Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents -Former Regional Director Jim Abram may have been confusing the proposed SRD Housing Service with a Federal grant program when he criticized it during an interview with CKTZ News. 
 Abram claimed that building permits are required under the new housing initiative, and the islands are ‘going to get nothing, most likely,  other than, you know, a little  less money in your pocketbook because it's going to go into your taxes.’ 
 He also spoke against the ‘affordable housing bandwagon’: ‘There's only so many people that you can accommodate with your existing infrastructure.’
 Mark Vonesch, Regional Director for Cortes Isand, responded, “The points that he's making that have alarmed a lot of people, in my opinion very unnecessarily, and are not based on the facts. The housing service is about developing a  way for us to requisition a small amount of tax from people. The average property on Cortes is going to pay $31.80 maximum per year.  For 2024, right now it's at zero. We have nothing planned.  It's going to be used for us to collectively pool our money to make housing happen.”
 So let's look at some of Abram's facts.  
 CC: Is there any requirement for building permits under the proposed SRD housing service?
 Mark Vonesch: “The short answer is no, the Regional District Housing Service has nothing in it that says we have to have building permits.”
 “What Jim's referring to as far as building permits, is the Housing Accelerator Fund. So this is one grant  that the Regional District has applied for. Part of the requirement of the grant is having a way to measure new housing builds and the internal measurement for that is traditionally housing permits.” 
 Regional Director Robin McWhinney of Area C mentioned the confusion between the Accelerator fund and proposed SRD housing service, in her December 12th Directors Newsletter. Even if the SRD application is approved. Cortes island, Area C and Area A will not be able to obtain Accelerator funding  because we do not use building permits.”
 (This is a grant and unrelated to the SRD housing service, which is seeking to raise startup capital through our property taxes.)  
 CC: So why don't we use building permits?
 Mark Vonesch: “My sense is Cortes does not want a building permit. We have some of the best builders around on our island, and they are building to the code, whether we have building permits or not.” 
 Robyn Mawhinney: “I haven't heard from any residents on Quadra Island who are in favour of adding another level of local government oversight and fees that  would be associated with building service and building permits and building inspections. Creating a new bylaw or service is a lot of work for staff and for me and for the community to attend community meetings and weigh in on things like that. It's not something that I'm pursuing unless I hear a reason why we should be, and I haven't heard one yet.” 
 Abram also claims that Cortes and Quadra  islands have reached their capacity in terms of population.
 Mark Vonesch: “That’s a fine statement to say. Somebody else could say we haven't reached our capacity, but what data are you actually looking at to make that statement?” 
 “One of the things that I'm moving forward on, together with the Cortes Housing Society, is looking quite seriously at 'what is our capacity?' First of all, starting with the base, what is the health of our aquifer? What is the health of our watershed?  Where can we have more development that's going to be sustainable in the long term? And how can we do development in a way that is ecologically sensitive, that recognizes our imprint on the land but also produces housing.”

Cortes Currents

Correcting misinformation about the SRD Housing Service

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - At their Wednesday September 25 Board meeting, the Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board unaminously voted to support a We Wai Kai application for funding to make a feasibility study for the Caddisfly Wetlands Restoration project, south of Campbell River. 

This had been a topic of some debate a month ago, when the Board decided to defer making a decision on this project. Salmon once spawned in Caddisfly Creek and if they return, it could trigger a need for setbacks along the banks. This could directly impact building projects in Campbell River, as it is one of the sources of Caddisfly Creek.   

As CAO David Leitch explained, “There was some discussion at a previous board meeting about supporting this application and the folks from Campbell River had some hesitancy and anticipation that it possibly would interfere with some development applications they had in the works. We’ve attached some correspondence from the city staff which says there aren't issues and they would support the application.”

Robyn Mawhinney, Regional Director for Area C, responded, “I'm really happy to see this request for resolution of support on the agenda. I am 100 percent in support of a resolution to support the We Wai Kai Nation's application to undertake wetland restoration planning activities for Caddisfly Creek.” 

John RIce, Regional Director for Area D, added, “I'm also quite happy to see this back on.  I know that for Area D, where Caddisfly Creek is, the wetlands behind it have historically had a problem with high water. I’m hoping that there are a lot of things that can be addressed by this.”

“I also want to point out that it's Area D's Stream Keeper (Greg Roberts) that has been working quite hard on Caddisfly Creek. There's still lots of things to do and I'm very thrilled to see Campbell River supporting this. I think if you're going to be the Salmon Capital of the World, you have to be able to support creeks that could possibly have Coho.”

One of the Campbell River Directors who originally called for deferment, Ron Kerr, made the motion that all the SRD directors supported:

“That a resolution of support be provided for the We wai Kai First Nation’s application to the 2024 Disaster Resilience Innovation Fund Grant Program to undertake wetland restoration planning activities for Caddisfly Creek.”

SRD Supports Caddislfy Creek Application

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Folk U - On Friday, October 25, host Manda Aufochs Gillespie was joined by musician Ruby Singh and musician and principal of the Cortes School Michael Datura, to chat about biosonification, technology, and their collaborative projects kraKIN and Polyphonic Garden. Tune in for music, philosophy, and lively discussion.

Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 6:30 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts. 

Ruby Singh & Michael Datura visit Folk U

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) has been helping maintain Mansons Landing Provincial Park since 2016. They’ve been putting up railings to prevent further erosion of banks, putting up interpretive signage and maintain the trails. FOCI also holds a Broom Bash every year. 15 volunteers and staff showed up to remove this invasive species on Saturday, March 21, 2025.

Cortes Currents asked Helen Hall, FOCI's executive director, “Is this a good turnout?” 

Helen Hall: “We’ve got a lovely turnout of people this morning, all ages and we're anticipating more people will turn out throughout the morning. We've also got BC Parks rangers coming out to help us as well, which is great news.”   

“ The reason we started clearing broom on the Spit originally was because of the coastal sand ecosystem. This grassy looking habitat doesn't look like very much, but it's actually an ecosystem that's quite rare up and down the coast.  When we started, about six years ago, it was covered in broom and it was getting shaded out. So we decided to remove broom from there.  Then we realized it was also all over the Spit. So partly to stop it growing back onto the beach, we decided to clear it on the Spit. Then we realized that the broom was out competing native shrubs like huckleberry.”

“We've now been doing this for six years and we are begining to see a difference. The coastal sand ecosystem is starting to thrive and we've noticed a lot more native shrubs coming in. It's a  good news story, but we have to keep on it because broom just keeps growing back.  So it's great to have volunteers coming out today to help do this.” 



FOCI 2025 Broom Bash At Mansons Lagoon

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - On March 21, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a press release stating that in 2023 Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped to their lowest level in 27 years (excluding the pandemic years). The exception in this otherwise positive picture was the oil and gas sector, where emissions continue to rise. However there is good news within that sector as well, ‘fugitive greenhouse gas emissions from oil and natural gas have decreased by 33% between 2013–2023, driven in part by Canada’s 2020 oil and gas methane regulations, which have reduced methane venting and leaks.’  

“The two main messages from the National Inventory report last week, which I feel are really important, is that climate policy works. Over the last 10 years, Canada's greenhouse gas emissions have gone down. Our methane emissions have gone down. Our electricity has become less emissions intensive, and all of that has happened while our economy has grown. This is a significant point to make. And this is something that environmental groups, activists, researchers, community leaders, all of them have been saying for decades,” responded Aly Hyder Ali, from Environmental Defence. 

“The other aspect of the report was that the oil and gas industry is holding us back. The oil and gas industry has failed to do its part when it comes to emissions reductions and if it was able to or willing to do that, Canadians would be in a much better place.”


Are Oil and Gas emissions holding Canada back from reaching its climate goals_

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - While she recognizes DRIPA as a valuable document, MLA Anna Kindy recently informed the SRD Board that she does not support ‘article 26.’ The topic came up when she took part in the May 26 Board meeting. 

Kindy began by stating, “ Part of the reason I'm here is to actually learn how things are run.  I'm not going to pretend I know everything, far from it.  It's a steep learning curve, but my motivation is to truly represent my constituents. I ran for a party, but I'm apolitical now that I am an MLA,  I just look at issues separately and try to bring people's voices to the legislature, to whoever it needs to be brought to.  I'm not a public speaker by nature, but I do answer questions very readily, so I'm just going to pass it over to you guys if you have any questions."

Regional Director Mark Vonesch, of Cortes Island, responded,  “My question is about Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People's Act (DRIPA). During the election, your leader spoke about dropping it and since then, members of your party have denied the graves that have been found in some residential schools. That's raised a lot of concern and I'm just wondering if you could comment on that.”

Anna Kindy:  “Okay, first of all, let's go back to the first question, DRIPA. You have to look at unintended consequences of every bill that passes. UNDRIP is from the United Nation and we are the only, and I will repeat the only jurisdiction worldwide that has adopted it word per word (as DRIPA).”

“Most of DRIPA is fine, I'm a hundred percent for economic reconciliation. What we've done is terrible and we need to reconcile what we've done. It's about treaties, it's about economic reconciliation. What DRIPA does, if you look at section 26,  there's a question of what will be the private property rights of every British Columbian.”

Article 26
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired.
2. Indigenous peoples have the right to own, use, develop and control the lands, territories and resources that they possess by reason of traditional ownership or other traditional occupation or use, as well as those which they have otherwise acquired.
3. States shall give legal recognition and protection to these lands, territories and resources. Such recognition shall be conducted with due respect to the customs, traditions and land tenure systems of the Indigenous peoples concerned.
Anna KIndy:  “The entire aspect of crown land will be under the jurisdiction of 4% of the population potentially to make decisions and I am of the opinion that we all have equal rights. We are all Canadian.” 

“Economic reconciliation means that we need to make sure that we lift First Nations out of poverty.  In this region, what that means is to support industries that are lifting them out of poverty. I'm an addiction doctor. If you look at the GNN nation (Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nations), they had 10 or 11 overdoses and suicides in a two month period in 2024. So this is urgent, I don't talk about semantics.”

“The issue is section 26. This is in a democracy and we're an equal society, we all should have the same rights.” 


Anna Kindy explains why she does not endorse part of DRIPA and more

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - All of the recent polls report the Liberals ahead in this election. If the election were held today, 338Canada  and CBC’s Poll tracker are projecting a landslide victory, with between 193 and 202 seats going to Mark Carney’s Liberal Party. It’s a bit more difficult when it comes to calculating the outcome in individual ridings. According to 338Canada’s projections, North Island-Powell River is the bluest of the four northern Vancouver Island ridings. Aaron Gunn is expected to receive about 47% of the popular vote, but projections rely on algorithms and past voting history, and there are some things that can sneak under the radar. 

For example, does 338Canada know about NDP candidate Tanille Johnson’s following, as the only non-Conservative councillor in the city of Campbell River? Or that Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash, her Campaign Manager and Deputy Campaign manager are all government staffers who have amassed an army of 150 volunteers to knock on doors, man the phones and put up lawn signs? Or of the small successes of a Green Party movie and conversation night? 

The following stories came out of interviews with an NDP Campaign manager, a Liberal Deputy Campaign manager and two of the leading Green Party campaigns workers. The Conservatives were to have replied by an email which, should it arrive later, will be published separately. 


Campaign Stories From North Island Powell River

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents -First Nations leaders are calling upon the Conservative Party of Canada to drop Aaron Gunn, candidate for North Island-Powell River, due to a series of tweets he made between 2019 and 2021.

More than 150,000 First Nation, Métis and Inuit children were taken out of their homes and forced to attend residential schools between the 1870s and 1997. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission called the residential school system "cultural genocide" in its final report released in 2015.

Gunn tweeted: “Why are the report authors (and now Trudeau) sensationalizing truly horrific events, that need to be examined honestly, with a loaded word like ‘genocide’ that does not remotely reflect the reality of what happened.”  

More tweets followed: 
“There was no genocide. Stop lying to people and read a book. The Holocaust was a genocide. Get off Twitter and learn more about the world”
“I understand that people have a misinformed view of history which they have reached following a steady and persistent attempt to discredit Canada’s past in order to undermine its institutions and future.”
“Residential schools were asked for by Indigenous bands in Eastern Ontario when John A MacDonald was still a teenager, but hey, why let the truth get in the way of a good headline.”  

“ I think Mr. Gunn's comments about Canadian Indian residential schools are absolutely appalling and utterly unacceptable for someone that is seeking public office. It shows me that he is completely untethered from the reality that First Nations have experienced in this country and completely absent from knowledge of what the government has done and spoken of. I believe it was in 2022 when the House of Commons spoke about what happened to First Nations people as genocide, and when the Pope of the Catholic church also spoke of it as genocide. For Mr. Gunn to just disregard these statements based upon reality of this country, it's absolutely appalling.  There's no way that I can envision anyone should be able to sit in public office with such blatant, racist perspectives,” explained Bob Chamberlain, a Powell River resident who served as the Union of BC Indian Chief’s Vice-President for 10 years and elected chief of the Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis [quick-wa-sut-uh-nook / hakwuh-meesh] First Nation for 14 years. 

The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) echoed this opinion in a press release issued on April 3:

“the FNLC is joining calls for the Conservative Party of Canada to drop Aaron Gunn, the candidate for North Island-Powell River, due to his horrific and offensive posts on X between 2019 and 2021 refuting that Indigenous people faced a genocide in Canada and that ‘residential schools were asked for by Indigenous bands.’ Such attitudes are extremely harmful and divisive and should not be held by those in public office.”

Terry Teegee, BC Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations, added "It's really concerning that perhaps the Conservatives can't work with First Nations peoples across this country, especially with a party that supports an individual of this type of view." 

Gunn has not responded to Cortes Currents requests for comment.  

When he was rejected as a potential candidate of the BC Liberal party in 2021, because of his views, Gunn claimed he had been blindsided:

“At worst, it could be argued that one of the tweets was more terse than necessary. But it is difficult to see how any of these tweets expressed extreme or factually dubious opinions that fall outside mainstream Canadian political thought. Especially considering “genocide” is most commonly defined as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group” – a rather serious accusation which, I believe, should only be used in those rare, extreme circumstances (such as the Holocaust, for example).” 

First Nation Leaders Call Upon Conservative Party To Drop Aaron Gunn As A Candidate

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - A growing number of elected and former politicians in the North Island Powell River riding are calling upon the Conservative Party to withdraw their endorsement of Aaron Gunn, and demand he withdraw his candidacy. There were already 19 names on this jpoint letter when Cortes Currents spoke to the two women spearheaded this campaign. 

 “This has all happened within the last 48 hours. I believe (Bob Chamberlain) a former Vice President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs who sent out the first call  for Gunn to be removed. After that many other chiefs supported the call for him to step down,” explained Arzeena Hamir,  a former Regional Director of Area B  in the Comox Valley Regional District.

 Wendy Morin, a City Councillor from Courtney, added. “When I saw  the repeated posts of comments that Aaron Gunn has made, particularly  that the experience of residential schools etc was not genocide, that's what really struck me as really harmful to First Nations communities in our region. Especially since the House of Commons unanimously stated that residential schools were genocide and, that was from  all parties, including the onservatives. I thought, wow, this is someone who's a candidate who's not even aligned with the previous MPs in the House of Commons.  I just felt that it was really important to show solidarity with the First Nations communities in our region, in the region where Aaron Gun is running.”

Arzeena Hamir:  “As elected and  former elected officials, we just wanted to support First Nations leaders in really emphasizing that call because it's just an unacceptable viewpoint.” 

Wendy Morin: “We felt that it was important to show leadership on this and  to show that local leaders across all different backgrounds, we don't all agree with each other. We don't all vote the same way, but on this issue we were very united.” 

Arzeena Hamir: “She and I sat down and crafted the letter and then sent it out for everybody else to sign.” 

Robyn Mawhinney, from Area C was one of the recipients,   “I, as a director in the Stratcona Regional District know that within the administrative boundaries of the Strathcona Regional District, there are 11 First Nations and there are many more First Nations when you look at the entirety of the North Island Powell River riding. I believe that reconciliation is multifaceted and much more than only economic reconciliation. I have grave concerns with our riding being represented by someone who doesn't appear to take this full spectrum of reconciliation seriously. First Nations Leadership Council and many other First Nations leaders have expressed concerns with Aaron Gunn and I support them.” 

Arzeena Hamir:  “We're not asking for the conservatives to not put up  a candidate because everyone has a right to representation, but that candidate obviously was not vetted properly. Apart from his very awful views on First Nations, there's just a long list of very disturbing comments that this person has made.  We don't believe that people like that should take the platform of a candidate.”

“I think many people who just vote Conservative normally,  don't even realize what he stands for. So this part of this letter is to raise that awareness in people so that they know,  and hopefully choose otherwise.” 


Elected and Former Politicians Calling For Aaron Gunn To Step Down

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Aaron Gunn, the Conservative candidate for North Island Powell River, has responded to some of the allegations made about his position on residential schools. I am reading this out from his Twitter feed. 

I’d like to clear up what has been said today.

I have always been firm in recognizing the truly horrific events that transpired in residential schools, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is simply false. I have never wavered in condemning these institutions of abuse, where countless First Nations suffered at the hands of a patronizing federal government. 

I have never wavered in condemning the theft of children from their families, or the forced destruction of Indigenous language, culture and traditions. 

Not only have I repeatedly denounced what happened at residential schools, through my documentaries I have also interviewed more than two dozen Indigenous leaders on the importance of economic reconciliation with First Nations while also highlighting the disproportionate impact the addictions crisis has had on their communities. 

Leader Pierre Poilievre explained it well at the AFN Assembly last July: 

I know that the relationship between First Nations and the federal government has been painful and destructive because of the federal government's terrible decisions. For decades, the residential school system removed children from the love and care of their families. It was a monstrous abuse of excessive governmental power that cut your children off from their cultures, languages, and traditions. In many cases, students were neglected and abused tragically. Too many young children never came home. Those were terrible crimes by a big and imposing government against each victim and against your communities. In 2008, the federal government under then Prime Minister Harper issued an apology and launched the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but there is more work to be done. I know that Canada has no future without a strong future for the First Nations people. 

We must acknowledge the terrible mistakes of our past and learn from our history while celebrating Canada as the greatest country on earth. 

I look forward to working with great candidates such as former Haisla Chief Ellis Ross, to repeal the Liberals’ radical anti-resource laws to quickly green-light good projects so First Nations and all Canadians bring home more powerful paycheques.



Aaron Gunn Respond- About Residential Schools

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The following statement was taken from Aaron Gunn's Twitter feed - I am firmly opposed to Putin’s heinous and illegal actions in Ukraine, and his oppression of the Russian people within Russia. I have held and articulated these views publicly for years. 

In early 2014, when I was still in my early 20s, I made foolish comments about Putin and Ukraine. I stopped holding those views a long time ago. 

Canada must support Ukraine in their defence against Russia’s illegal invasion, including by building pipelines to tidewater to displace Russian oil and gas and stop the funding of Putin’s war machine. A point I have made consistently in documentaries and viral videos since their second illegal invasion in 2022. 

Conservatives have a proud history of supporting Ukraine. It was under a Conservative government (Brian Mulroney) that on December 2, 1991, Canada became the first Western country to recognize Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union. Conservatives were the ones who successfully negotiated the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement. Stephen Harper led the charge to kick Russia out of the G7 following their invasion of Crimea. I’m proud to continue this legacy of support for Ukraine as they continue their fight against Russia’s illegal invasion.

Aaron Gunn Responds- About Vladimir Putin

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - In a series of tweets between 2019 and 2021, the Conservative candidate for North Island Powell River, Aaron Gunn, argued against the the idea that residential schools were a form of genocide.  In the first of these he agreed that they were ‘truly horrific events,’ but added that people should not refer to them with a loaded word like ‘genocide’ that does not remotely reflect the reality of what happened.” He was wrong, residential schools are a perfect example of genocide.

Mr Gunn’s understanding of the term appears to be limited to ‘killing of a large number of people,’ but when Raphael Lemkin coined the term he stated it wasn’t necessary to kill people. There were also genocides of political and social institutions, culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups.

Lemkin was a Jewish lawyer who fled from his native Poland after the Germans overran it in 1939. He was deeply concerned about NAZI Germany’s extermination policy.
In his book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe (1944), Lemkin wrote: 

“By ‘genocide’ we mean the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group. This new word, coined by the author to denote an old practice in its modern development, is made from the ancient Greek word genos (race, tribe) and the Latin cide (killing), thus corresponding in its formation to such words as tyrannicide, homocide, infanticide, etc. Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups.”
He added that. “Genocide has two phases: one, destruction of the national pattern of the oppressed group; the other, the imposition of the national pattern of the oppressor. This imposition, in turn, may be made upon the oppressed population which is allowed to remain upon the territory …”

Lemkin also coined the term cultural genocide, which is the systematic destruction of traditions, values, language, and other elements that make one group of people distinct from another. 
How does this relate to Aaron Gunn’s Tweets?

These three appear to be misguided: 
“There was no genocide. Stop lying to people and read a book …”; 

“I understand that people have a misinformed view of history which they have reached following a steady and persistent attempt to discredit Canada’s past in order to undermine its institutions and future.” 

“Residential schools were asked for by Indigenous bands in Eastern Ontario when John A MacDonald was still a teenager.”

This last remark refers to residential schools in eastern Ontario sometime between 1828 and 1835, when John A MacDonald was a teenager, but according to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the purpose of residential schools changed during the 1870s.

“With the passage of the British North America Act in 1867, and the implementation of the Indian Act (1876), the government was required to provide Indigenous youth with an education and to assimilate them into Canadian society.” 

Aaron Gunn, Residential Schools and the Meanings of Genocide

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Depending on which election poll you are looking at, the Liberals are leading by anywhere from 5 to 10 points nationally. The last poll to suggest the Conservatives were tied with them was taken by Abacus on February 4, 2025. An Angus Reid poll taken on April 7, 2025 found that in British Columbia the Liberal Party leads by 11 points. 

It’s more difficult to get a breakdown riding by riding. While 338Canada’s projections are generally fairly accurate, they are calculated using a mostly proportional swing model adjusted with provincial and regional polls. In North Island Powell River there are currently at least three factors which this approach does not take into account. 

Firstly there is the widespread reaction to a series of tweets Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn made between 2019 and 2021. Many people feel his comments about residential schools are demeaning to First Nations and at this point 57 elected and former politicians, as well as Frst Nation leaders, have signed a joint letter calling for his resignation. So has every other candidate in North Island Powell River. There is also a little group of 9 politicians, primarily based in Campbell River, who have come out in support of Gunn. However with this kind of controversy going on, it is difficult to believe that 48% of the electorate would vote for Aaron Gunn if there were an election today. 

There is also NDP candidate Tanille Johnson’s popularity with some of the electorate, and the fact Bob Chamberlain, former Vice President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, endorses her.  

Lastly, Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash, her Campaign Manager and Deputy Campaign Manager are all government staffers with an intimate understanding of how elections are run. When I interviewed Deputy Campaign Manager Holly Johnson last week, they had recruited 150 volunteers.  

Those are three good reasons to ignore 338Canada’s projections for North Island Powell River. 

The only poll that could tell us what is going on in North Island Powell River must be taken here.


Three Reasons 338Canada’s Riding Projections Don’t apply to North Island Powell River

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - This broadcast opened with the Klahoose Singers chanting a blessing to the forest and the land in general,  at the Forest Trust For The Children of Cortes Island Society AGM on Saturday, April 5, 2025.   

As many of you are aware, the Society was set up to try and obtain 624 acres of forest adjacent to Carrington Bay Regional Park on Cortes Island, that are currently managed by Mosaic. Around 40 people were present when Chair Chris Dragseth announced they were making progress in the negotiations for 261 acres. 

 “The society's been in place for 15 years and we've been in serious discussions with Mosaic since 2019, about the operational issues around negotiating a fair market value for the properties. We've done some work jointly with Mosaic over this period of time. We've hired timber valuation companies and land valuation companies to come to a point where we've had what we feel is a fair market value for the property. The big step is coming up. We are probably going to be in a position in the very near future to actually make an offer. This will really be the key point for 2025,” he began.

“Once that agreement is reached, the clock will start ticking because it will have a built in provision to allow us to do serious and significant fundraising over the coming months.”

“We can't and are unable at this point to give the value yet because we haven't finalized the price with Mosaic, but it's my expectation and my hope that in the very near future we're going to be able to give you some very positive news. Then we'll start moving forward.” 

The Society intends to purchase another 363 acres that are not included in this initial purchase.   

Chris Dragseth: “There's still three properties that are not in the package right now. Those three parcels were put into the carbon capture by Mosaic, through the Big Coast Program, and  they have another 20 years to unfold before those properties will come up for discussion. Those parcels will eventually become part of  a longer term discussion.  Once we take possession, probably in a year's time is what we're hoping for, then a longer term vision will be required.” 

Christine Robinson gave a slideshow of the property, what had taken place during the year, and an outline of the society's history. 

She asked, “I'm just curious, if you've been anywhere in the Children's Forest, just raise your hand.” 

 It seemed like the whole room responded.

Christine Robinson: “Lovely. We have a very familiar audience right now, all of you pretty much long term on Cortes, but it is  a gem in the heart of Cortes.”

As the audio quality was poor, here is a quick summary of her talk as written in the slideshow: 

The Children's Forest Trust was created in 2010 and would not have been possible without the expressed support of the Klahoose First Nation. 
These lands are ecologically significant and support 14 species at risk and the rare occurrences of 11 ecological communities.
Cortes Island is part of the Discovery Islands Archipelago that forms a ‘bridge’ between Mainland British Columbia and Vancouver Island and may provide important information on genetic diversity in species.
The geographic location of the 50th parallel north marks the transition between the Coastal Douglas-fir and Coastal Western Hemlock bio geoclimatic zones.
Important wildlife corridors are provided by landscape level ecological networks through the Children’s Forest.
In the last 12 years the Forest Trust For The Children of Cortes Island Society has delivered a strong youth nature based program that has become an important part of the youth culture on Cortes Island.

2025 Forest Trust For the Children of Cortes Island Society AGM

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Michael Keith and his wife Iris Gildea are leaving Cortes Island. 

 “This was a decision we made a while ago.  My wife teaches at the University of Toronto. When we moved to Cortes, we thought she was going to be leaving there, but in the last couple years some things changed and she's decided to stay. It's quite the commute between semesters and we started investigating the possibility of moving somewhere a bit closer to her work.  We found the ideal situation in the Maritimes. The commute is about a fraction of the time and we can get the place that really suited us. So we made that decision. It was tough, but  it's time for the next part of the journey,”  he explained. 

Cortes Currents: I heard you found a place in the Annapolis Valley 

Michael Keith: “That is correct. We have a friend down there help us arrange  to check it out and it's kind of like our dream place. Where we have been here on Cortes has been wonderful and very dreamy. This is a lot more suited to our needs, about six acres of land and right on the ocean. We're so excited,  but it's bittersweet.” 

“I will firstly miss just the beauty of this island, which I feel so blessed to have experienced for the last almost eight years. I'm sitting here right now looking over Hague Lake. I've recorded so much music, played and created so much right from here. I'll miss that greatly.”

“I also felt like I made some really lifelong connections with some people but  I really plan on maintaining a relationship with the island. It's important to me and of course  I felt very supported by just random people  who would come out and see me play and always have kind things to say.”

“I've done some awesome gigs with my friend Zach Sukuweh  who's just a great percussionist and fun guy.  Him and I have such a lovely rapport. We just played about a week and a half ago at the Gorge Hall  with Rick Bockner and Jerome. We each did a set and it was really, really fun.” 

Scotty Martin added, “Michael Keith and his wife Iris were a huge part of this community. It's going to be a giant loss that they are gone. People around here don't always realize how lucky we are to have such talented people. Michael and I have both been professional players. I could just call out a song, tell 'em what key and off we would play. My wife Shelly enjoyed playing with Michael.” 

“We had a great get together at Rex Weyler's. He's got a nice little jam space there, and it was a going away party for Michael Keith, one of the legendary guitarist entertainers of Cortes Island.” 

Rex Weyler explained “I got a call from Scotty, about a month ago and he said, ‘would you host a party for Michael and Iris who are going to leave the island?’ First of all, Michael and Iris leaving the island is a very sad thing 'cause they've been such a wonderful addition to the island and they're just two beautiful people. Michael is funny, talented. He's really brought the music quality up on the island a notch. His guitar playing and his creativity are wonderful and we will miss him. So anyway, I said to Scotty, ‘yes, we'll have a party here for Michael’ and we did.  

“Lots of Michael's friends showed up. We just had an afternoon in the studio here. We played music, we had a little jam, and sang some songs. We had some food, wine and beer.  It was a really nice day and it was people out on the lawn and people in the studio. Some people stayed over for dinner and so it was a really nice day.”

“We're going to really miss Michael. he can't come to LoveFest this year, but I'm going to invite him to LoveFest for 2026.” 

Michael Keith: “I love the idea. I would love  to do that. I know I'd have no problem finding a place to stay.” 


Michael Keith and Iris Gildea are leaving Cortes Island

Unedited recording of Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash's Wednesday April 9 meeting in the Pioneer room at Mansons Hall. The event was co-sponsored by the Cortes Island Seniors Society and Cortes Island Climate Action Committee.


Unedited audio of Jennifer Lash's April 9 meeting on Cortes Island

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - More than 400 Cortes Island residents responded to the recent survey about limiting the size of new houses. They were given a number of possible limitations, ranging from 2,500 to 4,300 square feet. While the vote was close, 52% of the respondents said ‘no’ and so there will be no size limits in Cortes Island’s draft Zoning Bylaw. 

Regional Director Mark Vonesch explained, “ I just want to start by thanking everybody for participating in the survey. We had 415 people respond and it was very divided.  For that reason, I'm not moving forward with the maximum house size.  There's clearly no consensus and that's okay. The reason  we do these surveys  is to be able to talk about an issue and express ourselves around what we want our island to look like. So I really appreciate everybody who filled it out  and lots of passion on both sides of the issue.”

Mark Vonesch

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On April 11, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Yasmina Cartland and Emma Tius to discuss their work with the DeathCare Collective and recent learnings from visiting guest presenter Emily Bootle. This conversation re-imagines end-of-life care through community-driven death education, advocacy, and support.
 
Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 6:30 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts. 

Folk U, April 11 2025 Death Care Collective

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The Blue Hat Memorial Project opens at 10 AM this morning, Tuesday, April 14, 2025. Campbell River artist and city councillor Ron Kerr has installed 50,000 flags at Tyee Spit (ʔUxstalis), representing the number of people who have lost their lives through Canada’s ongoing opioid crisis. 

 “What I really want to do is to stimulate conversation about the gaps in men and boy’s healthcare. These deaths are generally fentanyl drug deaths. If you look at the other results of addiction, alcohol addiction, and other kinds of addiction, the numbers are far higher. I don't think the men's health system is doing an adequate job of addressing that,” he explained.”

“ We're trying to do a ‘one size fits all’ and I understand that from a financial economic point of view, but I think we need a  lot more recovery facilities, better access, and second stage housing. We need ‘dry’ housing where they can get their lives together without the daily influence of addictive substances. Unfortunately, supportive housing right now is completely full of people still in their addiction. So if not onto the street, they're right back into that same kind of environment they left. That is a really important part of the picture.”  

“I think we need male specific facilities, so they're not going to go back into a situation where they're not being supported. We've only got one dedicated men's center in the province, where men can actually go and find services, find support, and find programs. It's just not supported.” 

“There's a reluctance to have something that is specifically male orientated, but I think we need men's health clinics where men and boys know that they're going to find people that understand them. Peer supportive groups are probably a lot less expensive, and I think it's more powerful for supportive recovery than all the psychiatrists in the world.” 

Cortes Currents: How did this become the Blue Hat project? 

Ron Kerr: “The problem for me, as an artist, was how to actually convey that number into something that people could feel.  Initially I had the concept  of having  a huge number  of blue hard hats,  because the number of men in trades and throughout a blue collar workforce  have been right from the start overrepresented in the numbers.”

“I thought of using the blue hard hat itself as a symbol, but the problem was that any kind of an installation, or art project, using blue hard hats was very expensive and just logistically hard to do. So it was a challenge and  I had been thinking about that for a year or two.”

“Last summer when I was sitting in my garden recovering from knee surgery, I looked at a project that I'd started in the yard before my operation. I had a number of sprinkler flags marking spots around the garden. I was sitting there watching them blow in the wind, and it just came to me that that was a way of  really signifying the immensity of death.” 




Blue Hat Memorial Project_ 50,000 flags on Tyree Spit

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - 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. 

He and his three crew members had just finished erected the rear frame, or bent, and were breaking for lunch. There was one more bent to go. 

“ You see these two forward footings. They will be taking yet another set of another pair of posts and braces and one more large beam. That's the  big, long black package lying right there. It's about 39 feet long. They are are big glulam beams and the frame was made by Island Timber Frame out of Cumberland.”
 
“T here will be a stage built about 12 feet deep and 16 to 18 feet wide. Not a very high stage, but 8 inches up.  Behind it will be a wall so that we don't disturb the neighbors with noise.”  

“On the sides there'll be a pony wall, and above the pony wall on both sides. It'll be clear polycarbonate probably. That'll provide a wind barrier, so people who are using the stage won't have to deal with wind on their mics.”

 “There'll also be a big clear panel on barn tracks,  that'll go forward to stop windblown rain” 

Cortes Currents:  What are they going to do with the audience area? 

Richard Andrews: “I’m not too sure yet. We'll probably spread out the soil and throw some grass seed down on it. There's no plan to do any kind of surface under the covered area. We don't have the budget, just getting this up is going to eat up the rest of our funding.”

Cortes Currents: Did you want to mention anything else that’s happening around here? 

Richard Andrews:   “We have the Nook, which is the shared office space and shared meeting space. The Cortes Housing Society is making good use of it today, and they're the main people who've been using it so far.” 

A block to the west of us, preparations for construction were taking place on the Cortes Housing Society’s premiere project. A four acre block had been carved out of the forest  for the Rainbow Ridge Affordable Housing Project. Construction on the first building will soon commence. As we spoke, two carpenters were erecting a wooden fence on the project’s border with the Cortes Island Senior’s Village. 

There was undoubtedly some mention of this in the meeting that was underway in the Nook. 

Cortes Currents: What’s happening to the Village Common’s old shared meeting place, the Pod? 

Richard Andrews: “T he little trailer, that's going to be repossessed by CCEDA and used as an information booth somewhere. I'm not sure what their plan is with it. What the Pod has been offering, the Nook will be offering more of the same, just bigger space.” 

He pointed to some long containers, close to the stage. 

“We have four C cans here and the two to the north of the site, closer to Manson's Hall are going to be used by the food bank. Their intention is to use them for food storage in Mansons because their facility attached to the radio station is too small for the amount of food that  they're distributing. We don't have a plan for the middle one, yet. The other  one that's furthest to the south will be used as the storage can for anything related to the pavilion. So for the lights, sound system, chairs, audio and what have you.” 

Cortes Currents left before the final bent was put up for the pavilion, but they sent pictures later that day.

The new stage  this summer will undoubtedly be well used this summer. 

New Pavilion & More Taking Shape in Manson’s Landing

Unedited audio from Green candidate Jessica Wegg's meeting on Cortes Island

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - Jennifer Pickford will be showing her documentary ECO Warriors at Mansons Hall on Tuesday April 22. 

 “This film is telling the story of several environmental activists who have faced imprisonment for their actions, as well as the actual and real threat of being labeled terrorists for protecting the land and the forest that they love,” she explained. 
 
“Eco Warriors is about 12 years old. It's one of my earlier works, but following on the footsteps of last year's Earth Day screening of 'Sacred India, A Plastic Revolution,' I wanted to show another film because I felt that not only is it still a relevant topic, but also it's just nice to have that continuity of having an Earth Day screening here on Cortes Island.”


“Eco Warriors” — A Story of Resistance and Reverence

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The federal election in North Island–Powell River (NIPR) may be far closer than recent projections suggest, but the ‘progressive’ vote is split between three parties (Green. Liberal and NDP). Some people are urging voters to rally behind a single alternative to Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn.

The Votewell and Smart Voting websites both declared the strategic vote in our riding  is the NDP candidate Tanille Johnson. As of Thursday, April 17, Johnson became the 18th Canadian candidate officially endorsed by Lead Now. So did the participants in a recent virtual townhall meeting on Cortes Island.   


Tight Race in North Island–Powell River_ Strategic Voters favouring Tanille Johnson

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - With only five days of campaigning left until the election, Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash says the energy on the ground in North Island–Powell River is palpable.

 “We've been door knocking, doing ‘meet and greets’ and town halls and phone banking. I am  hearing just an amazing amount of support. So I'm loving it,” she said. 

“This poll to me reflects  what people are telling us. So I am optimistic that the undecided will come over and join us and that we can send a Liberal to Ottawa.” 

She was referring to the poll that Mainstreet Research released on Monday, April 21, which is one of the reasons I wanted to speak with her. You can access it on the Mainstreet website, but need to pay. I also wanted to ask about last night’s all candidates meeting in Campbell River, which was cancelled at the last minute.

Cortes Currents: So tell me about this poll.

Jennifer Lash: “ We did not commission this poll, that's why it's behind a paywall. If we commissioned it, we would own it and we could share it. What it shows is that while the Conservatives are still in the lead, the Liberals are second and within the Conservative’s margin of error, while the NDP are in third, quite considerably.”

Cortes Currents: Jennifer sent that data, which shows the Conservatives at 35%, the Liberals at 27% and the NDP at 18%. As this is the property of Mainstreet Research, I cannot post the chart but the Liberal campaign staff have drawn up a chart of their own. 

Jennifer Lash:  “The margin of error is plus or minus 4.1%, with a 95% confidence level.” 

Given that they are only 8% apart, this poll indicates that it is possible, though unlikely, that Liberals are actually tied with the Conservatives
In another poll, released on Sunday and commissioned by the David Suzuki Foundation, it was the NDP who came in second and the Liberals trailing considerably behind.  

Jennifer Lash:  “What this tells me is that there's going to be a lot of different polls and projections that say different things. I know there's a lot of angst out there amongst people who particularly are worried about the Conservatives winning and really looking for some direction on how they should cast their vote so that they can unite as much as possible to keep the Conservatives out. But right now there's no data that says exactly what you should do, and I don't think there ever will.”  

“Some people are going to choose to believe some polls and not others, and that's totally fine. People can do that, but I think what it comes right down to is there is no definitive poll that's going to tell people exactly what to do.  People need to vote for either the Prime Minister, the party, or the MP that they want.” 

“What we're hearing is overwhelmingly, people want to have Mark Carney as the Prime Minister,  which means you have to vote Liberal.  I know  that people say that Carney's just going to win no matter what, but that's not necessarily true.”

“If we really want Mark Carney as Prime Minister, people need to vote for the Liberal party. If people want a member of Parliament who is part of Mark Carney's government and can help deliver programs, then people need to vote for the Liberal party and that means voting for me.”

Cortes Currents: I also wanted to ask about the all candidates meeting that was cancelled last night. 

Jennifer Lash talks about another poll, the cancelled all candidates meetings and more

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - NDP candidate Tanille Johnson will coming to Gorge Hall on Cortes Island. This is the last in a series of Meet and Greets organized by the Cortes Island Climate Action Network that has also included meetings with Green Party candidate Jessica Wegg and Liberal candidate Jennifer Lash. Conservative candiate Aaron Gunn was also invited, but has not taken advantage of this. As I am going to be off island when Tanille is here, we had an interview ahead of time. 

Cortes Currents: What’s the big question on voters’ minds during this election?

Tanille Johnson:  “Oh man, there's a lot of big questions right now!Honestly, what I spend most of my day talking about is people are terrified at the possibiloity of having Conservative representation in the federal government, and like ‘what's the strategic vote for North Island Power River?’” 

“I really end up being in a lot of these conversations, breaking down strategic voting, what it means and apologizing for it. We're in this situation because our Liberal government did not follow through with its promise of proportional representation, which would've allowed people to vote for the person that they felt was going to do the best job for them. We are now essentially getting shoved into a two party system that nobody wants. We don't want to mimic our United States relations to the south, but here we are. That's a big discussion right now across the board. Every riding is talking about it.” 

“It doesn't discount the real threat of all the ongoing tariffs from Trump. It doesn't discount the threat of annexation that Trump is bringing. It doesn't diminish our healthcare crisis, our housing crisis, or our opioid crisis, but right now it feels like people are most fearful of a Conservative government.”

Cortes Currents: Two polls have just come out,—one by Research co suggests you’re best placed to stop a Conservative win, the other by Mainstreet Research says it’s the Liberals. What do you make of this?

Tanille Johnson: “I t honestly doesn't make sense because there is such a stark contrast, there shouldn't be a stark contrast at all.  I think it's fairly well known that Mainstreet is operated by Conservative pollsters.” 

Cortes Currents:   I wasn't aware of that, so I did a quick fact check. There's a list of national polls on the 338Canada website. The vast majority of the 94 polls taken between April 1st and April 21nd, reported that the Liberals were leading in this race, but there are 6 polls that stated the Conservatives were either leading or tied with the Liberals. 5 of those 6 ‘outlying’ polls were taken by Mainstream Research.

Tanille Johnson: “I think it was 571 people out of like a hundred thousand voters.  Like, if you had a hundred thousand people and you only asked 500 of them a question, are you really going to solidly depend on that answer for whatever your decision making is moving forward? I would hope not, because that is a tiny sample size.” 

Cortes Currents: Tell me some highlights of the campaign for you.

Tanille Johnson:  “Here's a super funny one.  We were door knocking in Campbell River just the other week.  I knocked on a door and this gal opened and she was so excited to see me. She kissed both of her hands and then put her hands on either sides of my face.  She's like, 'keep doing what you're doing.'  It was just so cute and awesome.” 

“It's been a highlight watching people get creative with their support. There's been some really cool like self-made bumper stickers that say, 'Go Tanille' or 'Vote NDP, Vote Tanille.’"

“It was a huge honor to have Megan Hildebrandt donate a vote Tanille Design,  to be able to screen print 'Vote Tanille' t-shirts by hand in Powell River. That was super, super cool and amazing.” 

“It's been really just an honor to travel the whole riding and get to meet people from all over the place and have the time to sit and listen to their concerns.” 


Tanille Johnson Coming to Gorge Hall on April 24

Manada AUfochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On April 4, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Dayna Davis and Christina Macwilliam to chat about education, the importance of play, attachment, and children’s development. This is a fascinating conversation with two incredible Cortesian educators.
 
Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 6:30 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts. 

Folk U talks about education, the importance of play, and children’s development

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - I volunteered for the NDP Party during the 1968 election. Aside from that, the only campaign headquarters I’ve stepped inside was Elizabeth May’s Salt Spring Island office in 2019. So when in the midst of doing errands in Campbell River, I found myself with more than an hour to spare, it seemed like a fun idea to visit a campaign headquarters. Somebody told me the ‘red guys’ are behind Save On Foods, which is how I ended up at Jennifer Lash’s headquarters.

After returning home, I learned that yet another poll has been conducted in our riding. The first two were not connected to any political party, but the LIberals comissioned #3. Like poll #2 which was not their’s, it shows the Liberals having taken over the second place slot. After contacting 318 voters in North Island Powell River between April 20 and 21, Spadina Strategies reported that 37% intended to vote for the Conservatives, 30% for the Liberals, 25% for the NDP, 5% Green and 2% were undecided. 

The projection website Poliwave is also reporting a shift in voter intention. On April 18, they stated the #2 party in our riding was the NDP.  Their latest projection, published on Wednesday April 23, showed the Conservatives at 45%, the Liberals trailing at 29%, the NDP at 20% and the Green’s at 5%.

This is not what I intended to report, when I dropped in at the Liberal Party’s Campbell River office on Friday. Jennifer Lash was away, knocking on doors, but there were five people gathered in the entrance when I arrived. A young woman immediately detached herself from their conversation. She was one of the four staffers from Ottawa who are working on the Liberal campaign. Sarah Manney gave me permission  to walk around the office taking pictures and interviewing people. I started with her.

 Sarah Manney: “Well, I'm Sarah, I'm the campaign manager. I was working in Ottawa, but grew up in Comox. My family's in Nanaimo. When I found out that Jen was running, I knew her in Ottawa and I said, ‘this is the candidate I've always dreamed of for my hometown.’ What better person could I ask for to represent the people I grew up with.’ So it was just a dream to be able to come work for her and try to make that a reality here in North Island Powell River.”

“My whole family's been knocking on doors. We have Jen's family. We have at least five times the number of volunteers that we've ever had in this riding. It's amazing just to see the energy. The other day someone remarked, ‘I've never seen so many Liberals in one place.’ It was just this magical feeling like we've all waited for this moment to have someone like Jen to rally around.”

The next person I interviewed looked a lot like Jennifer Lash, for good reason.

“My name is Wendy Lash. I am Jennifer's sister.” 

Cortes Currents: How did you end up working for her in a campaign office? 

Wendy had not been expecting that question, but after a few hesitant seconds she suddenly sounded like an old pro. 

“Well, how can you not support somebody when they're living their purpose? Jen has had a fabulous career of doing good for many people and many things in Canada, but right now -  this is an important time for us! She's bravely taken this on and she's doing a fabulous job. When we heard that she was going to be doing this,  as a family, we knew we needed to support her. So we booked our tickets and we've come from Ontario.  We are thrilled to be here and in action.”

Cortes Currents: Whereabouts in Ontario are you from? 

Wendy Lash: “My husband and I are from Barrie.  Our sister Catherine is coming from Toronto. Jen's kids  are coming back from Ontario and they're also here with us.”

Visit to the Liberal Headquarters in Campbell River & Poll #3

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - It was Earth Day at Wild Cortes, Cortes Island’s centre for natural history, community science and collaborative conservation.

“It is a very exciting place to be, with new displays coming in every year, always on Earth Day. That's probably the most important thing to say. It's Earth Day, so let's celebrate,” explained Sabina leader Mense, a professional advisor to Wild Cortes. 

The centrepiece of this year's displays is the ‘Humpback Comeback’ section highlighting the stunning recovery of Humpback Whales in our local waters. 

Sabina Leader Mense: “They used to be  everywhere, then the Douglas Whaling Station was set up in Whaletown Bay. Its history is in the little display here, ‘the Dawson Whaling Company, 1869.’ It only lasted a year. They realized it was not the most optimum site, so moved it down to Hornby Island the next year. So we only had the legacy of bonking Humpback Whales on the head and flensing them for a year, but the name stuck. That's how ‘Whaletown’ got its name. The Humpbacks completely disappeared. We eliminated them from the Strait of Georgia, not a Humpback to be seen.”

Cortes Currents: When did they start coming back?

Sabina Leader Mense: “Some of the first Humpbacks that we saw were in the early eighties. I was working out at the Bamfield Marine Station,running research programs, but I put myself through university fishing off the West Coast and would interact with the fishermen.  They started telling me that they were seeing Humpback Whales out on the finger bank in the early eighties and sure enough, the Humpbacks were coming slowly back to the coast of BC.”  

“Then we have this brilliant work by the Marine Education Research Society (MERS) whose work  Donna Collins is featuring in this display.”

“The Marine Education and Research Society has been documenting them and identifying them individually,” said Collins, who is also one of Cortes Wild's co-curators.

“Donna  has done a fantastic job. There's lots of pictures and  all kinds of interesting things, including  two sea lion skulls, both of which were found on local beaches,” added Laurel Bohart, Cortes Wild’s other co-curator.

Sabina Leader Mense: “We can reliably identify Humpback Whales from the underside of their tail flukes, as well as the little nubbin that we call the dorsal fin but the underside of the tail flues is very characteristic. They have these colorations, black and white splotches, big chunks taken out of them, very readily identified by the underside of the tail flukes.”

Donna Collins: “As of 2024, 776 Humpback Whales have been identified.”

Sabina Leader Mense: “That’s in their entire catalog for BC.” 

“We  brought Jackie Hildering, from MERS, in six years ago. 86 individual Humpback Whales were identified in 2019. This figure of 86, why it's so impressive is it's from here. There were 86 individua Humpbacks found in the area from the northern end of Cortes to Powell River, across to Heriot Bay on Quadra Island.” 


Earthday & The New Exhibits at Wild Cortes

Roy L Hales/Cortes currents - What does it mean to be a neighbour on Cortes Island? This  question is at the heart of the new Cortes Island Museum exhibition 'Won't You Be My Neighbour?' curated by Melanie Boyle, Managing Director of the museum and Monica Hoffman. Opening Sunday May 4th the exhibit invites visitors on a visual and narrative journey through both the historical and contemporary communities that shaped life on the island.

“The  idea of focusing on neighbourhoods came from the prior exhibition, ‘From the Ground Up,” explained Hoffman.

Boyle added, “We did touch on how people work together to build structures, in terms of collaboration.  It was also about repurposing material and sharing of resources and, in a way, this is also what this new exhibition is about. Collective land arrangements are a way for people to live affordably on Cortes, to share  the land, but also to share the material, resources and work collaboratively. So there's a lot of overlap.” 

Monica Hoffman: “This is about those very focused areas on the island, such as Tiber Bay, Blue Jay Lake, or Siskin Lane - that sort of community, and what it means to be a neighbour is all about.” 

Cortes Currents: It is also about the definition of ‘community,’ in all its manifestations from the pioneer era to modern times, from ‘communal groupings’ to individual dwellings.   

Monica Hoffman: “A focal point for this exhibition is this north facing wall where we have a map of Cortes Island. We focus on various communities and give a little bit of commentary and interviews  with  the shareholders and the landholders. Some of these we did look at briefly in the prior exhibition, but this allows there to be a bit more space and more opportunity to explore them more.” 

Melanie Boyle: “Monica’s right, this wall is a little microcosm of the community itself. It's a reference to all the voices that make this exhibition happen. This exhibition stemmed  from an interview we did during the last exhibition with Amy Robertson, who is one of the co-founders of Treedom. Jill Milton and Bernice McGowan interviewed Paul Kirmmse, who is one of the co-founders of Redlands.  We spoke with Ron Bazaar. Jim Murphy came into the museum and spoke about Tiber Bay.  We also interviewed Ron Wolda, more to do with the mill itself. I know Ron from selling the spoons  as a craftsperson and I didn't know his ties to Vancouver, the business community and now Tiber Bay.” 

Monica Hoffman: “I didn't know where that Tiber Bay connection started.”  

Melanie Boyle: “It was serendipity and people looking at that particular time for options to live on Cortes or just live on the coast.  Land comes available  and  they organize a bunch of people to get together to purchase the land. Everwoods came out of discussions that were happening at Hollyhock at the time.”

“We respect the fact that these are the co-ops and collaborative living arrangements on Cortes, of people who are willing to actually share their story.  We only can profile a small handful. There are people who choose to remain private and we respect that, of course, but these would be ones that are publicly known.” 


'Won't You Be My Neighbour' Exhibit explores Community Life on Cortes Island

Manda AUfochs Gillespie - Folk U - On May 2, 2025, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Ashley Zarbatany to to unpack the outcomes of the recent federal election, explore the roots of confusion around strategic voting, and consider what these results might mean for the future of Canada and Cortes!

 Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 6:30 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts. 

Folk U - Unpacking the 2025 Election

Spring Gardening Tips & Museum Hours

On June 13, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by community leaders and organizers, Duane Hanson, Mark Vonesch, Jemma Hicken, Sadhu Johnston, Cora Moret, and Immanuel McKenty, to chat about summer 2025. There’s a lot happening on our small island! Tune in for community updates, developments, programming, and more!

 

Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 6:30 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts. 

What's Happening on

Jemma Hicken/Folk U -  On June 20th, 2025 guest host Jemma Hicken was joined by the Awakeneers, a 6-person, mostly-sibling folk band, for a short live set and interview. Tune in to listen to some fiddle and folk, hear about the upcoming grand opening of the Village Commons on June 27th, and learn quite a lot about beans.

Performance Highlights: Vancouver Island MusicFest (2023), Shaw Spotlight (2022 & 2024), Duncan Showroom (2024), CBC Radio One.

"One of the most talented and professional groups of musicians I’ve ever worked with" — Karen Seaboyer, Best Roots & Traditional Album JUNO juror, Campbell River Arts Council 

"wonderfully entertaining show ... left us all with a smile on our faces and a song in our hearts!" — Patty Castle, Artistic Director, Victoria Folk Music Society.

Folk U Radio June 20 2025 Awakeneers Live in Studio

Francesca Gesualdi/Listening In - The True Deceiver (1982; Swedish: Den ärliga bedragaren, lit. "The Honest Deceiver") is a novel by Swedish-Finnish author Tove Jansson. It was translated into English by Thomas Teal and won the Best Translated Book Award in 2011

Listening In - The True Deceiver

Cortes Currents is a news platform that asks what's current in Cortes and the Discovery Islands. Web articles & radio podcasts: Cortes Island, Quadra Island, Discovery Islands, Campbell River: news, lifestyle, local politics, affordable housing, economy, food security, health, ferries, tourism, history,  culture, environmental issues, sustainable forestry, oyster farming, the arts, First Nations, energy, climate change, overshoot

Cortes Currents (https://cortescurrents.ca/)

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