Tag Archives: Campbell River

Energy, Food, Waste, Water

What Quadra ICAN accomplished in 2022

According to the 2021 census, 36% of Quadra Island’s population is 65 years old or older. That’s 10% higher than throughout the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) as a whole, which has a considerably higher proportion of seniors than most of the province. The only Area in the SRD with a larger percentage of seniors is Cortes Island, where that number is 38%. Some might regard that large number of retirees as a problem, Quadra ICAN’s new Coordinator, Ramona Boyle,’ describes them as an asset that was responsible for much of her organization’s accomplishments during 2022.

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Community

Ramona Boyle: Quadra ICAN’s new Coordinator

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Quadra ICAN recently hired Ramona Boyle as the Coordinator to oversee their operations. This was advertised as a part time position, which is expected to take approximately 40 hours a month. Cortes Currents asked the Heriot Bay resident about her new role.

“After I was interviewed for the job, I was told that the reason that I got it is because of my intense practicality.  I’m a problem solver and I get things done,” she explained. “When I first started working with ICAN about two years ago, some of the people came to my property here and they looked around at what I had built. I have goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits, a huge garden and water collection system. All kinds of systems that didn’t exist before. The property was in quite rundown condition when we bought it. I don’t have a lot of money and I don’t have certain skills, but if I needed it, I learned it. So we had to build a barn. I learned how to build a barn and put a roof on it, learned how to do a water collection system and learned how to repair a flooded roof. I’m pretty practical.”

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Community, Family

Reflections on what 2022 meant for the Cortes DeathCaring Collective

Editor’s Note: Cortes Currents asked Margaret Verschuur, Lead Steward of the Cortes DeathCaring Collective, for her reflections on this past year and thoughts as we enter 2023. This is an edited transcript of what she said.

By Margaret Verschuur 

When you asked me about doing an interview, Roy, I hesitated. But then I thought of Jennifer Stevens, and her courage, and thought: I can do this. Jen was someone who really showed up in community, and she let the DeathCaring Collective be a part of her experience. 

Of course, confidentiality is something important in everything we do in the DeathCaring Collective, but Jennifer was always very open and her daughter Darshan has been generous and eloquent in sharing her experience with her mom and has given us permission to talk about Jen as well. 

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Transportation

BC Ferries to start tandem ferry service between Campbell River and Quadra Island in January

By Greg Osoba, CKTZ News, through an LJI grant from Canada-info.ca

BC Ferries has announced that January 18th marks the beginning of two vessel service between Campbell River on Vancouver Island and Quadra Island. The ships are part of the new hybrid diesel/electric Island Class series. They are replacing the 57 year old MV Powell River Queen currently operating on the route.

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Community

B.C. unprepared to house immigrants Canada is welcoming, experts say

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Editor’s not: Very few of the people moving into our area appear to come from directly from overseas. According to  State of Campbell River 18 of the 4,029 people (i.e. about ½%) that moved to Campbell River between 2015 and 2019 came from outside of Canada.  Quadra Island’s Community profile states 12 of the 470 people (2.55%) that moved to Area C between 2011 and 2016 were immigrants. The Cortes Island Profile does not differentiate between people from ‘another province or another country,’ but states 27.7% of the household moves between 2011 and 2016 were made by people from outside of B.C. The vast majority were most likely Canadians.

By Shalu Mehta,  New Canadian Media, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Simran Sahani took a leap of faith in October, 2022 and moved from Mumbai, India to Victoria with her husband and six-year-old daughter. The couple left their long-standing jobs, family and home behind in the hopes of forging a brighter future for their daughter. While they knew it wouldn’t be easy, Sahani says it’s been harder than anticipated to find housing and jobs that match the education and experience she and her husband have.

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