Tag Archives: Area D

Community

SRD Plans to Recommence Wood Chipping Service “Next Year”

At the regular SRD board meeting on April 26th (minutes), a couple of issues of interest to Cortes residents were discussed.

There were new developments in the story of SRD’s proposal to centralise rural fire hall administration; this was covered by Roy Hales on Monday.

The Board also discussed the “Community Resiliency Investment Grant” and its uses, specifically the provision of wood chipping service for properties with road access, and the local use of those wood chips. 

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Transportation

SRD Board: Proposed Campbell River to West Vancouver Island Transit Service

Editor’s note added Dec 22, 2025: Director Gerald Whalley recently informed Cortes Currents that the final decision on this project has not been made.

At their February 8th meeting, the SRD Board voted to continue examining the feasibility of a transit service from Campbell River to the West Coast of Vancouver Island. 

It has been a year since staff was first instructed to pursue the matter.

Senior Manager Thomas Yates explained, “We’ve got two alternatives recommended for the board’s consideration. Option A is to look at one or more of the service levels that we’ve identified in the report, and they range from everything from twice a day to once a month in terms of the frequency of service. Option B would be, of course, that we drop this whole matter and not look into it further.”

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Politics

2022 Electoral Area Directors Debate

The Electoral Area Directors Debate was the first of six all candidates debates co hosted by the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce, with the CR Mirror and the Tidemark Theatre Society.

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Housing, Poverty

Rural Housing Survey 2: Directors first responses

The Strathcona Regional District’s rural directors responded to the Housing Needs Report at the Electoral Areas Services Committee meeting on Wednesday, June 15. 

Sandy Mackay, of M’akola Development Services, gave the Directors a presentation.

“We began earlier this year and continued throughout winter and spring of 2022. The study was extensive. It included a selection of key informant interviews, which I believe almost all of you participated in, as well as a community survey that garnered responses from 437 households. Which is, to be frank, quite remarkable given the size and geographic spread of your regional district,” he began.  

See: Rural Housing Survey: unaffordable rents, vacant houses, Airbnbs

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Housing, Poverty

Rural Housing Survey 1: unaffordable rents, vacant houses, Airbnbs

Forty-five percent (45%) of the respondents renting homes in rural areas say they pay more than they can afford, according to the SRD Electoral Areas Housing Needs Report.

Statistics from the 2016 census support this. 41% of renters and 9% of home owners in the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) paid more than 30% of their income on accommodation. 

“This survey sheds light on an issue that is kind of hidden. People that are living in unstable housing aren’t necessarily telling everyone about it because it can be embarrassing. ‘I can’t afford the right housing,’ or ‘I’m living in an overcrowded place,’ or ‘I’m having to choose between good food or paying my rent,’” said Mark Vonesch from the Cortes Community Housing Society, one of the key stakeholders in this study. 

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