Tag Archives: Cost of living

Politics

MP Aaron Gunn to host town halls; Cortes Island possible stop

Our local MP, Aaron Gunn, is holding a series of town hall meetings in the North-Island Powell River riding. He will be in Courtenay tonight (Feb 17), Campbell River on February 21, Port McNeil on March 16 and Powell River on March 19.  Gunn may also come to Cortes Island, but the dates have not been set. 

Potential Town hall in Cortes

Aaron Gunn: “ We want to come to Cortes, but if I just come to Cortes with no plan – I haven’t really accomplished anything other than a photo op. So we always try to set up some kind of coffee or meeting where people that live there know that I’m coming and if they want to come and engage, they have an opportunity to do so.”

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Politics

Mark Carney’s Political Tightrope

In addition to being a former candidate in our area, Jennifer Lash is a former senior advisor to Canada’s Minister of Environment with a lot of insight into what motivates the Liberal government.  So Cortes Currents recently asked her,  “Tell us a little bit about the tightrope that Mark Carney has been walking with separatism rising in Alberta and Quebec; environmentalists saying that we should be adapting faster; the rising cost of living, needs for more housing, more jobs; Trump’s economic tantrums, the need to just diversify Canada’s economy and the threat of recession.”

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Arts, Politics

Film Night at Linnaea: Climate Action, Politics and Societal Change

Two films by veteran journalist, educator, and NDP candidate Avi Lewis are being shown at the Linnaea Education Centre this weekend. At 7 PM on Friday, January 23, 2026, Lewis and his wife Naomi Klein tell the story of Argentinian workers who took control of a bankrupt auto plant and turned it into a cooperative. At 7 PM on the following night, their documentary ‘This Changes Everything’ connects climate action to economic justice.

Max Thaysen, who is organizing the showings, explained, “Avi Lewis is running for the leadership of the Federal NDP, and he has made a couple of awesome films that I actually haven’t seen yet. So, I thought that it would be interesting to see his films, learn more about him, share that with the community, and take the opportunity to chat about the leadership race and how people can get involved if they want to.”

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Transportation

BC Ferries Is Still Facing Labour Unrest. Here’s the Latest

By Isaac Phan Nay, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The union that represents BC Ferries workers is headed into difficult contract talks this summer — but hopes to avoid any job action that could impact ferry operations.

An arbitration panel’s decision on wages earlier this spring will set the tone for the negotiations, said union leader Eric McNeely.

As part of the existing collective agreement, the panel decided May 30 that BC Ferries workers will earn a 1.65 per cent raise.

McNeely said he’s disappointed with the decision to put the workers’ raise behind inflation.

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Politics

Polls suggest Liberals may be on their way to forming a majority government

(Article had to be rewritten after 338Canada released a surprise re-evaluation at 8 AM.)


As Canada prepares for an election, which may be called sometime before parliament is recalled on March 24, polls show the Conservatives and Liberals in a statistical tie. But 6 out of 8 recent polls also show the Liberals rising quickly and now narrowly ahead. On Sunday 338Canada projected the odds of a Conservative forming a majority government has fallen from 99% on January 19 to a mere 13%. About 8 AM Tuesday – an hour after Cortes Currents sent in its daily radio broadcast! – 338Canada revised its projections to suggest Mark Carney’s Liberals may be on it’s way to forming a majority government.

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