Tag Archives: Cortes Airstrip

Transportation

Our deep concerns regarding the airstrip

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(Originally published on the Cortes Tideline)

June 20th 2024

Dear Michael and Martine

We are writing to express our deep concerns regarding the improvement of an airstrip on Cortes Island. This development is likely to lead to the increased use of private aircraft, which are significant emitters of CO2 and other pollutants. At a time when global emissions need to be drastically reduced, encouraging luxury emissions like private air travel is detrimental to our planet. Limiting these unnecessary emissions is crucial for supporting the billions of living creatures – human and otherwise – affected by climate change and preventing further environmental degradation.

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Transportation

Town Hall Meeting: The Cortes Airstrip

About 125 people turned up for the town hall meeting in Mansons Hall, on Monday June 3, 2024. Noticeably absent were the air strip’s owner, Michael Ching, his manager,  Judy Kemchand, or Martene Rothblatt, who is financing the air strip’s renovations. 

This did not come as a surprise.

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Community, Transportation

Cortes Airstrip: the protest and Monday’s town hall meeting

Around 30 people held an impromptu protest in front of the Cortes Airstrip on Wednesday. They received word that a paving crew was coming over on the ferry, to pave the runway. This turned out to be premature, but there will be a town hall meeting at Mansons Hall, from 7 to 9 PM Monday, to discuss the situation. 

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Transportation

Transport Canada Responds To Questions About Renovations Underway on Cortes Airstrip

Given the amount of neighbourhood concern about the renovations underway at the Cortes Island airstrip, Cortes Currents asked Transport Canada: 

  1. Do the owners of private airstrips have a duty to consult with their communities before undertaking extensive expansions?  
  2. What will Transport Canada do when, as appears to be the case on Cortes Island, this does not occur? 

Sau Sau Liu, Senior Communications Advisor at Transport Canada, replied, 

“All aerodromes on private property are required to meet the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs), regardless of their registration status. Aerodromes that are building a new runway, or increasing the length of a runway by more than 100m or 10%, are required to consult communities, as per Canadian Aviation Regulations 307and the related Advisory Circular 307.01.” 

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Politics, Transportation

SRD Asking Transport Canada About The Cortes Island Landing Strip

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There were questions about what can be accomplished, but the SRD will be asking Transport Canada about the safety requirements, noise levels and frequency of planes using the Cortes Island Airstrip.

At their May 22 meeting, Cortes Island Director Mark Vonesch told the SRD Board:

“There is an airstrip on Cortes Island that’s been there for a long time. A new buyer bought the land and has  been upgrading the runway significantly.  I’ve heard numbers: allegedly a thousand gravel trucks. They’re paving it and  there’s a big concern from the community regarding: safety issues, what kind of planes can now land, frequency of planes that can now land,  whether they need permission from the owner to be able to land. And also further gentrification of Cortes Island as it becomes more accessible.”

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