Cortes is a remarkable place to call home, and I want it to remain a place where people can afford to live, raise a family and grow older with dignity. Over the past four years, I’ve worked alongside our community to turn shared priorities into practical progress, from directing tourism revenue into affordable housing to strengthening our fire department and protecting local control over decisions that shape our island. This platform builds on that work with new approaches to affordable land access, stronger support for youth and seniors, and climate action that also addresses the cost of daily life. It recognizes that our future depends on healthy forests and waters, and on taking meaningful steps toward reconciliation with the Indigenous people of this land.

Moving forward requires careful decisions about taxes, seeking outside funding and being transparent about where your money goes. My approach is grounded in kindness, listening and a willingness to work through differences. I’m running for a second term to continue that work with you, so that the future of Cortes reflects the needs and hopes of the people who call it home.

Housing

20% of people on Cortes have unsuitable housing in some way. This is an invisible problem that many people don’t see. They may be missing heat, laundry facilities, hot water, insulation, or they may have to move out every summer. Housing challenges on Cortes can extend from unaffordable rent to skyrocketing land prices, driving families away from Cortes and leaving a multitude of community members vulnerable.

There is no one solution to solving our housing challenges. It has to be approached from multiple angles and my approach is to be in ongoing engagement with the community and all levels of government, to identify gaps and find opportunities to address the housing on Cortes Island.

Some progress in the past four years include:

Tourists now pay an extra 3% on their short term rental bookings that goes directly to the Cortes Housing Society. Cortes was the first community in BC to implement this and it is now raising $70,000 per year for non-profit rental housing.

https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/small-island-makes-history-in-fight-for-affordable-housing

Two comprehensive housing surveys in partnership with the Cortes Housing Society (CHS) that have helped identify the challenges, opportunities, and policy support for taking action on housing. Read the latest housing report here:

https://cortescommunityhousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Cortes-2026-Housing-Survey.pdf

After a 1.5 year community consultation process, Cortes Island now has a renewed zoning bylaw that included increasing the secondary dwelling unit size to 1200 sq ft (rather than 600 sq ft) and allowing 35 units on the Rainbow Ridge land.

Full details here: https://www.srd.ca/projects/cortes-zoning-bylaw-review

My priorities for making progress on housing moving forward include:

Launching a pilot project for affordable land ownership through long term lease agreements on Rainbow Ridge land. I share more details about this idea in this interview with Cortes Currents here:

https://cortescurrents.ca/mark-vonesch-looking-back-on-my-first-term-and/

Supporting the Cortes Housing Society’s fundraising efforts to complete 24 rental units on Rainbow Ridge.

Advocate to the provincial government to support landlords who are reluctant to rent their home or cabin because of the fear of bad tenants. If landlords had better insurance against damage and rent not being paid, more homes would be put on the rental market.

Protecting Rural Autonomy

In 2023 I helped maintain local control of our fire department by opposing centralizing control of Cortes Island’s fire department in Campbell River.

In 2025 I helped lead a successful campaign against Campbell River’s attempts to take over land use planning control in the rural areas of the SRD. If Campbell River joined our planning service it would give them five votes, allowing them to overpower local control on bylaws, land use planning, and our Official Community Plan.

https://cortescurrents.ca/campbell-river-not-joining-land-planning-service/

This spring 250 Cortes Islanders signed a petition asking the province to help us with the next steps of exploring our governance model. More local control over decisions that impact Cortes is great, but at what cost to our taxes?

This is an important conversation to have and I will be holding a community forum this winter to share what I’ve learned in my discussions with the provincial government and other communities that have been through the incorporation process.

https://vicnews.com/2025/12/09/petition-asks-cortes-islanders-if-theyre-interested-in-forming-a-municipality/#goog_rewarded

Fire Department & Emergency Services

Our fire department was built by decades of volunteer work and is run by a dedicated group of board members, staff, and volunteers.

In 2022, the fire department was operating on a shoestring budget that was approximately half the cost of comparable fire departments in the region. The fire department was also facing new BC government regulations that required more work and training for the department. The SRD was also considering taking over governance and running the fire department centrally from Campbell River as part of a Regional Fire Service.

Centralizing control would have meant that our tax dollars would be spent on salaries in Campbell River and major decisions would be out of the hands of local control. Our fire protection service reached a peak crisis moment as reported by Cortes Currents here:

https://cortescurrents.ca/ciffa-will-cortes-island-lose-its-volunteer-fire-department/

In addition to convincing the SRD board that our Fire Department should stay in our control, I supported the fire department’s request for a 2023 budget increase of $245 for the average property, bringing the cost of our fire department up to level with other departments in the region - Quadra’s fire department costs the average property $585 and Cortes is now at $541.

On Sept 14, 2026 the Fire Department successfully passed the tests for Superior Tanker Shuttle Service accreditation and Cortes Islanders, whose properties are within range of the large tanks (5 kilometres) and in range of the fire halls (8 kilometres), could see their home insurance bills reduced significantly.

Some early inquiries to insurance companies have homeowners saving more on home insurance then the total cost of the fire protection service.

This was made possible in part through the SRD receiving a $300,000 grant from the province to pay for capital equipment for the fire department. $112,000 was used to purchase and transport four water storage tanks:

https://agenda.strathconard.ca/SRDAttachments/SRDBoard/Open/BRD/24-Apr-24/20240419-CI-FD-Water-Tank.PDF

The other aspect of emergency services important to Cortes Island is the fire department’s ability to respond to medical emergencies. When the First Responder service began in 2019 it provided the fire department with the training, equipment, and staffing to respond to medical emergencies. With only one ambulance on Cortes that requires paramedics to drive to Manson’s, the fire department can often arrive faster and be deployed when the ambulance is already tied up with a call.

Details about the recent impact of this service can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19i4odemEY/

In 2025 the SRD board approved Bylaw No 598 that extended the fire protection on Cortes to include Tiber Bay. Now Tiber Bay properties are contributing to cost of the fire department and more of the island is protected.

https://agenda.strathconard.ca/SRDAttachments/SRDBoard/Open/BRD/23-Jul-25/20250626-Bylaw-No_-589-CI-FIre-Tiber-Bay.PDF

In 2025, the SRD Board also approved Bylaw No 613 - which amended the service contract with the Cortes Island Fire Fighters Association to allow public funding to be used for fire department activities related to wildfire response. Having a wildfire brigade allows more community members to receive adequate training to keep the community safe and we are more prepared to handle fire emergencies.

https://agenda.strathconard.ca/SRDAttachments/SRDBoard/Open/BRD/23-Jul-25/20250718-Bylaw-No_-613-CI-Wildfire.PDF

Making sure our fire department has the necessary personnel and equipment will continue to be a priority for me in the second term.

In June 2023, the province lifted a fire ban on Cortes on the basis of being geographically zoned within the Sunshine Coast Fire District. This was problematic because Cortes was tinder dry - we had not received any rain since the ban was put in place.

As a response, I proposed a bylaw which is now in affect that allows the fire chief to assess our local conditions and make the call on whether we should have a ban or not.

https://agenda.strathconard.ca/SRDAttachments/SRDBoard/Open/BRD/21-Aug-24/20240809-Bylaw-No-557---Cortes-Island-Open-Burning-Restrictions.pdf

Public Infrastructure Investment

Over the past four years I have been able to help direct funding from the provincial and federal government to make the following investments on Cortes:

Gorge Hall water disinfection system - $11,980 (complete)
Shared working (Nook) and Pavillion spaces - $100,000 (complete)
Multi Use Sports Court - $100,000 (in progress)
Foodbank - $25,925 (in progress)
Kw’as Park Beaver Coexistence and Flood Mitigation Project
Water Tank acquisition and delivery - $112,500 (complete)

I have spent my career fundraising for community projects and finding funding for Cortes Infrastructure projects from provincial and federal sources will be a priority in the next term. Continued investment into public amenities makes our community a better place to live and raise a family.

Affordability

The rising cost of living is making it harder for many people to make ends meet on Cortes. Every tax increase matters, and I take seriously my responsibility to use public dollars wisely. That means questioning costs, seeking provincial and federal funding, and ensuring the services we fund provide value. My goal is to keep tax increases to a minimum while maintaining the essential services our community relies on and supporting investments that make Cortes a better place to live and raise a family.

How do our taxes compare to other places in the Strathcona Regional District?

Non-Profits and Grant in Aid

I will continue the practice of having the Cortes Community Foundation host volunteer juries to review grant-in-aid applications and make funding recommendations to the SRD Board.

To gain more control over our grant-in-aid approval, I have worked with the other three Regional Directors in proposing a new grant-in-aid service (to replace our current one) that gives decision making power to the four rural Directors rather than the whole SRD board - without changing the level of taxes used to pay for it.

There are two referendum questions about new funding for youth & senior support on Cortes. If approved by the community, it will raise up to $35,000 to support youth and $35,000 to support seniors.

Roads & Transportation

Roads are an important part of Cortes Island's infrastructure and although the Regional Director has no decision making jurisdiction over roads, I have advocated to the province for change.

When I first became the Regional Director, I put out a survey asking for people to provide feedback and share ideas for making our roads better. I collected that feedback, and hosted the Ministry of Transportation and Transit to visit our island and drive around to review the challenges.

That work has produced the following results:

A commitment from the province to spend $2 Million on our roads that started with $500,000 on new chip seal on the 3.5 km of road between the Linnaea T and Seaford Rd. Another $1.5 Million will be spent in the next few years (three more 3.5 km sections)
New signs at the S curve beside Gunflint Lake and the parking area at the Hague Lake sandy beach access
Newly painted yellow centre line

Since being elected I have been in persistent communication with the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) through emails, phone calls, Zoom meetings, & in person meetings in Victoria. With every community in BC asking for road investment it's an uphill battle, but a battle I won't give up on. There is a lot more work to do.

I will be distributing another survey this winter to capture everyone’s concerns and specific issues with our roads so that I can present a report to the Ministry and ask them to take action. I will keep you updated with the progress and provide everyone with the opportunity to write to the Ministry as well to add additional pressure once the report is complete.

In 2021 the SRD successfully applied for an active transportation planning grant that allowed for community consultation to take place on Cortes to create and Active Transportation Plan. That plan is now ready for when funding for the provincial government opens up for active transportation projects.

See the finished plan here: https://www.srd.ca/media/file/active-transportation-network-plan-area-b

Truth & Reconciliation

We are at a point in history where countless hours of work has been done to bring awareness to the realities of residential schools and colonization. Now is the time for action. Accepting and telling the truth of what happened to Indigenous people in Canada is the first step. Taking action in response to that truth is the next.

I will advocate to have the SRD invite leaders from all twelve First Nations in the district to be voting members of the First Nations Relations Committee. This would provide First Nations in the SRD with a meaningful connection to local government decisions, opening the door to strengthened relations and new ways of working together.

I will continue to use my platform to be an advocate of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act (DRIPA) and calling out residential school denialism and political scare tactics around land rights.

The Battle Over DRIPA Land Claims:
https://cortescurrents.ca/the-battle-over-dripa-land-claims/

Two Regional Directors Speak Out on DRIPA and the Path of Reconciliation

https://cortescurrents.ca/two-regional-directors-speak-out-on-local-governance-and-the-path-of-reconciliation/

New Official Community Plan (OCP)

Our Official Community Plan outlines our vision, community objectives and long-term goals of our community. An OCP guides growth and change; it is a key document which directs elected officials and community members in future development and conservation initiatives.

Cortes Island’s OCP hasn’t been updated in 14 years and describes our long term vision as a community. The provincial government now mandates that it is reviewed every five years so we are long over due for a renewal.

I will make this a priority to get started right away.

Climate Change & Ecosystem Protection

Credit: Professor Ed Hawkins (University of Reading)

Climate change is altering weather systems, damaging infrastructure, and is a growing economic, social, and environmental challenge the whole world faces. It is crucial for local leaders to recognize and take action on the heightened vulnerability we face.

In addition to increased support for emergency services, we now have the opportunity to fund new projects that will have an impact on Cortes.

On October 17 there is a referendum for Bylaw 627 which would establish a woodchipping and climate resiliency service on Cortes Island allowing everyone to fire smart their properties (and keep the wood chips) and provide funding for projects that decrease our green house gas emissions.

https://www.srd.ca/government/news/notice-assent-voting-bylaw-no-627-electoral-area-woodchipping-climate-resiliency

I’m especially interested in projects that also address the affordability challenges we face like electric transit, green energy projects, helping people access heat pumps, e-bikes, local food production, and getting compost out of our waste management system.