The Boardroom was not large enough to contain us. We spilled out into the hallway. The final count was 36 Cortes residents, all but six of whom are known to support a hall tax to supply core funding for the island’s two community halls. The trip to Campbell River consumed the better part of our days. Collectively speaking, we spent about $1,000 in gas and ferry charges to get there. It was worth it. We came to hear two Cortes delegations address the Strathcona Regional District Board on Feb 28, 2019.
At the Strathcona Regional District’s Feb 13 Board Meeting, I had an opportunity to see how the Directors function as individuals. I suspect that all of the Cortes residents observing that meeting were impressed by the professionalism and integrity that some board members exhibited and have questions about others. One of the directors that I would give high marks to occupies a key position. Michele Babchuk and I have talked over skype for a few minutes, but this is not the same as sitting down to a face to face interview. Last week I caught the ferry to Quadra Island for an in-depth interview with the Strathcona Regional District Chair.
There were fifteen of us. The fact we were directly behind our Regional Director Noba Anderson added another dimension to someone’s suggestion we would watch her back, but this Strathcona Regional District Board Meeting seemed less tense than the one a month ago. The highlight for Cortes listeners was a motion that SRD staff respond to 32 Cortes Island emails.