In the midst of all the reports of closures, cancellations and global economics, I heard a very reassuring rattle coming up from the government wharf below me. Someone was tightening the bolts on the east float’s new light. Squirrel Cove’s dock restoration is proceeding. I found the Harbour Authority Cortes Island’s wharfinger, Don Tennent, lying in front of the light. His hands were extended below the deck, presumably holding the bottom of a bolt, while his helper made the final adjustments with a wrench.
Continue reading COVID-19, Emissions & Global EconomicsTag Archives: Cortes Stores
Cortes Going Into Slowdown
As of yesterday’s press conference, there were 16 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Vancouver Island Health Region. The closest known case is two ferry rides away in Campbell River. The Province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency for the next 14 days, which may be extended or rescinded as necessary. There are many reports of Cortes going into slowdown.
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Possible Resolution: Assured Loading For One Commercial Vehicle A Day
Every summer, Cortes Island’s four grocery stores, and the store on Refuge Cove, lose business because of long ferry waits. Truckers do not like to transport frozen goods, when they do not know how long they will wait before boarding. Every store experiences shortages of produce, dairy, and meats. As increasing numbers of Cortes residents shop in Campbell River, the ferry waits grow even longer. At last fall’s Ferry Advisory Committee meeting, the stores asked BC Ferries to provide assured loading for commercial vehicles coming to Cortes Island. It’s not official, one commercial vehicle a day may receive priority loading.
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Assured Loading For Commercial Vehicles
By Roy L Hales
Twenty or more years ago, BC Ferries gave preference to trucks delivering food to Cortes Island. The volume of traffic has increased since then, especially during the summer months, but this service is no longer available. The truck servicing Gorge Harbour Marina Resort missed 17 out of 19 ferries this summer, while watching cars that arrived more than a half an hour later drive onto the ferry. At the October 25, 2019 Quadra/Cortes FAC Meeting, Bill Dougan, General Manager of Gorge Harbour asked BC Ferries to provide assured loading for commercial vehicles coming to Cortes Island.
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Andy Ellingsen Remembers Cortes Island Past – Part One: 1940’s & 50’s
His first memory of Cortes Island is of the Ellingsen family moving their log float home to Von Donop Inlet in 1945. His stories go back decades further. Michael Manson, whose name is preserved in Mansons Landing, was his maternal great grandfather. What was life like in the 1940s and 50s? In this morning’s program we start a series in which Andy Ellingsen remembers Cortes Island past.
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