Category Archives: Tourism

Business, Community, Housing, Tourism

Kate Maddigan, CCEDA’s new Economic Development Officer

The Cortes Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA) recently hired Kate Maddigan as its new Economic Development Officer (EDO). 

Colin Funk, the President of CCEDA, explained, “I have known Kate pretty much the entire time I’ve been on Cortes, I think I’m coming up to my 10th summer here. I’ve been on a few boards with her when I was active with Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI). We live pretty close together in the south end of the island. So like many, we bump into each other at the store or on the trails and such.”

Cortes Currents asked Maddigan about some of the work she has done in the community.

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Forests, Indigenous Nations, Parks, Tourism

Meares Island Big Tree Trail a labor of love for Tribal Parks guardians

By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tofino, BC – In 2008, when the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks Guardianship Program took over the maintenance of the Meares Island Big Tree Trail, they had lots of work to do.

Saya Masso, lands director for the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks Guardian Program, has been a guardian since 2008 when the positions were first inaugurated to help implement the land vision outlined in the Tribal Park Declaration.

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Tourism

Klahoose Wilderness Resort: one of the world’s top new hotels

Fresh on the heels of being chosen as ‘BC’s Indigenous Operator or Experience for 2023,’ a resort in one of the most remote corners of qathet District was picked as one of the world’s best new hotels. Every year, AFAR publishes a list of the world’s top 15 new hotels. The editors and contributors research hundreds of properties around the globe for months before making a decision. They personally stay at each hotel as part of the vetting process. There are two Canadian hotels in the list for 2023, and one of them is the Klahoose Wilderness Resort. 

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Development, Housing, Indigenous Nations, Tourism

New Trails at Rainbow Ridge; Klahoose Wilderness Resort a Success

[interview with Suzanne Fletcher]

Suzanne Fletcher has lived on Cortes eight years, coming to the island initially to take up a management position at Hollyhock. She has since served on the Co-op Board, “done a lot of gardening,” and most recently spent a summer as Resort Manager for Klahoose Wilderness Resort before accepting the Project Manager position for Rainbow Ridge, with the Cortes Housing Society.

On April 8th, I interviewed Suzanne at her home on Siskin Lane; she told me a little bit about the very successful inaugural season at the Wilderness Resort, and also provided an update on progress at Rainbow Ridge.

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Housing, Tourism

Ellingsen Woods: Making small cabins for the glamping market

“I’m hoping that this summer at the Friday Market, we’ll at least be able to have a prototype on a trailer. We’ll be able to pull an A-frame into the parking lot at Mansons, and people will be able to walk inside, sit in it and check it out. In terms of the refined prototype, that concept will be September.” 

“We’re working a little bit with Jason Andrews, who is so gracious with his time and expertise. He has really talked at length with us about the difference between really working on the prototyping versus jumping into trying to sell your product. There’s such a high demand for an extra bedroom around.”  

“I think we could be popping these out by June, but they would be rudimentary and so the goal at this point would be to have them for next summer (2024). So this is something that next spring, hopefully we will be able to be in a position where we have something that’s been really tested,  refined and repeatable.”

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