Tag Archives: Willow Point

Environment, Indigenous Nations

Homalco First Nation’s ecosystem approach to flooding protects people and culture

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Working with nature, and not against it, a Vancouver Island First Nation is creating a plan to climate-proof its growing community.

The Willow Creek watershed project will restore wetlands and watercourses in the Homalco First Nation’s territory to reduce flooding and other climate disaster risks, but also boost cultural values and sustainable economic development, said Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) Chief Darren Blaney. 

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Politics

NDP Candidate Tanillle Johnson Visits Cortes Island

NDP candidate Tanille Johnson recently visited Cortes Island, where 20 people were waiting to see her in the Pioneer Room at Mansons Hall. The event was sponsored by Cortes Island’s Climate Action Network, which also provided lunch. 

Johnson said she prefers small meetings like this,  “I’ve been spending most of my time going to people’s houses, meeting with their friends,  I like to think that I’m a very truthful, honest person and I actually care about what happens in this riding. It means a lot to me, like my family, generations and generations, lived here.”

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Arts

The Awakeneers New Single: December In The North

The Awakeneers are still living in Willow Point and have just released a new single. Cortes Currents interviewed them over ZOOM and we had our cameras turned off to preserve bandwidth.

Isa McKenty explained how he came to write ‘December in the North’: 

“It was the day before one of our concerts in the Acoustic Matinee Series. I was supposed to be practicing for that, but it started snowing and I looked out my window. It was so pretty that I wrote ‘December in the North’ instead of practicing. It was actually a year to the day between when I started writing the song and when we recorded most of the tracks that you’ll hear on the recording.”

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Arts

The Awakeneers (P2): Lost in the Goat Trails

The McKenty family’s first public performance was in the outdoor section of the Mansons Farmer’s Market in 2006. After leaving their rental home at Smelt Bay in 2018, they have lived in Vancouver, at Hollyhock and for the last year and a half in Willow Point.

“We can see Cortes across the water,” explained Immanuel.  

To which his father, Robert added, “We’re looking straight across at a place where we lived for 10 years. When we go for a swim, are gardening, or anytime we look out of the window: we’re looking at Cortes. So we’re not actually gone, in our own perspective, we’re still  displaced Cortesians.”

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Arts

The Awakeneers: coming back to Cortes

The Awakeners came home to Cortes in the summer of 2023. They played at Gorge Hall on Friday July 28, and Mansons Hall the following day.

“We are excited that we’ll have a brand new album with us,” said Immanuel McKenty. 

“It was mostly recorded on Cortes Island and the majority of the songs were also written while we were on Cortes. The album will also be for sale at the Cortes Natural Food Co-op, as well as at our concerts,” added his brother Francis McKenty.

This is the beginning of a two part series about that ‘nomadic tribe of multi-instrumentalist songwriters (most of whom are siblings)’ called the Awakeners. We talk a great deal about their album and where most of the songs were written. In part two, which airs next week, we will go to their home in Willow Point, Campbell River. 

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