Cortes Currents

Cortes Currents (https://cortescurrents.ca/)
  • 0.0 (0)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED DAILY

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. On the threshold of a Liberal Majority

    1D AGO

    On the threshold of a Liberal Majority

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Between the opposition MPs who crossed the floor and three by-elections coming up on April 13, Mark Carney's Liberal government is on the threshold of forming a majority government. Jessica Wegg, the Green Party candidate during the last two elections, observed, “We're two votes away from the Liberals having a majority. I don't know that it matters that much to Carney. His policies skew so far toward what Conservatives would want anyway, he is getting lots and lots of support. I think it would be risky for him to call a general election because it's not necessary. As he gets closer and closer to having a majority without a general election, it would be harder and harder to sell to Canadians that it would be necessary to call everybody to the polls again, spend all this money again on a general election when he's doing everything he wants and just ramming through bills without even having a majority.” Narrator: In another one of his social media posts, Aaron Gunn declared, "Mark Carney is currently attempting what is maybe the least democratic thing in Canadian history, cobbling together an illegitimate majority he didn't earn through backroom deals and who knows what else." Only this is not the first time MPs have crossed the floor. Most Canadian Prime Ministers have had opposition MP's join their party. The current record is held by John A MacDonald's Conservative government, which saw 9 MPs  join them. They are closely followed by Jean Chrétien's Liberals, who gained 8.  Stephen Harper, whose Conservative government benefited from 3 such crossings, once said,  "Members of Parliament should have that freedom and be accountable to their constituents for their decisions at the next election. But I will say this, Mr. Speaker: in my observation, the only parties that really had this as an obsession are the parties that no one ever crosses to." Cortes Currents: In addition to the floor crossings, there will be three by-elections on Sunday, April 13, 2026.  Jennifer Lash explained, “We've had two Liberal ministers step down as they've taken on different positions, so by-elections are required. Then in Terrebonne, Quebec, the Liberals had won by one vote and that had to go to a by-election. Of those three by-elections, two of them are Liberal strongholds and it's pretty much assumed that they will go Liberal again. The Quebec by-election is really up for grabs. I've listened to people saying the Bloc are going to put everything they can into it and win. I've also heard that the polling shows the Liberals are going to win. So who knows? If the Liberals win those two Liberal strongholds (University–Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest) that they have in Ontario, that will bring us to 172 seats, which gets us to a one-seat majority. If we win in Terrebonne as well, that will get us to 173 seats, which means a slightly stronger majority.” “I’ve never seen a situation like this in Ottawa before, but it’s fascinating for political nerds like myself who love counting seats.”

    15 min
  2. The Next Generation of Linnaea Farm

    5D AGO

    The Next Generation of Linnaea Farm

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents -Michael Manson started clearing the land for what is now Linnaea Farm in 1887. The Hansen family lived there during the early 1900s, and in 1998, the farm became a charitable land trust. In this morning's interview, Adam Schick and his daughter, Nola McPhail, talk about their experiences and the next generation of Linnaea Farm. Adam Schick: "One of the biggest challenges of the last few years is having people live here long term. Farming offers more of a lifestyle opportunity, but as our population ages, often the only thing left you have is to sell your property to ensure you can retire successfully. That’s a real problem. Because this farm is a trust, we don’t get to sell the property. We simply have the honor of looking after it. While I feel it is an honor, more and more, it seems that people see it as a burden; they want a job, or something that's paying you money." "We are at a place on Cortes where, to get anyone to even answer the phone, it costs $25 an hour. In the summertime, there are groups of landscapers making $40 or more. It is pretty hard to entice those people to come to the farm to work unless they have a personal interest in these things. To me, this represents a breakdown in our society where we’ve decided to value people’s time only in this way. Personally, I never really got into this for the money. The things that don't show up on a spreadsheet are the things that truly make a community a good place to live." "The lifestyle aspect is harder to entice people with. Farming is sometimes very difficult, and community living can be equally challenging. We try to do both of those things here together. We can get people to stay for a year or two, but then when we ask them to commit further, they realize that committing more means taking on more responsibility without a pay raise. It is simply the responsibility of looking after the property. Maybe we should ask the young person in the room why she is here." Nola McPhail: "I’m Nola, the daughter of Tamara and Adam. I’ve grown up on the farm my whole life, but I left the island after high school and only returned last November. I’ve been back for a bit over a year now, full-time, which has been really nice. As my dad is saying, it’s common in many places that the younger generation isn't returning to do this type of work. There are many other things happening in the world, so this is becoming a bit of a lost art. A lot of our work this year is focused on changing our methods and thinking about how we can better include the community—starting more activities and inviting more people here so we can find more interest and build more capacity." Adam Schick: "Nola is going to take on the role of interim manager. It’s one thing to have people here, but you need to figure out exactly what they are going to do on the farm, and Nola has stepped up to take on that role. When it comes to the interns, Tamara and I will still be guiding them through the actual work." "Someone has to ask the human questions like, 'How are you doing? How is the house? How is your time?' Nola is a great communicator. Many of the interns are young, and because Nola is also of that generation, there is a natural relatability. She has a great work ethic and a real keenness for this work, so it seemed like a natural fit." "We are currently in the Ed Centre. I’m sitting at the table where we have our weekly farm team meetings. We talk about everything from the minutia—like needing a chain to fix a leaking toilet—to the bigger picture, such as talking to other organizations about how they manage their interns and business. We discuss how to host Lovefest, large community events, workshops, and literary afternoons with the seniors."

    27 min
  3. BC Htdro replacing Switches on pole mounted transformers

    6D AGO

    BC Htdro replacing Switches on pole mounted transformers

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - BC Hydro is replacing the switches on pole-mounted transformers set up beside private residences and buildings on Cortes Island.   They subcontracted this work to Allteck, an electric ransmission & distribution services company with a branch office in Nanaimo. A three-person crew arrived in Squirrel Cove on Tuesday, March 10. Two of them either use a bucket truck or climb the pole, while the third supports them from the ground. Once set up, the whole procedure typically takes about 15 minutes per transformer. There are close to 900 houses and unknown number of other buildings on Cortes Island. Most are tied directly in to the grid. Only about 100 structures have lines coming to a pole set up beside them. The crew will be staying at Gorge Harbour Marina over the coming days and hope to finish all the poles on Cortes by Saturday.

    1 min
  4. BC Should Prioritise Helping Seniors Age At Home

    MAR 10

    BC Should Prioritise Helping Seniors Age At Home

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The BC's Seniors Advocate is calling upon the province to address a critical shortfall in long term care beds. There were 7,212 people on the waiting list during 2025 and the average wait time was 290 days. The number of seniors is increasing and the need for long term beds is expected to grow 49% by 2035. "We are in trouble," warns Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Health Critic for the Conservative Party, "This is why I am pushing for 'aging in place.' While Kindy maintains that the Campbell River Hospital should receive its long-promised long-term care wing, the project was one of seven hospital expansions deferred this year. Given the current state of BC’s finances, she does not expect construction to begin soon. "We desperately need long-term care beds in Campbell River," Kindy stated. "Wait times can reach up to four years. Furthermore, 'alternative level of care' patients—those waiting in hospital beds for long-term care placements—often remain there for weeks or months. My husband was part of the transition team discussing a new facility as far back as 2017. It was in last year’s budget but vanished this year. We need to know: is it canceled or simply delayed?" The provincial government claims the $1.8 million per bed cost to build the Campbell River wing and six similar projects is too much Kindy responded, "We have to remember that the Eby government inherited a surplus and now we are at a $13 billion deficit. So if you're looking at the cost, so I just pulled out some numbers for you. The Campbell River Long-Term Care project was 153 beds. The total cost of the build was $134 million that would mean each bed would be $875,000. When they're talking about $1.8 million, they're not talking about Campbell River ... It could be an average of the seven projects." She added, "Approximately 12.5% of residents currently in long-term care could have remained home with proper support. The cost of home support averages $15,000 a year, compared to $100,000 for a long-term care bed. It is fiscally responsible to keep people home, yet we only spend 18% of our long-term care budget on home support. In Denmark, that figure is 50%." Kindy argues that current support is "completely inadequate." She advocates for expanding home support hours and removing financial barriers. "We need flexibility. Sometimes support means someone to take the garbage out. We also need to support the 80% of caregivers who are family members by expanding respite care and adult day programs. If you are working, you shouldn't have to leave a senior unsupported all day." To advance this, Kindy is calling for better education and data transparency regarding waitlists. "We cannot put seniors last. Spending a year in a hospital bed waiting for a placement is unacceptable. Last month, our hospital hit a record 161 patients in a facility built for 95. These issues are linked; the debt interest alone—nearly $6 billion—could have funded the infrastructure we desperately need. We must prioritize our seniors now."

    8 min
  5. Folk U Friday with Mark Vonesch

    MAR 10

    Folk U Friday with Mark Vonesch

    Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On February 27, 2026, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Regional Director, Mark Vonesch, for a live check-in about priorities, current issues, and other updates for Cortes residents. Phone-in and mail-in questions were welcomed. Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 3 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts.

    1h 57m
  6. Large language model AI Programs- Hallucinations, Other Challenges and an Incredible Potential

    MAR 5

    Large language model AI Programs- Hallucinations, Other Challenges and an Incredible Potential

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - We’ve probably all encountered AI by now. Some Large language model (LLM) AI programs are among the fastest and most comprehensive information tools on the Internet, and arguably, the most “stupid.” Have you ever been harassed by an AI-powered telephone service whose programmer neglected to include the concept of wrong numbers? Or been fed incorrect political information by an AI program that did not know which party or Prime Minister was in power? However if you want to check something like medieval canon law, to ensure the character the attitude of a character in the novel you're writing accurately portrays the times:  it can take seconds with ChatGPT. Everything has to be fact-checked and sources verified, but tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude remain remarkable and they’ll improve as the glitches are addressed.  My guest this morning is Dr Vered Shwartz, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, a CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute, and the author of the book "Lost in Automatic Translation." Vered Shwartz:  "AI is a really broad category, so I'll mostly maybe focus on generative AI, and, more specifically, large language models like ChatGPT. Several aspects could lead to betterment of humanity in accelerating knowledge discovery, like scientific knowledge discovery which could lead to solving problems such as cures for diseases, boosting economic productivity and even at the personal level, automating everyday tasks for us and making our lives easier. In fields like education, it can be used to provide access to knowledge to underserved communities and be used as a personal tutor."

    17 min
  7. Canada’s Path Forward: Two Visions for a Stronger Nation

    MAR 3

    Canada’s Path Forward: Two Visions for a Stronger Nation

    Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - More than a month has passed since Prime Minister Mark Carney took centre stage at the World Economic Forum with a speech calling for middle powers to forge strategic partnerships across energy, food, critical minerals, finance, and supply chains - standing up to lawless superpowers pursuing their own interests. Days have elapsed since Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre addressed the Economic Club of Canada, outlining his vision for a stronger Canada. In this morning's interview, Jennifer Lash, a former senior policy advisor for Environment Canada, compares their visions for the nation’s future.

    25 min
  8. Folk U Radio with Mark Vonesch

    MAR 2

    Folk U Radio with Mark Vonesch

    Manda Aufochs Gillespie/ Folk U - On February 27, 2026, host Manda Aufochs-Gillespie was joined by Regional Director, Mark Vonesch, for a live check-in about priorities, current issues, and other updates for Cortes residents. Phone-in and mail-in questions were welcomed. Folk U Radio is taking old school viral every Friday at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 3 p.m./Wednesday at 6 a.m. @CKTZ89.5FM or livestreamed at cortesradio.ca. Find repeats anytime at www.folku.ca/podcasts.

    1h 57m
See All (500)

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

You Might Also Like