A development strategy for 2.6 acres of land within the heart of Cortes Island will address a lack of business and community gathering spaces, and create more opportunities for existing enterprises and start-ups.
Cortes Island has long had a shortage of commercial space and community gathering spaces, resulting in business closures and lack of start-up opportunities. A recently completed Local Economic Plan has identified the development of community-owned commercial space as a fundamental step in supporting and helping to sustain local businesses.
The project is led by the Cortes Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA), a local non-profit, mandated as stewards of a 2.6 acre property at Mansons Landing. The goal is to make use of the land for commercial, food security and community gathering purposes, and apply a social enterprise model to its operations.
The first phase will include community engagement to refine demand and opportunity. The second phase will translate the community vision into a feasible concept design and related operational planning documents.
The CCEDA galvanized significant community engagement and support over the past two years, including with the Klahoose First Nations, the Community Foundation and several other non-profit organizations, to ensure the entire planning process puts the community at its centre.
Island Coastal Economic Trust approved funding for this project in 2016 through the Investment Readiness program.
We work in reciprocal relationships with coastal communities across the ancestral territories of the Kwak̓wala, Nuučaan̓uɫ, Éy7á7juuthem, Ligwilda'xw, Pəntl'áč, She shashishalhem, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Hul’q’umi’num’, diitiidʔaatx̣, SENĆOŦEN, Lekwungen, and T’Sou-ke speaking peoples.
