Quadra Island has a world class Festival of Chamber Music. The festival’s Co-founder and Artistic Director, Phillip Hansen, is currently the principal cellist with the Orquestra Filarmonica de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and has been featured in concert halls throughout Europe, the Far East and Americas. The other musician’s resumes are just as impressive. Glancing through them, I found myself continually exclaiming in disbelief, “On Quadra Island!” According to Catherine Smith, President of the Quadra Island Chamber Music Society, our rural lifestyle is part of the appeal that draws talent of this calibre. The Quadra Island Festival of Chamber Music could also be a poster child for grants-in-aid.
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Cortes Ferry Passengers Speak To MLA Trevena
On Friday February 28th at 2:30pm, over 40 Cortes residents gathered at Whaletown Community Hall for a meeting with Minister of Transportation Claire Trevena, to discuss the future of BC Ferries. Ms Trevena had travelled to Cortes Island to gather public input as part of Phase 2 of the Ministry’s “public engagement” project which began last Fall. (Article includes this link to an online survey for ferry users.)
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Possible Resolution: Assured Loading For One Commercial Vehicle A Day
Every summer, Cortes Island’s four grocery stores, and the store on Refuge Cove, lose business because of long ferry waits. Truckers do not like to transport frozen goods, when they do not know how long they will wait before boarding. Every store experiences shortages of produce, dairy, and meats. As increasing numbers of Cortes residents shop in Campbell River, the ferry waits grow even longer. At last fall’s Ferry Advisory Committee meeting, the stores asked BC Ferries to provide assured loading for commercial vehicles coming to Cortes Island. It’s not official, one commercial vehicle a day may receive priority loading.
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Video Of BC's New E-Ferries
BC Ferries released a video of its new e-ferries being unloaded at the Breakwater District at Ogden Point, Victoria, on January 18, 2020. The transport ship that carried them from Europe partially submerged, so the two Island Class ships could float off. Tugboats guided them through the Inner Harbour and under the Johnston Street Bridge to Point Hope Maritime.
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The First Rural Islands Economic Forum
One hundred and ten delegates attended the first Rural Island Economic Forum on Pender Island, on November 7-8, 2019. Cortes Island Regional Director Noba Anderson describes the gathering as the beginnings of an alliance of BC’s rural islands, and to some extent the San Juans, “with the intend of connecting like minded communities in this time of climate chaos.”
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