May Movers & Shakers: Comox Valley to North Island

June 11, 2021

NORTH ISLAND

Foggy Mountain Coffee Co. will open this summer in the strip mall on Marine Drive in Port Alice.

Port McNeill council has voted to move ahead with the playground proposal put forward by the Waterfront Community Playgroup Project committee for a 30×30-foot space of parkland for a site yet to be determined.

CAMPBELL RIVER 

Campbell River Council approved Joyce Reid Troost Architecture’s permit for a 49-unit, four-storey apartment building at 775 Petersen Road.

The Tlowitsis Nation and Grieg Seafood BC have signed a contract that will see the Nation’s business, Chief’s Pride Aquaculture Corp., manage all net-cleaning operations at Grieg’s salmon farms in Clio Channel beginning in June. There are three Grieg farms in Tlowitsis territory.

Scottish Sea Farms, one of the UK’s leading salmon farming companies, has announced it will begin trials of FlowpressorPoseidon Ocean Systems’ greener aeration system, designed to protect its salmon from potentially harmful plankton. The Campbell River company’s technology is already in operation along Canada’s west coast. Poseidon Ocean Systems Ltd. was recently awarded one of the two grand prizes of $150,000 in the BC Aquaculture Innovation Awards for their Flowpressor Technology Platform, which reduces diesel fuel consumption by 55 per cent in real-world testing.

The City of Campbell River has issued a development permit to create 55 new affordable rental housing units. The mixed-use building, to be located close to Rose Harbour at 1180 Fir Street. BC Housing is providing approximately $19.7 million in capital costs for the project. Campbell River and North Island Transition Society will manage the new building.

Isaac Morrow

Kudo’s to UVIC student Isaac Morrow for building the Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce website. He is currently majoring in math and computer science.

Habitat for Humanity North Island’s next Campbell River project is still relatively early in the approval process, but is already raising questions surrounding densification on Hilchey Road. The next proposed build-out is for another 20 units of housing to go up on the property immediately adjacent to the 12 units that are currently being completed. In moving the project forward, Campbell River city council voted unanimously to give first and second reading to the property’s rezoning application and schedule a public hearing.

The patio is open for customers to enjoy at Riptide Marine Pub, located at 1340 Island Highway. Check out their menu here.

Healthway Natural Foods at 1121 Cedar Street is offering the convenience of delivery and curbside pickup for all of your healthy grocery needs. Click here to check out their inventory.

COMOX VALLEY

Courtenay’s Bigfoot Donuts won the Premier’s People’s Choice category of the Small Business BC Awards. Bigfoot was opened by co-owners Lyndsey Bell and Jay Valeri in 2017. Congrats! www.bigfootdonuts.com

The Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce seeks to collaborate with the regional district to support a proposed Comox Valley Economic Collaborative to promote the Valley as a place to conduct business, create collaboration, and support a vibrant, profitable economy. Next steps are to secure support from the district to start the project, and to apply for additional funding. The chamber hopes to have an economic coordinator by August 1st, an Economic Collaborative established by September 1st, and an economic action plan in place by March 2022.

Nelson Roofing & Sheet Metal recently completed a complete SBS reroof and HVAC upgrade of the HMCS Quadra Mess Hall. They are also keeping busy with ongoing projects, like the CVRD Water Treatment Plant and Lake Trail Middle School extension.  www.nelsonroofing.com

A request for proposals to build the region’s organics composting facility should go out this summer according to Comox Strathcona Waste Management (CSWM) staff. The targeted opening is fall 2022 and will be located at the current site of the Campbell River Waste Management Centre. Strathcona’s region waste will be sent to the Comox Valley Waste Management Centre, with the organic compost material from the Comox Valley sent back to Campbell River.

Courtenay council approved second reading for a proposed multi-unit development from Rosebery Investments of West Vancouver to construct a 39-unit strata development at 2650 Copperfield Road. A public hearing will be held before a third reading is considered.

Thea VanHerwaarden @facebook

Comox Valley-raised Thea VanHerwaarden was second runner-up on MasterChef Canada’s 2021 season featuring all-stars from previous seasons of the CTV show.

Courtenay’s Blooming Barn at 3617 Dove Creek Road has reopened after nearly 20 years under ownership of the Van Housen family. www.thebloomingbarn.com

Environmental management firm, Ecofish Research, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Congrats!

The Comox Valley Airport Commission is seeking a new Board of Director. Click here for details.

Comox City Council has a $169,000 grant from the province’s Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program to use for replacing the boat launch docks at Comox Lake.

Comox Strathcona Waste Management is looking to add a depot for the collection and recycling of ocean plastic, passing a motion to establish an Ocean Legacy Foundation (OLF) ocean plastics depot at the Comox Valley Waste Management Centre. If green-lit, it will likely start sometime in 2022.

Construction of Ocean Front Village on Cliffe Avenue, a long-term care facility for the Comox Valley, is underway. Golden Life Management Corp. will operate the Courtenay facility, which will contain 126 publicly funded beds, including 120 care beds and two new hospice beds. Four hospice beds will move from The Views at St. Joseph’s to the new facility.

Cumberland is considering a mini-urban bazaar as an incubator for very small businesses at 3274 Third Street in the heritage conservation area downtown. The plan is to construct the bazaar on an L-shaped site behind the existing Trugreen Cannabis store and next to Randall’s Autobody.

Colonel Bryn Elliott has assumed command of 19 Wing Comox from Colonel Dany Poitras. The ceremony was presided over virtually by Major General Eric Kenny, commander of 1 Canadian Air Division. Colonel Elliott is an experienced Air Combat Systems Officer (ACSO) with more than 2,000 flying hours in North and South America, Europe, and the Middle East.

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