Tag Archives: Radio

Politics

Cortes, Quadra and Read Island items at the March 25th SRD Board Meeting

At its March 25 SRD Board meeting, Campbell River and its allies passed a resolution to draft a bylaw making the average Quadra Island homeowner pay an additional $588 in property taxes to help fund Campbell River’s Recreate Strathcona Gardens project. (This fight is not over yet.) Whether the proposed bylaw will pass remains to be seen, but a large number of noncontroversial Cortes, Quadra and Read Island items were passed at the same board meeting. They pertained to: 

  • A Quadra Island Right of Way
  • Vacancies in Advisory Planning Commissions for Areas C & D
  • Squirrel Cove Aquaculture 
  • Who Pays Administrative Costs for the Electoral Areas Services Committee
  • Cortes Island’s Active Transportation Plan
  • Funding Opportunities for Active Transportation in Areas B & C
  • Legacy Gifts in Regional District Parks
  • Residency Requirement for Short Term Rentals
  • Proposed Electoral Areas Grant in Aid Service 
  • Waste Pick-up Contract on Cortes Island
  • Renewal of Post Office contract for Read Island
  • Grants-in-Aid for Quadra Island 

As these are all short items, Cortes Currents decided to use them as examples of how the SRD conducts board meetings.

Continue reading Cortes, Quadra and Read Island items at the March 25th SRD Board Meeting →
Indigenous Nations, Tourism

A new Restaurant at the Gorge and other updates from QXMC

QXMC, the Klahoose management company, has received a grant to build a new restaurant at Gorge Harbour Marina. They also recently purchased a former manager’s home for additional guest accommodations and are reporting the best season ever at the Klahoose Wilderness Resort.

Gorge Harbour’s old Floathouse Restaurant was torn down in early 2023 because of infrastructure issues. Now, thanks to a one-million-dollar grant from the BC Government’s Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP), a new restaurant will rise on the same site. 

Continue reading A new Restaurant at the Gorge and other updates from QXMC →
Politics

Must Quadra Island taxpayers pay for Strathcona Gardens? 

In a 7–6 vote, on March 25th the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board moved to have a bylaw prepared that would add Quadra Island to the catchment area for the Strathcona Gardens Recreational Facility. If the bylaw proceeds, Quadra residents could face an additional $558 in property taxes—slightly more than the $526 Campbell River residents pay for their facility. One SRD director was not present when the vote was taken, which raises the possibility that the proposal could be defeated in a 7–7 tie when all 14 directors are present.

Opposition from Quadra Residents

The board faces fierce opposition from Quadra Island residents. Among the 90 or so Quadra residents who crowded the SRD Boardroom and adjoining lobby for the May 25 board meeting, were some of the 1,226 area C residents who signed a petition opposing inclusion in the Strathcona Gardens catchment. Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney of Area C noted that this number represents about 44% of the adult population of her area.

Continue reading Must Quadra Island taxpayers pay for Strathcona Gardens?  →
Arts

April 26: Mark Winters at the Heriot Bay Inn

Mark Winters will be performing in the Heriot Bay Inn, on Quadra Island, at 3:00 PM on Sunday, April 26th. 

The Texan based singer/songwriter recently told Cortes Currents,  “I picked up music a little later than most, in my adult life after I got a degree in aerospace engineering, of all things. Music has always moved me as a listener, and I wanted to do something musical. In 2011, I picked up a guitar to play a song for my wife for our anniversary. It was the most joyful experience I’ve ever had in my life, and I became obsessed with the feeling of connection you get when you perform live for others.

“I’ve learned a lot about how you build a tour. Last year I did a spring and a fall tour, and both of them had Canadian legs. So I played a show in Vancouver, and that part of the country is phenomenally beautiful. I took a run along the little bay that wraps around up to the Children’s Museum up there, and I felt like I was running in paradise. Then I heard about the island and the live music scene there—the Heriot Bay Inn has such a great vibe. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to the booking people there to play a show, maybe write a few songs while I’m there enjoying the Bay.”

Continue reading April 26: Mark Winters at the Heriot Bay Inn →
Rivers & Oceans, Transportation

Construction at Heriot Bay and Whaletown terminals ending, new ferries coming

Construction on the BC Ferries Heriot Bay and Whaletown terminals will soon be coming to an end, and we will probably have a brand-new-to-us hybrid electric ferry this summer.

Sheila Reynolds, Senior Communications Advisor with BC Ferries, explained: “Construction at the terminals actually began last spring to replace both berths at Heriot Bay and Whaletown, which were both nearing the end of their service lives and needed replacing.”

Continue reading Construction at Heriot Bay and Whaletown terminals ending, new ferries coming →