Tag Archives: Cortes Free Store

Brian Scott, Sherman Barker & Isabelle LaPlante: on the Cortes Experience

Around 40 people turned out to the Cortes Island Museum on November 10 for the launch of a series of community speakers. The host, Brian Scott traced the idea for ‘Finding Home: The Cortes Island Experience’  to a conversation he had with Sherman Barker. 

“Sherman and I have known each other for a few years, it’s long other story, but he was up on Easter Bluff one day when Jane and I went up for a hike.  We’re chatting, and he started telling us his arrival story. It actually goes even further back to when he came as a kid.  He said, there’s lots of stories on the island here and if we don’t somehow capture them, we’re going to lose them.” 

“I thought it would be an interesting thing for the museum to do because the museum has artifacts that it’s saving and preserving and sharing with the public. Stories are artifacts as well. How do we capture those? Then it occurred to me, well, why don’t we do a speaker series? I approached Sherman and said, ‘Hey, what do you think? You want to be the first?’ And he’s like, ‘yep, It’s awesome.’”  

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Sew Much More: Sewing room opens for Cortes community

By Kim Paulley, CKTZ News, through an LJI grant from Canada-info.ca

This fall, Mansons Hall opened its doors to Sew Much More, a place to sew and learn, according to organizers.

The idea for Sew Much More had its beginnings at the Cortes Island Free Store, where Marnie Andrews offered up her sewing skills this past summer. The fair weather allowed her to set up in the area just outside the front doors. It was there that she repaired items for the store that were just too good to throw away. She also taught interested patrons DIY sewing skills.

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A regional model: free stores and other waste reducing facilities

At a time when the average Canadian spends more than $3,000 a year on clothing, many Cortes Island residents are satisying their personal needs and disposing of clothing through the local freestore. Similarly, Creative Deconstruction has supplied materials used in ten new homes on Cortes Island. Mark Vonesch, the Regional Director for Cortes Island, suggests that centres like this may offer a model that needs to be promoted throughout the Comox and Strathcona Regional Districts. 

“I’m just getting back from the Comox Strathcona Waste Management Board meeting. This is a board that I sit on as a director, and we provide guidance and leadership to the waste management services in the Comox Valley District and the Strathcona Regional Districts,” he explained. 

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Folk U: Cortes Waste & Recycling Demystified

Originally published on Cortes Radio.ca

There was music. Miyako Reid talked about her garden, chickens and other aspects of her life on Cortes. The feature presentation on the June 26th Folk U Friday was ‘Cortes Waste & Recycling Demystified.’

As people get more waste conscience, the people on Cortes Island can be proud to know that they have one of the most successful waste diversion programs in the region. And BC has created successful programs to deal with their waste, so that there are still markets for the recycling in BC despite unstable global systems.

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Reel Youth: Responding to Social Issues

In the fourth of a series about Reel Youth, Mark Vonesch explains how young filmmakers pick the issues that are shaping their future.   

“One of the things that I love about working with young people, especially when they’re talking about issues, that they care about, the changes they want to see in the world, young people are impatient.  They don’t easily take no for an answer. They’re not afraid of speaking up,” he explained.

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