By Roy L Hales
Local historian Jeanette Taylor came to Mansons Hall, on Cortes Island, on April 26, 2019. The Cortes Island Museum invited her to present her slideshow “60 Terrific Historical Spots To Visit On Northern Vancouver Island”. I’ve taken some liberties in adapting Ms Taylor’s talk into a series of radio programs. The first one is tales of Old Quadra Island.
Continue reading Tales Of Old Quadra IslandBy Roy L Hales
The BC Liberal government’s 14-year-long war with the BC Teacher’s Federation (BCTF) left the province’s education system in shambles. At least 267 schools closed down. Many were old and in need of repair; others had declining enrolment numbers. The equivalent of 3,500 full time teaching and support jobs were lost. One of the government’s fiercest critics was the current Minister of Education, NDP MLA Rob Fleming. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the BCTF’s favour in November 2016 and the task of cleaning up the BC Liberal’s education mess was left to the new NDP government.
Continue reading Cleaning Up The BC Liberal’s education MessBy Roy L Hales
At the Strathcona Regional District’s Feb 13 Board Meeting, I had an opportunity to see how the Directors function as individuals. I suspect that all of the Cortes residents observing that meeting were impressed by the professionalism and integrity that some board members exhibited and have questions about others. One of the directors that I would give high marks to occupies a key position. Michele Babchuk and I have talked over skype for a few minutes, but this is not the same as sitting down to a face to face interview. Last week I caught the ferry to Quadra Island for an in-depth interview with the Strathcona Regional District Chair.
Continue reading in-Depth interview with the Strathcona Regional District Chair.
There are good reasons that boaters are not allowed to dump chemicals, sewage and other debris in Carrington Bay, Cortes Bay, Gorge Harbour, Squirrel Cove, or Manson’s Landing. “[Cortes Island] has the best oysters in the area, [possibly] because it is supposed to have such pristine clean water,” says Julia Rendall, President of the 13 member Bee Islets Growers Corporation. She explained that violations “could close us down and if we are closed down I think we have to have three tests, three weeks in a row, clear. So it could, in theory, close you down for about a month.” Cortes Island’s unique environmental features resulted in the creation of several marine parks. Contamination is a concern for all islanders, whether they are shellfish harvesters or not. These areas are currently designated as “No Discharge Zones” under federal regulations. Never-the-less, violations periodically do occur and a recent incident illustrates the difficulties of trying to stop recreational boaters from polluting Cortes Islands protected areas.
Continue reading Stop Recreational Boaters From Polluting Cortes Islands Protected Areas
British Columbia’s old growth forests fertilize themselves as efficiently as a farmer looking after his fields. The tree plantations that are fast replacing them lack this ability. If this trend continues, the province’s vast forests may be a memory in the next two or three centuries. The inhabitants of one tiny island are trying to change this. In this morning’s program one of the directors, Bruce Ellingsen, tells me about Cortes Community Forest’s first five years of operations.
Continue reading Cortes Community Forest’s First Five Years
