Category Archives: Humanity

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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SRD Concerns About BC’s New Emergency And Disaster Management Act

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:

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Tradition meets modern: Restoring wild salmon habitat

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

First Nations working to restore wild salmon and vital fish habitat on northeastern Vancouver Island will receive $3.4 million for a trio of stewardship projects in the Campbell River region. 

The restoration of salt marshes in the Campbell River estuary, a new fish trap based on traditional practices, and a hatchery are being jointly funded by the B.C. and federal governments

The estuary and fish trap projects, which also involve Greenways Land Trust and A-Tlegay Fisheries Society as partners, reflect the Wei Wai Kum Nation’s goal to revitalize salmon populations, said Chief Coun. Chris Roberts. 

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Award Winning Environmental Documentary Showing At Quadra Community Centre

Emmanuel Cappellin’s award winning documentary “Once You Know” is showing at the Quadra Community Centre on Saturday December 16 at  7 pm. 

This film is the winner of at least seven awards including Earth’s Choice Award from the Earth Day Film Festival, Best Documentary from the Festival International du film d’éducation, and Grand Prize from the International Festival of Science Documentary Films at Prague.

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SRD Zoning Bylaw Open House

On Monday December 11th, four SRD staff came to Cortes to hold a local zoning hearing at noon, followed by a three hour open house starting at 1pm. Cortes residents were invited to provide input to assist SRD in revising and updating the zoning bylaw for Area B.

SRD was represented by Senior Manager Aniko Nelson, along with Planning and Parks Manager Meredith Starkey and Planners Annie Girdley and John Neill. They brought with them several large signboards, and placed them at tables in the hall. The first table explained what a Zoning Bylaw is; subsequent tables were focussed on four main topics: Water Zones (foreshore, waterfront, harbours), Cannabis Production and Sale, Housing Density, and Short Term Rentals.

There was no formal presentation. On each table, a large sheet of paper presented various options for zoning law revision, and attendees were invited to vote for their favourite options by applying coloured stickers, as well as writing comments directly on the sheet. SRD staff also provided official forms for written feedback, which were gathered in a large “ballot box”.

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