Business Mentorship Program

In January of 2024, CCEDA hired a Business Mentorship Coordinator to help meet the local business needs of existing and aspiring entrepreneurs on Cortes Island. Coordinator Tamlyn Collingwood will assist in helping develop and strengthen skills and abilities, while also assisting to identify resources through one-to-one advising, workshops, and training. This program will run until early 2025.

Tamlyn has been actively assisting Cortesian solopreneurs, artists, makers, and small businesses, and it's been incredibly rewarding to witness the emergence of new ventures and to provide support to those of you who have been navigating this journey independently.

We've identified common areas where Cortes Island businesses require the most support. As a result, we've been diligently working on developing FREE curated workshops tailored to the needs of the business and entrepreneurial community.

Please contact Tamlyn for updates and with any questions at tamlyn@cceda.ca.

Passenger Transportation Project

CCEDA was fortunate to have secured funding to launch a public engagement for both Cortes and Quadra to devise a community-led plan to bring greater passenger transportation options to our area.

This project aims to provide an opportunity for residents of Quadra, Cortes and nearby underserved islands to come together in a facilitated community consultation to confirm:

1. The best alternative transportation option(s) that would meet the needs of both communities (including but not limited to a community bus), and

2. Routes, schedules, potential non-profit organisation structure and service details for implementation to move forward to support these options.

Please go to our Transportation Consultation page for all the details.

Cortes Tourism Planning Project

Since we began an update of Cortes Island's community tourism plan in the fall of 2023, there have been four in-person community meetings, two online community sessions, a survey that generated 50 responses, research and several interviews with targeted individuals.

The final report is now available! This new plan is the result of a lot of hard work on the part of our community. Cortes Island has shown that it values tourism that works as a force for good. The report's recommendations support a “regenerative” approach which respects our local environment, culture, and the carrying capacity of the island.

In the next five years, a strategic approach is needed, given that Cortes is a destination with little capacity to increase visitors in peak season. In the short term, quick wins can be achieved by:

- Focussing on educating and connecting visitors to existing paid activities, services and experiences that will increase spending per visitor

- Growing the visitor economy

- Fostering responsible behaviours

The Cortes Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA) will now be finding ways to advance the report's 17 recommendations, and we look forward to your helpful comments or suggestions.

Many thanks to all who participated in this effort, and to Destination BC for making this project possible.

Please download the report here:

Cortes Tourism Plan

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