The Harbour Authority of Cortes Island (HACI) is a non-profit operating under the umbrella of Small Craft Harbours, a provincial BC government operation.

The primary mandate of government docks in Canada is to serve the commercial fishing industry, says HACI Harbor Manager Jenny Hartwick. A hierarchy of preference exists in the design of HACI, serving the commercial fishing industry primarily, and other commercial industries secondarily. Recreational use receives tertiary preference on government docks. This recreational type of use includes any privately owned vessels used for personal housing, transportation, or leisure. Due to congestion issues on the docks in recent years, a new policy has been implemented to maintain this mandate; all those seeking to use the dock must reach out to HACI and receive explicit approval. As this policy is being rolled out this spring, many dock users are learning the true purpose of the "small craft harbour" docks. Though government docks are commonly referred to as “public docks,” Hartwick notes the policy is that commercial fishing vessels get first dibs on slips at the dock.

“All of the government docks, up and down the BC coast are in fact, still owned by small craft harbors and their mandate is to support the commercial fishing industry.”

Anyone who would like to receive approved permission to tie up at a Cortes Island government dock, must contact HACI at hacimgr@gmail.com.

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