Cortes Currents

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

  1. 2d ago

    Campaign Update from NDP Candidate Sara Lopez

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Normally when a politician describes some of their party's problems, they tend to deflect or make excuses. That is not what happened when Cortes Currents asked NDP candidate Sara Lopez for an update on her campaign. She seems to revel in the difficult conversations and seeking solutions, but also had some criticisms of Anna Kindy's performance as an MLA.   Cortes Currents: Tell me about your campaign. Where have you been? What have you been doing?  Sara Lopez: "I've been door-knocking. A lot of door-knocking and canvassing and the more that I can get done, the better. My absolute favourite part of the campaign is meeting people and hearing what makes them tick. What they're mad about, what they hope for the world: all of that good stuff and the more diverging opinions, the better. Folks who actually want to engage in a bit of conversation, I love. "Otherwise, I'm meeting with leadership from a lot of different community groups, boards, things like that, just to get an understanding of where things are and where they'd like them to be. What they feel their most pressing needs are, for the communities they serve. It's allowing me to see the complexity of the experiences being felt here on the North Island."  Cortes Currents: Tell me about some of these conversations you've been having, and where have you been having them?  Sara Lopez: "So far I've been campaigning mostly Campbell River, Quadra and then we did have an event on Quadra where we invited folks from Cortes. I know that's not ideal. It does require them to travel, but it was open to them. Otherwise, it's been meetings on Zoom like this, or going to people, or having them come to our campaign office. "I've had a few really great phone conversations with some indigenous leaders from up north. I am doing a tour up north, Wednesday, and I think maybe Thursday morning, and then coming back Thursday afternoon. It being a very short-timeframe/snap election, I just won't have the time to visit much of the further reaches of our riding." "What I'm hearing a lot on the doorstep is frustration, to be completely honest. There's the frustration around the timing of the election. There's frustration around the economy. People are scared. They're worried about making sure that they can keep or find good jobs, that their kids will be able to find good jobs after they're done with their schooling and make sure that they can come back to the North Island. "Small business owners are really feeling pressure from tariffs, but  there's also the pressure of rising rental costs. Commercial rents aren't protected in the same way that residential tenancies are. A lot of small business owners are feeling the strain in recruiting and keeping a skilled workforce, and what those skilled workforce expect in terms of remuneration. "That's a direct result of that workforce needing to pay for a higher cost of living everywhere else. They can't afford to work for minimum wage anymore. They can't feed their families and pay their rent on that income." "Folks are worried about healthcare. I'm hearing a lot of concern around the long-term care home in Campbell River; obviously, the emergency room closures up north; being able to recruit enough doctors. "I'm having lots of conversations about environmental protections. I just got off the phone with someone who works in climate action and spends all of her free time in our wild spaces. She just had a wealth of information in terms of what she's observed firsthand, what she's found while researching, and how that's making her feel right now in terms of which party to vote for and how to best move forward."

    Campaign Update from NDP Candidate Sara Lopez

  2. 3d ago

    Ńíkiki: Survival of the Indigenous Peoples

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Hollyhock hired an Indigenous woman named Ńíkiki to take pictures of the recent Social Venture Institute. She photographed people at the sessions, the oyster bake and the closing dance party. One day Ńíkiki came as a speaker. Some people may find parts of the interview that follows disturbing. In particular, there have been repeated allegations that colonial authorities used smallpox-infected blankets as a biological weapon to eradicate the First Nations populations of North America. The defenders of Fort Pitt employed this tactic against their Native American besiegers in 1763. In his book The True Story of Canada's 'War' of Extermination on The Pacific, Tom Swankey cited widely held Indigenous traditions that the catastrophic depopulation of B.C. by smallpox in 1862/63 was ethnic cleansing. One of his supporting pieces of evidence was the fact that 90% of the Tsilhqot’in and Haida populations perished, but missionaries vaccinated the Nanaimo and they only lost 18%. In Victoria, the white population were vaccinated and First Nations peoples were driven away. They took the disease back to their communities. While few academics appear to believe the smallpox outbreak was a deliberate government policy, the Canadian Encyclopedia states, 'it paved the way for colonists to move further into Indigenous lands without establishing treaty relations.' The allegation that the government deliberatedly infected First Nations with smallpox was only a small part of what Ńíkiki had to say, but it's also the part I find most disturbing. She told the story of what her people once were, what happened as a result of European colonization and her hopes for their restoration. Ńíkiki: "In Chesh Ńíkiki. My name is Ńíkiki. I am Lil'wat from the Stl’atl’imx Nation, in the so-called Pemberton–Whistler area. And my territory goes north past Lillooet to Bridge River and east almost to Cache Creek, and south almost to Agassiz, like Harrison Hot Springs area, and west past Pemberton Valley." Cortes Currents: Some of the territory you just mentioned would be also shared by Tsleil-Waututh, Katzie and Kwantlen First Nations, wouldn't it? Ńíkiki: "Yes, the Stó:lō people (which all those nations belonged to) were pretty closely related, but that's where I'm saying it would border. Those are the nearest towns that are recognizable close to the boundaries of our territory. "The whole concept of territories is pretty new as well. Every native community is claiming to be a nation now, but it's only because of when colonizers showed up and they started trading and buying things. All of the natives started claiming territories because of the resources that were in it that they could trade. "Before that, that wasn't how it was. Like, the Secwépemc people (Shuswap people) and my people, the Stl’atl’imx, as well as the Okanagan Indian Band and the Syilx people, we were all one people before, but it started getting divided with trade. Obviously we had our own trade, but I mean trade with colonizers. It became more and more divided as reserves were put into place and we weren't allowed to leave them. Now every community has a larger overarching tribe. We're getting more and more separated, but pre-contact, it wasn't like that. "Where I’m from is called Lil’wat and I’ve been told it translates as the land of plenty. We had so much food that nobody was fighting. There was no need to fight. The only people we were fighting were the Tsilhqot’in people on the long-lasting wars. "Nobody really fought for anything. We weren't fighting over land. We were just all taking care of it and doing our part. It was a very different experience. Now there's 204 separate nations, but we're all the same people.

    Ńíkiki: Survival of the Indigenous Peoples

  3. 4d ago

    Green Candidate Benjamen Olsson Comes To Cortes Island

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Green Party candidate Benjamin Olsson kicked off a three-day tour of rural areas in North Island riding, by visiting Mansons Landing on Friday October 16. He did a quick visit to the downtown Mansons area, from Marnie's Books to Rainbow Ridge, and finally met with a group of local residents the Pioneer Room of in Mansons Hall. Cortes Currents: Why should people in Cortes vote for you? Benjamin Olsson: "I would hope that people on Cortes would vote for a Green candidate who understands what living sustainably really means and having a political option that basically reflects their values. When I come to Cortes, and I come to Quadra and meet with people and see all the amazing things that are happening and the work that's been done by the community around sustainability, social impact, and community connection, those are all things the Green Party supports. "We're all about trying to live more sustainably, support local businesses and local decision-making. So I would hope that the Greens are in line with a lot of islanders' wishes, ways of being and doing things. If there's certain disagreements, I want to hear that as well. I want to hear what people have on their mind and different ways of going about stuff. I think just having an alternative vision is the most important thing."

    Green Candidate Benjamen Olsson Comes To Cortes Island

  4. Oct 14

    Catherine Bell_ The Enneagram as a Leadership and Cultural Roadmap

    Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - Best selling author Catherine Bell led a Workshop Breakout called 'The Enneagram as a Leadership and Cultural Roadmap' at the 2016 Social Venture Institute Hollyhock. She is the founder of the Awakened Company, which helps organizations create healthy corporate cultures through awakening the self, relationships, and team dynamics. Her first book, 'The Awakened Company,' was awarded the Nautilus Book Award in Business and Leadership and became a bestseller one week after its release.It was also featured as “8 of the Best Leadership Books of 2015” on Amazon. Her second book, 'the Creative Moment, Awaken Creativity through the Enneagram' will be released on November 24, 2026 Catherine Bell: "The Enneagram is a profound typology or roadmap for how do we be more present in our lives. It originates from 2500 BC, and there's a man called Gurdjieff who didn't talk about the nine different personality types, but really activated this work. Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo made it more modern. It's based on Pythagorean theorem, mathematics, and wisdom traditions from many different lineages." Cortes Currents: How does that apply to business? Catherine Bell: "Great question, can you guess what percentage of leaders are self-aware?" Cortes Currents: No. Catherine Bell: "10% to 15% of leaders are self-aware, and we know the highest performing leaders are those that are self-aware. What the Enneagram does is it helps us to understand what is our default patterning so that we can be more self-aware and better leaders." Cortes Currents: What do you mean by self-aware? Catherine Bell: "Knowledge of what our gifts are and what our work-ons are. Often that means about 90% of leaders are sleepwalking, while 10% are actually awake to who and what they are." Cortes Currents: How does studying the Enneagram change this? Catherine Bell: “We become aware of our default patterns so we can be more of service, use different lenses, and understand what it means to become a more complete human being. "Often we’re just walking around with our default—we don’t even understand what it is. The Enneagram shows us our default and gives us different ways of being so we can become more whole. "I believe everybody is whole. We just need to know what our lenses are. And when we’re present with the divine, something else happens—it opens up more freedom for how we are, and how we act.”

    Catherine Bell_ The Enneagram as a Leadership and Cultural Roadmap

  5. Oct 14

    Social Venture Institute case study_ Grant Granted Ai

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - One of the case studies at the recent Social Venture Institute Hollyhock was a Vancouver based firm called GetGranted AI, which helps small and medium sized businesses securegrants. They developed their own AI technology and, for a higher fee, also offer the additional insight and guidence provided by human advisors. According to Stephanie Sang, the founder and CEO of GetGranted AI, they have a 92% success rate. Stephanie Sang: "The granting world is changing. COVID was really a free for all for any business that was established with staff. That they could get their rent covered or their payroll, portion of their payroll covered. I think it did create this habit of companies going, "Oh, well, I'm doing this now. I wonder if there's a grant available for that. "Canada's in a different spot right now. They're investing in areas that are very specific to their goals, like defense, like clean technology, like construction and so grants are more competitive. I think it's the early bird that gets the grant.

    Social Venture Institute case study_ Grant Granted Ai

  6. Oct 14

    SHARE at Social Venture Institute Hollyhock 2026

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - SHARE Family & Community Services originated as a clothing exchange in someone's basement. Over the years they added a drop-in for men and women, a Mother’s Club, a crisis line, a recycling program, and food and toys for those in need. in 1990, SHARE established its sister organization, 43 Housing, which now operates 388 units of affordable housing across six locations in the Tri-Cities. SHARE is a registered charity, an independent, community-based non-profit and one of the largest employers in the Tri-Cities. They are expanding again and were one of the Case Studies at Social Venture Hollyhock. Claire MacLean (CEO of SHARE): “We are a full-service social service organization. We support seniors, we support folks struggling financially with the local food bank and housing. We also deliver mental health and addiction services, and supports for kids with disabilities. It’s really a full-spectrum service support. We serve about 30,000 people a year.” Cortes Currents: What was the particular problem that you brought to Hollyhock? Claire MacLean: “I was interested in getting support around how we aggressively scale our fundraising. We are very keen to expand our services. The need is growing, but it’s also a very effective and efficient model that we want to bring to more people—and we need more money in order to be able to do that.” Cortes Currents: What do you need to expand specifically? Claire MacLean: “A lot of it is about the connector folks. Some of those core services exist, but people don’t know how to get to them. There’s government financial support, for example, but if you don’t speak English as a first language, or if you’re not confident navigating a very complicated system, it’s hard to figure out how to apply for government subsidies. So we have staff specifically for that. "They’re there to listen to people’s stories, understand them in their whole context, and connect them - facilitating those connections with the right supports and services to fundamentally change their lives.” Cortes Currents: What did you get out of this morning? Claire MacLean: “Two things I would say. First, a support and an affirmation that we’re on the right track—that we’re doing good work, and that the decisions we’ve made so far are leading us toward our goals. That’s incredibly affirming. "Second, some very tangible, real pieces around how we can be better at raising dollars. There were good suggestions around how we communicate with our donors, how we build new donors and foundations, and corporate sponsors. So there were some really good, tangible takeaways for sure.” Cortes Currents: Is there anything else you would like to add? Claire MacLean: “I’m just incredibly grateful to Cortes Island and the traditional people, and to Hollyhock as well for hosting this. It’s been a wonderful experience.”

    SHARE at Social Venture Institute Hollyhock 2026

  7. Oct 12

    Benjamin Olsson, the Green Party Candidate for North Island

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Island - Benjamin Olson, a social worker from Campbell River, is the Green Party candidate for North Island Benjamin Olsson: "The voters of North Island deserve and should have the right to choose another party and have another choice in this coming election. I really feel that we don't need a two-party system like the US does, and that we need to have another option. "I have the time, and some background, and can be a good representative for our area as well." Cortes Currents: What policies would you like to see implemented? Benjamin Olsson: "There are different policies and platform planks of the Green Party that are coming out every day, but there are a number of really strong ones. We should pause and impose severe limits on new AI data centres. We also need to seriously examine our old-growth forests in this province. End old-growth logging and create more sustainable jobs in our communities. "We’ve only touched the surface of the green energy possibilities in many communities. Withdrawing subsidies for the oil and gas industry and ending fracking in the north is something that has to happen. "Healthcare for our area is so important. We have long wait lists. People are having trouble connecting with a general practitioner or a nurse practitioner. There’s more we need to do in those areas too. "There are a number of Green Party policies that say, 'Hey, you know what? There are a lot of people in the province who aren’t paying their fair share right now.' That could make a huge difference in generating revenue that we could use to fund the things we actually need. "Housing is another really important part of the platform. Many people are spending 50% or more of their income just having a roof over their heads. There’s a lot more that needs to be done—supporting more social housing, more low-income housing, and housing geared toward people on fixed incomes, including people with disabilities, seniors, and young people just starting out. "I also support increasing supports for our communities, including community safety. Some people in Campbell River feel uncomfortable or unsafe in certain areas of town. How do we tackle that? One answer is increasing policing or increasing bylaw enforcement, or expanding the 'war on drugs.' "We know those approaches don’t work. They’re very expensive, and they don’t get us the results we need. What we actually need is to house people, feed people, and clothe people. We need to give people something meaningful to do, and we need to support people with their addictions and mental health." "Those are the things that will help keep our streets safer, help everyone feel safer, and improve health and wellbeing across our province."

    Benjamin Olsson, the Green Party Candidate for North Island

  8. Oct 12

    Unedited Recording Oct 10, 2026 All Candiates Meeting on Cortes Island

    Unedited audio fOct 10 All candidate's meeting Cortes Island

    Unedited Recording Oct 10, 2026 All Candiates Meeting on Cortes Island
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About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Cortes Currents (https://cortescurrents.ca/)
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    500
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Cortes Currents