Comox Valley

Wooden bridge with salmon gate under construction in the newly dug chum channel in Bear Creek Nature Park earlier this year. Sunlit trees border the berms on either side.

CVRD grants “chummy” future to Oyster River salmon

December 20, 2024 by Heather Watson

Local salmon support initiative Ocean River Enhancement Society receives $10,000 funding from the Comox Valley Regional District’s Electoral Areas Services Committee for Chum Channel Project on Monday morning.

This project is in its final stage, implementing predator fencing to protect next season’s chum salmon in their brand new channel.

Oyster River Enhancement Society (ORES) is a group of volunteers with a paid manager, operating a hatchery on the Oyster River in the Bear Creek Nature Park. The society benefits from funding from the CVRD, Pacific Salmon Foundation, and Salmon Enhancement Program, as well as in-kind donations of hundreds of hours of volunteer time.

ORES raises pink, Chinook, coho, and chum salmon, and steward the surrounding park area with habitat restoration.

Volunteer days are every Tuesday, and anyone is welcome to join regardless of age or physical ability.

Maureen Ritter, the president on the board of directors, joined CHLY for an interview.

Sturdy wooden cabinet with brightly painted doors stands outside Weird Church in Cumberland. A sign on the front reads "Welcome to the Food Shed!" with information on how to use the services.

Need for ‘Food Shed’ grows in Cumberland

December 16, 2024 by Heather Watson

The Cumberland Food Shed, a local resource for residents in need, was low on supplies in early December due to rising costs and increased needs.

The Food Shed is an initiative started by Cumberland’s Weird Church in 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a solution for local students losing access to food programs following school closures.

The project is a collaboration with the Cumberland Community School Society and the Village of Cumberland, and receives support from the Rotary Club of Cumberland and Cumberland Legion.

Reverend Ingrid Brown of the Weird Church joined CHLY to discuss this neighbours-supporting-neighbours initiative, and the impacts of rising costs of living on the community and the Food Shed.

The photo is of sign on a light grey metal pole. The sign is for a sani-dump. It features a white graphic of a square trailer having a line go into the ground. Below is a blue arrow on a white background pointing to the right

Search still on for new sani-dump in the Comox Valley

March 15, 2024 by Lauryn Mackenzie

The Comox Valley is in need of a new sani-dump system in the area.

This comes after the Village of Cumberland said they would be closing the only system in the area because the one in Cumberland not being able to take on the increased use.

Kris La Rose, senior manager of water/wastewater services for the Comox Valley Regional District, spoke to Courtenay city council meeting on March 13 about the work they have been doing looking for a new site. As well as presented their idea for a new proposed site.

A group of workers holding red and white picket signs that read "Unifor on strike" stand together some with fists raised.

Transit workers in Comox and Campbell River on strike

December 18, 2023 by Mick Sweetman

Transit workers in Comox and Campbell River went on strike Friday morning citing wages as the key reason for the job action.

While this shuts down public transportation for tens of thousands of people, the union and employer agreed to keep operating the HandyDART buses for people with disabilities.

Unifor national representative Gavin Davies says the three major stumbling blocks are the rate of pay for current employees, a proposal by the employer to pay new hires less, which he says will make it harder to recruit and retain drivers and lead to drivers working more overtime, and funding issues.

A statement by Pacific Western Transit says that the company offered wage increases that were higher percentages than those in recent BC Public Sector Union agreements, with an 18 per cent increase in overall compensation and a 15 and a half per cent increase to wages over three years.

A lake with a mountain behind it covered in trees

Comox Valley moves to Stage 3 watering restrictions to protect salmon

September 11, 2023 by Mick Sweetman

The Comox Valley Regional District moved new stage three watering restrictions today.

Under the new restrictions, residents are not allowed to water their lawns at any time. Only hand watering or micro/drip irrigation of trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables is permitted.

The watering restrictions include the Town of Comox, the City of Courtenay and the Comox Valley Water Local Service Area.

Image of the Comox Valley Water System Watering Schedule.

Kris La Rose, senior manager of water services for the district, says the restrictions are in place due to BC Hydro reducing flow to the Puntledge River in order to ensure there is enough water to last through the salmon spawning season.

“We have several salmon runs coming up the river and so the emphasis or the focus is on making sure that there’s enough water,” La Rose said. “It’s less than it than the fish would like but it’s seen as a better idea to reduce the flow and maintain be able to maintain some flow through to the end of the year, rather than flowing hard now and then risking having the river dry up in in October or early November if the if the rains are late again.”

For more information on the watering restrictions in the Comox Valley, you can go to the Comox Valley Regional district’s website.

CVRD grants “chummy” future to Oyster River salmon

Need for ‘Food Shed’ grows in Cumberland

Search still on for new sani-dump in the Comox Valley

Transit workers in Comox and Campbell River on strike

Comox Valley moves to Stage 3 watering restrictions to protect salmon

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