Tag Archives: Doug Chapman

Community, Politics

Cortes Foundation made up shortfall for 2026 Grants in Aid

The Cortes Community Foundation has once again shown how invaluable resource it is to the community. Regional Director Mark Vonesch has a budget of about $25,000 a year for Cortes Island’s Grants in Aid. When the time to disburse the funds arrives, he normally receives requests for far more money than is available. This year was no exception; however, thanks to the Cortes Island Community Foundation, nearly all these requests will be met.

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Food, Politics

SRD Will Not Use Gas Tax Funds for Cortes Food Bank

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The Strathcona Regional District will not use $28,000 of its gas tax funds to help the Cortes Island Food Bank. At their October 22 meeting, 7 of the 14 district directors voted against a motion to fund the food bank.

Directors opposed to the motion were concerned about the potential impact that supporting a third party organization could have on future SRD applications for gas tax funding. 

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Development, Politics

Rural Directors against Municipalities taking over the Electoral Areas Planning Service

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The City of Campbell River is considering taking control of the Strathcona Regional District’s (SRD) Electoral Areas Planning Service away from rural directors.

Currently, the members of that planning service are the four Regional Directors of : Area A (Kyuquot/Nootka-Sayward), Area B (Cortes Island), and Area C (Discovery Islands and Mainland Inlets) and Area D (Oyster Bay – Buttle Lake ).

Campbell River’s five Directors are looking at joining the service, though it would cost the city’s taxpayers close to $500,000 per year for its share of the service’s assessments. They asked the other incorporated municipalities in the SRD—Tahsis, Zeballos, Gold River, and Sayward—to consider joining as well.

On Wednesday, October 1, 2025, the Regional Directors of Areas A, B and C issued a joint press release rejecting the idea. In today’s story they outline why they believe the planning service must remain in the hands of the rural areas.

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Development, Housing, Politics

SRD Staff to identify public lands on Quadra for potential affordable housing sites

SRD staff will prepare a staff report identifying public lands on Quadra Island that may be available for affordable housing development.

This is the second time that Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney of Area C brought forward a motion asking for a report and in both cases she was opposed by Directors from Campbell River and Area D. They successfully blocked it at the August 20th SRD Board meeting, but an amended motion passed on September 17, 2025.

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Politics

SRD staff to prepare a report on how communities like Cortes incorporate

There have been speculations about Cortes Island becoming a municipality and at the September 17 SRD Board meeting staff was instructed to prepare a report about the process.

In the unedited audio that follows Cortes Director Mark Vonesch makes the motion. Mayor Julie Colborne of Zeballos seconds it twice, to some laughter, and Campbell River Director Doug Chapman points out that Municipal Affairs will not consider applications from communities with a population under 500. (The population of Cortes Island is 1,100.) 

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