Tag Archives: Mansons Hall

Development, Politics

Maureen Williams: How the Zoning Bylaw process for Cortes could have been better

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One of the speakers at the September 8 zoning bylaw meeting at Mansons Hall was Maureen Williams of Cortes Island’s Climate Action Network. While she welcomed the decision to increase the number of lots at Rainbow Ridge up to a maximum of 35, Williams said the proposed zoning update does little to address affordability, environmental protection, or increase Cortes Island’s sense of community. The three-minute speaking limit at the meeting left little room for her to expand on these points, so Cortes Currents spoke with her afterwards.

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Arts

Live and Local on Cortes Island

Live and Local is more than a Tideline page, although the Tideline page advertises all of the shows on Cortes Island from Gorge Harbour Marina, Manson’s Hall, Gorge Hall and the Village Commons Music Series to pop-up independent shows. It is also more than the radio program, which is broadcast over CKTZ 89.5, FM shortly after 8:00 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 

According to Jemma Hicken, one of the best known personalities behind it:

“Live and Local is an umbrella program, run by Cortes Radio, that encompasses  the Live and Local page on Tideline, the Live and Local radio interviews that I’ve been mostly doing, also all of the promotion that we’ve been doing through Cortes Radio, social media, Tideline, all of the rest in terms of posters and the Village Commons Music Series as well.”

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Community

Proposed modification of SRD Agreement with Cortes Community Halls

In 2020, the Strathcona Regional Regional District SRD entered into a core funding agreement with the Southern Cortes Community Association  (SCCA) and Whaletown Community Club to support Mansons and Gorge Halls. Up to $80,000 a year could be used from Cortes Island’s property taxes.  This agreement is due to expire on March 31, 2025.

Staff is proposing that the new agreement include a new paragraph stating “The Regional District may contribute funds for capital expenditures at its sole discretion.”

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Community, Development

Changes Coming To The Heart of Mansons Landing

The audio version of this story starts with Michael Keith’s impromptu response to a car horn sounding off during his Friday, July 12, performance in the Village Commons Music Series.  

  • “I don’t want to live in this crazy place, 
  • all the horns are beeping all over the place. 
  • Every time I try to play, I can’t – I hear another horn, 
  • it’s probably someone shopping for corn.” 

There have been a lot of changes in what Manda Aufochs Gillespie calls the heart of ‘Mansons Landing.’ The big tent where Michael played has been moved  beside the Mansons Hall parking lot for the summer. Cortes Currents did not check to see if  Reef Point Farm is already selling corn at the Friday Market, but Sara Stewart was there. Her stall was involved in the realignment which now connects the Market with the Village Commons.

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Food, Rivers & Oceans

Seafest – Coming to Squirrel Cove Saturday, May 18

Seafest will be returning to Squirrel Cove this Saturday, May 18, with delicious platefuls of locally grown and prepared seafood. with live music.  

“ I think the first one was back in 1990 or 92. It was down in Smelt Bay with Redonda Sea Farms  and the rest of the community and it was a huge event. I think they had walk-on overloads on the ferry. That was really when the Seafood Association was formed.  Its primary mandate being water quality and it was formed in response to new technology that could assess dioxin pollution from the pulp mills,” explained Dave Nikleva.

Julia Rendall added, “I think in the  late eighties, it was to fight the pulp mills.  ‘Water quality’ was our mandate. Then there was a time when some people were a little bit reluctant about  us oyster farmers. They thought maybe we were getting in the way of their pristine scenery. We decided to  show them that we did have a good product for everybody to enjoy and that it is a viable industry on the island and it is necessary.”

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