Mayor and Council
I write to you today about the unhappy situation that Tofino and indeed most of the world finds itself in. The global pandemic of the latest iteration of the Corona Virus is playing itself out, with new and unfortunate revelations on a daily basis. We don’tknow exactly where this situation will lead in the short and mid term. We will get through it, but the costs are still unknown. Are we overreacting? Or completely unprepared? We will find out.
Apart from the obvious and dire health implications, andwhether they are realized or not, a mountain of evidence isbuilding that indicates very serious financial consequences arealso emerging with the current health problems, and associated responses. It is to this that I want to direct your attention.
Many of our 165 members, all Tofitian, representing families and businesses, are already experiencing a significant slow down in tourist visitation, with the cancelation of reservations, and reduced prospects. It will get worse. This is true of large and small operations. Globally, travel restrictions are being put into place and the public is being asked to put off travel plans.Etc. BC Ferries are being cancelled because of a lack of customers.
Retirees and those approaching retirement have seen a rapid evaporation of their savings and RSP’s and RIF’s. The stockmarkets plummet in anticipation of even further bad news and inevitable financial setbacks. It is universally accepted that we have entered into a significant economic recession that is global in reach. There is no doubt that we will emerge from this as well, in time, but it is likely the effects will continue longer than the virus itself. Increases in unemployment, reduced GDP and declines in disposable incomes are inevitable. As a primarily tourist town we are squarely in the cross hairs, dependant on the free movement of people and the ability and willingness of the public to spend.
Provincial and Federal governments within Canada and internationally will do what they can to mitigate the effects, but there will be effects.
People will lose their jobs, and for others, generally, incomeswill be reduced. Mortgages and loans will be at risk and some will fail. This will happen.
Local government has a role to play as well. In the delivery of service and the dissemination of accurate information. However,it has an additional job that it can do.
So, I suggest to you that this is the right time for municipal government to rationalize its spending and reduce the tax burden in nonessential areas. Considerations made a few weeks ago should be set aside and now be subject to the current circumstance thrust upon us and be reviewed with fresh scrutiny.
And I remind you that every individual, family, and business large and small in Tofino will be making their own tough decisions in the months ahead, on personal and business spending. Cuts will have to be made plans, foregone and hopes postponed. For some a matter of survival.
And so, I implore you to do your part, as best you can, in easing the tax burden for all Tofitians, as we face difficult and uncertain circumstances.
Jack Gillie
For the Tofino Rate Payers Association
16 comments:
The way this town operates it will first have to implode before any economizing takes place. By imploding I mean be unable to meet its payroll. We'll probably also first have to have the administration of Tofino taken over by the province.
They may think it could not happen but when the tax base disappears as a result of this virus, there may be no other option.
The spend spend spend bubble that exists here is going to pop.
It could be at least 3 years before things go back to a 'normal' economy where travel exists.
This town is like a bunch of hourly workers living from pay check to pay check. The pay check just disappeared and won't come back for years.
Lock down is just around the corner and maybe for 5 months???? It will be a good way to lay off staff.
Why, today, do we have, on salary, a "festival co-ordinator"? Surely this is a position that cannot possibly justify itself.
Perhaps its time to lay off the staff at tourism Tofino. I don't imagine they have too much work going on.
I imagine Josie has this on her agenda and has asked staff to look through their budgets, ask if the line item is truely necessary, and make some hard calls. I am sure that the district office is a-buzz with all involved getting creative on how they will make do with less this year.
I don't think that layoffs will be necessary if they trim away what is not, revise the budget to reflect a new reality, and be prepared for the worse.
That is their duty, to look at for their electorate during these trying times.
I am sure we will see a revised budget soon.
12:10 What you say makes perfect sense The ratepayers letter makes perfect sense. I wish I had your confidence.
Both the Feds and the Province recognize that things have changed- people and businessess have a new economic reality to reckon with. The have moved quickly to keep things moving, changing EI rules, tax breaks etc.
We are facing a significant increase in property taxes at a time when we will all be struggling to pay our bills. When will we see some action from the DoT?
Come on Mayor and Council. Let's hear what you are working on. Tell us what your plans are. Prepare for a summer of no tourism and lowered expectations.
Maybe Josie will stay the course and just take what the other levels of governments are going to give us all.
6:22 Of course any decision is not up to the Mayor. Every Councillor gets a vote. Unfortunately the council is weak. Gripped by group think and incapable of independent analysis. They will follow the recommendation of staff.
The mayor has spent her whole career, political and otherwise, at the trough. Any tax cut will violate every instinct she has. They just porkbarrelled out $30,000. for film festivals, public events, vegetable collection etc. That contradicts social distancing, and flattening the curve. How could they do that? I rest my case.
Municipal savings won't happen. Shame on them.
In order to have an immediate solution to the impending Financial crisis in tofino it's time for the mayor and council to "give back to the community"...... That means, say, $1000 per household by the end of this month... Instead of carrying on with a fat budget which has no bearing on the current situation.
I would be surprised if the mayor and council do anything besides prayers and hugs..... oops, skip the hugs.
Unfortunately this still leaves the suddenly unemployed horde of restaurant, resort, & business staff upon whom the bizarre resort municipality of tofino absolutely depends... without income or resource.
The mayor of ucluelet expressed the shituation fairly well on the radio when he said ucluelet does things differently. They do what's necessary and worry about protocol and procedure later.
Tofino simply doesn't know how to do that.
its like being in a speeding boat full of people where the skipper has suddenly passed out and the boat is headed straight for the rocks. someone has to grab the wheel to steer away from the rocks to avoid death and disaster. no time to worry about a boat drivers license, whats the right thing to do?do we need permission?...kind of like now
Well, still nothing from Mayor Osbourne on the taxation front. Having said that, there may be some careful considerations being made with Mayor and Council wanting to get it right. There is no option to do nothing.
It is diappointing that, if there are plans, we are not hearinng about. It is easy to be a super star when times are good. You aren't really a leader at those times. You just ride the tide up and feel like you have some role in the tide rising. You can tax like there is no tomorrow, spend like you there will be no end, smiling all the way.
Tough times take real leadership. Guess we are going to see what we really got.
Agree 8:02. Two famous sayings come to mind. "A rising tide lifts all boats" and then "When the tide goes out we can see who has been swimming without a bathing suit". These crisis have a tendency to expose the incompetent.
Time to take a collective breath people. No one saw this 4 months ago. Some are still denying that covid will be that bad...for them. It's time to think of community and what that means. Look after your personal connections, calm the panic in you circle of friends and family. Don't assume everyone is ok...check. Some are at very great risk for health reasons that might not be evident, don't assume. All but a few business' will suffer Support local. Wallmart and Costco don't give a shit about you. Your local business' do. don't hate so easily walk a mile cool down and breath. How can I help someone today...in the next ten minutes? We can come out of this for the better or worse as a community what do we want? Stop being armchair Bitches and support leadership that you might not agree with on all issues, there are many trying to get this right and there will be mistakes along the way, accept that. We can judge later, now is the time to do all we can personally to help each other.
5:19 Josie? Is that you? Resign.
Nice try 5:49... you can try again if you want to keep being a troll
yeah 5:19, your right, we shouldn't judge the fiddling. We should just sitback and watch the fire engulf all that we have worked to build. There will be plenty of time to judge when we have nothing left.
Then we can hear again about how no one saw that coming and well they made some mistakes but they tried their best.
yeah 5:19, your right, we shouldn't judge the fiddling. We should just sitback and watch the fire engulf all that we have worked to build. There will be plenty of time to judge when we have nothing left.
Then we can hear again about how no one saw that coming and well they made some mistakes but they tried their best.
To 5:19 I would love to support some leadership. When I come across some I will support it. Or do you see an endless diatribe of moralizing and virtue signaling as leadership. That is what is scaring us right now. The leadership we have is lightweight, used to slithering it's way around policy. Their thinking is vacuous. Their style is pretension. Their priorities are deflection and avoiding fundamental realities. We need competence and clear headed action.
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