Tag Archives: Housing Crisis

Politics

Pierre Poilievre: Stronger At Home – Leverage Abroad (Full text)

To some extent the speech that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre gave at the Economic Club of Canada, in Toronto, on Thursday February 26, 2026, seems like a response to what Prime Minister Mark Carney said at the World Economic Forum a month before. Here is the full text, obtained through MP Aaron Gunn’s constituency office in Ottawa.

Toronto, ON – Merci beaucoup. Thank you very much to Michael and Shelby, two critical members of our Conservative team, to deliver a stronger Canada at home so we have unbreakable leverage abroad. Nearly two thousand years ago, Marcus Aurelius delivered a timeless truth:

You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

That idea is not only true for people, but also for countries. Canada cannot control decisions made by foreign leaders or words by foreign presidents. We cannot control what global shocks and volatility might happen, but we do control what we do in our own country.

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Development, Housing, Indigenous Nations, Tourism

New Trails at Rainbow Ridge; Klahoose Wilderness Resort a Success

[interview with Suzanne Fletcher]

Suzanne Fletcher has lived on Cortes eight years, coming to the island initially to take up a management position at Hollyhock. She has since served on the Co-op Board, “done a lot of gardening,” and most recently spent a summer as Resort Manager for Klahoose Wilderness Resort before accepting the Project Manager position for Rainbow Ridge, with the Cortes Housing Society.

On April 8th, I interviewed Suzanne at her home on Siskin Lane; she told me a little bit about the very successful inaugural season at the Wilderness Resort, and also provided an update on progress at Rainbow Ridge.

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Housing, Poverty

‘Unsheltered’ and ‘At Risk’ Populations on Cortes and Quadra Islands

In the Spring of 2022, Campbell River & District Coalition to End Homelessness and the Urban Indigenous Housing and Wellness Coalition  commisioned a series of studies of the housing crisis in our area. One components was a survey called ‘Collecting Stories of Where We Live’ conducted by the Rural Development Network. 110 Cortes Island and 43 Area C residents participated (all but two of the latter were from Quadra Island).  

“The purpose was to provide a comprehensive picture of housing instability and homelessness in the area to help inform service providers and municipal, provincial, and federal policies, practices, and funding decisions. And then to elevate and incorporate the voices of folks who are experiencing homelessness in solutions to end homelessness,” explained Emma Wallace, Project Manager of Community Development and Homelessness Estimations at the Rural Development Network.

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Politics

SRD vs Anderson: Zoning Compliance Issue

On January 26th 2021, Currents reported on continuing friction between the SRD Board and our elected representative Noba Anderson. Readers may recall that SRD had filed a petition against Anderson and her land partners after a bylaw compliance complaint against their Cortes Island property. Legal documents pertaining to this case are now publicly available, and Currents is able to report in further detail.

Why should Cortes Islanders care about a private legal dispute? Because this litigation has implications and consequences for all Area B residents. If SRD succeeds in court, it could set a precedent instantly rendering many Cortes properties non-compliant which have previously been legal. SRD has re-interpreted the language of the zoning bylaw in a new way, outside the traditional understanding of the community and of SRD’s own planners.

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