From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello,This report shares news on a WildSafe program application for Areas C & B, the next steps of a potential wood-chipping service, and my visit to Refuge Cove.
Continue reading Area C Directors Report: WildSafe application, wood-chipping, Refuge Cove visit + more
The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) has some serious concerns about BC’s new Emergency and Disaster Management Act, which came into effect on November 8.
According to a provincial government video, “We know people are worried about the climate driven challenges across British Columbia that are significantly affecting our families, communities, economy, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Modern realities like frequent floods, wildfires, drought, and extreme heat, as well as the COVID 19 pandemic have a lasting impact on people and communIties. A significant step in our response to these challenges involves modernizing BC’s emergency management legislation to include the requirement that the emergency management plans of provincial ministries, local authorities, and critical infrastructure operators are informed by risk assessments.”
At their Wednesday Dec 13 meeting. Protective Services Coordinator Shaun Koopman told the SRD Board his concerns with the way the government was implementing these ideas:
Continue reading SRD Concerns About BC’s New Emergency And Disaster Management Act
The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board awarded Rewilding Water & Earth Inc. the contract to manage a Beaver Coexistence Project on Cortes and Quadra Islands.
The first phase is purely informational.
“Beavers are the ultimate wetland managers, and they’re on it all the time. They’re checking their dams every day. For us humans to be able to not only co exist, but partner with wildlife like beaver will be a huge benefit to us as we see the climate changing and as we’re trying to adapt to and be more resilient to climate change,” explained Miranda Cross of Rewilding Water and Earth.
Continue reading Miranda Cross to manage Beaver Coexistence project for Cortes and Quadra Islands
At the regular SRD board meeting on April 26th (minutes), a couple of issues of interest to Cortes residents were discussed.
There were new developments in the story of SRD’s proposal to centralise rural fire hall administration; this was covered by Roy Hales on Monday.
The Board also discussed the “Community Resiliency Investment Grant” and its uses, specifically the provision of wood chipping service for properties with road access, and the local use of those wood chips.
Continue reading SRD Plans to Recommence Wood Chipping Service “Next Year”
Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The floodwaters rose swiftly and silently inside Nicole Norris’s family home and other residences of the Halalt First Nation on Vancouver Island when a storm unleashed a furious deluge of rain in November 2021.
Her brother, asleep in the home’s ground-floor suite, awoke when his leg, hanging off the side of the bed, became submerged by overflow from the Chemainus River, said Norris, an Indigenous planning officer for the B.C. Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.
“Our home took on four feet of water in the basement. There was no sound to it,” said Norris, also known as Alag̱a̱mił.
“Instantly, he yelled for my daughter and they were able to start pulling things from the basement.”
Not everything of value escaped unscathed, said Norris, a regalia maker, weaver and cultural knowledge holder.
Continue reading Salvaging the sacred from climate disaster
