None of our current council ran on the platform of downtown pay parking. The initiative came from unelected staff. It is part of their “war” on the car. I was told by a senior staff member that we don’t have a parking problem; we have a car problem. We’ve seen dozens of parking spots removed from the downtown to be replaced by planters and other stupid stuff. Intersections so narrow that they impede vehicular traffic.
Years ago there were quite a few offshore parking spots down by the Whisky Dock. The CAO at the time liked kayaking so he had the parking removed and had a kayak launching facility installed. Lawns and picnic tables were later installed in the former parking spots. This pushed the offshore cars uptown.
This would be an opportune time for council to start listening to their constituents instead of blindly following staff recommendations.
From David Tarrant :
The hidden 'best before date' for a government is when (the) political side stops bringing in solutions to be challenged by the public service & instead turns to the public service to generate those solutions," he tweeted. "What comes out of bureaucracy is almost always a flavour of 'more process.'
20 comments:
Who voted for Aaron Rogers? No one!
Tells me all I need to know about his ideas.
RE: Parking Story. Great comment. Pay parking only makes sense if it is used as a way to generate money directly from the tourists, thereby lightening the tax burden on locals. By contributing to funding ongoing infrastructure improvements due to the number of tourists, it could be a way to make the town more livable. It is completely counter productive to use it as a way to tax the locals more, and make Tofino less livable. The main problem in Tofino is that it is increasingly becoming more difficult to live here Councils proposal makes it worse.
RMI money, Yes the so-called free money, was used to redo the downtown streets. It was sold as beautification and upgrading. RMI. only supports projects that are thought to benefit tourism. In this case prettying up of the town cost us parking spaces. Why doesn't, council apply for RMI money to build a parkade. couple of elections ago a candidate suggested as much, with an underground component. His suggestion received a lot of chuckles..
The idea is looking pretty good rite now
Downtown Pay Parking News letter that was sent with your Utility Bill
-Downtown Pay Parking FAQs-
Is Parking FREE for Offshore Residents?
Yes. Council has endorsed a model of fare-free annual parking passes for residents of Ahousaht, Opitsaht, Esowista, Hesquiaht and Ty-histanis.
There are no proposed changes to the existing Offshore Permit Parking
model.
Before it was FREE for offshore residents, now it’s FREE for the surrounding community’s including Esowista and Ty-histanis.
Watch the small businesses in town close down due to this pay parking regime. Locals sure won't go downtown and pop into a shop if they have to pay parking. Port Alberni shopping will look better every time a parking ticket is issued. I shopped in Port Alberni today and saved money over shopping in town. That is also without adding the expense of pay parking.
The DOT has stated that offshore residents can park for free. Campbell Street is still considered Highway 4 so it is uncertain if pay parking can be imposed there. There are well over 100 offshore parking permits currently issued .
Maybe Tofino Council hasn't figured out they are supposed to represent the people of Tofino.
For years planing staff has wanted to restrict development and maintain the few square blocks of the downtown core and it's old Tofino ambience. Looks like they have planned us right into a straight jacket. Poor Mayor Dan, all he talked about was a "desperately needed swimming pool" , downtown, and McMaster. "so people didn't,t have to drive their kids out to the airport. But apparently we have no where to park. Where is the planing?
Tofino is in a tough spot and it is unlikely to get better anytime soon. Some prominent staffers and councillors get swayed by the "its all their land " mantra and flop over like famine victims at the mention of discontent..Are the First Nations threatening Tofino over parking within the municpality? Or is it an assumption by DOT
Either way it seems like massive capitulation by DOT. They thank First Nations for allowing the use of their land at the start of every council meeting. I don't see anyone there who will protect the interests of the residents ofTofino. Of course a balance needs to be struck, but if the Municipality is the chid of the Province and hence Federal Gov't, there needs to be someone out their who is going to stickup for small towns like Tofino. We don't have any local municipal leadership up to the task. Sure as shit we can't count on our MLA.
Wow Race Based Parking...so progressive
It isn’t race based. Millionaires from Vargas Island , hippies from Catface and squatters of all races throughout Clayoqout Sound get free passes.
Ralph, these millionaires, hippies and squatters are just providing cover for the whole policy. Ya think DOT are afraid of some squatter bellyaching. No way, they would squash him like a bug. But he provides useful cover for race based parking.
11:03 i think has analyzed Tofino's parking situation exactly. Tofino is facing an imaginary bully like we all did as kids and living in fear of our parents giving us hell for getting in trouble. You have to face up to an imaginary bully, saying it has to end or in our case we will be poked and prodded by these offshore vehicles forever. They are not looking to keep poking us with their cars they just want a free to them solution to their parking problems. It should be a part of the crazy treaty negotiations process to provide parking.
Absolutely appalled by the constant assaults on the residents of this town. If residents of Tofino want to go about their daily business by shopping in town, maybe grabbing a bite or sitting at the dock to enjoy the scenery, it will cost them a lot of money. Most of these activities don't fit into the hours before 10am and after 6pm. Going to the bank (opening hours 10am-3pm) will cost you extra now. With wait times at restaurants you will have to run back to your car to feed the metre. Lots of fun! Residents of Tofino are paying a lot of property tax already, not to mention high cost of living and we should not have to pay extra to go about our daily business in town. The alternatives like riding a bike riding or taking the shuttle bus are not an option for the elderly and others who are physically not able to ride a bike or drag their shopping bags home on a bus. NO PAY PARKING IN TOWN! At the very least give free parking passes to residents.
Robbins Parking: If you are over the time limit just a bit it costs you about $60. Now there is something to look forward to if you just had dinner in a restaurant with long wait times and didn't make it back in time to feed the metre.
DOT is a woke joke. They only hire politically aligned employees to achieve a had left leaning agenda. For most of the Staff it is their first. Job in the particular position they hold. What we can expect is more of the same until we hire and elect based on merit not ideology. Enjoy your future tax bills Tofino they are headed in a very unacceptable direction...unless your an NGO. In that case here’s your cheque. No word from CAO? No surprise.i
I see the DOT wants us to do our shopping and business and banking etc at prescribed times. Is this part of the staff's green strategy?, the brave new ESG financial strategy? the effective marshalling of human resources strategy?, the managing the flow of information management flow strategy? the two wheeled Multimodal Boondoggle strategy? or........ the communist revolution come to "Tough"?....
I will schedule my own free time and activities to my own schedule thanks.
So, if Mr. Rodgers wants a group smiley faced, choreographed, toilet flushing at a prescribed hour, as a photo op, to promote the supercharged capacity of the new low carbon treatment facilities, Sorry.... I will be in the bread line awaiting my one loaf a week..... sometime before ten or after six,..... depending on supply.
I've been a full time resident in Tofino for over twenty years. I have lived in a dozen or so towns my adult life and have always been self employed. I contribute to the economy and our little village. My issue with the DOT is I feel they are always against the residents. There seems to be a we/them attitude that doesn't foster anything positive. I have never experienced this in all the places I have ever lived and it makes me not want to get involved and just keep my head in the sand. They seem to do nothing to foster local business. I moved here because of the simple beauty and uniqueness of the area but the hostile attitude I perceive from the DOT makes me question if this is the place I want to spend the rest of my life in. Perhaps this is why the neighbourhood I live in doesn't have any lights on and most of the owners live somewhere else. Tuff City isn't an easy place to live and the DOT just seems to make it harder. DOT seems to think I work for them to bring in tax revenue. In reality DOT is supposed to work for us... THE RESIDENTS of Tofino.
well said 12:39
you nailed it.
I'm feeling the same way after about the same number of years.
Why does the town keep frustrating its residents and making their lives difficult?
It really gets to a point of why am I here when all this shit is going down?
I have lived in Tofino for a few years, and was always proud and eager to tell folks about what a great place it is....was.
The people of Tofino have always been it's biggest boosters just because they love it here. You hardly need a marketing strategy when the whole town is on board. This has been eroding for a few years. Super high cost of living, none existent housing options, high and increasingly higher taxes if you were able at some point in the past to buy a home. I could go on....Now they want to charge folks a parking fee to buy some groceries, or go to the skate park..I couldn't agree more with the previous two posters.
Even when the DOT started to charge for parking at the beach but gave me a pass, I felt like YA! We are all on the same team. Love this place. Willing to work for shit wages but someone respected that and gave me a break. Someone told me they were even thinking of giving out a little sticker, a display pass, for your window if you got the freebie pass. That is a cool idea. I want one of those. Lots would pay to get one of those to be part of the tribe.
What is happening when the folks like me who work here, resent the place and shit talk it. Right now Tofino deserves to be shit talked. I can understand now why folks who have lived her their whole lives are getting out,. town doesn't give a shit, and it is not because we don't have a rec centre. Rec centre? sure but I came here because of the Pacific Ocean, biggest rec centre on the planet. Tell me how I can afford to live here? Tell me that the Town gives a shit about people like me? It is clear we are definitely not on the same team.
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