From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello, In this report is news on two recent meetings, the first Official Community Plan meeting at Surge Narrows and a recent SRD-SD72 Liaison Committee meeting, as well as a link & reminder about the Area C Active Transportation survey.
Continue reading Area C Director’s Report: Official Community Plan meeting on Read Island + more
The Cortes Island Community Foundation is helping to review Grant-in Applications again. As in the past, the Strathcona Regional District Board will be dispersing a pool of approximately $25,000 to Cortes Island Social Profits. The average grant award is in the range of $1000 – $5000 and will be dispersed by end of 2024. This year’s Grant-in-Aid funding will prioritize projects supporting Arts, Culture or Environment. Any non-profits or charitable societies who wish to participate sust send their applications in by midnight on Monday, October 21.
Manda Aufochs Gillespie, Executive Director of the Community Foundation explained, “We are working to assist Regional Director Mark Vonesch and the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) with reviewing the grant and aid applications for this year. Most of the nonprofits on Cortes are quite familiar with the fact that we have a bit of our tax money that comes back to us for assisting community groups on the island.”
Continue reading Deadline for Cortes Island 2024 Grant-in-Aid Applications – Monday, Oct 21Capstone Infrastructure Corporation, an independent and publicly traded power generating company headquartered in Toronto, has applied to SRD for permitting and approval for a new project on Vancouver Island. The “Brewster Wind Project” would install about 30 wind turbines on a site about 40 km northwest of Campbell River. The proposed site is on some ridges between highways 28 and 19 — more specifically, between the White River and the Memekay River, spanning a range from west of the Memekay Horse Camp to north and east of Memekay Peak.
The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) is applying for a grant to develop plans for walking, cycling and rolling (skateboard, roller skates etc) infrastructure on Cortes Island and in Area D.
The Ministry of Transportation refers to these as active means of transportation and has made Active Transportation Network Planning Grants of up to $50,000 available to communities with populations under 25,000.
If their applications are successful, the SRD plans to match the funding with money obtained through the Community Works Fund (better known as the Gas Tax).
Continue reading SRD Applying for Active Transportation Planning Grants on Cortes and in Area DAt their Wednesday September 25 Board meeting, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board unanimously voted to support a We Wai Kai application for funding to make a feasibility study for the Caddisfly Wetlands Restoration project, south of Campbell River.
This had been a topic of some debate a month ago, when the Board decided to defer making a decision on this project.
Salmon once spawned in Caddisfly Creek and if they return, it could trigger a need for setbacks along the banks. This could directly impact building projects in Campbell River, as it is one of the sources of Caddisfly Creek.
