Tag Archives: Sandy Hoffman

Transportation

Terminal Upgrade Plan: BC Ferries Consults Cortes Residents

Originally published April 28, 2024

BC Ferries intends to upgrade their Heriot Bay and Whaletown terminals to accommodate new, higher-capacity “Island Class” ferries with the potential for all-electric operation. The construction project, scheduled for 2026, will necessitate closure of these docks and ramps — a serious logistical problem for BCF and for island residents.

On April 27th, 2024, BC Ferries hosted a two-hour open house at Mansons Hall from 12:30 to 2:30 pm, asking for community feedback and suggestions on their early draft plan for this disruptive project. The event was attended by more than 50 Cortes residents over the two-hour period; for those who were unable to attend, the online comment period remains open until May 6th.

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Communications

Why Cortes Island does not need Facebook

While there are Facebook groups on Cortes Island, they have largely been  marginalized by a wiki style community bulletin board. The Tideline is not a place for personal webpages or a typical news website, but for the past 20 years most of island’s population have used it to post notices, community announcements, reports and advertisements.

Someone suggested that this may be a model for the rest of the country to emulate, now that Facebook has barred Canadian news outlets from using its pages. 

This prompted me to ask a few people at Lovefest for their opinion. 

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Forests

Mosaic/IT Open House at Gorge Hall

On Tuesday May 17th, a group of Mosaic (Island Timberlands / TimberWest) employees travelled to Cortes Island to host an “open house” at the Gorge Hall. They set up displays indoors and offered a casual one-on-one discussion period from 10AM to noon; at noon, they made a formal presentation which — thanks to improving weather — was held outdoors for better Covid safety.

Mosaic’s displays inside Gorge Hall

Mosaic’s plans to resume industrial logging on Cortes Island are controversial and have already inspired a petition-style letter and a series of community meetings. Mosaic has received significant feedback from the community challenging their cut plan on various grounds, including location (cutting within the boundaries of sensitive ecosystems) and extraction rate (several times the rate recommended and practised by the Cortes Community Forest).

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Communications

Community voices on proposed TELUS tower: The yays, the nays and the tech talk

CKTZ News, through an LJI grant to Canada-info.ca

As the Jan. 31 deadline for public feedback on a proposed cell tower on southern Cortes Island approaches, community opinions on the issue remain divided.

TELUS’ proposed 63.1-meter tower is currently cited on the Tla’amin-Nation governed land called Paukeeajim, adjacent to Rexford Road in Manson’s Landing.

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Animals

Frequency of bear raids decreasing in Squirrel Cove

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This program was funded by a grant from the Community Radio Fund of Canada and the Government of Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative. 

After two very intensive weeks, the frequency of bear raids along Squirrel Cove road, on Cortes Island, appears to be decreasing. 

Continue reading Frequency of bear raids decreasing in Squirrel Cove →