Tag Archives: Quadra Island

Politics

Robyn Mawhinney elected new Director for Area C in Strathcona Regional District

By Greg Osoba, CKTZ News, through an LJI grant from Canada-info.ca

In the end, it wasn’t a close race in Area C of the Strathcona Regional District (SRD). BC voters went to the polls on Oct. 15 to elect municipal governments and Robyn Mawhinney garnered 69 per cent of the votes over Marc Doll in Area C of the SRD.

Mawhinney says her positive focus and open communication style helped secure her victory. Almost half of eligible voters cast ballots in Area C (49 percent), according to Mawhinney, and added that on average, most BC municipalities struggle to see more than a 30 per cent turnout.

Continue reading Robyn Mawhinney elected new Director for Area C in Strathcona Regional District →
Health

‘It’s a broken system that needs fixing,’ say emergency responders about B.C.’s rural paramedic shortages

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On 11 days this summer and early fall, Quadra Island had no local paramedics available for emergency medical calls, data from the emergency responders’ union shows.

The ferry-dependent community of 2,700 residents has acute staff shortages, as do many rural communities in B.C. On Quadra, three of four permanent part-time paramedic positions are vacant, Cindy Leong, a spokesperson for BC Emergency Health Services, wrote in an email.

Continue reading ‘It’s a broken system that needs fixing,’ say emergency responders about B.C.’s rural paramedic shortages →
Rivers & Oceans

Ministry of Fisheries tours West Coast fish farming areas

“Last week, the Minister of Fisheries, Joyce Murray, went on the road and she traveled the length of Vancouver Island talking to people, First Nations environmental organizations, scientists, about the transition of salmon farms in British Columbia. This is incredible. I’ve never seen a minister go on the road before, and I have so much respect for her for doing this,” said independent biologist Alexandra Morton.

A BC Salmon Farmers Association spokesperson emailed a list of facilities Murray visited:

  • Cermaq Canada’s Millar Channel farm and semi-closed containment site in Clayoquot Sound. 
  • One of Creative Salmon’s Chinook farms and their processing plant in Tofino. 
  • MOWI’s Shelter Pass farm in Port Hardy and their Big Tree Creek Hatchery in Sayward. 
Continue reading Ministry of Fisheries tours West Coast fish farming areas →
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.

Continue reading ‘Unsheltered’ and ‘At Risk’ Populations on Cortes and Quadra Islands →
Transportation

ICAN Rideshare survey may lead to a trial run next year

130 Cortes, Read and Quadra Island residents completed the Quadra ICAN rideshare survey, and another 36 responded to specific questions.

“Ride sharing is a really interesting alternative.  It wasn’t  the transportation solution that everyone is really looking for.   I think it’s just  a small part of trying to tackle this larger issue.  If it works for a few communities that’s great, but it’s not ‘the’ answer,” explained Aaryn Perreault-Laird, who is overseeing the program. 

Continue reading ICAN Rideshare survey may lead to a trial run next year →