Community Articles (listed by posting date)
General News · 22nd September 2026
Mark Vonesch
Hi Everyone,
I hope this fall equinox finds you well. As we transition out of summer, I am excited to share some Cortes related SRD news.
Changes to the Grant in Aid Service
Some of you may have seen a notification for consideration of a new Bylaw 642 regarding a sub-regional grant in aid service and I hope this overview helps you understand the impact and reasoning behind it.
There are three types of local government services - single participant, sub-regional, and regional. In a single participant and regional service the entire board gets to vote on decisions within that service. In a sub-regional service only the participants in that service get to vote.
The four rural (Electoral Area) Directors of the SRD board, of which I am one, decided it made more sense to have our grant in aid service as a sub-regional service so that decisions about our grant in aid are only made by the rural directors rather than the whole board.
If the bylaw is approved it will replace our current (single participant) grant in aid service with a sub-regional service shared with Electoral Area A (Sayward Valley), Area B (Cortes Island), Area C (Quadra & Discovery Islands), and Area D (south of Campbell River).
As you have likely witnessed prior to me being elected and during my first term, it can be challenging to have Directors from municipalities in the SRD fully understand the unique needs of our community.
This bylaw is good for Cortes because it gives us more control over how our grant in aid funding is spent. There will be no change in the tax requisition - it is simply moving the service into a new form so that rural communities have more control over how tax dollars are spent.
More details about the bylaw can be found here.
https://www.srd.ca/projects/bylaw-no-642-electoral-area-grant-aid
UBCM
I just got back from five days in Vancouver attending UBCM - the Union of BC Municipalities. It is an annual gathering for those elected in local government to meet with provincial government staff and elected officials, attend workshops, connect with other Regional Directors, councillors, and mayors who are working to address similar issues, and to vote on resolutions to collectively advocate to the provincial government about the issues we care about most.
The most impactful meeting I had was with fellow SRD directors and Premier Eby regarding a proposal to get a long term care facility built in Campbell River. The facility will have significant on healthcare access in our region and has been a long standing issue with the province.
We proposed a cost sharing model (between the Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital Board and the provincial government) and the Premier agreed that if we can come to the table with our share, the care facility will be included in the 2027/28 budget.
The Hospital Board has been seeking a solution to 'unpause' this long-promised facility, including consideration of front-loading the CSRHD's $53.6 million dollar contribution and on Thursday, Sept 24 the Comox Strathcona Hospital Board will discuss the plan and vote on a funding proposal. I look forward to that discussion and will update you with results.
While at UBCM, there were also 226 resolutions from municipalities and regional districts across the province for us to vote on. Here are a few notable ones that were passed:
? Community Works Funding and Third Parties
“Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the federal government to consider relaxing the requirements for third party organizations to access Community Works Funding so that local governments can continue to support their rural communities.”
Cortes is allocated approximately $60K per year in community works funding and it’s important that we can use this funding to support infrastructure projects that are owned by non-profits (third parties), not just local government owned assets.
? Upholding the North Coast Tanker Ban
“Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the provincial and federal government to maintain their support for the North Coast tanker ban and the protection of BC’s coast from the threat of oil spills, economic disruption, and environmental harm associated with new oil pipelines and tanker traffic.”
? Scaling Building Code Requirements
“Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada engage a qualified, independent third party to undertake a cost-benefit review of the Building Code’s impacts on affordability, safety, and energy efficiency for single-storey residential homes and accessory buildings under 1000 ft2/93 m2 and investigate the potential for a simplified rural building standard/alternative compliance pathway for small homes under 1000 ft2/93 m2 that meets safety, climate, and seismic resilience requirements in a less complex and therefore more affordable way, while still ensuring safety.”
? Changes to Provincial Property Tax Deferment Program
“Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia to review the recent changes to the Property Tax Deferment Program with consideration for the needs of low-income seniors on fixed incomes, including the introduction of an income threshold, so that the program continues to support low-income seniors as originally intended.”
Here is a link to the book of all the resolutions we voted on:
https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2026-08/2026%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Book.pdf
And here’s a link to what resolutions passed and failed:
https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2026-09/2026%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Disposition%20-%20Friday%2C%20September%2018%2C%202026_0.pdf
The resolutions that passed provide direction to the provincial government. That direction doesn't have to be followed, but it provides a concentrated effort by elected leaders in local government across the province to advocate to the province.
Progress on Housing
We are making progress on housing on Cortes and in the SRD and I was able to participate in two housing ribbon cutting ceremonies in August.
Rainbow Ridge celebrated officially opening four finished units to families with young children. This is a huge milestone for our community with so many people playing a part in making it happen. CHS will have another two units complete by the end of the year and will be starting a tri-plex unit next.
We also had a ribbon cutting for an SRD housing project called Just Like Home. The project has 30 units total; 20 for short and long-term stays for healthcare professionals, and 10 units to support rural residents who need a safe, comfortable place to stay while receiving medical attention or even dentist appointments. They must be pre-booked.
The building is located beside the Campbell River hospital and costs $80/night. The rooms are furnished and have full kitchens. Details about the project and how to book it can be found here:
https://www.justlikehomecr.ca/
Thank you for reading and please reach out if you'd like to a phone chat or have questions.
In service,
Mark Vonesch
Cortes Island Regional Director
mvoneschsrd.ca
text/call: 250-202-4422
I hope this fall equinox finds you well. As we transition out of summer, I am excited to share some Cortes related SRD news.
Changes to the Grant in Aid Service
Some of you may have seen a notification for consideration of a new Bylaw 642 regarding a sub-regional grant in aid service and I hope this overview helps you understand the impact and reasoning behind it.
There are three types of local government services - single participant, sub-regional, and regional. In a single participant and regional service the entire board gets to vote on decisions within that service. In a sub-regional service only the participants in that service get to vote.
The four rural (Electoral Area) Directors of the SRD board, of which I am one, decided it made more sense to have our grant in aid service as a sub-regional service so that decisions about our grant in aid are only made by the rural directors rather than the whole board.
If the bylaw is approved it will replace our current (single participant) grant in aid service with a sub-regional service shared with Electoral Area A (Sayward Valley), Area B (Cortes Island), Area C (Quadra & Discovery Islands), and Area D (south of Campbell River).
As you have likely witnessed prior to me being elected and during my first term, it can be challenging to have Directors from municipalities in the SRD fully understand the unique needs of our community.
This bylaw is good for Cortes because it gives us more control over how our grant in aid funding is spent. There will be no change in the tax requisition - it is simply moving the service into a new form so that rural communities have more control over how tax dollars are spent.
More details about the bylaw can be found here.
https://www.srd.ca/projects/bylaw-no-642-electoral-area-grant-aid
UBCM
I just got back from five days in Vancouver attending UBCM - the Union of BC Municipalities. It is an annual gathering for those elected in local government to meet with provincial government staff and elected officials, attend workshops, connect with other Regional Directors, councillors, and mayors who are working to address similar issues, and to vote on resolutions to collectively advocate to the provincial government about the issues we care about most.
The most impactful meeting I had was with fellow SRD directors and Premier Eby regarding a proposal to get a long term care facility built in Campbell River. The facility will have significant on healthcare access in our region and has been a long standing issue with the province.
We proposed a cost sharing model (between the Comox Strathcona Regional Hospital Board and the provincial government) and the Premier agreed that if we can come to the table with our share, the care facility will be included in the 2027/28 budget.
The Hospital Board has been seeking a solution to 'unpause' this long-promised facility, including consideration of front-loading the CSRHD's $53.6 million dollar contribution and on Thursday, Sept 24 the Comox Strathcona Hospital Board will discuss the plan and vote on a funding proposal. I look forward to that discussion and will update you with results.
While at UBCM, there were also 226 resolutions from municipalities and regional districts across the province for us to vote on. Here are a few notable ones that were passed:
? Community Works Funding and Third Parties
“Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the federal government to consider relaxing the requirements for third party organizations to access Community Works Funding so that local governments can continue to support their rural communities.”
Cortes is allocated approximately $60K per year in community works funding and it’s important that we can use this funding to support infrastructure projects that are owned by non-profits (third parties), not just local government owned assets.
? Upholding the North Coast Tanker Ban
“Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the provincial and federal government to maintain their support for the North Coast tanker ban and the protection of BC’s coast from the threat of oil spills, economic disruption, and environmental harm associated with new oil pipelines and tanker traffic.”
? Scaling Building Code Requirements
“Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada engage a qualified, independent third party to undertake a cost-benefit review of the Building Code’s impacts on affordability, safety, and energy efficiency for single-storey residential homes and accessory buildings under 1000 ft2/93 m2 and investigate the potential for a simplified rural building standard/alternative compliance pathway for small homes under 1000 ft2/93 m2 that meets safety, climate, and seismic resilience requirements in a less complex and therefore more affordable way, while still ensuring safety.”
? Changes to Provincial Property Tax Deferment Program
“Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia to review the recent changes to the Property Tax Deferment Program with consideration for the needs of low-income seniors on fixed incomes, including the introduction of an income threshold, so that the program continues to support low-income seniors as originally intended.”
Here is a link to the book of all the resolutions we voted on:
https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2026-08/2026%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Book.pdf
And here’s a link to what resolutions passed and failed:
https://www.ubcm.ca/sites/default/files/2026-09/2026%20UBCM%20Resolutions%20Disposition%20-%20Friday%2C%20September%2018%2C%202026_0.pdf
The resolutions that passed provide direction to the provincial government. That direction doesn't have to be followed, but it provides a concentrated effort by elected leaders in local government across the province to advocate to the province.
Progress on Housing
We are making progress on housing on Cortes and in the SRD and I was able to participate in two housing ribbon cutting ceremonies in August.
Rainbow Ridge celebrated officially opening four finished units to families with young children. This is a huge milestone for our community with so many people playing a part in making it happen. CHS will have another two units complete by the end of the year and will be starting a tri-plex unit next.
We also had a ribbon cutting for an SRD housing project called Just Like Home. The project has 30 units total; 20 for short and long-term stays for healthcare professionals, and 10 units to support rural residents who need a safe, comfortable place to stay while receiving medical attention or even dentist appointments. They must be pre-booked.
The building is located beside the Campbell River hospital and costs $80/night. The rooms are furnished and have full kitchens. Details about the project and how to book it can be found here:
https://www.justlikehomecr.ca/
Thank you for reading and please reach out if you'd like to a phone chat or have questions.
In service,
Mark Vonesch
Cortes Island Regional Director
mvoneschsrd.ca
text/call: 250-202-4422
SRD Board meeting with Premier Eby
New housing in Campbell River for Cortes Islanders accessing healthcare