Tag Archives: Quadra Island

Food, Gardening

Wildflower Cidery: A Unique Model For A Small Island

In this morning’s interview we hear from Sara Stewart of Wildflower Produce and Cidery, near the southern tip of Cortes Island.

Sara Stewart: “I’m not a religious person, but when you depend on the natural world you become deeply ingrained in it. I used to think I was building connections with the natural world when I lit a fire on Imbolc (the Ancient Celtic beginning of Spring) and celebrated Soma. I now find that rituals or ceremonies can disconnect you from nature. So I try to cultivate the spirituality of a squirrel. I don’t see wildlife celebrating Imbolc—you just notice what’s happening in your body and respond accordingly.” 

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Community

What does the community want from the Quadra Community Centre and the new Blenkin Park Pavilion?

The Quadra Island Recreation Society is asking the community for their input into what the Quadra Community Centre and a new pavilion at Blenkin Park should be used for.

Marc Doll, Vice Chair of the Society, explained: “We started by looking at one desperate need for the community centre, which was the lack of a proper kitchen facility. We came up with some solutions, but the price tag came in higher than what we wanted for a very small improvement. So, conversations continued, and we decided that we really had to look at the bigger picture. The Quadra Island Community Centre has been serving the community since 1985, and we felt it was time to go back to the public and ask: what do we need this building to do for the next 20 years?”

“At the same time, we’ve been working with the SRD for the last number of years to get an outdoor pavilion in Blenkin Park. The funding is in place, and we’re looking to start building as early as 2026.”

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Housing, Politics

Area C Director’s Report: exploring provincial land for housing + more Board news

From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney

Hello, 
This report includes news of the SRD investigating land for housing in Heriot Bay and other decisions of interest made at the January meeting of the SRD Board. Let’s jump in. 

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Indigenous Nations, Politics

Reconciliation: Two Regional Directors Speak Out on DRIPA and the Path of Reconciliation

With all the current hype about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), Cortes Currents reached out to two rural politicians to ask how they see this legislation working at the local level. Mark Vonesch is the Regional Director for Area B (Cortes Island) and Robyn Mawhinney is the Regional Director for Area C, which includes Quadra and most of the other Discovery Islands. They both sit on the board of the Strathcona Regional District (SRD). 

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Animals

Campbell River among BC’s worst communities for putting down black bears in 2025

Campbell River had one of the province’s worst records for putting down black bears in 2025. The BC Conservation Officer Service (COS) dispatched 13 black bears in the village of Ucluelet, but the city of Campbell River and District of Sechelt tied for second place at 7 kills each. This puts them ahead of larger city’s like Prince George (5 kills), Kamloops (4 kills) and Kelowna (2), as well as every other community in British Columbia.

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