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Community Orchard Planting Celebration & Workshop
This Earth Day, we invite you to come together at Rainbow Ridge for something truly special: planting the roots of a community orchard that will grow and nourish for years to come.
What did we achieve in 2025?
We are pleased to report that 2025/26 was a banner year for our organization and for housing initiatives on Cortes, and we are seeing the culmination of several years of hard work coming to fruition.
Welcome to the Cortes Wood Makerspace!
Our community makerspace is up and running with 20 members so far. It is an incredible workshop with a great assortment of tools, including a kiln on loan from Ellingsen Woods and a planer/moulder for making tongue & groove boards.
Results of the 2026 Cortes Housing Survey
Drumroll please… Here are the results of the 2026 Housing Survey. Thank you to the hundreds of people who took the time to answer our questions!
Exploring New Ways to Support Housing on Cortes
Over the past few years, the Cortes Housing Society (CHS) has been working with the community on local housing challenges — from building homes at Rainbow Ridge to hosting forums, surveys, and conversations that bring many voices together.
Community Housing on Cortes Becomes a Reality
We have made big progress at Rainbow Ridge in the last few months. Our Community Building is finished, and we are now using the space to run our office. The building is powered entirely by solar energy while we wait for BC Hydro to complete their design.
Cortes Wood Makerspace Grand Opening
We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of our community wood shop. Shopmaster, Hannu Huuskonen and his team of dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly for the past year to renovate the space and gather the tools needed to provide a beautiful facility for you to make your woodworking dreams a reality.
Check out these Cortes eco-maps
We are excited to announce the release of our interactive Cortes Community Ecosystem Maps (CCEM). Over the past year we have been working in partnership with the Cortes Community Forest and other dedicated community members, with the help and expertise of mapping specialist Eve Flager, to develop a series of maps illustrating the current ecological and human landscape of Cortes Island.
September at Rainbow Ridge
There’s lots of progress to report.
Public Hearing on Zoning
This is a critical moment to make your voice heard and show your support. The SRD will be hosting a public hearing to discuss the proposed bylaw on Monday, September 8th @ 5pm at Manson’s Hall. We encourage you to attend and share your perspective.
Results of the Cortes Aquifer Study
We are pleased to present the findings of the Cortes Island Aquifer Health Assessment, a study commissioned by the Cortes Housing Society to map and assess the health of our island aquifers. This report, made possible with funding from the Real Estate Foundation of BC, gives us the critical data needed to responsibly plan for the years ahead.
Explore the Trades Directory
Connecting residents with local professionals for home improvement, construction, landscaping and more, making it easy to find recommended services in the region.
What You Can Do
Three ways you can help.

Stay Informed
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news, events and community activities.

Get Involved
Come to our Open Houses & Forums, follow our Speaker Series, and contribute to our Trades Directory.

Donate
Help fund our housing projects and initiatives
with a monthly or one-time donation.
Thank you to our 2023/24 $10K+ funders
And the hundreds of Cortes residents that support our work on an ongoing basis
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