag Archives: 2023 Wildfires

History

Brian Scott, Sherman Barker & Isabelle LaPlante: on the Cortes Experience

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Around 40 people turned out to the Cortes Island Museum on November 10 for the launch of a series of community speakers. The host, Brian Scott traced the idea for ‘Finding Home: The Cortes Island Experience’  to a conversation he had with Sherman Barker. 

“Sherman and I have known each other for a few years, it’s long other story, but he was up on Easter Bluff one day when Jane and I went up for a hike.  We’re chatting, and he started telling us his arrival story. It actually goes even further back to when he came as a kid.  He said, there’s lots of stories on the island here and if we don’t somehow capture them, we’re going to lose them.” 

“I thought it would be an interesting thing for the museum to do because the museum has artifacts that it’s saving and preserving and sharing with the public. Stories are artifacts as well. How do we capture those? Then it occurred to me, well, why don’t we do a speaker series? I approached Sherman and said, ‘Hey, what do you think? You want to be the first?’ And he’s like, ‘yep, It’s awesome.’”  

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Politics

BC election 2024: where do parties stand on climate?

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The B.C. election race officially got underway this week with affordability, housing costs and healthcare already entrenched as top concerns for voters. 

Yet the climate crisis still ranks high as an election issue, right after health and pocketbook concerns — ahead of other problems like crime and the toxic drug crisis — and may be the deciding factor for undecided voters at the ballot box.

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Cost of Climate Change, Fire

Twofold increase in Extreme Wildfires during past 20 years

So far,  there have only been minor fires on Cortes, Quadra and Read Islands, but the BC government warns that the province will see more large fires in the future. “Longer, hotter summers lead to more droughts and a longer wildfire season. Dry conditions make it easier for lightning storms and strong winds to start fires. These fires can spread, combine and burn for longer.” 

This is not a local phenomenon.  A new study published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution found that there has been more than a two fold increase in the number of wildfires around the globe, during the past two decades. 

There was a 7-fold increase in Alaska, Canada and Russia.

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Fire

Province takes action earlier than ever for what could be a difficult wildfire season

Editor’s note: While there have been small fires on Quadra, Sonora and Read Islands in recent years, there have not been any significant wildfires in our area for decades. More than 330 acres went up in smoke during the Gorge Harbour Fire of 1932, but there has not been any Cortes Island fires more than 25 acres in extent since at least 1950. Half of Quadra Island was consumed in that island’s 1925 fire. Environmental scientist Ruth Waldick believes the great clearcuts in the Interior of BC made it possible for megafires to consume that area and they will not occur in the islands. Others fear that as droughts become more frequent and severe, our area may once again experience a megafire.

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

The province is preparing, earlier than ever, for what could be a challenging wildfire season with above-average fall and winter temperatures predicted to continue, leading to persistent drought and a lack of snowpack accumulation.

“It is no secret that we did not accumulate the snowpack that we were hoping for in main parts of the province,” said Bowinn Ma, B.C.’s minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. “While we all hope to get more rain in the months ahead, we are taking action now to prepare for what could be a very challenging season.”

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Disaster

SRD Concerns About BC’s New Emergency And Disaster Management Act

The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) has some serious concerns about BC’s new Emergency and Disaster Management Act, which came into effect on November 8.  

According to a provincial government video, “We know people are worried about the climate driven challenges across British Columbia that are significantly affecting our families, communities, economy, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Modern realities like frequent floods, wildfires, drought, and extreme heat, as well as the COVID 19 pandemic have a lasting impact on people and communIties. A significant step in our response to these challenges involves modernizing BC’s emergency management legislation to include the requirement that the emergency management plans of provincial ministries, local authorities, and critical infrastructure operators are informed by risk assessments.”

 At their Wednesday Dec 13 meeting. Protective Services Coordinator Shaun Koopman told the SRD Board his concerns with the way the government was implementing these ideas:

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