Tag Archives: Cortes Community Housing

New Trails at Rainbow Ridge; Klahoose Wilderness Resort a Success

[interview with Suzanne Fletcher]

Suzanne Fletcher has lived on Cortes eight years, coming to the island initially to take up a management position at Hollyhock. She has since served on the Co-op Board, “done a lot of gardening,” and most recently spent a summer as Resort Manager for Klahoose Wilderness Resort before accepting the Project Manager position for Rainbow Ridge, with the Cortes Housing Society.

On April 8th, I interviewed Suzanne at her home on Siskin Lane; she told me a little bit about the very successful inaugural season at the Wilderness Resort, and also provided an update on progress at Rainbow Ridge.

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Good News about the drainage at Rainbow Ridge

“ If we achieve this, which I believe we’re going to do, this is a model for other communities.  We look at places like Salt Spring and even Quadra Island and places in northern BC where they have lost their lakes. The process is called eutrophication. When the lakes just become too rich in nitrogen, they become swamps. It’s not just our issue, it’s everybody’s issue and if we show a way to improve the nutrient flow into the lake while adding these extra homes, that’s a model for the whole world,” said Rex Weyler, one of the scientists monitoring Hague and Gunflint Lakes.

He was talking about the potential impacts of what would soon be called Rainbow Ridge. 

Continue reading Good News about the drainage at Rainbow Ridge

Cortes Housing Society: Open House for Rainbow Ridge & a property sale 

Sandra Wood, Executive Director of the Cortes Community Housing Society, had two important news updates.

Firstly, she has some more details about the Open House, for the Rainbow Ridge affordable housing project, at Mansons Hall on November 30. 

“That’s Wednesday, one week away and it’ll be an open house style meeting where people can drop in any time between 3 in the afternoon and 6 in the evening. We’re encouraging people to stop in after they pick up their kids from school, or stop in on their way home from work,” explained Wood. 

Continue reading Cortes Housing Society: Open House for Rainbow Ridge & a property sale 

Cortes Housing Society Film: ‘Behind the Design’

The Cortes Community Housing Society has just released a film about the design work they have completed, with the help of Iredale Architecture, on the Rainbow Ridge project.

“ We’re very lucky to have Bill Weaver, the film maker on our board of directors. Bill is actually our vice president and one of the things he’s so gifted at  is capturing film and photos. One of the things he’s been trying to do since the beginning of the project is really record the process that the housing society has gone through,” said Sandra Wood, Executive Director of the Housing Society.

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SRD endorses Cortes Island application for 3% tax on short term rentals

Cortes Island just passed a major hurdle on the road to adopting a 3% tax on short term rentals. In the first meeting of the new board, the Strathcona Regional District unanimously voted to write a letter of support, which will accompany the Cortes Community Housing Society’s application to the provincial government for a Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT)

Continue reading SRD endorses Cortes Island application for 3% tax on short term rentals