Cortes Community Docks
Our Docks
Cortes Community Docks, (formerly the Harbour Authority of Cortes Island), began in the mid 1990’s as a community organization tasked with the maintenance and operation of the Department of Fisheries owned commercial fishing docks on Cortes. As a registered non-profit, it is run by a volunteer board of 8 local island residents, including commercial fishers, aquaculture farmers and recreational boaters. The organization employs three part-time staff, and an additional student employee during the summer months.
In 2007, the CCD became the formal owners of the Whaletown Bay Community Dock, which was divested to the organization from Transport Canada.
Cortes Community Docks does not receive operational funding from the Government. While the docks remain under the ownership of the Department of Fisheries – Small Craft Harbours, the CCD is responsible for the costs of the day-to-day operations and maintence of the facilities, including hydro expenses, repairs to the docks and staffing. 100% of the operating costs of the CCD is generated from user moorage and fees.
The Island
Cortes Island is located at the gateway to Desolation Sound, in the traditional territories of the Klahoose, Tla’amin and Holmalco people. With approximately 1000 year-round residents, the Island has attracted an eclectic mix of settlers, old and new.
Home to the Klahoose First Nation, the Island and its surroundings have supported its inhabitants with abundance and natural beauty for millennia.
The first white settlers arrived to Cortes in the mid 1860’s, beginning with Michael Manson who pre-empted land and began homesteading. As the settler population grew, drawn by the bountiful timber, fishing and homesteading opportunities, small community centers formed on the island. Docks were built, stores and post offices erected and the Union Steamship Company began regular scheduled stopovers.
The Island’s population continued to slowly grow, as a new wave of young families and homesteaders arrived throughout the 1960’s and 70’s, drawn by the Island’s remoteness. In 1969, BC Ferries began regular car ferry service from Whaletown to Quadra Island, and in 1970, hydro power arrived on the island.
Today, the island is an eclectic mix of old and new. Many of the original small communities centers have faded away, but the remaining Community Docks still mark their existence and continue to play a vital role in the lifes of those who live, work and play on Cortes Island and the surrounding waters.
