Tag Archives: Campbell River

Clothing

Small island community Darn Tough on sock warranties

Cortes Island is a noteworthy location for the number of annual warranties claimed through the Darn Tough brand of socks, which are guaranteed for life.

Although the 2022 claims total was only 21 pairs for the island, per capita this is 24.75 times higher than the Cities of Vancouver, North Vancouver and West Vancouver combined. Cortes and Quadra Islands together added up to 43 pairs claimed under warranty in 2022, which is the same number as all of Campbell River, said Carly Murdoch in the warranty department of the Canadian distributor, Interex Industries.

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Business, Community

Friday Market vendor profile: Twigroot Botanicals

Twigroot Botanicals is a young business, steadily building a reputation for high-quality body care products that began with a garden.

”I wanted to do something different because there is so much skincare out there,” said Cortes Island-based owner and formulator Tamlyn Collingwood. “My preference is to only use herbs that can grow in our climate and in particular, in my garden here.”

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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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Housing, Poverty

SRD applying for $150,000 poverty reduction planning grant

The high cost of housing is one of the most visible symptoms. Close to a third of the households on Cortes Island and a quarter of those on Quadra pay more than they can afford for rent or mortgages. The most visible segment of Campbell River’s house challenged population are the 130 people who do not own or rent a home, but 2021 census data shows another 3,450 residents are ‘spending 30% or more of income on shelter costs.’

According to Stats Canada, the nation’s median hourly wage was 36 cents lower in 2021 than 2020, but costs are rising. The average family of four is expected to pay $1,000 more for groceries this year.  In a recent nationwide Angus Reid poll, 45% of the respondents said they are worse off this year than at the same time last year. 

The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is applying for a $150,000 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) grant to develop a plan for reducing poverty throughout the District.

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Health

B.C.’s Toxic Drug Crisis Brings Tragedy and Compassionate Response from Quadra Mom

Originally published on the Bird’s Eye

It’s hard to imagine anything more devastating than the loss of a beloved child. The dreams left unrealized, the promise unfulfilled, the hopes obliterated. Last week B.C.’s Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe announced there were 2,272 suspected drug toxicity deaths in the province in 2022. At least one of those was a child of Quadra.

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