Regional Director Gerald Whalley recently informed the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board what he perceives to be the truth about global warming. He presented the video of that name, which alleges there are other explanations for extreme weather events and the climate does not actually appear to be changing. Whalley summed up his personal beliefs by quoting Genesis 8:22. When Noah stepped off the ark, God promised him that “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (KJV) This verse, Whalley maintains, proves that the climate change is not a real concern. The SRD’s Climate debate continued at the Feb 12, 2020, Board meeting.
Continue reading The SRD’s Climate Debate ContinuesTag Archives: Cortes Island
From CIBATA to CCEDA: Changing Visions of “Development”
On February 8th 2020, Cortes Currents was pleased to welcome Adam McKenty of CCEDA as the first guest on our new monthly live talk show component. CCEDA (Cortes Community Economic Development Association) is the new name for the organisation formerly known as CIBATA (Cortes Island Business and Tourism Association). Its 6-member board includes three members from prior CIBATA boards.
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Squirrel Cove Dock Restoration
Harbour Manager Jenny Hartwick described the pile driving procedure as every child’s fantasy of big machinery: loud noises and lots of smoke that comes billowing out. Small Craft Harbours informed Harbour Authority Cortes Island (HACI), who manages the dock, a year and a half ago. The Squirrel Cove dock restoration started on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 4th, 2020.
Canada
Tiber Bay: Outside the Protected Zone
Twenty years ago, Bill Friedel was embroiled in a night-long-battle to save a neighbouring Cortes Island property from fire. As they were in Tiber Bay, outside the protected area, the Cortes Island Fire Department did not intervene. One night last Spring, a downed power line “remained live for over 20 minutes and started several intense, small fires …” Luckily, these blazes were spotted before they spread. Tiber Bay is still outside the protected zone today and many residents are asking to be included in the Fire District.
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Local Government Through Annual Town Meeting
Recent events suggest that the Regional District system does not always work well in a remote island like Cortes. Some say, it is time to Cortexit. Our Regional Director says we should work within the existing system, it would be very expensive for a community this small to go it alone. She is currently wondering how a community council system would work on Cortes Island. “A minority of very active voices has been very effective at undermining my credibility at the Regional District, but if what I brought to the district was backed by this community council it would be harder to marginalize.” In this morning’s program we go to Cambridge, Vermont, to explore how an even more democratic system of government would work here. For more than two centuries, the local authorities have been carrying out the decisions made at an annual town meeting that everyone in Cambridge can attend.
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