The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates, “heat pumps globally have the potential to reduce global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by at least 500 million tonnes in 2030 – equal to the annual CO2 emissions of all cars in Europe today.”
However the coolants used in many heat pumps available in our area may not be as environmentally friendly as believed.
Continue reading Problems with The Refrigerant Used In Local Heat PumpsCityWest finally delivered on its promise to bring high speed fibre-optic internet to Cortes Island.
It has been five years since Victoria Smith, then the Strathcona Regional District’s Special Projects and Sustainability Manager, confirmed that Cortes Island was a proposed recipient for the Connected Coast Project.
Continue reading CityWest finally delivers: some Cortes Island homes already receiving serviceEditors Note: There were once plans for a cruise ship terminal in Campbell River. The facility was built just before the recession of 2008, at which point the cruise ship companies opted to stick with their tried and tested routes, as well as older terminals like Vancouver and Victoria. Never-the-less, cruise ships continue to pass between Campbell River and Quadra Island. They are also visible from Smelt Bay and parts of Mansons Landing in Southern Cortes Island.
By Seth Forward, Prince Rupert Northern View, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Cruise ships bring cash, and lots of it. For a city such as Prince Rupert facing a huge infrastructure deficit, funnelling thousands of potential customers into the small coastal town could be the boost it desperately needs to get back on its feet.
But catering to the international cruise market comes with plenty of baggage.
Continue reading How will cruises impact Prince Rupert’s future?Editor’s Note: There was once a thriving fishing industry on Cortes Island. Chris Kendel is still based here, but catches his fish up north on the Taku River. Meanwhile Campbell River’s Highline Fish Company sells some of its catch at the Mansons Landing dock. There are still fishing boats in the Discovery Harbour Marina, owned by the Wei Wai Kum First Nation, and some Campbell River residents buy their fish at the dock. Quadra Island Fisheries’ boats ‘fish the rugged coast of Northern Vancouver Island, West Coast Vancouver Island, and the mainland inlets.‘ The Tantrum 1, also based on Quadra Island, ‘trolls our coasts from Northern California all the way to the Alaskan border.‘
Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Federal inaction means West Coast harvesters still flounder with unfair fishing regulations, says a parliamentary committee.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada faces a wave of criticism in a recent report by the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO), which reiterated a call to equalize fishing policy on the coasts.
For the second time in five years, the committee is pushing the fisheries department (DFO) to make changes so only Canadian fish harvesters with actual “boots on deck” of a boat can own fishing licences or quota on the West Coast.
Continue reading Feds must fix unfair West Coast fishing rules: House committee (Cortes, Quadra, CR data added)Editor’s Note: The ethnic minorities in our area are far less numerous than the than provincial average cited below (34.4%). According to the 2021 census, only 2,120 of the 37,505 tabulated Campbell River residents (5.65%) are members of a visible minority. The most numerous being: South Asian -535, Filipino -410, Southeast Asian -260, Black -205, Korean -130, Japanese -110, Latin American -125, and Arab -15. On Cortes Island only 35 of the 1,055 tabulated residents (3.32%) are members of a visible minority. The most numerous being Filipino -10 and Southeast Asian -10. In Area C, 65 out of 2,675 tabulated residents (2.4%) were members of a visible minority. The most numerous being: Chinese -20, Japanese -20, Filipino -10 and South Asian -10. (All census numbers appear to be rounded off at the nearest multiple of 5.)
By Diary Marif, New Canadian Media, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Greater Victoria is experiencing a demographic shift as more visible minorities choose to settle on Vancouver Island, according to the latest federal statistics.
Continue reading Ethnic diversity increasing in Greater Victoria, but still lags behind the rest of BC (incl. Cortes, Quadra and Campbell River stats)
