Tag Archives: Director Area B

Animals, Fire, Politics

Proposed Open Fire Ban; Moving towards a Dog Control Service

Regional Director Mark Vonesch brought two Cortes Island motions before the SRD Board on Wednesday, September 13. Both were passed with no opposing votes. The first was to draw up an Open Burning Bylaw in the parts of Cortes Island within the South Cortes Fire Protection Area. However the electorate needs to approve the second item, a proposed Dog Control Service. 

Vonesch was on the way home, waiting in the ferry line-up at Heriot Bay, when he spoke with Cortes Currents:

Continue reading Proposed Open Fire Ban; Moving towards a Dog Control Service →
Housing, Poverty

A remote Canadian island makes history in fight for affordable housing

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A remote Canadian island is breaking ground on a new way to buffer the negative effects short-term vacation rentals have on the housing crisis facing small, rural tourism-based communities. 

B.C.’s Cortes Island is making housing history as the first community in the province to tax short-term holiday rentals and have all the funds directed to affordable housing projects, said Mark Vonesch, the area’s Strathcona Regional District director. 

Continue reading A remote Canadian island makes history in fight for affordable housing →
Fire

What’s happening with the Cortes Island Open Burning Bylaw?

There was a great deal of anger on Cortes Island when the province lifted the open campfire ban on June 21.  As Nancy Kendel wrote in the Tideline, “We have had basically NO RAIN since beginning of May, and our forests are tinder dry!” The ban was reimposed days later, but the underlying problem persists today. Cortes Island is part of the Coastal Fire Centre, and the regulations governing it are drawn up in a wetter climate.

Continue reading What’s happening with the Cortes Island Open Burning Bylaw? →
Animals, Community, Politics

Possible Dog control Bylaws for Cortes (and Quadra?) Islands

The Director of Cortes Island is considering the idea of having a dog control bylaw drawn up for his area, and the Director of Quadra Island has expressed some interest.

The idea was discussed at the Wednesday July 19 Electoral Areas Services Committee (EASC) Meeting. 

Mark Vonesch, Regional Director for Area B (Cortes Island), explained, “This request for a bylaw came out of a situation where a dog was out of control multiple times, scaring people and ultimately ended up killing another dog on the island. The dog owners approached the RCMP and said, ‘this dog killed our dog.’ The RCMP told them that they weren’t able to do anything about it because there were no bylaws.”

Robyn Mawhinney, Regional Director for Area C, added, “On Quadra, I’m curious about this proposal.”   

Continue reading Possible Dog control Bylaws for Cortes (and Quadra?) Islands →
Indigenous Nations, Politics

SRD acknowledges Kwiakah and Tla’amin First Nations

The Kwiakah and Tla’amin First Nations are now recognized in Strathcona Regional District (SRD) territorial acknowledgements. The SRD added their names in response to strong requests from both nations. A series of motions to this effect were passed at the July 19 SRD Board meeting, in Campbell River.  

Continue reading SRD acknowledges Kwiakah and Tla’amin First Nations →