Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
In an ongoing legal saga, Cortes Island regional director Noba Anderson is suing the Strathcona Regional District to cover legal costs and to strike down disciplinary measures against her by the district’s board in connection to a lawsuit last year.
Continue reading Cortes Island Director Suing The Strathcona Regional DistrictIt has been two months since the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) put the public hearing for Cortes Island’s affordable housing project, originally scheduled for last April, on hold until September. When they applied, the Cortes Island Senior’s Society explained that delaying the project would lessen their chances of obtaining a $2 million grant from BC Housing. Now, in one of the letters to submitted for the July 22nd board meeting, the Coalition to End Homelessness is asking the SRD to reconsider.
Continue reading Coalition To End Homelessness Asking The SRD To Reconsider Delay To Cortes AffordAble Housing ProjectIn January 2019, Cortes Island was rocked by the news that 14 residents filed a legal petition, in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, to remove their recently re-elected Regional Director, Noba Anderson, from office. The petitioners claimed that “Anderson took money from her constituents for personal gain and a number of those same constituents received gifts and grants in return.” Many hoped that the affair was finally over after the lawyers from both sides filed a joint application stating “There is no basis for the declarations sought by the petitioners.” The Supreme Court Of British Columbia adopted this application as its judgement. However the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) refused to pay Director Anderson’s legal fees and subsequently censured her for revealing confidential materials to an undisclosed recipient. On Monday, July 13, 2020, this conflict entered a new phase: Regional Director Noba Anderson is Suing the SRD.
Continue reading Regional Director Noba Anderson is Suing the SRDOn May 27th, three members of the Strathcona Regional District’s Electoral Areas Service Committee put all public hearings within the SRD on hold until sometime after September 7th. Three large projects on Quadra and Cortes Islands are being deferred. Though SRD staff told Regional Director Brenda Leigh the meeting could easily be held electronically, she was ‘not willing to put her life in jeopardy’ for the sake of a meeting on Cortes Island. Regional Director Jim Abram echoed the idea that in-person meetings were preferable and added that this would let directors and staff go on summer holidays. Now BC Ferries asks the SRD Board to reconsider delaying the public hearing for its new Quadra Island berth.
Continue reading BC Ferries Asks SRD Board To Reconsider PostponementAt the June 9th Cortes Virtual Community Meeting, Regional Director Noba Anderson and five guests talked about all things fire.
Continue reading All Things Fire: The June 9th Cortes Virtual Community Meeting
