Tag Archives: Klahoose First Nation

Industry, Rivers & Oceans

Fishy Business: Cortes Streamkeepers opposed to quarry expansion plan

[Article by Christine and Cec Robinson, reprinted from Tideline; the audio version of this story includes not only the text of this article, but an interview with the authors about the history of Cortes Streamkeepers and the importance of watershed protection. The feature image is a cropped area from an original painting of James Creek by Desiree Bond, see end notes.]

Controversy continues to simmer over Island United’s application for an ambitious expansion of the Cortes Pit (a gravel and rock quarry in Whaletown). Cortes Currents has been covering the issue; this article is the third in a series.

Note: There has been some confusion over the deadlines for commenting on the permit application. There are two different deadlines for two different application processes.

  • One is strictly a mining application and is terse and minimalist. Its deadline is May 8th. BC government confirms that this means comments must be received before midnight on May 8th.
  • The other is an application for expansion and mining use of a Crown Land lease. It is more elaborate and includes the much-quoted “Aggregate and Quarry Management Plan” which contains many errors and misstatements. Its deadline is May 14th.
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Politics

The Klahoose ‘Elder’ and other embarrassing aspects of Aaron Gunn’s visit

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About 60 Cortes Island residents turned up at Mansons Hall, on Thursday, April 9, to hear from their MP, Aaron Gunn, and his colleague, MP Jacob Mantle. Gunn gave a presentation, which was followed by answers to written questions. However, the event was marked by several logistical glitches—the most significant involving a Klahoose Cultural Protocol Representative who was invited to open our meeting and give a land acknowledgement – only to find he was not welcome to do so.  

As a reporter, I am expected to be objective. In fact we usually speak in the third person – which seems ludicrous but I still refer to myself as ‘Cortes Currents.’ In this case, I was definitely involved. I helped ‘enable’ this event.

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Indigenous Nations, Tourism

A new Restaurant at the Gorge and other updates from QXMC

QXMC, the Klahoose management company, has received a grant to build a new restaurant at Gorge Harbour Marina. They also recently purchased a former manager’s home for additional guest accommodations and are reporting the best season ever at the Klahoose Wilderness Resort.

Gorge Harbour’s old Floathouse Restaurant was torn down in early 2023 because of infrastructure issues. Now, thanks to a one-million-dollar grant from the BC Government’s Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP), a new restaurant will rise on the same site. 

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Indigenous Nations, Politics

Fact-Checking MP Aaron Gunn: Are Private Property Rights Actually at Risk?

In the most recent round of a social media war of his own making, MP Aaron Gunn makes the misleading claim that the government is sending homeowners letters that their property may now belong to First Nations. 

His statement is based on a notification that the city of Richmond sent out to property owners within the boundaries of the old Cowichan summer village of TI’uqtinus, in October 2025. 

To put this in context: the land should have been made into a reserve. Instead senior colonial officials ignored their government’s instructions to protect the settlement and purchased it themselves in a series of transactions between 1871 and 1914. After a lengthy lawsuit, the Supreme Court of British Columbia restored title to the 800 of the village’s original 1,846 acres ‘over which they have proven sufficient and exclusive occupation.’ 

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Indigenous Nations, Politics

MP crashes out over harmless land acknowledgements

Local Chiefs reassure Aaron Gunn: “Chillax, bud.”

press release from the four cited First Nations

March 11, 2026

Chiefs from four First Nations communities are urging the public to please approach Aaron Gunn with no caution whatsoever. He is completely harmless, though momentarily unsettled by the alarming possibility that someone might acknowledge the land before a meeting.

Yesterday on social media, the MP appeared to crash out and demand to speak to the manager of land acknowledgements, a position that observers confirm does not exist.

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