Judging by the big turnout at a recent community town hall, a lot of Cortes folks are concerned about the impact of the runway upgrade happening at the Lavender Farm. I’m writing to provide some information about one of those concerns – the extreme levels of climate pollution that this kind of airstrip enables. If you are concerned about the metastasizing climate crisis you might find this information of interest.
Editor’s note: On Feb 1, roughly two weeks after Cortes Currents left the first message on her answering machine, Judy Kemchandposted the following update on the Tideline: “Our scope of work includes increasing the safety of the runway by grading the existing gravel surface and chipsealing the airstrip. This runway is currently used by smaller aircraft only as it is not long enough to accommodate jets or larger planes and there are no plans to lengthen or widen this surface so it will continue to only accommodate those types of aircraft that have landed here before. Jets will still not be able to land on Cortes. Additionally, all pilots will still be required to gain permission from the land owner to land on this private runway. We are also contracted to build a small wooden 56′ x 64′ storage hangar at the north end of the runway, which will be used to house a small plane or helicopter if desired. There will not be any aircraft fuel storage onsite as has been speculated.”
In June 1999, James and Diane Hansen built an air strip in the southern tip of Cortes Island. According to the deposition that John Woolley later made to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, “the majority of the neighbouring property owners, including himself, have strongly objected to the development and operation of the airstrip.” They were concerned about ‘excessive noise,’ potential accidents, ‘environmental hazards resulting from the storage of fuel and the impact of the operation of the airstrip on water quality and bird habitats.’ The most serious opposition came from the Comox-Strathcona Regional District, which stated the airstrip contravened its zoning laws. However Transport Canada approved the strip and after a long legal battle, in 2005 the courts decided that the Hansens ‘shall be entitled to maintain and operate their airport.’
That was 18 years ago, but a number of Cortes residents are concerned about the work currently underway on the airstrip.
The Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) just released a report on the carbon footprint made by longer distance trips to and from Cortes Island.
Many of their findings are to be expected. Taking a plane off the island creates a great deal more emissions than driving a car, and people who carpool or take a bus are responsible for only a fraction of that vehicle’s pollution.
One of the biggest contributors to our local footprint is the Cortes-Quadra ferry, which creates approximately 1 kg of carbon emissions for every walk-on and 12 kg for every car.
The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) received a $20,000 grant from the Union of BC Municipalities to take an inventory of Cortes Island’s existing walking and cycling routes and plan for future development. The SRD made the announcement Aug. 17.
“We’ve put out our new Facebook page and an introductory letter to the community in the Tideline. We’re really trying to get the ball going because we’ve done a lot of preliminary research and organizing behind the scenes, but now we want to get it out that we are working on this plan,” said spokesperson Ashley Zarbatany.
“We’re looking to partner with different organizations. We’re going to be reaching out to stakeholders and rights holders and we are also looking for volunteers for our data collections team.”
