Tag Archives: The Nook

Community

 2026 Microgrants 4 Neighbours

The 2026 Microgrants 4 Neighbours program is out, and there are some changes this year. 

Jemma Hicken explained, “Our Microgrants 4 Neighbours is a super cool little grassroots granting program. It operates with the philosophy that our community knows what it needs, and that low-barrier granting really gives individuals a chance to get small chunks of money and make things that they’re enthusiastic about happen in our community.” 

“It developed out of Cortes Island Literacy‘s Seed Grant program in partnership with Folk U, but now Microgrants is run by the Cortes Island Community Foundation, in partnership with the Neighborhood Small Grants Island Network, which is a really cool program as well. It basically operates the same microgrants-for-neighbors program under the NSG Neighborhood name. Small grants exist in many other communities around BC, so it’s happening all over the province, but maybe Cortes did it first.”

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Politics

Anna Kindy Visits Cortes and Quadra Islands

On Monday, September 15th, 2025, Anna Kindy, the MLA for our riding, visited Cortes and Quadra Islands. Cortes Currents met up with her at the Cortes Medical Clinic and then we took a quick tour of the downtown Mansons Landing area. 

Cortes Currents:What’s it like coming to Cortes Island?

Anna Kindy: You forget how beautiful it is. Just taking the ferry over, my first thought was: it’s beautiful. So you guys are lucky.

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Business, Community

First Days At The Nook; Final Touches

A lot has happened in the five months since Tommaso Biasiolo became the Outreach and Admin Coordinator for ‘the Nook’ in Cortes Island’s Village Commons. The Grand Opening was on June 27, 2025, but there are still small projects to complete. Two special small rooms need to soundproofed; the Nook’s kitchen has not been installed. The original vision was to create a space where nonprofits can work and hold their meetings, but these spaces are now available for individuals as well.

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Community, Development

New Pavilion & More Taking Shape in Manson’s Landing

A sense of momentum is building—quite literally—in Manson’s Landing, where work is underway on a new pavilion designed to bring community members together for music, events, and gatherings. This is the latest in a series of structures erected in the Village Commons. The pavilion’s frame was raised on Friday, April 11, 2025

“ We hope to have all the details done by the end of May. It’ll be in service this summer,” explained Richard Andrews, Project Manager of the Village Commons. 

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Development, Housing

Construction coming to the (Many) Common Areas of Mansons Landing

Close to 50 people turned up at Mansons Hall on January 24, for an update on the construction coming or already underway in the downtown Mansons area. The Cortes Housing Society, Southern Cortes Community Association (SCCA), Cortes Island Community Foundation and Cortes Island Pickleball Society were on hand to describe what’s taking place at Rainbow Ridge, the multipurpose courts and the Village Commons. 

 Regional Director Mark Vonesch exclaimed, “The big news here on Cortes is that the Housing Society is going to start building houses this year.” 

Sandra Wood, who’s been at the heart of the Rainbow Ridge affordable housing project from the beginning, added, “It’s exciting to finally get shovels in the ground. We feel like we’ve been shovel ready for years.”   

Manda Aufochs Gillespie, from the Cortes Island Foundation, described another focus of the meeting “More and more, it’s clear that the Village Commons is really this whole area and all the things that we gather in the heart of Mansons to do.”

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