Tag Archives: Surge Narrows

Education

A new semester begins at the Cortes Island Academy

The Cortes Island Academy kicked off its second year with a ‘meet and greet’ barbeque on Tuesday, September 5. Students and homestay parents met with some of the people working behind the scenes. School started the following day.

“Right now, the students are just going back into the classroom after being in Carrington for the last four days on a camping trip that started on the weekend and went into the week.  They are still in the  outdoor education fundamentals getting to know each other part of the semester,” explained Manda Aufochs Gillespie, the Academy’s principal Board member.

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Politics, Rivers & Oceans

The future of 3 wharves within Area C

It has been nine years Transport Canada (TC) transferred administration of three wharves in Discovery Islands-Mainland Inlets (Area C) to the Strathcona Regional District (SRD). The SRD was also given $2.9 Million for maintenance and upgrades that were to be completed before November 2024. The work was not done and now the cost of upgrading the wharves Owen Bay on Sonora Island, Surge Narrows on Read Island, and Port Neville on the northern shore of the Johnstone Strait, has risen.  

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Politics, Rivers & Oceans

Robyn Mawhinney: A Wharf Service for Area C

More than eight years have passed since Transport Canada (TC) transferred administration of three wharves to the Strathcona Regional District (SRD). Owen Bay on Sonora Island, Surge Narrows on Read Island, and Port Neville on the northern shore of the Johnstone Strait are all within Area C. The SRD was provided with $2.9 million for maintenance and upgrades that were to be completed sometime during the next decade. These upgrades have not yet occurred. Nor has a service to carry out operations and maintenance been established for Area C. Robyn Mawhinney, the new Regional Director, hopes to have this work well underway before the November 2024 deadline. 

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Development, Politics

‘Should I stay or should I go?’ – Three Decisions for Area C

Editor’s note: Cortes Island’s Director was among those whose vote decided the issue in in all three of the following items.

 “So in 1981 the Clash put out their classic single, ‘Should we stay, or should we go?’ and here I am with you, 41 years later asking you the same question. Should we stay with this initiative or should we take no action and leave it alone,” said Shaun Koopman, Protective Services Coordinator for the Strathcona Regional District.

He was telling the Board about the results of a recent survey in the Outer Discovery Islands, but he could have been talking about any of three Area C initiatives discussed at the Jan 11 meeting. 

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Disaster

Update on proposed Outer Discovery Islands Fire Brigade

A fire broke out at Diamond Bay on Sonora Island, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. It began as a structure fire, but spread into the tinder dry forest. The fire travelled rapidly upslope, threatening 30 other homes in the vicinity. Neighbouring residents converged at Diamond Bay and organized an ad hoc fire control effort. BC Wildfire Service arrived to take command. Four helicopters, a fire response boat and 17 provincial firefighters fought alongside ‘the local Owens Bay Fire Brigade‘ and by the morning of Sunday, August 15 the fire was officially ‘under control.’

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