Three years have passed since the BC government promised to implement the Old Growth Strategic Review, but many feel very little has been done. On September 28 concerned citizens will be protesting in front of constituency offices across the province.
The local protest will be in front of MLA Michele Babchuk’s office at 908 Island Highway, in Campbell River, from 11:30 to 12:30.
Continue reading Sept 28: Day of Action for Old Growth in Campbell River
Editor’s note: To what extent are we looking at a province wide trend? Is this spike happening in our area, or is it a more urban phenomenon?
By Patrick Penner, Tri-Cities Dispatch, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The number of landowners in the Tri-Cities using their properties for short-term rentals spiked 45 percent in one year.
In August, sites like Airbnb and Vrbo posted 807 active listings for Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, according to data provided by AirDNA, a market research provider.
That’s up from 446 total listings in August 2022. Despite the number of active listings being halved during the COVID-19 pandemic, overall rental growth still jumped 35 percent since 2018.
Continue reading Number of Tri-Cities properties cashing in on short-term rentals spikes 45% in year
Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Conservation groups are alarmed that endangered old-growth forests continue to fall three years after B.C. promised to protect the ancient ecosystems and transform the province’s approach to forestry.
The province hasn’t fully met any of the 14 recommendations of the 2020 Old Growth Strategic Review (OGSR), said Torrance Torrance Coste, national campaign director for the Wilderness Committee.
Continue reading On third anniversary of B.C’s promise to protect old-growth, ancient trees still falling
Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A remote Canadian island is breaking ground on a new way to buffer the negative effects short-term vacation rentals have on the housing crisis facing small, rural tourism-based communities.
B.C.’s Cortes Island is making housing history as the first community in the province to tax short-term holiday rentals and have all the funds directed to affordable housing projects, said Mark Vonesch, the area’s Strathcona Regional District director.
Continue reading A remote Canadian island makes history in fight for affordable housing
In the midst of the worst fire season in BC’s history, Premier Eby declared a state of Emergency last Friday.
However there are no major fires in the Discovery Islands. The Village Bay Lake Fire, on Quadra Island, seems to have been brought under control in a single day. Aside from that, the closest wildfires are in Phillips Arm and the Strathcona Provincial Park.
Cortes Currents asked BC Wildfire Information Officer Kimberly Kelly for an update on local conditions and insight into what they mean.
Continue reading Wildfire Update for our area: Day 4 of the State of Emergency
