The Union of BC Municipalities 2024 Convention is in Vancouver this week. Local government and First Nations leaders from across the province are participating. One of the delegates is Mark Vonesch, the Regional Director for Cortes Island, who spoke to Cortes Currents via ZOOM as he was heading out on the ferry last Friday.
Continue reading Mark Vonesch going to the Union of BC Municipalities ConventionClose to 60 Cortes Island residents turned out for the Zoning Bylaw Review Meeting in Manson’s Hall on Thursday, September 12th. The following article consists of audio clips of the main speakers, taken at the meeting, and an interview with Regional Director Mark Vonesch the following morning.
Mark Vonesch: “Leading up to it, I think there was a little bit of tension in the air. ‘What’s going to happen?’ ‘How are we going to change our zoning in a way that’s good for Cortes and protecting what we have here, but also making room for more housing and addressing the housing challenges that we face?’”
“I think the key takeaway is this is a process that we’re still in the middle of. There’s still lots of opportunity for input. We’ve had four meetings leading up to this. Last night’s meeting was about presenting the summary of the findings from the previous meetings, and giving us a sense of what the Zoning Bylaw draft is going to look like.”
Continue reading Sept 12 Zoning Bylaw Review Meeting in Mansons HallThe Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) has a new President, is getting prepared to launch out in new directions and is also trying to raise $30,000 by the end of the month. The first two of those announcements may be interrelated, the third definitely is not. It is a result of two large contracts coming to an end, more on that later. First, Mike Moore has been one of FOCI’s members for decades and is now taking on a more active leadership role.
Continue reading FOCI: Continuity & ChangeWetlands are key resources to address climate change and help maintain surface water flow during dry periods. But they are also largely disappearing. According to a recent study in Nature, since 1700 approximately 3.4 million square miles of wetlands have been lost in the United States, Europe and China. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources estimates that 70 % of the wetlands in southern Canada disappeared prior to 1990. In densely populated areas, that figure is close to 98%. Unfortunately wetlands are often found in the same areas where humans like to live and this problem has been amplified by the critical need for affordable housing.
Both of the most populated Discovery Islands are attempting to assess their water budgets while they look at further development. Quadra Island is mapping its wetlands, as well as carrying out rainfall, streamflow and aquifer studies. On Cortes Island, the Community Housing Society is seeking funding to carry out a study of Cortes Island’s water resources.
Meanwhile the opportunity to apply for a $30,000 grant for the proposed Caddisfly Creek restoration project may have been lost, or at least deferred, because of Campbell River’s concerns about the possible impact on their plans for development.
Continue reading SRD Defers Feasibility study for Caddisfly Wetlands Restoration ProjectThe Strathcona Regional District is considering a Grant in Aid policy which would funnel all applications through staff. According to Gerald Whalley, who has been a Regional Director since the SRD was formed in 2008, this is the third time the idea of a policy has come up. After an intense debate, the proposal has been forwarded to the Electoral Areas Services Committee and Municipal Services Committee for further discussion.
Continue reading Debate On proposed SRD Grant In Aid Policy continues
