One of Cortes Island’s longstanding traditions is the Christmas Bird Count; for almost 25 years, local residents have volunteered in a coordinated week-long audit of the island’s bird life. For many years this effort has been coordinated in the field by longtime islander George Sirk, host of CKTZ’s ‘Nature Boy‘ which kicks off a new season at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
Roy Hales interviewed George about this year’s bird count.
As of September 30th, 2025, Raincoast Networks serves the 347 remaining customers in what was once the Twincomm service area on Cortes Island. Mascon by Telus acquired Twincomm in 2022.
“I come from Savary Island. We provide internet to those who have decided to live off grid and in remote communities and cannot be served well by other telecom providers, majors and things from space, explained Oliver Linsley, owner of Raincoast Networks.
“We’ve been doing this for eight years and we service areas from Howe Sound all the way to Cortes. It has been a wonderful adventure, mainly because I get to meet some fantastic people in places I didn’t even know existed. We’ve helped communities up and down the coast, and that’s where we got our pride from. It’s not from a paycheck (laughs), I can tell you that, but it definitely is from the fact that I can go to someone’s house and they have baked cookies for me. They’re just super happy that we came in a boat and we’ve driven across a whole bunch of crazy oceans and we’re at their house and we’re going to fix it.”
Continue reading A New Internet Provider for Cortes: Raincoast NetworksFrom the Cortes Island Seafood Association
First, some relevant facts —
The pressing problem now —
Continue reading Oyster updateThe text of Lannie Keller’s Tuesday, March 11 presentation made to the Electoral Areas Services Committee
I’m here to present local concerns and request SRD’s help to avert a land use conflict and a Bylaw zoning violation at Read Island.
To begin, I’m grateful to live in unceded traditional territory of the Homalco and Klahoose First Nations. And for the wild beauty of this place.
We moved to Read Island in 1980, and have made our living creating and running (what is now) Canada’s longest operating kayak touring company from our home in Evans Bay. Coast Mountain Expeditions has become Read Island’s largest employer. We offer activities based on wilderness ambience – all in this local area. Our business is threatened by Island Sea Farm’s Aquaculture License #1401594, conditionally approved by the province in June 2023.
Continue reading Potential Land Use Issue at Evans Bay, Read Island
More than 70 people reported feeling ill after eating raw oysters at the glitzy LA Times 101 Best Restaurants event earlier this month. Since then there have been similar reports from a number of restaurants in California. S&M Shellfish has issued an urgent recall for product sold as Fanny Bay, Buckley Bay and Royal Miyagi Oysters because of ‘multiple confirmed illnesses due to Norovirus contamination.’
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory against ‘certain oysters’ from BC Tidal Area 14, which is Comox, Denman Island, Hornby Island, and Parksville. There have been no cases reported north of there, or in the Discovery Islands.
Continue reading Advisory Against Eating Raw Oysters From Comox, Parksville, Denman and Hornby
