By Regional Director Mark Vonesch
In partnership with the Cortes Housing Society, I am releasing a new Cortes housing survey to gather and summarize our collective housing experiences and opinions.
Hearing from you and understanding the housing needs of Cortes and how it is changing over time is important for the future of our community’s well being.
In the first half of this episode, Cortes Island Academy students Elsie, Lacey, and Elias discuss the housing situation on Cortes, from three different angles. This includes tiny homes, Rainbow Ridge, the Seniors Village, and interviews with five different locals, as well as their own stories and observations on the topic. Travel with them as they learn about the challenges of finding housing on Cortes, and the creative solutions that are emerging to try and solve the issue.
In part two, Nathaniel Maki interviews Margaret Verschuur and Fawn Baron from the Deathcare Collective, and discusses the importance of having a healthy culture and communication around the topic of death and dying.
Continue reading Teen Takeover on Housing, the Death Care Collective & PodcastingFrom the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney
Hello,
This report includes news of the SRD investigating land for housing in Heriot Bay and other decisions of interest made at the January meeting of the SRD Board. Let’s jump in.
Strathcona Regional District (SRD) staff will be asking the Ministry of Forests about the possibility of obtaining two provincial lots on Quadra Island for development. Three of the four Regional Directors at the Wednesday, January 14, 2026, Electoral Areas Services Committee meeting voted to proceed.
Meredith Starkey, Manager of Planning for the SRD, brought a list of 13 Federal, Provincial and Regional properties to the meeting. She explained that the report provides an overview of public land available near Quathiaski Cove and Heriot Bay on Quadra Island which could be considered for future affordable housing.
“There’s really only three sites that are currently undeveloped in a suitable size and some other conditions that make them more suitable than others. They all have constraints.”
Continue reading SRD Looking into developing two Provincial lots on Quadra Island2026 is a municipal election year and some people hope Campbell River residents will use this opportunity to elect a city council that will help alleviate the homeless situation.
“We have an opportunity as a community to come together and actually create solutions with the support of the city, because they are the only ones that have the capacity to be able to do the longevity of some of these projects, but they need us. They need the nonprofits, they need the grassroots, they need citizens and residents to help them and to buy into those solutions in ways where we create a much more inclusive, safe, welcoming community for everybody, not just for some,” explained Sue Moen, a Kwesa Place volunteer and coordinator for the Campbell River Community Action Team.
“Many of these counsellors and new people are going to be campaigning over the next 10 months. I think that’s really important for voters and citizens to say, ‘okay, how are you going to work with others to do this?’”
Continue reading How will Campbell River’s next Council address homelessness?
