Jade Jordan
Candidate for Regional Director, Area B
I grew up on Cortes, and I care deeply about what happens here and what kind of community we are building for the future.
Running for Regional Director is really about wanting to be useful. I want to help people understand what is happening at the SRD, make it easier to have a say before decisions are made, and make sure the concerns of Cortes are represented clearly when those decisions reach the regional table.
This page is where I’ll share more about my background, how I see the role, the issues I’m thinking about, and some of what I’m hearing as I talk with people around the Island.
Authorized by Jade Jordan, Financial Agent, jadejordan@duck.com
Why I’m Running
Since putting my name forward for Regional Director, I’ve spent a lot of time looking more closely at how the SRD works, what falls within the Regional Director’s role, and the issues currently in front of Area B.
I’ve been reading budgets, bylaws, meeting minutes and planning documents, but some of the most useful information has come from talking to people. Former directors, community organizations and residents who have followed particular issues for years have been incredibly generous with their time and knowledge.
One thing I already knew about Cortes, but have been reminded of again and again, is just how much knowledge there is in this community. And, of course, how many different opinions there are.
The Regional Director is not there to personally run every project or solve every problem. The role is to represent Area B at the SRD, understand where authority lies, work effectively with staff and other levels of government, bring community concerns into the decision-making process, and help move good ideas toward something that can actually be acted on.
Sometimes that means asking SRD staff to bring back options. Sometimes it means advocating to the Province. Sometimes it means helping a community organization connect with funding or partnerships. And sometimes it means weighing the information in front of you and making a decision.
Listening is an important part of that. If people feel something has simply been imposed on them, they are much more likely to resist it or keep trying to change it. I think the most sustainable way to keep building on Cortes is to involve people early, communicate clearly, and make decisions with a good understanding of what the community actually wants.
Communication Matters
Not everyone reads Tideline. Not everyone uses Facebook. Some people rarely go online at all.
If elected, I will use several ways of keeping people informed. I will send a quarterly printed Area B update so residents know what is coming up, what decisions are being made, and how they can participate. I also plan to provide a regular radio update covering important SRD issues, upcoming meetings and deadlines, and opportunities for community input.
I also want communication to be more predictable. People should know how and when they can reach their Regional Director. I would like to have regular call-in office hours, as well as scheduled times for Zoom and in-person meetings.
I would also like to create simple, ongoing ways for people to put concerns, ideas and local issues on record. Instead of relying only on email, I can see value in topic-specific forms that stay open over time, so recurring concerns can be organized, tracked and referred back to when those issues come before the SRD.
Online tools would only be one option. People should be able to participate in the way that works for them, whether that is online, by phone, in person, or through printed information.
There will always be decisions where people disagree. But people should know a decision is coming, understand the options, and have a meaningful chance to be heard before it is made.
People should not have to work hard to find out what is going on.
I’ve also created a short community survey as an example of the kind of ongoing input I would like to make available. It gives you space to share your thoughts in your own words about current issues, including short-term rentals, the OCP, zoning, housing and communication. With your permission, the responses will be made available to whoever is elected Regional Director, and you can also choose whether your comments may be included anonymously in a public summary report. Click the Share your Input button bellow
What Should Local Government Provide?
Cortes has an incredible history of building things for itself. Community organizations, volunteers, fundraising, donated land, donated labour and people simply deciding something needed to exist have created so much of what we rely on today.
At the same time, we are being asked to make more decisions about which services should become permanent parts of local government and how those services should be funded.
Before supporting a new service or permanent tax, I want to know what problem we are actually trying to solve, what people need, what already exists, what the long-term cost will be, whether property taxation is the best way to pay for it, and whether grants, partnerships, fundraising or existing organizations could do some of the work.
Just as importantly, I want us to be clear about how success will be measured. If public money is being spent, we should be able to look back and understand whether what we funded actually worked.
Short-Term Rentals
I believe Cortes should revisit its participation in B.C.’s short-term rental principal-residence requirement.
Cortes is currently opted into the provincial rule that generally limits short-term rentals to a host’s principal residence, plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property.
I want to know whether the policy reflected what the community wanted and whether it is actually doing what it was meant to do.
Did properties move into the long-term rental market? Did housing become more available or affordable? Were there unintended consequences for residents, local businesses or tourism?
It is also important to separate the principal-residence rule from the 3% accommodation tax collected on short-term rentals in Area B. That tax is part of the Municipal and Regional District Tax program and is separate from the provincial principal-residence requirement. Cortes currently has a 3% MRDT, with the Cortes Community Housing Society designated as the recipient.
This means that opting Area B out of the provincial principal-residence requirement would not automatically end the 3% accommodation tax.
Beginning in 2027, the SRD can submit a request by February 28 to have Area B removed from the principal-residence requirement. If the request is approved, the change would take effect June 1.
Because Area B previously chose to opt into the principal-residence requirement, the regulation provides a process for the SRD to request that Area B be removed again. This is separate from the vacancy-rate test that applies in other circumstances.
The SRD also has its own land use and zoning rules governing short-term rentals. Those local rules would continue to matter even if Area B were removed from the provincial principal-residence requirement.
I do not think a decision about whether Area B should remain in or opt out of the provincial requirement should be made without meaningful community input. If we regulate something in the name of solving a problem, I think we should go back afterward, look at what actually happened, and decide together whether the policy is still the right fit for Cortes.
Cortes should review and update its Official Community Plan
The current OCP was developed more than a decade ago, and I think it is worth taking a fresh look at whether it still reflects the priorities, needs and long-term vision of the community.
An OCP is an important document because it guides land use and helps shape future decisions about development, housing, infrastructure and the character of the Island.
B.C. has introduced new five-year OCP review requirements for municipalities. Those requirements do not apply to regional districts such as the Strathcona Regional District, which means Cortes does not have to approach this work as a rushed deadline exercise.
Regional districts do have a separate five-year housing needs reporting requirement. Those reports are used to identify current and projected housing needs, but they do not create a five-year requirement to rewrite the Cortes OCP.
I think that gives us an opportunity to do the review carefully, with clear information and meaningful community participation.
There should be enough time for residents to understand what is being considered, raise concerns, suggest ideas, and have input before significant changes are made.
My goal would be to make the process open, well communicated and genuinely community driven.
Housing Solutions
Housing is one of the biggest issues facing Cortes, and I don’t think there is going to be one solution that fixes everything.
Rainbow Ridge is an incredible accomplishment. Stable, affordable housing is now available, and some of our wonderful residents are already living there. It shows what can happen when community fundraising, local effort, grants, public funding, donated support and a lot of persistence come together around a real need.
I would also like us to look carefully at the barriers that keep other kinds of housing from becoming available. That includes zoning, infrastructure, construction costs, secondary suites, long-term rentals, and whether existing homes, buildings or properties could be used more effectively.
I think the upcoming work around zoning is an opportunity to have a much broader community conversation about housing. Rather than starting with predetermined solutions, I would like to ask property owners, renters, young people, seniors, families, builders and community organizations what is actually preventing housing from being created and what kinds of changes they would be comfortable considering.
That could include looking at options for modest increases in density, shared properties, secondary dwellings, smaller homes, multigenerational housing, and other arrangements that may allow more than one household to live on a property without changing the character of Cortes in ways the community does not want.
Affordability also needs to be part of that conversation. Creating more housing does not necessarily mean creating housing that local people can afford. I would like us to look at ways zoning and land-use decisions can make it easier for people to create practical, lower cost housing, and at ways we can support pathways for people who grew up here or have long standing ties to Cortes to remain here and put down roots.
For me, the goal is not simply greater density. It is to understand where additional housing makes sense, what infrastructure can support it, what residents are comfortable with, and what changes could genuinely help people find stable and affordable places to live.
Sometimes the solution may be removing a regulatory barrier. Sometimes it may mean helping a community organization access funding. Sometimes it may mean making it easier for a property owner to create another home, share land, or adapt an existing building.
Rainbow Ridge shows that real progress is possible. I would like to keep building on that while also opening the door to a wider range of housing solutions shaped by the people who actually live here.
Youth, Seniors and Real Needs
The proposed youth and seniors services are a good example of why I think the details matter.
For seniors, I want to understand where the real gaps are, whether that is transportation, aging in place, food security, social connection or navigating existing services.
For young people, I want to understand where the gaps are considering how many new programs and supports already exist. Before creating more, I think we should look closely at what is working, what is still missing, and what young people and families actually need.
I grew up on Cortes and, like many people who grew up here, eventually left for school and employment. Finding a sustainable way to come home has been an ongoing part of my adult life. If the people who grow up here cannot imagine a realistic way to come home, that eventually changes the community in a very fundamental way.
Wildfire Preparedness
Wildfire preparedness is an important issue for Cortes. We live in a heavily forested community where homes, roads, water systems and ecosystems can all be affected by fire, so reducing risk deserves serious attention.
I want residents to clearly understand what the proposed woodchipping and climate resiliency service would fund, how local taxation and grants would work together, and what would fall under the broader climate-resiliency part of the service.
Land Use and the Quarry Proposal
Land-use decisions are often where several legitimate interests meet, and the proposed quarry expansion is a good example.
The application would increase the quarry footprint from about 1.25 hectares to 5.16 hectares, allow washing and a concrete plant, and increase annual extraction from roughly 5,000 tonnes to as much as 39,999 tonnes. The final permitting decision belongs to the Province through the Mines Act process, not the SRD.
That does not mean the Regional Director has no role. I think part of the job is making sure residents understand what is being proposed, where the decision is actually being made, how they can participate, and how local concerns can be clearly communicated to the people who do have the authority.
A project of this size naturally raises questions about its impact on the island, and many people have expressed concerns. Around 100 people attended the May meeting, where issues raised included water, wetlands and riparian habitat, traffic, noise, reclamation and the overall scale of the expansion. At the same time, some residents have also acknowledged that Cortes needs access to local aggregate and quarry services.
If elected, I would want to advocate for as much transparency as possible around the environmental and community implications of projects like this. That means making sure residents can see the relevant technical information, understand what safeguards are being proposed, and know how those safeguards would be monitored if a project moves ahead.
I don’t think the Regional Director should pretend to have authority they do not have, but I do think the Director should make sure the community is informed, the right questions are being asked, and Cortes concerns are clearly represented to the Province.
Klahoose Relations
I want to build and maintain open, respectful communication with Klahoose and make sure there is a strong connection between Klahoose and the Regional District.
For me, that means not waiting until there is a problem before having a relationship. It means understanding where SRD decisions intersect with Klahoose interests, keeping communication open, and making sure there is a clear path for concerns, ideas and opportunities to be brought forward.
If there are issues the SRD can help with, I would want to understand them clearly, bring them forward, and advocate for them at the regional level. I would also want to make sure that when there are opportunities to work together, whether around services, emergency planning, transportation, land use or other regional issues, those conversations can happen directly and respectfully.
I think a good working relationship is built over time, through regular communication, listening and following through.
Bylaw 642 and Local Control
I am interested in Bylaw 642 because it raises important questions about both representation and taxation.
The bylaw would create a shared financial assistance service for Electoral Areas A, B, C and D, giving the four rural directors more direct control over how that funding is distributed.
I can see the benefit in giving rural areas more say over decisions that affect them. At the same time, this is also a tax-supported service, so I think residents should clearly understand how much Area B could contribute, how the costs are shared, and whether the new structure is genuinely beneficial to Cortes.
The bylaw has already gone through the Alternative Approval Process and is expected to come back to the SRD Board for final consideration later this month.
I think this is the kind of decision that deserves clear information about both the governance change and the long-term financial implications.
Representing the Whole Island
I grew up in Mansons, but Area B is much bigger than one part of Cortes. That means Mansons, Squirrel Cove, Whaletown, Klahoose, and the smaller communities and neighbourhoods in between.
I have heard people in Whaletown say they sometimes feel left out of island-wide conversations, and I think that is worth paying attention to. Different parts of Cortes have different realities when it comes to transportation, access to services, emergency response, community spaces, road conditions, connectivity and simply feeling included.
Roads are a good example of where understanding the Regional Director’s role matters. Road maintenance is a provincial responsibility, but the Director can still raise recurring problems, communicate with the Ministry and maintenance contractor, advocate for repairs and make sure local concerns do not disappear into a much larger system.
I may know Mansons best because that is where I grew up, but the job is to represent the whole island.
What Good Representation Looks Like to Me
The Director needs to understand the SRD well enough to know what tools are available and where its authority stops, but they also need to stay connected to the people they represent.
You should know what is coming, how to participate, and where your representative stands and why. You should also be able to disagree with your Regional Director without feeling like you are no longer welcome in the conversation.
I don’t think good representation means having a pre-written answer for every problem. I think it means being prepared to do the work, understand the system, ask the right questions, listen seriously, communicate clearly, make decisions when they need to be made, and carry the interests of Cortes into the room where those decisions happen.
That is the job I am asking you to trust me with.
A Final Note
I also want to wish Mark Vonesch and Sandy Keith the best of luck in the weeks ahead. Putting your name forward for public office takes time, energy and a real willingness to be accountable to your community, and I believe all three of us are running because we genuinely care about Cortes and want to see it thrive.
With the provincial election also taking up so much attention, I hope we can keep making space for our local election too. The decisions made at the regional level affect our day-to-day lives in very direct ways, and I hope people will keep asking questions, listening to each other, and taking the time to think about what they want from their Regional Director.
Whatever the outcome, I hope this campaign can be a thoughtful conversation about Cortes, where we are now, and where we want to go next.
Experience and Background
My background is a mix of community work, administration, small business, design and entrepreneurship.
I first developed my administrative skills working at Hollyhock, where I did front desk and registrar work and first gained experience in customer service, organization and communicating across different departments.
I have also spent many years running my own small businesses. That has meant everything from scheduling, bookkeeping and managing workloads to marketing, ecommerce, customer service and keeping projects moving from an idea through to completion.
I studied Fashion Design and Merchandising at the Art Institute of Vancouver, in a program that combined design, graphic design and marketing with business. It gave me a broad skill set that I have continued to build on over the years, including writing, spreadsheets, web design, social media, graphic design and creating detailed plans with real deadlines.
More recently, I have been publishing the Daily Moon Calendar planner and calendar each year. It is a large annual project involving research, writing, design, budgeting, production, working with printers and suppliers, checking hundreds of details for accuracy and getting a finished product out on schedule. It has taught me a lot about managing a complicated project with many moving parts and being responsible for the final result.
I also have many years of experience in the recovery community in Vancouver, where I held service and leadership roles in a large weekly meeting. I served as secretary, chaired meetings, organized speakers, participated in monthly business meetings, took minutes, and helped support people through difficult situations. That experience taught me a lot about listening, facilitating discussion, handling sensitive information, working within group processes and helping people feel heard even when there were strong differences of opinion.
I have also been involved in community projects on Cortes, including helping with the early development of the Women’s Centre, and being part of the Linnaea Farm Community. My time working as Manager of Mansons Hall gave me another perspective on how much community organizations depend on good administration, clear communication and people being willing to step in and figure things out when something needs to be done.
Another area I have developed strongly is information gathering and organization. I regularly build forms with conditional logic, collect structured responses, organize data in spreadsheets, identify patterns and turn that information into useful reports. I think those skills could be very useful in creating better ways for residents to give input and in making sure community concerns are not just received, but actually organized, tracked and referred back to.
A lot of what I know has been learned by doing. I am comfortable teaching myself new systems, finding the information I need, organizing complicated projects and following through. Those are skills I would bring with me to the Regional Director role.