In the midst of all the reports of closures, cancellations and global economics, I heard a very reassuring rattle coming up from the government wharf below me. Someone was tightening the bolts on the east float’s new light. Squirrel Cove’s dock restoration is proceeding. I found the Harbour Authority Cortes Island’s wharfinger, Don Tennent, lying in front of the light. His hands were extended below the deck, presumably holding the bottom of a bolt, while his helper made the final adjustments with a wrench.
Continue reading COVID-19, Emissions & Global EconomicsTag Archives: Hollyhock
COVID-19 News Update For March 17, 2020.
This is a COVID-19 news update for March 17, 2020. As of yesterday, there are 103 confirmed cases of COVID 19 in British Columbia. 8 of these are on Vancouver Island. The first was a Victoria. The seven most recent cases were reported yesterday. A Courtenay doctor confirmed that one of her patients is among them. While I have yet to see official confirmation, two sources have independently mentioned a case of COVID -19 in the Campbell River Hospital.
Continue reading COVID-19 News Update For March 17, 2020.Assured Loading For Commercial Vehicles
By Roy L Hales
Twenty or more years ago, BC Ferries gave preference to trucks delivering food to Cortes Island. The volume of traffic has increased since then, especially during the summer months, but this service is no longer available. The truck servicing Gorge Harbour Marina Resort missed 17 out of 19 ferries this summer, while watching cars that arrived more than a half an hour later drive onto the ferry. At the October 25, 2019 Quadra/Cortes FAC Meeting, Bill Dougan, General Manager of Gorge Harbour asked BC Ferries to provide assured loading for commercial vehicles coming to Cortes Island.
Continue reading Assured Loading For Commercial VehiclesEconomic Development While Preserving Cortes’ Core Values
By Roy L Hales
When the Cortes Island Business and Tourism Association (CIBATA) was launched, it faced some tough challenges. Some believe Cortes is still stuck in the seventies and many residents would like to preserve that. Yet there is a need for the same business sectors you find everywhere else: retail, health, building and trades, tourism medical marijuana, aquaculture, learning / professional development and social profit. On February 24, CIBATA will be unveiling the draft of Cortes Island’s Local Economic Action Plan at the Klahoose Multipurpose Building, between 10 AM and 4 PM. In this morning’s program the association’s President, Colin Funk, talks about economic development while preserving Cortes’ core values.
Continue reading Economic Development While Preserving Cortes’ Core ValuesHumpbacks Return To Cortes Island

Humpback whales were passing through our area long before Europeans arrived. The first colonial settlement was named Whalteown and Whaletown Road run across the island to Squirrel Cove. There is also a “Whaling Station Bay,” on Hornby Island and “Blubber Bay,” on Texada Island. However up until a few years ago, there have been no humpback whale sightings since 1871. This morning’s broadcast consists of a series of interviews about the humpbacks return to Cortes Island.
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