Tag Archives: Campbell River

Housing, Poverty

Port Moody calls on province to mandate supportive housing requirements for TOD areas

Editor’s note: Port Moody was one of the communities that participated in 2023 Homeless Count Greater Vancouver.  It is one of the Tri-cities, whose homeless population people has almost doubled in the three years since the previous Point in Time Count (2020). A total of 4,821 people were listed in Greater Vancouver. When asked, the #1 cause respondents cited was ‘not enough income’ to afford housing. This was the same answer that Point in Time Counts found in Campbell River, the Comox Valley, Parksville/Qualicum, Powell River, Port Alberni and Sechelt/Gibsons.  ‘Low wages,’ ‘the inability to pay rent or mortgages’ and the lack of available housing during the tourist season were among the reasons given by the 46 Cortes Island residents known to have ‘couch surfed,’ found some other temporary shelter or lived outside at some point during 2022.

By Patrick Penner, Tri-Cities Dispatch, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Port Moody is calling on the province to provide dedicated supportive housing for homeless populations in cities expected to densify around their transit hubs.

The motion, introduced by Coun. Amy Lubik on Jan. 9, advocates for an amendment to recent provincial legislation mandating densification around all SkyTrain stations.

Port Moody will be sending the policy to the Lower Mainland Local Government Association and Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conventions in 2024, and copies have been forwarded to the provincial ministers of housing, municipal affairs, mental health and poverty reduction.

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Politics

Mark Vonesch’s First Year In Office: Things ‘Accomplished’ and ‘In Process’

Mark Vonesch is very passionate about Cortes Island and his activities as Regional Director. If this were a video, rather than a radio broadcast, you would see this it in his facial expressions. There is a hint of this passion in the words he chose and the tone of his voice. 

Cortes Currents asked him for a recap of this past year and what to expect going forward into 2024.  

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Environment

Problems with The Refrigerant Used In Local Heat Pumps 

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The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates, “heat pumps globally have the potential to reduce global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by at least 500 million tonnes in 2030 – equal to the annual CO2 emissions of all cars in Europe today.” 

However the coolants used in many heat pumps available in our area may not be as environmentally friendly as believed. 

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Rivers & Oceans, Tourism

How will cruises impact Prince Rupert’s future?

Editors Note: There were once plans for a cruise ship terminal in Campbell River. The facility was built just before the recession of 2008, at which point the cruise ship companies opted to stick with their tried and tested routes, as well as older terminals like Vancouver and Victoria. Never-the-less, cruise ships continue to pass between Campbell River and Quadra Island. They are also visible from Smelt Bay and parts of Mansons Landing in Southern Cortes Island.

By Seth Forward, Prince Rupert Northern View, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Cruise ships bring cash, and lots of it. For a city such as Prince Rupert facing a huge infrastructure deficit, funnelling thousands of potential customers into the small coastal town could be the boost it desperately needs to get back on its feet.

But catering to the international cruise market comes with plenty of baggage.

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Rivers & Oceans

Feds must fix unfair West Coast fishing rules: House committee (Cortes, Quadra, CR data added)

Editor’s Note: There was once a thriving fishing industry on Cortes Island. Chris Kendel is still based here, but catches his fish up north on the Taku River. Meanwhile Campbell River’s Highline Fish Company sells some of its catch at the Mansons Landing dock. There are still fishing boats in the Discovery Harbour Marina, owned by the Wei Wai Kum First Nation, and some Campbell River residents buy their fish at the dock.  Quadra Island Fisheries’ boats ‘fish the rugged coast of Northern Vancouver Island, West  Coast Vancouver Island, and the mainland inlets.‘ The Tantrum 1, also based on Quadra Island, ‘trolls our coasts from Northern California all the way to the Alaskan border.‘

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Federal inaction means West Coast harvesters still flounder with unfair fishing regulations, says a parliamentary committee.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada faces a wave of criticism in a recent report by the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO), which reiterated a call to equalize fishing policy on the coasts.

For the second time in five years, the committee is pushing the fisheries department (DFO) to make changes so only Canadian fish harvesters with actual “boots on deck” of a boat can own fishing licences or quota on the West Coast.

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