Community Articles (listed by posting date)
General News · 13th May 2025
Mark Vonesch
I hope this finds you enjoying the quiet beauty of our island before the summer rush begins. There's a lot happening on Cortes and I want to give you an update on a few important issues.
BC Ferries
BC Ferries is planning a terminal and vessel upgrade for Cortes Island that will cause a disruption in service starting in February of 2026. I met with BC Ferries staff last week and have more details to share:
The original plan was that we would lose service for six weeks and now that BC Ferries has secured the contractor to upgrade the terminal, the disruption will now only be for three weeks.
BC Ferries has put out a tender bid for a barge or landing craft service from Gorge Harbour to Heriot Bay. I am hoping they find a business to provide a landing craft, rather than a barge, which would allow drivers to travel with their vehicles, allow increased service that is less affected by tides, and opens the possibility for some personal vehicles.
Regardless of whether they find a barge or landing craft service, services delivering essential needs to Cortes Island will be maintained.
During the service disruption, a free water taxi between Manson’s dock and Heriot Bay will be provided for foot passengers, luggage, and bikes. This water taxi will follow the same ferry schedule we have now. There will also be a free shuttle between Heriot Bay and the Quathiaski Cove ferry to Campbell River and free parking for Cortes Islanders will be provided in Heriot Bay.
BC Ferries is also working to provide a free shuttle on Cortes that would allow us to be picked up and dropped off between our homes and the water taxi at Manson’s dock. More details will be released in the coming months.
I know the service disruption will be a struggle for many people, especially older folks and those with mobility challenges and I am grateful to BC Ferries for working hard to make this service disruption as smooth as possible. Please let me know if you have concerns that aren’t being met.
An in person information session is scheduled for May 25 from 1:30pm - 3:30pm at Manson’s Hall. You can RSVP here:
https://www.bcferriesprojects.ca/heriot-bay-whaletown-tp?tool=survey_tool#tool_tab
Here is a link to the latest BC Ferries update and where new updates will be posted:
https://www.bcferriesprojects.ca/heriot-bay-whaletown-tp
Our new island class ferry is scheduled to arrive once the terminal upgrades are complete and will allow for approximately 50% more vehicles then we have now.
Cortes Roads 😠
Many of you have written to me with deep concerns about the state of our roads and wanting an update on what the plan is to address them. I share your frustration and met with our Regional Manager at the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) last week and they were finally able to provide the following updates:
The area manager told me that, “Cortes roads are some of the worst in the area”. I agree!
Over the next four years MOTT will be spending $500,000/year in hard surfacing upgrades. The work will start at the end of August and approximately 3.5 kms worth of double lane chip seal will be applied. This 3.5 km will cover a distance longer than 3.5 km because some areas only need one lane to be upgraded. The plan is to start at the T intersection of Gorge Harbour Rd and Seaford Rd and work towards Squirrel Cove this year. Additional chip seal patches will also be done throughout the island this year to fix the worst areas of our road system.
Many of you have asked about repainting the yellow middle line and MOTT said they are planning to do that in 2027. I pressed that I have received a lot of feedback from people about how the faded line impacts our safety, but could not get an earlier commitment. I will be writing to the Minister of Transportation and Transit, Mike Farnworth, to press the issue further, and will let you know if anything changes.
Based on the results of a survey I released last year that many of you filled out, two new signs have been put up before and after the Hague Lake parking lot. This was identified as a danger spot for children and people parking and walking across the road to the sandy beach.
New delineator signs have also been put up at the corner at Gunflint lake where many people have gone off the road. There is one more sign still to add to this area that is currently marked with an orange traffic cone.
Thank you to everyone that helped identify these problem areas. I have also requested for a few signs throughout the island that ask drivers to be aware of bikers and to share the road. Apparently these signs require engineering approval and MOTT wasn’t able to give me a timeline on when they will be added, but agree they are important.
At the end of last year SRD staff submitted a grant application to the provincial Active Transportation Grant Program to develop an active transportation plan for Cortes Island. Having an active transportation plan is a prerequisite for applying for capital funding from the province for biking and walking projects and I’m happy to report that the grant application was successful. Over the next year, there will be a consultation process so that our needs, priorities and ideas for active transportation can be summarized and used to apply for funding to implement them.
The staff report for the application and more details about the grant can be found here:
https://agenda.strathconard.ca/SRDAttachments/SRDBoard/Open/BRD/25-Sep-24/20240925-ATNPP-Grant-Application.PDF
I want to acknowledge that it’s great we’re taking positive steps, but there is still a lot of work to be done around the issues of transit, active transportation, roads and signage on our island. and I will continue to give voice to our needs.
SRD Taxes
Rural property tax notices will be mailed out at the end of May and I want to give you an update in regards to what you can expect for the portion of taxes you pay for services provided by the SRD.
The average property on Cortes can expect a $63.79 increase in their taxes. I worked hard to keep increases to a minimum this year, given the financial uncertainty of this time.
The increase primarily comes from a shift in administration allocation costs, which the board recently voted to have Electoral Areas pay more of. The electoral areas are the rural areas of the SRD that are not their own municipality.
This shift in admin costs also changed our costs to our garbage pick up fees, which will be decreasing by $26.32. When this decrease is applied, the average property on Cortes will pay $37.47 more in taxes this year compared to 2024.
To see more details of our budget, including a chart that shows the breakdown of what the average property will pay, check out this link:
https://srd.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025-2029-Financial-Plan-Strathcona-Regional-District.pdf#page=145
Register at the Cortes Island School
The school is such an important part of our community and, with only a handful of more students enrolled, the school will be eligible for additional funding to hire more staff.
If you or your friends do not have their children registered at the Cortes Island school, please consider registering them.
The school is open to flexible learning opportunities, so having a mix of homeschooling and classroom learning is an option.
Hiring a new teacher and support staff will be good for our island and the students. To discuss the possibilities or register students, call Principal Michael Datura at 250-935-6313.
Cortes Water
Join me on May 23 at 3pm at the Pioneer Room in Manson's Hall to hear an update from GW Solutions, who have been hired by the Cortes Housing Society, to map and assess our aquifers and water use on Cortes. The important project is almost complete and this meeting will provide an overview of the results so far and hear your input before the final report is completed.
Thanks for reading and please reach out if you have any questions or want to chat!
Mark Vonesch
Cortes Island Regional Director
mvoneschsrd.ca
mb: 250-202-4422
Sign up to my newsletter here: https://www.cortestogether.com/sign-up
BC Ferries
BC Ferries is planning a terminal and vessel upgrade for Cortes Island that will cause a disruption in service starting in February of 2026. I met with BC Ferries staff last week and have more details to share:
The original plan was that we would lose service for six weeks and now that BC Ferries has secured the contractor to upgrade the terminal, the disruption will now only be for three weeks.
BC Ferries has put out a tender bid for a barge or landing craft service from Gorge Harbour to Heriot Bay. I am hoping they find a business to provide a landing craft, rather than a barge, which would allow drivers to travel with their vehicles, allow increased service that is less affected by tides, and opens the possibility for some personal vehicles.
Regardless of whether they find a barge or landing craft service, services delivering essential needs to Cortes Island will be maintained.
During the service disruption, a free water taxi between Manson’s dock and Heriot Bay will be provided for foot passengers, luggage, and bikes. This water taxi will follow the same ferry schedule we have now. There will also be a free shuttle between Heriot Bay and the Quathiaski Cove ferry to Campbell River and free parking for Cortes Islanders will be provided in Heriot Bay.
BC Ferries is also working to provide a free shuttle on Cortes that would allow us to be picked up and dropped off between our homes and the water taxi at Manson’s dock. More details will be released in the coming months.
I know the service disruption will be a struggle for many people, especially older folks and those with mobility challenges and I am grateful to BC Ferries for working hard to make this service disruption as smooth as possible. Please let me know if you have concerns that aren’t being met.
An in person information session is scheduled for May 25 from 1:30pm - 3:30pm at Manson’s Hall. You can RSVP here:
https://www.bcferriesprojects.ca/heriot-bay-whaletown-tp?tool=survey_tool#tool_tab
Here is a link to the latest BC Ferries update and where new updates will be posted:
https://www.bcferriesprojects.ca/heriot-bay-whaletown-tp
Our new island class ferry is scheduled to arrive once the terminal upgrades are complete and will allow for approximately 50% more vehicles then we have now.
Cortes Roads 😠
Many of you have written to me with deep concerns about the state of our roads and wanting an update on what the plan is to address them. I share your frustration and met with our Regional Manager at the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) last week and they were finally able to provide the following updates:
The area manager told me that, “Cortes roads are some of the worst in the area”. I agree!
Over the next four years MOTT will be spending $500,000/year in hard surfacing upgrades. The work will start at the end of August and approximately 3.5 kms worth of double lane chip seal will be applied. This 3.5 km will cover a distance longer than 3.5 km because some areas only need one lane to be upgraded. The plan is to start at the T intersection of Gorge Harbour Rd and Seaford Rd and work towards Squirrel Cove this year. Additional chip seal patches will also be done throughout the island this year to fix the worst areas of our road system.
Many of you have asked about repainting the yellow middle line and MOTT said they are planning to do that in 2027. I pressed that I have received a lot of feedback from people about how the faded line impacts our safety, but could not get an earlier commitment. I will be writing to the Minister of Transportation and Transit, Mike Farnworth, to press the issue further, and will let you know if anything changes.
Based on the results of a survey I released last year that many of you filled out, two new signs have been put up before and after the Hague Lake parking lot. This was identified as a danger spot for children and people parking and walking across the road to the sandy beach.
New delineator signs have also been put up at the corner at Gunflint lake where many people have gone off the road. There is one more sign still to add to this area that is currently marked with an orange traffic cone.
Thank you to everyone that helped identify these problem areas. I have also requested for a few signs throughout the island that ask drivers to be aware of bikers and to share the road. Apparently these signs require engineering approval and MOTT wasn’t able to give me a timeline on when they will be added, but agree they are important.
At the end of last year SRD staff submitted a grant application to the provincial Active Transportation Grant Program to develop an active transportation plan for Cortes Island. Having an active transportation plan is a prerequisite for applying for capital funding from the province for biking and walking projects and I’m happy to report that the grant application was successful. Over the next year, there will be a consultation process so that our needs, priorities and ideas for active transportation can be summarized and used to apply for funding to implement them.
The staff report for the application and more details about the grant can be found here:
https://agenda.strathconard.ca/SRDAttachments/SRDBoard/Open/BRD/25-Sep-24/20240925-ATNPP-Grant-Application.PDF
I want to acknowledge that it’s great we’re taking positive steps, but there is still a lot of work to be done around the issues of transit, active transportation, roads and signage on our island. and I will continue to give voice to our needs.
SRD Taxes
Rural property tax notices will be mailed out at the end of May and I want to give you an update in regards to what you can expect for the portion of taxes you pay for services provided by the SRD.
The average property on Cortes can expect a $63.79 increase in their taxes. I worked hard to keep increases to a minimum this year, given the financial uncertainty of this time.
The increase primarily comes from a shift in administration allocation costs, which the board recently voted to have Electoral Areas pay more of. The electoral areas are the rural areas of the SRD that are not their own municipality.
This shift in admin costs also changed our costs to our garbage pick up fees, which will be decreasing by $26.32. When this decrease is applied, the average property on Cortes will pay $37.47 more in taxes this year compared to 2024.
To see more details of our budget, including a chart that shows the breakdown of what the average property will pay, check out this link:
https://srd.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025-2029-Financial-Plan-Strathcona-Regional-District.pdf#page=145
Register at the Cortes Island School
The school is such an important part of our community and, with only a handful of more students enrolled, the school will be eligible for additional funding to hire more staff.
If you or your friends do not have their children registered at the Cortes Island school, please consider registering them.
The school is open to flexible learning opportunities, so having a mix of homeschooling and classroom learning is an option.
Hiring a new teacher and support staff will be good for our island and the students. To discuss the possibilities or register students, call Principal Michael Datura at 250-935-6313.
Cortes Water
Join me on May 23 at 3pm at the Pioneer Room in Manson's Hall to hear an update from GW Solutions, who have been hired by the Cortes Housing Society, to map and assess our aquifers and water use on Cortes. The important project is almost complete and this meeting will provide an overview of the results so far and hear your input before the final report is completed.
Thanks for reading and please reach out if you have any questions or want to chat!
Mark Vonesch
Cortes Island Regional Director
mvoneschsrd.ca
mb: 250-202-4422
Sign up to my newsletter here: https://www.cortestogether.com/sign-up