tofino news

Vancouver Sun Story

2012-03-03T15:41:00.002-08:00

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Supreme+Court+ousts+Harrison+village+councillor+calls+election/6231027/story.html
It is very,very important for Councilors to be accurate in their disclosure statements.Never a dull moment in Tough City !

R.I.P. Davey Jones

2012-02-29T16:49:00.001-08:00

http://www.tmrzoo.com/2012/32700

Town Hall Meeting Tonight

2012-02-29T16:15:00.001-08:00

Town Hall Meeting
Community Hall, 351 Arnet Rd
29/02/2012
All residents are invited to attend a Town Hall Meeting to provide their feedback on the 2012-2014 Strategic Priorities set by Council. The meeting is to be held in the Tofino Community Hall located at 351 Arnet Road on:

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 from 7 – 9 p.m.

The meeting will take place in an informal setting. Council encourages citizens to bring forward any issues or concerns facing the community.

Tofino Fire Department

2012-02-29T07:51:00.002-08:00

There have been many resignations from the Tofino Fire Department in the last few months...many senior members have left....does anyone know what is going on ? I have heard that there is a new requirement for volunteers to be on call on the weekends.....comments please.....

2002 Water Report

2012-02-28T09:18:00.002-08:00

While District staff seems to have difficulty finding archived information regarding our water system,Ken Gibson seems to have no problems.....thanks to Ken for this 2002 water report !!

Water Meeting Update

2012-02-27T17:35:00.003-08:00

John Motherwell made a presentation regarding the District of Tofino water system but District staff did not provide any numbers or flow rates so the presentation had very little context. I had asked for some historical water data from the past few years as had members of Council but none were provided.Bob Schantz said he thought there were numbers from 2007 and up at his office but they weren't available at the meeting...

This means we have no idea how much water came from the Close Creek component of the system and how much we might be short as tourist season approaches.
I asked for these numbers nearly three weeks ago and cannot understand why staff is withholding this information not only from myself but from Tofino Council. They cannot make informed decisions without this information.

Add to the lack of historical data the lack of any accurate data from the last 7 or 8 months and it is apparent that our water system has been ignored for far too long...time for some changes !

Sechelt Gets 8 Miliion Dollars For Sewer System

2012-02-27T17:28:00.003-08:00

http://www.coastreporter.net/article/20120113/SECHELT0101/301139981/-1/sechelt/district-gets-funds-for-sewer-plant

Sechelt was successful in its application for a sewer grant from the Gas Tax Fund. Tofino also applied for a grant from the Gas Tax Fund for a sewer project but was ineligible as the District had not completed the required stage 3 Liquid Waste Management Plan. It has still not been completed.

Feb.28 Council Meeting Agenda

2012-02-26T22:22:00.000-08:00

https://tofino.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=6808

REGULAR MEETING OF THE DISTRICT OF TOFINO COUNCIL
HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS
AGENDA: 2012-FEBURARY-28 AT 9:00 AM
A)
CALL MEETING TO ORDER
B)
ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA
C)
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
D)
ADOPTION OF MINUTES

1.

Minutes of the Regular Open Council Meeting held February 14, 2012 for adoption.
2012-02-14 Regular Minutes
E)
BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
F)
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE MAYOR
G)
DELEGATIONS

1.

Ted Olynyk, Manager of Cummunity Relations for BC Hydro, Vancouver Island Region to present Smart Meters to Council.

2.

Nick Jacquet, resident and business owner of Tofino to request that Council endorse the following motion: that Council amend Sign Control Bylaw No. 1079 to allow a portable sign (dawn to dusk) put out in front of my business, my house at 231 Main Street.
2012-02-09 Delegation Requrest to amend Sign Bylaw
Photo of sign
Photo of property
Photo of front entrance
H)
CORRESPONDENCE FOR INFORMATION ONLY

1.

UBCM Member Release providing Council with an update on the most recent correspondence from the federal government to FCM on CETA.
2012-02-22 UBCM Member Release re CETA

2.

UBCM Member Release providing Council with a background on two initiatives: 1) Expert Panel Review of Business Taxation; 2) Local Government Revenue Sources Review.
2012-02-10 UBCM Member Release re Provincial Tax Revenue Reviews

3.

UBCM In The House Release providing a synopsis of the 2012 Provincial Budget.
2012-02-21 UBCM In The House Release re Provincial Budget

4.

UBCM Member Release informing local governments on the status of the RCMP contract issues related to ongoing discussions between the province and the federal government.
2012-02-20 UBCM Member Release re RCMP Contract

5.

UBCM Executive Release providing highlights of the February 2-3,2012 Executive Meeting.
2012-02-15 UBCM Executive Release

6.

UBCM Member Release providing Council with information regarding Local Government Awareness Week & National Public Works Week: May 20 - May 26, 2012.
2012-02-21 UBCM Members Release re Local Government Awareness Week

7.

Letter from the Mayor of Maple Ridge to BC Hydro supporting residents option to refuse the installation of wireless smart meters.
2012-02-17 Letter from Maple Ridge to BC Hydro

8.

Letter from Dorothy and Ronald Arnet to the Editor of The Westerly News in response to their opinion question regarding historical signs increasing local pride in the community copied to Council.
2012-02-21 Letter from Dorothy and Ronald Arnet to Westerly News

9.

Vancouver Island Regional Library From the Board Table Release providing highlights from the January 28, 2012 meeting of the Vancouver Island Regional Library Board of Trustees.
2012-01-28 VIRL From the Board Table
I)
CORRESPONDENCE: REQUIRING ACTION

1.

Letter from Chris LeFevre, Lefevre & Company, requesting that Council waive the development cost charges (DCCs) associated with the donation of the apartment unit to the District.
2012-02-13 Letter from LeFevre & Company

2.

Email from John Rowlandson, Velo Village Team Lead, Island Pathways, requesting Council's support by passing a resolution for the investment in rural cycling infrastructure.
2012-02-15 Email and Resolution from John Rowlandson

3.

Letter from Brad and Susan Dusseault requesting action be taken to improve the failing culverts and overall infrastructure of the District.
2012-02-09 Letter from Brad and Susan Dusseault
J)
TABLED ITEMS
K)
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
L)
REPORTS
1.
Staff Reports

a)

Interzonal House (Report from Public Works Forman)
THAT Council approves the expenditure for upgrades to the interzonal house as outlined in the February 10, 2012 report from Koers and Associates Engineering in the amount of $148,500;
AND THAT Council direct staff to meet with Tofino Fish Hatchery representatives to discuss water demand needs related to the water treatment plant and to make recommendations on possible solutions.
2012-02-22 RCT Interzonal House

b)

Fire Chief Change. (Report from Fire Chief)
THAT COUNCIL accepts the resignation of Fire Chief Chris Ledger, and that they accept the nomination put forward by the members of the Tofino Volunteer Fire Department to appoint Deputy Chief Eric Graham to the position of Fire Chief.
2012-02-28 RTC Fire Chief Change

c)

Tofino Volunteer AGM held on February 14, 2012 for Council information. (Report from Fire Chief)
2012-02-24 RTC AGM.pdf

d)

Ambassador Program Partnership Policy (Report from Deputy Clerk)
THAT Council approve the Ambassador Program Partnership Policy as presented.
2012-02-22 RTC Ambassador Program Policy
Ambassador Program Partnership Policy

e)

2012 Budget Process (Report from Director of Financial Services)
THAT Council informs management on whether they would like the budget to be presented as ‘Summary by Department’ or ‘Detailed Line by Line’;
AND THAT Council directs management to hold a public meeting after third reading of the 2012-2016 Financial Plan Bylaw;
AND THAT Council direct management to include a minimum tax increase of 2.4% to the draft budget to reflect 2012 CPI (inflation);
AND THAT Council call a special budget meeting the week of March 19-23, 2012.
2012-02-23 RCT 2012 Budget Process

f)

Downtown Parking (Report from Manager of Community Sustainability)
THAT Council adopt the downtown parking policy attached as Appendix C;
AND THAT Council authorize staff to move forward with actions in support of the parking policies.
2012-02-09 RCT Downtown Parking

g)

Downtown Vitalization Implementation Committee Appointments (Report from Manager of Community Sustainability)
THAT Council appoints the following five individuals to serve on the District of Tofino Downtown Vitalization Implementation Committee for a two year period (February 28th, 2012 to February 27th, 2014).
1. Rod Cameron
2. Ken Gibson
3. Dylan Green
4. Brenda Huculak (past member Downtown Vitalization Committee)
5. Catherine Temple;
AND THAT Council appoint a Council representative to the District of Tofino Official Community Plan Implementation and Monitoring Committee.
12-02-21 RCT Downtown Vitalization Implementation Committee Appointments
2.
Committee Reports

a)

Minutes of the Light House Trail Committee meeting held February 8, 2012 including recommendations for Council's endorsement.
THAT Andrew Waddell be appointed to the committee and that Stephen Ashton be officially re-appointed;
AND THAT the following projects be considered by council for funding in the 2012 budget:
1) Extend the trail to Mackenzie Beach;
2) Provide signage at the trailheads;
3) Develop an interpretive strategy;
4) Erect safety barriers in danger zones, using cable;
5) Build a bridge over the surge channel near the maze;
6) Install Robinson’s gazebo, and
7) Construct a path and stairs to Second beach.
AND THAT this be done in preparation for the February 28th meeting of council;
AND THAT the trail is re-named the Tofino Lighthouse Trail, and that First Nations will be invited to name a portion of the trail once it is completed;
2012-02-08 Lighthouse Trail Committee Minutes

b)

Minutes of the Coastal Family Resources Coalition held on February 12, 2012 for Council information.
2012-02-01 Coastal Family Resources Coalition Minutes
3.
Council Verbal Updates
M)
BYLAWS

1.

Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 1166, 2012, Pacific Sands for first reading. (Report by Manager of Community Sustainability)
THAT Council give first reading to Zoning Amendment Bylaw No.1166, 2012.
2012-02-20 Pacific Sands Rezoning - First Reading

2.

Council Procedure Bylaw Amendment No. 1165, 2012 for first three readings.
THAT Council give first, second and third readings to Council Procedure Amendment Bylaw No. 1165, 2012.
2012-02-21 RTC Procedure Amendment Bylaw 1165
1165 - Council Procedure Amendment
2012-03-08 and 2012-03-15 Procedure Amendment Bylaw Advertisement
N)
NEW BUSINESS

1.

Notice of Motion from Councillor Thicke in regards to the MRT and the agreement that the Province has with the District to be renewed prior to June 1, 2012.
MOTION TO BE CONSIDERED AT NEXT MEETING: The District of Tofino intends that the MRT tax monies will be used for marketing and management of the Resort Municipality of Tofino, and the development of a long- term sustainable Tourism Plan for the District
Cllr Thicke's Notice of Motion - supporting information
O)
15 MINUTE QUESTION PERIOD
P)
ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE IN CAMERA AGENDA
Q)
ADOPTION OF IN CAMERA AGENDA
MOTION: “That the In Camera agenda be adopted as circulated; that the In Camera meeting be closed to the public pursuant to Sections 90(1)(c), (e), (g), (j) and 90(2)(b) of the Community Charter:

(1)

Adopt the minutes from the in-camera meetings held February 14, 2012.

(2)

Legal Issues Update:

* Section 90(1)(g) Legal Advice.
* Section 90(1)(g) Litigation.

(3)

Business Arising from the Minutes:

* Section 90(1)(g) Potential Litigation.
* Section 90(1)(g) Legal Advice.

(4)

Correspondence:

* Section 90(1)(g) Potential Litigation.
* Section 90(2)(b) Provincial Government Confidential Information.

(5)

Reports:

* Section 90(1)(j) Freedome of Information & Protection of Privacy Act s.21.
* Section 90(1)(c) Labour.
* Section 90(1)(c) Labour.

(6)

New Business:

* Section 90(1)(e) Land Acquisition.
* Section 90(1)(c) Labour.

R)
RECESS
S)
RECONVENE FROM IN CAMERA MEETING
T)
RELEASE OF CLOSED MEETING INFORMATION
U)
ADJOURNMENT

Special Water Meeting

2012-02-24T20:39:00.002-08:00

There will be a special open council meeting on Monday,Feb. 27 at 9 am to discuss water issues. John Motherwell will be attending to address the situation at Close Creek etc....to be held at Council Chambers....please try to attend....thanks,Ralph

Gabriel Lavoie

2012-02-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

Gabriel Lavoie R.I.P.

Search for Gabriel Lavoie Continues

2012-02-24T15:30:00.001-08:00

Vancouver Province Story on Search

2012-02-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Extensive+search+after+capsized+canoe+found+Tofino/6205747/story.html

Search Update

2012-02-24T11:01:00.003-08:00

Search and Rescue are looking for a 27 year old male who was the operator of a red canoe that was recovered by Morpheus Island on Feb.22nd at 4:00 pm. Please contact Coast Guard at 250-725-3231 if you have any info.Thanks to all those helping with the search.

Search Underway

2012-02-24T10:54:00.001-08:00

This just in from our correspondent in Ahousat : unconfirmed reports of a search under way for a missing boater....more info soon

From Fernie BC's Building Inspector Description

2012-02-23T21:10:00.001-08:00

The Building Inspector is instrumental in assisting the development of local regulations and bylaws regarding health, fire and safety. Assists the public with land use, zoning, subdivision and building requirements.
The Building Inspector provides vacation, sick leave and other leave coverage for the Bylaw Enforcement Officer and provides assistance to the Bylaw Enforcement Officer when required. The Building Inspector may also enforce and administer bylaws related to minimum acceptable property and building maintenance standards, heating, ventilating, solid fuel burning appliances, etc.
The Building Inspector should be familiar with current and past Provincial and National Building Codes and Standards, Federal and Provincial legislation and Municipal bylaws pertaining to health, fire and life safety in construction. Familiarity with all aspects of the construction industry, including construction methods, procedures, practices and materials is required of the Building Inspector.
The Building Inspector must display a great deal of tact and diplomacy while enforcing the foregoing laws, Codes, Standards, Regulations and Bylaws and assessing options for Code compliance.
Minimum Requirements
• Grade 12 or proven equivalent. • Thorough knowledge of all common types of building construction and materials. • Demonstrated knowledge of B.C. Building and Plumbing Codes. • Proven ability to read and interpret plans, drawings and specifications and enforce
regulations tactfully and with firmness. • Strong interpersonal and communication skills. • V alid Class 5 B.C. driver's license. • Familiarity and proficiency with office computers and databases.
Desired Attributes
• Possess and maintain Level 2 Building Inspection Certificate. • Possess and maintain Level 1 Plumbing Inspection Certificate. • A trades qualification in carpentry or plumbing. • A diploma in Building or Civil Technology.

Rosie Bay Court Case Letter by Bryce Lashbrook

2012-02-23T20:41:00.002-08:00

Mr. Smith,   I am writing out of deep concern and frustration over a current issue whose details I have been privy to. The issue concerns your building inspector and the means by which the inspection process has been carried out.  My role in the matter is that I have been subcontracted for carpentry work to Graham and Krista Scott, the owners/builders of 855 Moser Place. I have been under contract to them for the past 20 months or so.  While it could be assumed that the following comments are biased due to my business relationship with the Scott’s, I assure you that the impetus to write you is solely from a disgruntled taxpayer’s viewpoint. Please also note that I write you with full knowledge that as a carpenter in this corridor, there is a very real chance that I will suffer repercussions for sharing my views and experiences.

  Let me begin by stating the fact that your current building inspector visited the 855 Moser Place site to perform a 'Framing Inspection'. This inspection was performed to ascertain whether the building met the current structural/safety requirements as outlined in the BC Building Code prior to interior dry walling. I witnessed a copy of said report which clearly indicated a 'Pass', and 'No Revisit Required'. There was no mention at this time of any concerns over glass floors, ‘timber frame’ elements, or an engineers’ stamp being required. The structure was 'approved'. You should find a copy of this on file.  Subsequent to this, I was also present on site when the lead carpentry subcontractor (whom I shall leave unnamed and hereafter refer to as ‘the lead’) paid at least two visits to your building inspector’s office. One was to clarify particulars around occupancy requirements. At that meeting ‘the lead’ indicated it was the Scott’s intention to have the occupancy inspection done in a timely fashion. The subsequent visit was to REQUEST AN OCCUPANCY INSPECTION. We spent many days preparing/finishing and polishing the premises and building for this inspection. It was very clear to all parties including your building inspector that this inspection was for occupancy. Any claim by your inspector that it was a 'courtesy visit' is absolute falsification. I returned to the site shortly after your inspector left, and I spoke and length with ‘the lead’ as to what the outcome was. He indicated that in the inspectors words 'it all looked great', with the exception that he had concerns regarding the glass floors, and that there were no complete set of complete plans on file. The inspector returned to his office and then tardily communicated that he would like to see clarification on these issues.  Now, if I may divulge momentarily. I am no legal expert, but it seems to me both reasonable and logical to conclude that if a building is undergoing a FINAL occupancy inspection and there is no set of plans on file, that the onus rests on the municipality under whose jurisdiction the build was ALLOWED TO PROCEED. Legally, it seems the only recourse the district could have taken had they any concerns over plans or the ability of the contractor to erect a sound structure, would have been to issue a stop work order DURING THE TIME THAT THE BUILDING WAS FIRST BEING ERECTED. No such order was given, and work was allowed to proceed. This is reasonable, as there was a solid relationship of trust and respect between the main building contractor, Leif Hagar and the building inspector of that time.   Your inspector calling for a set of plans and engineering approval of the glass floors at such a late hour reeks of personal vendetta and rank unprofessionalism.
It is common knowledge that your inspector and Leif Hagar are on unfriendly terms. It is also common knowledge that Mrs. Scott had requested a quote for a kitchen to be built by your inspector; and that due to a set of circumstances I won't divulge here resulted in Mrs. Scott turning down that quote and forming a justifiably unfavourable opinion of your inspector. Mrs. Scott in turn visited the municipal offices and voiced her concern that she did not trust your building inspector to carry on an unbiased occupancy inspection.

To return to the issue at hand, your inspector made these demands of the Scott’s. Despite the fact that the Scott’s already had a very strong case for litigation, they complied begrudgingly by contracting a professional structural engineer to do multiple site visits and an analysis. It is worth noting that this was done at considerable expense to the Scott’s', under good faith that upon completion of your inspectors requests that they would be granted occupancy. I have not been privy to the engineer’s final report but was onsite during his visits. I can attest to his thoroughness and professionalism. I can also state that he was in wonder over what the possible issue could be as everything was overbuilt and very sound.

The Scott’s also addressed the 'issue' of the glass floors. They re-contacted the professional commercial glass company that installed them. That company had to dig up their engineering reports on what is a very common and pre-approved method of installation. Yet again, this untimely request by your inspector caused significant delays and added expense to the Scott’s build.  It has now been brought to my attention that your building inspector refuses to accept that the Scott’s have complied with his requests. He also is taking the position that his last site visit was a 'professional courtesy'. Let me inform you that there has been no evidence of 'courtesy' on his part to date. His actions thus far have been to delay the process and cause undue stress to the owners. There has not been one instance of his having made any effort to facilitate the process in any way.

 There is one final issue here. Why after her visit to the municipal offices, were Mrs. Scott’s concerns and comments regarding her perception of the character of the inspector (with solid grounds I might add), and her request for another inspector to do the site visit somehow conveyed to the inspector himself? That represents a complete breach of trust on the part of your office. It is an absolute failure of its mandate to uphold the interest of the ratepayers in this municipality.  As a resident of this municipality I am simply outraged and disgusted with this entire scenario. I ask you, what is the town gaining by continuing to allow your inspector to persecute and bully the Scott’s so that he can achieve his vendetta against them and Leif Hagar? How much is this costing me personally as a taxpayer in this town?  I am beseeching you to see the heart of this matter and that is that your inspector is abusing his position of power. I call on you to terminate his employment with this municipality immediately. Anything less is absolutely unacceptable. Waiting until the outcome of litigation will only lead to additional cost and will compound an already extremely embarrassing situation for our local governance.

Most Sincerely,
Bryce Lashbrook

Another Interesting Court Action

2012-02-23T19:59:00.001-08:00

Rosie Bay Lawsuit Guest Editorial by Leif Hagar

2012-02-23T08:35:00.002-08:00

May I regurgitate Rosie Pt.
Seems your posting and comments have had no influence on the position taken by Bob, appears it's going to court.
I'd like to share my perspective with the 'tax payers' of Tofino.
I believe this scenario is solely the result of a personal issue Bob has with me and subsequently my clients. It stems from litigation Bob was involved in previously that I was attached to and possibly some comments by my client to Bob's boss as to the legitimacy of his position. He was at the time still conducting his cabinetry business and approaching litigations as a result of that business.
He is claiming that he has never been invited to inspect for an occupancy permit, hence one hasn't been issued and that even though he passed the framing it did not include the post and beam (not mentioned until much later) engineering required. I believe he has singled us out because I know he has not made these requirements elsewhere in a similar builds. Interestingly the engineers comment to me after physically inspecting the building was:
"What's with this guy?"
Tofino you need to ask the same, he is your civil servant not vise versa.
Ralph thanks for this venue.
Leif
p.s. For those who wish to build you can minimize your interaction by hiring an engineer or architect to inspect, typical practice in commercial work where it is beyond the scope of local authorities.

Some Numbers Add Up To Nothing ! Water Update

2012-02-23T07:58:00.002-08:00

Yesterday I finally got a response from the District regarding my request for water consumption numbers.Some numbers from the Sharp Rd. Water Treatment Plant were provided but none from Bay St. pump station ! A quote from the response "We have reviewed the readings from Bay Street and the readings are skewed" These readings should have been reviewed last summer !
According to numbers from the Raincoast Education Society that were provided by the District of Tofino, the numbers have been "skewed" since July,2011 !!
Water is the single most important issue with Public Works and it is continually ignored in favor of "District Sawmills" and other ridiculous pursuits !
Seven months without accurate water numbers it totally unacceptable !
Please tell your Mayor and Council that we need responsible management of Public Works now before things get any worse !!!

Something Completely Different !

2012-02-20T12:28:00.000-08:00

In case you are tired of hearing about our troubled and crippled water system here's something completely different forwarded by a loyal reader :
http://www.revelstoketimesreview.com/news/139374563.html

Still No Water Numbers

2012-02-20T09:08:00.002-08:00

12 days after the initial advisory group meeting and 11 days after a written request to the District to get recent water consumption amounts I have received absolutely nothing. This is not transparency.This is unacceptable.I have to wonder if the District of Tofino has the slightest idea of how much water we are using ?? Numbers posted by the Raincoast Education Society last year show water usage that should have triggered extensive conservation initiatives last summer but there were none....the numbers must be incorrect....
Does the District of Tofino know if we have sufficient fireflows ?? what if we do have a major fire ? Sorry to sound like a broken record but Mayor and Council must question staff with regards to our water system !

Vancouver Sun Earthquake Story

2012-02-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Tofino+Ucluelet+unprepared+quake/6179347/story.html

thanks to a reader for the forward

Raincoast Water Numbers from Last August

2012-02-16T04:53:00.000-08:00

http://www.raincoasteducation.org/res-water.php
Check out these numbers....I find it hard to believe that are water consumption doubles or triples from day to day in the summer.....I think the District had better start paying attention to its water numbers !!! there must be some inaccuracies here....

Current Water Numbers

2012-02-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

I asked the District of Tofino for recent water consumption records six days ago ...as of this post I have received nothing.....maybe Council has been updated but I have not....so much for transparency....I take the water issue very seriously....we are still suffering from bad publicity from the water mismanagement in 2006..
The water records should be on the Public Works computer and should be updated constantly....they should be available to anyone who asks with the click of a mouse....I have to ask what the District is trying to conceal ???...do they even keep accurate records ? I don't know....??? Do they have any information at all ??
Do we currently have enough water for sufficient fire flow ? Please ask your Mayor and Councilors !!

Have Gun Will Travel !

2012-02-13T11:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Long+Beach+check+stop+leads+seizure+loaded+firearms/6142515/story.html

Feb 14 Council Meeting Agenda

2012-02-12T21:09:00.000-08:00

https://tofino.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=6062

Motherwell Report on Close Creek

2012-02-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

Mayor's Interview on Long Beach Radio

2012-02-10T20:14:00.000-08:00

While I applaud the Mayor's attempt to explain the water situation I'm afraid he may have been misinformed in that there is no turbidity alarm at the Bay St. pump station.There is a turbidity meter installed but no alarm.This was brought up at the meeting the other night.If an alarm was in place it is possible that District staff would have had more time to react and the boil water order might have been avoided. I think it would be a good idea if an alarm system were to be installed with an automatic telephone alert system.This is not very expensive and should be installed as soon as possible. I fully support the Mayor and hope in the future that he is provided with accurate information.

http://www.longbeachradio.ca/2012/02/whats-up-with-tofinos-water.html

More on Water

2012-02-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

If there is water flowing over the Sharp Creek Dam and we are not getting enough water at Bay St pump station it would seem that there is an obstruction somewhere in the system.This doesn't take an engineer to figure out.No need to send the District Public Works staff out in a tin boat every day to check turbidity at Close Creek.Let's find out why the water from Sharp Creek isn't getting to the pump station at Bay St.
Please comment if you have any information or thoughts on this.I have been wrong before but this seems pretty simple......

New District webpage

2012-02-09T19:44:00.000-08:00

http://www.tofino.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?NewsID=263

Advisory Group Update

2012-02-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

About 25-30 people showed up for the meeting...water issues were discussed...staff issues were discussed but probably the most important issue raised was that people want a return to a "common sense" approach to running the District of Tofino.The Mayor,CAO and some council members were present......some good questions asked and I think the format of open discussion worked well.....special thanks to Ken Gibson for his historical perspectives.......
I hope to have an update on the water situation soon.....thanks,Ralph

No Boil Water Advisory

2012-02-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

The District of Tofino has confirmed that there is currently no Boil Water Advisory .

VIHA BOIL WATER NOTICE SITE

2012-02-08T14:01:00.000-08:00

Tofino doesn't appear on the VIHA site so I have no idea what is going on with the water system ?? Current Boil Notices

Important Information About Boil Water Notices

Facility Name Location Boil Advisory Start Date # of Boil Advisory Days
BROWN'S BAY RESORT HOLDINGS WATERWORKS Campbell River 25-Jul-2007 1659
B.C. PARKS FILLONGLEY CAMPGROUND Denman Island 14-Aug-2009 908
CAYCUSE WATER SYSTEM/CAYCUSE CAMP Honeymoon Bay 22-Nov-1994 6287
CORDERO LODGE - WATER Cordero Channel 18-Jun-2009 965
COWICHAN RIVER PROVINCIAL PARK Duncan 12-Oct-2010 484
CRITTER COVE MARINE GROUP Gold River 12-Mar-2010 698
DENMAN ISLAND LOCAL SERVICE AREA Denman Island 1-May-1997 5396
DESCANSO BAY REGIONAL PARK Gabriola Island 10-Jun-2008 1338
DIONISIO PROVINCIAL PARK Galiano Island 30-Jun-2010 588
FORBES LANDING RV PARK Campbell River 21-Sep-2010 505
GOD'S POCKET RESORT - WATER Port Hardy 4-Aug-2004 2744
HAGUE LAKE WATER SYSTEM Cortes Island 4-Aug-2011 188
HIGH SALAL STRATA CORP Hornby Island 15-Feb-2006 2184
INTERFOR-CHAMISS BAY LOGGING CAMP WATER SYSTEM Kyuquot 11-Mar-2004 2890
ISLANDS TRUST - GABRIOLA ISLAND Gabriola Island 16-Dec-2011 54
KITTY COLEMAN PROVINCIAL PARK Courtenay 28-Feb-2001 3997
MENZIE BAY DRYLAND SORT Campbell River 26-Oct-2004 2661
MINER'S BAY TRADING POST Mayne Island 20-Nov-2009 810
MYRA FALLS OPERATIONS WATER SYSTEM Campbell River 14-May-2010 635
NANOOK LODGE Stuart Island 30-Aug-2004 2718
ORIGINAL CABLE COOKHOUSE Sayward 14-Oct-2009 847
PACIFIC OUTBACK RESORT Hanson Island 24-Jul-2008 1294
PEDERSON WATER SYSTEM Errington 29-Sep-2011 132
PETE'S LAKE WATER USERS SOCIET, WWS Lasqueti Island 21-Apr-1994 6502
PIERRE'S AT ECHO BAY Simoom Sound 28-Aug-2008 1259
POWELL BROOK Simoom Sound 1-Aug-2007 1652
PUB AT FULFORD HARBOUR Salt Spring Island 16-Dec-2010 419
PUNTLEDGE TOWNSITE WATER USERS COMMUNITY Courtenay 23-Aug-1996 5647
RACE POINT BARRON CREEK WATER SYSTEM Campbell River 10-Nov-2003 3012
REFUGE COVE GENERAL STORE WATER SYSTEM Refuge Cove 18-Jun-2008 1330
RICMAR TRAILER PARK WATER Sayward 14-Oct-2006 1943
ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION # 154 Quadra Island 23-Aug-2005 2360
SHAWL BAY MARINA-WATER Simoom Sound 23-Jun-2004 2786
SLAM BANG FISHING LODGE LTD. Kyuquot 7-Jul-2007 1677
SLOW RISE BAKERY Gabriola Island 30-Sep-2011 131
SOLLAN ROAD PUMP Hornby Island 21-Jan-2005 2574
SOUTH BAY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Port Alberni 26-Oct-2000 4122
STRATA PLAN 1306 WATER SYSTEM Courtenay 13-Jan-2012 26
STUART ISLAND COMMUNITY STORE WATER SYSTEM Stuart Island 5-Jun-2007 1709
SULLIVAN BAY MARINA LTD. Sullivan Bay 24-Jun-2008 1324
SURF LODGE Gabriola Island 16-Dec-2011 54
TRUDE'S CAFE Cortes Island 16-Apr-2010 663
WALLACE ISLAND PROVINCIAL PARK Wallace Island 27-May-2009 987
WHITE RIVER RESORT-WATER SYSTEM Sayward 20-Jul-2007 1664
WINDSONG PROPERTIES LTD. Port McNeill 17-Dec-2008 1148
WISE ISLAND Wise Island 3-Aug-2010 554

Tofino Press Release

2012-02-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

_____________________________________________________________________________________
The Corporation of the District of Tofino PRESS RELEASE ___________________________________________________________________
2012-February-08 For Immediate Release
DISTRICT OF TOFINO WATER QUALITY UPDATE
District of Tofino staff determined that the Close Creek system was the cause of increased turbidity following the rain events in early January 2012. As a result, the Close Creek system was isolated and taken off-line in order to maintain acceptable turbidity levels throughout the remainder of the water distribution system.
The District of Tofino’s project engineer was recently on site to examine the Close Creek system. With low turbidity readings at Close Creek, declining storage at the Bay Street reservoir day by day, and increased water demand at the fish processing plant, the Engineer recommended that the system be brought back online on Friday, February 1, 2012.
The District has again isolated (closed-off) the Close Creek system yesterday in expectation of the potential heavy rains commencing Thursday, February 9, 2012. This will allow District staff to monitor the situation at Close Creek for turbidity while ensuring the rest of the distribution system operates as usual.
It is anticipated that a detailed report including a professional assessment of the Close Creek system and recommendations from the District’s engineer will be included in the forthcoming Council agenda on 14 February 2012.
Press release issued 8:30am, Wednesday, February 8, 2012. -30-
MEDIA CONTACT The District of Tofino

Westerly Water Story

2012-02-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

http://www2.canada.com/westerly/story.html?id=3730c1b3-92fb-454f-a736-eeb67fad0f6f

Who's in Charge of Sewer and Water ?

2012-02-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

I was trying to find out who is actually in charge of Tofino's sewer and water system when I came across this site.It would appear that no one has informed them that Bruce Forsyth left here years ago.As to who is in charge now...I don't know. http://www.eocp.org/ Facility Details
Facility Number = 701
Name = District of Tofino Wastewater Collection System
Address = 121 - 3rd Street
City = Tofino, BC
Postal Code = V0R 2Z0
Facility Classification = WWC-II
Classification Date = 2003-11-01
Telephone # = (250) 725-4212
Facsimile # =
Chief Operator = Bruce Forsyth
Operator Certification # = 4070
MOH Health Authority =

Facility Details
Facility Number = 636
Name = District of Tofino Water Distribution System
Address = 121 - 3rd Street
City = Tofino, BC
Postal Code = V0R 2Z0
Facility Classification = WD-II
Classification Date = 2002-09-16
Telephone # = (250) 725-4212
Facsimile # = (250) 725-4210
Chief Operator = Bruce Forsyth
Operator Certification # = 4070
MOH Health Authority =

Tofino Advisory Goup Meeting ! Feb.8 7pm

2012-02-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that there will be a meeting for everyone interested in Tofino issues at the Community Center on Feb.8 at 7 pm.

Whether you're concerned with Council meeting times,water and sewer issues,Resort Municipality Initiative spending,development issues,housing issues,culture and arts issues,recreation issues or anything else,this meeting is for you.

No Tsunami

2012-02-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

Web message at http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/2012/02/04/lyvx58/01/messagelyvx58-01.htm

SEUS71 PAAQ 042009
EQIWOC

TSUNAMI SEISMIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NWS WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER PALMER AK
1209 PM PST SAT FEB 4 2012

...THIS IS AN INFORMATION STATEMENT...

EVALUATION
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH A MAGNITUDE SUCH THAT A TSUNAMI
IS NOT EXPECTED. THIS WILL BE THE ONLY WCATWC MESSAGE ISSUED
FOR THIS EVENT.

PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
MAGNITUDE - 5.7
TIME      - 1106 AKST FEB 04 2012
            1206 PST FEB 04 2012
            2006 UTC FEB 04 2012
LOCATION - 48.9 NORTH 127.8 WEST
             90 MILES/145 KM SW OF PORT ALICE BRITISH COLUMBIA
            265 MILES/426 KM NW OF SEATTLE WASHINGTON
DEPTH     - 7 MILES/12 KM

THE LOCATION AND MAGNITUDE ARE BASED ON PRELIMINARY INFORMATION.
FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE ISSUED BY THE UNITED STATES
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY - EARTHQUAKE.USGS.GOV - OR THE APPROPRIATE
REGIONAL SEISMIC NETWORK.

RIM compared to Tofino

2012-02-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

The following is a quote from Christine Comaford regarding the situation at Blackberry maker Research in Motion.The District of Tofino is in the same position in that confidence in the organization is rapidly dwindling .

“Drastic change is totally needed. Management is out of touch. It has low emotional equity with customers, with the market and with internal staff. There's no marketing evangelism and there's no innovation. Its turn-around plan is vague and ambiguous.”

“The key is to establish a vibrant set of outsiders who ask tough questions. People on company boards tend to ‘go native' after 90 days. They want to be part of the tribe. They drink the Kool-Aid and keep asking for more. We need people who want water instead.”

The new Mayor and Council have to be asking the tough questions.

George Sawchuk R.I.P.

2012-02-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

Rest in peace George.

Ken Gibson Editorial

2012-02-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

I’d like to take a “shot “ at how I feel this could be solved .. With consultants &” green sticky fingers” we the ‘public ‘
don’t always’ s hear the truth –seeing it is a “rarity “
Nearly 50 years ago, Chestermans got going .. For a long time residents, had decide which side of their property
to put the “water well “ on...And it was often heard “I'm not drinking his sewer water”,, When the Chamber of Commerce pointed out the ratio of visitors coming to the west coast to the ‘House owner or resident ‘ It was , ,,say ”fifty to one “
And here again I don’t have the amount –But I recall 11,ooo,ooo grant dollars for the area being offered.
Tofino Village boundary’s only went to “Industrial rd. “,, We” North of that line” had John Motherwell as our
engineer and under “tight fisted rule “ of Don McGinnis & Hugo Peterson not many pennies escaped.. It was totally inconceivable that we could afford a water system for the( well to do) ‘son’s & daughter ‘s “ coming to
live on the beach in the summer at ‘Chesterman's ,”,, A group of “locals “ had formed a water board & had stated to formulate plan’s under a engineer named “Bullock” sp?,,, If my memory has this
“ right” these “plans “ were under way when the “wind-fall of grant money ‘ arrived ,, The million gallon low pressure tank at Industial rd was part of that plan & water was to come from Tofino to fill it ( Until ‘Ginnard creek “ could be realized) About this time the Governments stepped in & said “make love –not war “ –one district –one council- (south of Industrial Way became part of the Village)7 instead of 5- or” FORE GO” the grant . The vote was accepted, Projects in progress were allowed to continue & ..Mr. Bullock’s supply tank lost it’s bottom & a court case lasting seven years started -costing more than it was worth & fellow residents are still dealing with this “Creation “ useless as it was with no bottom ,,Unless we look at it as ” low pressure FIRE RESERVE” ,, & introduce Hi pressure to the South our problems are just beginning –We are no longer dealing with the low land that surrounds the beaches- but high land throughout the
the district-Rosie Bay –Industrial way –Hansen development & Higher peaks that now require ‘Pressure Pump’s”
I'm really surprised “Fire Underwriters “ have not introduced new rates,,, “Secrecy”.. Grant money & those that
“money mean’s every thing in design ‘ have “compounded” the problem with’ a lure for water at Tofino airport’,
with a gesture of more to be made at Kennedy lake, Part of that low pressure “Era”is the undisclosed amounts
& ever continuing expenses at the Six Mile , placing ‘band aid on band aid’ is not the answer ,, I’m not sure
where modern CAO’s have us ...I know there is 350,000 gallon mistake in elevation at the six mile & I now hear
its really low pressure (not Barr’s mt pressure that ‘Warren Bernard “had fought for ,) If this is the case “perhaps
our neighbours near Long Beach would like it . Its doesn’t suit ‘water treatment standards ‘ any –way as the
water sits idle should be moving on. These folk’s.. is what “administration – college degree’s & money can do
you. Lets welcome back “Old fashioned” John Motherwell & take our “Lump’s”
Ken Gibson –Water since 1949

More Close Creek Photos

2012-02-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

More photos from TOFINONEWS AIR ONE of the Close Creek slide on Meares Island.

Close Creek Update ! More Pics

2012-02-01T18:11:00.001-08:00

Some people called to ask about the significance of the slide.In short, the slide is directly above the gathering point for the Close Creek component of our water system.It works in combination with Number One Creek and Sharp Creek to provide water suppy to the Bay St. pump station.With Close Creek offline our water supply depends on the other two sources.The slide is much more severe than I had imagined and it will be some time before Close Creek will be back in operation.Fortunately the AHKMAHKSIS water system is completely independent of the other three sources and can provide suitable water to the town south of Industrial Way...feel free to write in with questions or comments

Close Creek Slide !!

2012-02-01T14:40:00.001-08:00

This just in !! TOFINONEWS AIR ONE just sent in these dramatic aerial photos of the Close Creek Slide !!! No rumors here at Tofinonews , just the truth !! Check back later for slide analysis and updates !! more pics to come !!

The Leadership Role of the Municipal Chief Administrative Officer

2012-02-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

From David Siegel's report in Canadian Public Administration.Note the reference to the "Hourglass" This explains a lot about what is wrong in Tofino.The CAO prefers that employees of a municipality speak only to their supervisor who speaks only to the CAO or in some cases ,Council.All communication between employees and Council goes through the "Hourglass" of the CAO and is subject to spin and editing.Let's scrap this system and bring back "Freedom of Speech" ! Let's stop the "Tail Wagging The Dog" !

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Officials must also sometimes exercise a leadership role with regard to people who are the official's nominal superiors. In Canadian local governments, we take pride in the role of part-time amateur politicians. The phrase "part-time amateur" is not meant to be demeaning but rather just the opposite. A part-time amateur politician is someone whose full-time occupation keeps her or him in close contact with the community, which allows the politician to ensure that the community perspective is reflected in any decision. However, part-time amateurs usually do not have the same level of technical expertise about how to build a bridge or handle a planning application as do full-time officials.

The public servant has no real power over superiors; he or she must rely heavily on influence. External stakeholders or politicians will frequently listen carefully and easily accept the advice of nominal subordinates if they have confidence in the ability of that subordinate. In his seminal book, Leadership, James MacGregor Burns focuses on the mutuality of goals and the range of resources available to a leader: "Leadership over human beings is exercised when persons with certain motives and purposes mobilize ... institutional, political, psychological, and other resources so as to arouse, engage, and satisfy the motives of followers. This is done in order to realize goals mutually held by both leaders and followers" (1978: 18, emphasis in original).

The CAO will frequently have to take the role of mediator. Sometimes an impasse will develop on council. The mayor and councillors may be hopelessly divided on an issue. At law, the mayor and councillors are all equal. The mayor has a higher profile than councillors, but under the law in most Canadian municipalities, the mayor is not even primus inter pares like the first minister in a parliamentary system. In the event of deadlock, there is no one among the mayor and councillors to step forward to find a resolution. With no political axe to grind, the CAO is sometimes in the best position to mediate among these equals to try to breach the impasse.

In some cases, the CAO might want to act proactively before an impasse develops. In these situations, the CAO could seize on a policy that he or she feels is important for the municipality ("the politics of governing society") and try to find a coalition to support the policy. This is clearly not within the "politics of securing office," which would be a violation of political neutrality, but a CAO must proceed very carefully whenever he or she is working with some councillors to the exclusion of others (Masson and LeSage Jr. 1994: 233). The strategy could produce excellent results, but it could also put the CAO in an awkward position with some councillors.

The politicians and the CAO must recognize that they each have different contributions to make in the policy-making process. But, what are those contributions and how do those contributions fit together? Frequently, the distinction is seen as the separation of politics and administration, where the politicians make policy decisions and administrators implement them. Peter Self suggests that an

alternative distinction between politics and administration is in terms of process. We can envisage an arch with the left arc representing the political process and the right arc the administrative process. The junction at the top represents the critical point at which political will flows into and energizes the administrative system: and it is also the point at which influences that have been generated within the administrative process flow back into the higher levels of the political process. There is thus, at the apex of the arch, a fusion of political and administrative influences which have been generated lower down the two arcs (Self 1972: 150-51, emphasis in original).

Thus, Self sees a separation between politicians and administrators but a separation, which is quite permeable at the junction where the two meet, based on distinct processes.

This fluidity makes it very difficult to specify precisely the role of the CAO with regard to the mayor and councilor, in spite of attempts at great precision in bylaws or employment contracts.

Most organization charts are pyramids, with one senior person at the pinnacle. The organization chart of a municipality looks more like an hourglass, with a group of councillors at the top frequently pulling in different directions and a group of departments at the bottom each with a different mandate, and some horizontal task forces thrown in for good measure. The pinch-point in the hourglass, the place through which everything must flow, is the CAO. The role of each separate department head is to manage his or her department, including making sure that the department's interests are properly represented to council and the CAO. The role of the CAO is to meld these disparate interests represented by the various department heads into one corporate perspective.

Brent Toderian, Vancouver's director of planning, has been fired

2012-01-31T10:05:00.000-08:00

Brent Toderian, Vancouver's director of planning, has been fired

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Brent+Toderian+Vancouver+director+planning+been+fired/6078346/story.html

more info later today......

Tofino Advisory Goup Meeting ! Feb.8 7pm

2012-01-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

A meeting will be held at the Community Center on February 8th at 7 pm. The purpose of the meeting is to give a voice to concerned citizens of Tofino. We've elected a new Mayor and Council and now it's time to let them know how we would like things to be handled in the next three years.
Whether you're concerned with Council meeting times,water and sewer issues,Resort Municipality Initiative spending,development issues,housing issues,culture and arts issues,recreation issues or anything else,this meeting is for you.
The formation of a group will lend some legitimacy to your concerns ;legitimacy that is not given to anonymous blog comments.
Please plan to attend and make your voice heard.Everyone welcome !
for more information please call 250-725-3428

Sewer Grant Update !!

2012-01-30T09:21:00.000-08:00

The District of Tofino announced 2 weeks ago that it was unsuccessful in its application for a 2011 sewer system grant from the gas tax fund.The document below from the District would indicate that the grant application was premature as there is no Stage 3 Liquid Waste Management Plan in place. I don't understand why the District is spending time and money on a grant application that it seems to already know will be unsuccessful ? I don't understand why it takes years to come up with a Stage 3 LWMP when all the projected sewer flows were part of the agreement signed with Esowista in 2008 ? This application and the Stage 3 study were undertaken by the previous council but same staff.With millions of dollars at stake it is time to start taking the sewer problem and the grant process seriously !

Water Ideas

2012-01-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

Some people accuse the blog of just whining but I actually did some research today into water systems...check out this website from sensaphone...
http://www.sensaphone.com/water_treatment.php
This would be an easy solution to notify District staff by telephone when there is a problem with turbidity or anything else with the system.
The other thing I looked into was a way to get water from the Sharp Rd. water treatment plant to downtown....this could be done with an inter-zonal valve and a pump to raise the pressure from the system south of industrial way so it could be used in the higher pressure system in town...this would be a bit of a band-aid solution but until we get both systems operating at the same pressure it would help...
Please write in if you have any helpful,constructive ideas to help our Tofino Council with our ailing water system.Please no crackpot comments as this is a serious issue and it is important that we work together to find solutions.
ps. It might be worth looking at running an underwater water line from Bay st. to the plant at Sharp Road instead of building a new water treatment plant at Bay st. A few miles of pipe would probably be cheaper than engineering and building a new plant.In the past there has been no issues with turbidity at Bay st but now it is a problem.The Sharp Rd. plant was designed to deal with this issue.

Council Meetings to Change to 4pm

2012-01-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

It would appear at first glance that there are no evening meetings at all.Please let your council know when you would like meetings.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Perry-Schmunk-for-Tofino-Mayor/281934478495027

Beaver Creek Water Website

2012-01-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.beavercreekwater.ca/BCID.htm
This would be a good thing for Tofino to have.

Water Update !

2012-01-25T14:49:00.000-08:00

As of Jan 25, 2012, 2:00PM - Water Quality Advisory for areas north of Industrial Way recinded (sic) further details at the District website www.tofino.ca

Tofino Rate Payers/Residents Association -Water Situation

2012-01-25T08:02:00.000-08:00

Anyone interested in forming a rate payers / residents group ? It is too easy for Tofino Council to regard your opinions on the blog as anonymous ramblings. Since the election the Council has changed but we have the same management calling the tune.There is strength in numbers.
We find ourselves in a situation where we have an unreliable water system when the tourism industry is fragile at best.The Aquaculture industry relies on clean water to process its products.Tofino families need to know that they have safe water.As of this writing the latest water quality update on the District of Tofino website was from 9:30 am on Jan.23,2012. 2 days ago.Tofino deserves better. There are six water quality notices on the District website.
It has been over 20 days since the first boil water order and we still cannot get water from the 2 million dollar Sharp Rd. water treatment plant to users North of Industrial Way.This is not rocket science.Tofino deserves better.
Anyone interested in making positive changes by forming a ratepayers/citizen based advocacy group can call me or write in to get started.I'm in the phone book.We have to be able to work with the new Mayor and Council. We have to encourage Council to make management changes.Some people have suggested that the cost of severance would be prohibitive but it should be obvious to all that we cannot continue as is.
Development here has been stalled for years.Our tax base has to expand if we are going to be able to afford necessary infrastructure upgrades.
What does it cost the District of Tofino when developers won't even consider projects here and even families think twice about building here ?? Anonymous comments won't change anything.Council needs to know we want change and it starts with you.Let's make the blog obsolete and start dealing directly with our Mayor and Council.

Storm warning

2012-01-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

Winds
Issued 04:00 PM PST 23 January 2012
Tonight and Tuesday
Storm warning in effect.
Wind south 20 to 30 knots increasing to southeast 35 this evening and to 55 before morning. Wind diminishing to southwest 20 late Tuesday morning then increasing to 35 Tuesday afternoon. Wind increasing to southwest 45 Tuesday evening.

Waves
Issued 04:00 PM PST 23 January 2012
Today Tonight and Tuesday
Seas 4 metres building to 5 to 7 before morning then subsiding to 5 late Tuesday morning. Seas building to 7 to 10 Tuesday evening.
Extended ForecastI
Issued 04:00 PM PST 23 January 2012
Wednesday
Wind southwest 35 to 45 knots backing to southeast 35 to 45 in the morning then diminishing to west 25 to 35 in the afternoon.
Thursday
Wind northwest 25 knots diminishing to 10 late in the day.
Friday
Wind light becoming southeast 10 knots late in the day.

Weather & Visibility
Issued 04:00 PM PST 23 January 2012
Tonight and Tuesday
Periods of rain.

List of Official Text Forecasts

Boil Water Advisory

2012-01-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry I didn't get this posted earlier.I only was aware of the water quality advisory.
Boil Water Advisory
Tofino
21/01/2012

WATER QUALITY ADVISORY

For Areas North of Industrial Way

(Village Core)

Effective Date: January 21, 2012, 9:30AM

PLEASE NOTE THAT PEOPLE WITH COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEMS should boil WATER for DOMESTIC PURPOSES (drinking, cooking, etc.) before consumption. The boiling water should be at a rolling boil for a minimum TWO MINUTES.

District of Tofino staff are continually monitoring the water supply system and will provide updates as they become available.

This order will be in effect until further notice. Information will be available on the District web site www.tofino.ca.

For further information contact the

District of Tofino at:

District office 250-725-3229, Public works yard 250- 725-4212

Hurricane Force Wind Warning !

2012-01-22T22:38:00.000-08:00

Winds
Issued 09:30 PM PST 22 January 2012
Tonight and Monday
Hurricane force wind warning in effect.
Wind west 55 to 65 knots diminishing to southwest 25 to 35 late this evening then becoming 20 to 30 early Monday morning with gusts to 35. Wind becoming south 25 to 35 early Monday evening.

Waves
Issued 04:00 PM PST 22 January 2012
Today Tonight and Monday
Seas 7 to 9 metres subsiding to 5 to 7 early this evening and to 5 before morning. Seas subsiding to 4 Monday morning.

Global BC Water Story

2012-01-22T16:24:00.000-08:00

http://www.globaltvbc.com/tofino+under+water+quality+advisory%E2%80%A6+again/6442564631/story.html

Storm Warning in Effect ! High Surf !

2012-01-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

Marine Forecast
Winds
Issued 04:00 AM PST 22 January 2012
Today Tonight and Monday Storm warning in effect.
Wind southeast 20 to 30 knots increasing to 30 to 40 early this morning and to 50 to 60 late this morning. Wind diminishing to south 40 early this afternoon then increasing to west 45 to 55 early this evening. Wind diminishing to southwest 25 to 35 late this evening then becoming 20 to 30 Monday morning with gusts to 35. Wind backing to south 15 to 25 Monday evening.

Waves
Issued 04:00 AM PST 22 January 2012
Today Tonight and Monday Seas 5 to 7 metres building to 6 to 8 this morning then subsiding to 5 to 7 early this evening. Seas subsiding to 4 Monday morning.
Extended Forecast
Issued 04:00 AM PST 22 January 2012
Tuesday Wind southeast 40 to 50 knots diminishing to southwest 25 in the morning then increasing to 35 to 45 in the afternoon.
Wednesday Wind southwest 35 to 45 knots.
Thursday Wind northwest 20 knots increasing to 20 to 30.

Weather & Visibility
Issued 04:00 AM PST 22 January 2012
Today Tonight and Monday Rain ending this evening. A few showers beginning near midnight. Visibility 1 mile or less in showers.

Water Quality Advisory

2012-01-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The Corporation of the District of Tofino

PRESS RELEASE

___________________________________________________________________

2012-January-21

For Immediate Release

DISTRICT OF TOFINO

Water Quality Advisory

For Areas North of Industrial Way (Village Core)

The heavy rains of January 3, 2012 created disturbances (slides) to the upper reaches of the watersheds that supply the High Pressure Water System (North of Industrial Way) for Tofino. These are Sharp and Close Creeks.

During heavy rains we are experiencing increased turbidity that is unusual for our water supply. As a result of the rain on January 20, 2012, we experienced another spike in turbidity. While the turbidity has not passed the threshold of 5NTU, as set by VIHA as the upper limit for turbidity in potable water, the increase in turbidity has resulted in the need for a Water Quality Advisory for areas north of Industrial Way. Staff is monitoring turbidity levels and will update as needed.

This will be effect until further notice.

For further information please contact the District office at 250-725-3229 or Public Works at 250-725-4212.

-30-

MEDIA CONTACT

The District of Tofino

Committee of the Whole Agenda

2012-01-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

https://tofino.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=5522

THE DISTRICT OF TOFINO COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING
HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS
AGENDA: 2012-JANUARY-24 AT 10:00 AM
A)
CALL MEETING TO ORDER
B)
ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA
C)
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
D)
DELEGATIONS

1.

James McManus and Walter Pleasant to provide an update on their development proposal for 1140 Pacific Rim Highway.
E)
UNFINISHED BUSINESS

1.

Letter referred from the January 10, 2012 regular meeting:

Letter from Wendy and Michael Amrhein
2012-01-10 Letter from Wendy and Michael Amrhein

2.

Report referred from the December 14, 2011 regular Council meeting:

Zoning Amendment Bylaw 1131, 2010 - 1140 Pacific Rim Highway, Lot 3, District Lot 127, Clayoquot District, VIP 20090. (Report from Manager of Community Sustainability)
2011-12-14 RTC Zoning Bylaw 1131

3.

Memorandum referred from the December 14, 2011 regular Council meeting:

Memorandum from AVICC requesting the submissions of nominations and resolution requests for the AVICC Executive.
2011-11-10 AVICC Memo
F)
REPORTS
1.
Staff Reports

a)

Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) Update. (Report from CAO)
2012-01-24 COW Report
Presentation
AHRT RMI Update
2010 Tofino RMI Annual Resort Reporting
2012-2016 Resort Development Strategy
Addenda Item

b)

2012 Downtown Vitalization Projects. (Report from Manager of Community Sustainability)
2012-01-24 COW RTC - 2012 Vitalization Projects
Tofino Vitalization Plan

c)

Resort Services - Special Events and Festival Support. (Report from Director of Parks & Recreation)
2012-01-24 COW RTC - RMI Festival Support

d)

Water Meters Project Update. (Report from Manager of Public Works & Building Inspection is forthcoming)

e)

Commissions, Standing and Select Committees (Reports from Deputy Clerk is forthcoming)

f)

Committee of the Whole Meeting Schedule. (Report from Deputy Clerk)
2012-01-24 COW RTC - Committee of the Whole meetings

g)

Monthly Status Report on Council Directives. (Report from CAO)
2012-01-24 COW RTC - Action Tracking Update
G)
NEW BUSINESS
H)
20 MINUTE QUESTION PERIOD
I)
ADJOURNMENT

Storm Warning in Effect ! Still !!

2012-01-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

Storm warning in effect.
Wind westerly 25 to 35 knots diminishing to southerly 15 to 25 this evening then increasing to southeast 30 to 40 before Sunday morning. Wind increasing to southeast 45 to 55 Sunday morning then diminishing to south 30 to 40 Sunday afternoon. Wind veering to west 35 Sunday evening.

Waves
Issued 04:00 AM PST 21 January 2012
Today Tonight and Sunday Seas 3 to 5 metres building to 5 to 7 early this afternoon.

Storm Warning in Effect !

2012-01-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

Today Tonight and Saturday Storm warning in effect.
Wind southeast 40 to 50 knots diminishing to southwest 25 early this evening then increasing to west 25 to 35 after midnight.

Waves
Issued 04:00 AM PST 20 January 2012
Today Tonight and Saturday Seas 3 metres building to 4 this morning and to 5 early this afternoon. Seas subsiding to 4 near midnight then building to 6 Saturday afternoon.

Jan. 24 Tofino Council Agenda

2012-01-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

REGULAR MEETING OF THE DISTRICT OF TOFINO COUNCIL
HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS
AGENDA: 2012-JANUARY-24 AT 9:00 AM

A) CALL MEETING TO ORDER

B) ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA

C) ADOPTION OF AGENDA

D) ADOPTION OF MINUTES

1. Amended Minutes of the Regular Open Council Meeting held December 14, 2011.

2011-12-14 Regular Meeting Amended Minutes

2. Minutes of the Regular Open Council Meeting held January 10, 2012.
2012-01-10 Regular Minutes

E) BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

F) ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE MAYOR

G) CORRESPONDENCE FOR INFORMATION ONLY

1. Letter from Lyn Brown, VP Marketing & Corporate Responsibility, Catalyst Paper Corporation, providing Council with an update of their progress they have made to date.
2011-12-09 Letter from Catalyst

2. Letter from Bill MacGougan, Assessor for Central Vancouver Island, introducing himself as the local assessor and advising that the 2012 property roll, includeing news releases is available on their website.
2011-12-09 Letter from BC Assessment

H) CORRESPONDENCE: REQUIRING ACTION

1. Letter from James Costello, President of the Tofino Business Association, requesting Council to direct the Superintendent of Public Works to investigate the roadbed on the 4th Street hill for any necessary infrastructure repairs.
2012-01-12 Letter from TBA

2. Letter from Sumitra McMurchy, Vancouver Island Harmony Run, requesting Council's assistance in obtaining a coordinator for their event.
2011-11-29 Letter from VIHR

3. Email from Emma Neill requesting that the District consider an alternate location for the Lone Cone Community Garden.
2011-08-04 Email from Emma Neill

4. Letter from Beth Luchies, Child and Youth Mental Health Counsellor, Nuu chah nulth Tribal Council - Central Region, requesting that Council waive the $250 van rental fee for the West Coast Divsion of the First Nations Snowboard Team.
2012-01-17 Letter from Beth Luchies

5. Letter from Warren Munroe, Population and Analysis Specialist, offering his services to the District to prepare a population analysis of the 2011 Canada Census results.
2012-01-05 Letter from Warren Munroe

6. Letter from Gary Blundell inquiring if Council would like to purchase his works of art which were inspired from his time spent in Tofino in 2006.
2012-01-17 Letter from Gary Blundell

7. Letter from Carol Sedgwick, Principal, Ucluelet Secondary School, requesting Council's support towards their 2012 Global Education Volunteer Trip to China.
2012-01-17 Letter from Ucluelet Secondary School

8. Letter from Wendy Hainstock, Festival Coordinator, Pacific Rim Whale Festival Society, requesting Council support and an exemption to Policy 505-09 to extend the hours for their Martini Migration event.
2012-01-18 PRWFS Request for support

9. Letter from Daisy Foster, CEO, BC Water & Waste Association, requesting Council to appoint a Community Liaison to the BC Community Water Challenge and proclaim May 13-19, 2012 "Drinking Water Week".
2012-01-19 Letter from BCWWA

I) Convene COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE meeting at 10:00AM

J) REPORTS

1. Staff Reports

a) Revised Terms of Reference for OCP Implementation & Monitoring Committee (OCPIMC). (Report from Deputy Clerk)
RECOMMENDED: THAT Council approved the revised terms of reference for the OCP Implementation & Monitoring Committee.
2012-01-24 RTC ToR OCPIMC

b) Tofino Transit – 2011 Results Analysis. (Report from Director of Financial Services)
RECOMMENDED: THAT COUNCIL receives for information;
AND THAT COUNCIL determines to what extent the Tofino Transit service should continue from 2012-2016

2012-01-24 RTC Tofino Transit - 2011 Service Results Analysis
Tofino Transit Appendix - Summary 2011

2. Committee Reports

a) Committee Reports (verbal)

b) Minutes of the Arts, Culture and Historical Committee meeting held December 5, 2011.

2011-12-05 ACHC Minutes

c) RCMP Report for the month of December 2011.

2011 December RCMP Policing Report

3. Council Verbal Reports

K) NEW BUSINESS

1. Discussion regarding the cost of flushing residential and commercial water systems. (Verbal Report to be provided by Councillor Cameron)

L) 15 MINUTE QUESTION PERIOD

M) ADOPTION OF IN CAMERA AGENDA
MOTION: “That the In Camera agenda be adopted as circulated; that the In Camera meeting be closed to the public pursuant to Sections 89 and 90(1)(g), (j) and (l) of the Community Charter:

(1) Adopt the minutes from the in-camera meetings held January 10, 2012.

(2) Section 90(1)(g) Legal Issues Update.

(3) Section 90(1)(l) Annual Report

(4) Section 90(1)(j) Freedom of Information & Protection of Prvacy Act s.22(3)(f).

N) RECESS

O) RECONVENE FROM IN CAMERA MEETING

P) RELEASE OF CLOSED MEETING INFORMATION

Q) ADJOURNMENT

Sewer Grant Update

2012-01-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

District of Tofino sources have informed TofinoNews that the 2011 grant application from The Gas Tax Fund for a Sewer Treatment Plant was unsuccessful.The District of Tofino will continue to be in touch with the Province of British Columbia and will try again in 2012.

Rosie Bay Court Case Details

2012-01-18T08:59:00.001-08:00

Weigh West Court Case Consent Dismissal Order

2012-01-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

2011 Weigh West Court Case

2012-01-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

Please remember as you read this that it shouldn't matter who he applicant for development is and that everyone should be entitled to due process.Pay special attention to #13 on page 4.Click on pages for enlarged image.Comments on this post will be closed until TofinoNews can access and publish the Consent Dismissal Order from The Supreme Court of British Columbia.Please have patience.Thanks,Ralph

Yew Wood Update !

2012-01-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

Details for Document: 12 - Notice of Trial Close
Date Filed: 23Aug2011

Filing Parties

Defendant: BREMNER, Robert Scott
Defendant: DISTRICT OF TOFINO
Defendant: SMITH, Braden

Hearings For Document

Hearing Date: 04Jun2012
Hearing Time: 10:00 AM
Hearing Location: Victoria Law Courts
Hearing Reason: For Trial (Judge alone)
Hearing Result:

Last Name, First Name
Middle Name Role of Party
On File Counsel Name
Counsel Phone
BREMNER, Robert Defendant
Carfra, Neil
(250) 381-7188
DISTRICT OF TOFINO Defendant
Carfra, Neil
(250) 381-7188
SMITH, Braden Defendant
Carfra, Neil
(250) 381-7188
YEW WOOD PROPERTIES LTD Plaintiff
Klassen, P.
(250) 388-5421

Hearing Date: 14Nov2011

Hearing Time: 10:00 AM

Hearing Location: Victoria Law Courts

List Type for the Hearing: Supreme Court Civil List

# Document Description Reason Result Canc.
10 Notice of Trial
For Trial (Judge alone) Adjourned Generally

Interesting Links

2012-01-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/City+must+lose+opportunities+mayor+warns/5908241/story.html

http://www.canada.com/City+workers+agree+hike/5977018/story.html

Lillooet Update from Vancouver Sun

2012-01-12T22:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Resignations+signal+trouble+town/5984088/story.html

Coast Guard Changes

2012-01-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

http://www2.canada.com/westerly/story.html?id=bcfe8a13-71be-43fd-928d-8dee6755d95e

Contract Talks Approaching Soon

2012-01-11T18:36:00.000-08:00

When Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local 118 Tofino's contract expires on Feb.28,2012 I expect that they will be looking for a substantial wage increase. In the last round of negotiations they accepted a 0% settlement after being informed by the District of Tofino bargaining representative that there simply wasn't any money to pay for a small increase.Now that it has been revealed what outrageous amounts the District of Tofino pays out in upper management salaries, that argument won't fly.I have confidence that the new Council will come up with a fair and equitable settlement.The inflation rate for Canada in 2011 was 2.9 %.

From the CUPE website : VICTORIA—Eleven CUPE bargaining units have ratified new three-year collective agreements with their respective employers and the Greater Victoria Labour Relations Association (GVLRA).

CUPE 50, CUPE 333, CUPE 374, CUPE 410 and CUPE 1978 were all notified on December 14 that the GVLRA had voted in favour of ratifying the agreements. Included in the agreements are wage increases of two per cent in each of the three years, as well as a few minor improvements to benefits.

Tsunami Siren Report

2012-01-10T19:01:00.000-08:00

The Corporation of the District of Tofino REPORT TO COUNCIL
Council Agenda Item – 2012/01/10 Report Date 2012/01/06 File: 0550-04 EPC
To: Braden Smith, CAO From: Eric Graham, Emergency Program Coordinator SUBJECT: Emergency notification systems update
RECOMMENDATION THAT: Council receives this report for information and discussion
CAO’S COMMENTS
I concur with the recommendation.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to provide an Emergency Preparedness status update with respect to the Tsunami Siren test of January 5th, 2012 and the District wide emergency notification system (OneCall).
DISCUSSION
TSUNAMI SIREN TEST The tsunami siren test went according to schedule and was well received by the public. The sirens were tested separately due to an issue with the amplifiers (see below).Two representatives from the tsunami siren manufacturer (Federal Signal/Adanac Sales) arrived in Tofino a day prior to the tests in order to ensure that the system would be online and provide basic training for EP staff on the operation and maintenance of the system.
Each tsunami siren consists of four separate sirens and an amplifier for each siren. Of the eight amplifiers shipped to the District, 4 were found to be faulty and inoperable. The technician reported that the fault was probably due to damage occurred during shipping. It was also recognized that the amps were an older model and should be replaced at no
cost to us. Eight new amplifiers are being shipped to replace all of the existing ones immediately to resolve this issue. District staff was instructed on how to install the amplifiers and will mount the new units on the sirens once they are delivered.
After servicing the sirens, the next step was to prepare the base station unit at the Emergency Operations Centre. While attempting to send radio signals or communicate to each site (siren), it was found that the only decent signal getting through was the installation at Cox Bay. Due to the topography, line of sight radio communication to the North Chesterman siren was unsuccessful. However, it was possible to use the Cox Bay site as a ‘repeater’ to activate the North Chesterman siren.
As is, the system can only be activated by an operator at the base station (Emergency Operations Centre) which means that there must be an operator in proximity to the EOC to activate the sirens immediately during an emergency. Staff have asked for more information about remote activation options in order that the sirens can be remotely activated by EP staff or hooked into a wider warning system.
An informal survey was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the two sirens throughout the District. The survey asks if the sirens were heard, the location that they were heard from and a scale rating regarding volume. Preliminary results indicate that of the 20 respondents 76% did hear the sirens; the majority of the responses were located around the Chesterman Beaches, the downtown core and Mackenzie Beach.
Staff have received comments via facebook, twitter, phone and in-person. A number of residents indicated concerns with the sound of the wail tone; many residents felt that it sounded quite similar to an emergency vehicle siren. Staff recommends testing a variety of siren tones in order to choose a tone that has a more distinct emergency sound and possibly implement regular system testing of the sirens during the next few months to familiarize EP staff with the operation of equipment and reduce lag time prior to activation.
A number of other residents have mentioned that they were not able to hear the siren from inside their homes. Tsunami sirens are primarily outdoor warning systems and are not meant to be relied upon to alert residents within their homes. This concern highlights the reasoning behind employing more than one type of notification system. Systems like the tsunami sirens, One Call, website bulletins, local and social media work best in combination when preparing for and responding to hazard events.
CALL ONE Now that the tsunami sirens have had their first test, EP is working to build our database of residents’ contact information in order to utilize our One Call Now notification service. This service will disseminate emergency messages for the District of Tofino to all who are registered.
Therefore, the next step is to get all residents of Tofino registered in the system. Staff proposes to use social media, the website, newspapers, Co-op boards, the radio, and
word of mouth to get the message out and get people registered.
The process will be for an individual to contact the District through by email, including last name, phone number and street address, at register@tofino.ca or by visiting the Village office. Once a person has registered their name, street address and primary phone number they will be able to go to our website, click on the One Call banner and add alternate phone numbers and email accounts.
The intent is that the next time that we test the Tsunami siren, we will also test the One Call system and try to identify gaps in coverage. The next siren test will take place sometime in the early spring.
Respectfully submitted,
_________________________________ Eric Graham Emergency Program Coordinator
Appendices: 1.

Water Update !

2012-01-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

The Corporation of the District of Tofino PRESS RELEASE
DISTRICT OF TOFINO BOIL WATER ORDER RESCINDED FOR AREAS SOUTH OF INDUSTRIAL WAY
VIHA has approved the rescinding of the Boil Water Order for all areas south of Industrial Way (low pressure zone).
The boil water order remains in effect for all areas north of Industrial Way (high pressure system) until further notice. Information will be available on the District website at www.tofino.ca. and http://www.viha.ca/mho/water/water_sampling_results.ht
The District in conjunction with VIHA will continue to monitor the water system on a daily basis. For further information please contact the District office at 250-725-3229 or Public Works at 250-725-4212.
Press release issued 10:30am, Monday, January 10, 2012 -30-
MEDIA CONTACT The District of Tofino
2012-January-10 For Immediate Release

Consultant's Report From Last "Visioning Session" in 2009

2012-01-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

Money well spent ? Have a good look at the "Opportunities" section ! Thanks to a blog reader for sending this link.

https://tofino.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=980

Boil Water Order Still in Effect

2012-01-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

From The District of Tofino website : As of Jan 9, 2012, 11:30am - There has been no change to the Boil Water Order.

The District of Tofino’s water supply is a surface water system and thus directly affected by significant precipitation such as Tofino experienced on January 3rd. Heavy rainfall can cause an increase in the turbidity of the water turning the water murky.
On January 9th, at 12:30 pm District staff inspected the water sources on Meares Island (Close Creek, Number 1 Creek and Sharp Creek) that supply water for the Bay Street pump house; which in turn supports the high pressure water system (north of Industrial Way). Both Close and Sharp Creeks had NTU’s above 5 (a measure of turbidity) which is above the limits set by VIHA for acceptable turbidity levels in a potable water system. Close Creek showed signs of heavy water flow, scouring and siltation. The Sharp reservoir itself appeared relatively clear but the creek feeding the reservoir was heavily silted. Weather permitting; District staff will be conducting a visual inspection of the watercourses above the reservoir in the next couple of days for evidence of a landslide, or other obstruction.
The test results of the water samples sent to VIHA on January 4th, 5th and 6th show no sign of fecal coliform or e coli bacteria.
The District is currently flushing the low pressure side of the District (south of Industrial Way) with clean treated water from the Ahkmahksis water treatment plant. The flushing is providing positive results in lowering the NTU (turbidity) to levels acceptable to VIHA. District staff has separated the low and high pressure water systems to isolate the low pressure system in order to prevent the turbidity from the high pressure system from entering the low pressure system.
The boil water order will be in effect until further notice. Information will be available on the District website at www.tofino.ca. For further information please contact the District office at 250-725-3229 or Public Works at 250-725-4212
Press release issued 4:30pm, Monday, January 09, 2012 -30- MEDIA CONTACT The District of Tofino

Overseas readers

2012-01-08T23:38:00.000-08:00

A warm hello to all our readers in Vietnam ,Japan and the Philippines !

Lillooet Update !! Consultant Update !

2012-01-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

We can expect a new council to make a few missteps especially when they get questionable advice.They still need our support and should be encouraged to think independently of administration.If you have time to comment on this blog you have time to send a quick email to Mayor and Council to let them know how you feel about the use of consultants.All the addresses can be found at www.tofino.ca Let's not get into a situation like Lillooet where there are already insurmountable problems with their council.

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Lillooet+mayor+councillor+step+down+after+month/5963755/story.html

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Mayor+resignations/5963588/story.html

Jerry Berry retuns to Tofino for consulting !

2012-01-07T13:43:00.000-08:00

Sources have told TofinoNews that Jerry Berry will once again be doing consulting work for the District of Tofino ! Blog readers will recall that Jerry Berry had a close working relationship with former CAO Bob Long and had been hired previously been hired by the District of Tofino to create the controversial re-organization report.This report led to some District of Tofino employees being promoted to top management positions.This is the most promising council we have had in many years and it is a shame that staff is steering them towards keeping Tofino as a "Consultant's Paradise".
I have complete confidence in Tofino Council to act without input from consultants especially ones tied so closely to the Fraser/Long regime.Please let Tofino Council know that they have your support and offer input so that they can proceed without high-priced consultants ! Let's move forward without going back to the "Us and Them" attitude of the previous council !

http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/story.html?id=6b7a2568-026d-472e-bf1e-7f492365bca2

http://www.nanaimoinformation.com/forum/showthread.php?5136-Jerry-Berry-Resigns

http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=72e4f3ec-8e9c-4c3b-aadc-32f9495b5da7

Water Update 5:05 pm Jan.6 2012

2012-01-06T17:04:00.000-08:00

Boil Water Order Still in Effect

2012-01-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

Boil water order is still in effect as of 9:35 am Friday Jan.6 2012....Tofinonews will have an update as soon as it is available.

Small town politics

2012-01-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

Some people feel that controversy in politics is unique to Tofino...in comparison to this story we have it pretty good ! http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/01/06/bc-lillooet-mayor-councillor.html

Stop Sign at First and Neill st ??

2012-01-05T22:45:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I wrote to council asking for a stop sign at Neil and First streets by Sobo.I've seen many close calls between cars headed towards town from the south and pedestrians crossing first st.I thought it would be relatively simple as there used to be one there.....not so....https://tofino.civicweb.net/FileStorage/3626262614C64E7FBFABC5B6519CBCB1-Workspace2012-01-10%20RTC%20Neill%20&%20First%20(Four%20Way%20St.pdf

Agenda for Jan. 10,2012 Council Meeting

2012-01-05T21:53:00.000-08:00

https://tofino.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=5033

Request for Proposals-Arts,Heritage and Culture

2012-01-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

1. Introduction
DISTRICT OF TOFINO
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The District of Tofino invites proposals from qualified applicants interested in conducting a cultural scan of the arts, heritage and cultural community of the District of Tofino.
The project must be completed by April 24, 2011 Outcomes sought:
a. Define the local arts community
To prepare a catalogue of community cultural assets, facilities, organizations and other resources. This inventory is intended to enhance and improve knowledge and understanding of the Tofino area arts, heritage and culture landscape leading to the effective implementation of the District of Tofino Cultural Plan and create new opportunities for the Tofino arts, culture and heritage community.
b. Identify the community’s strengths and weaknesses
To highlight any gaps/needs in the cultural community (including but not limited to facilities, resources, funding, investment and capacity).
c. Identify existing networks and effective working partnerships
To recognize existing and future synergies and/or partnerships to develop the cultural opportunities in the District.
2. Project Scope
The proposed project would entail undertaking an Arts, Culture and Heritage Scan for the District of Tofino that would include the following:
• Develop a comprehensive inventory of local arts, cultural and historical organizations and cultural industries, specifically identifying services provided, arts and cultural communities serviced, size and scope of the individual artist community, and the location whereby artists practice and produce their art.
• Prepare a detailed assessment of current cultural facility assets and their usage/capacity; and
• Gather data from a range of community arts, heritage and cultural organizations including current and future needs regarding arts services, working relationships and networks, capacity building opportunities within the cultural and business communities and specific recommendations to better develop the cultural economy in the District.
3. District Support
The District will provide copies of all relevant documents, including the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Official Community Plan and the Downtown Vitalization Plan, any meeting space required, copies of surveys to be distributed, and notices (both hard copy, media and web based).
4. Budget
A budget of $4,000 including all fees and disbursements has been assigned to this project.
5. Project Schedule
Key dates are:
• • •
January 20, 2012, 4pm – proposal submission deadline April 13, 2012 - Delivery of final draft report April 24, 2012 – Delivery of final report to Council
6. Proposal Submissions
All proponents are required to provide the following information (in order) with their submissions:
• Profile of the applicant including experience and qualifications specifically where tasks identified in the RFP have been completed within the arts and culture community;
• Detailed proposal of what will be delivered, including the expected outcome and benefits to the District of Tofino
• Detailed project timeline including milestones, project meetings, interim reports and progress reports;
• Detailed project methodology explaining each project task including what will be expected of the consultant, the District and its partners with respect to each task;
• Specific recognition of unique approaches or experiences of the consultant that would be directly applicable and beneficial to this project;
• Community and stakeholder consultation plan; and • A minimum of two references
7. Submission Details
Electronic proposals can be submitted to Sally Mole, Director of Parks and Recreation (parks_rec@tofino.ca), no later than 4pm, January 20, 2012.
The District reserves the right to cancel this Request for Proposals for any reason without any liability to any proponent or to waive irregularities at their own discretion. Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice provided such notice is received at the District of Tofino prior to the date/time set as the closing time for receiving proposals.
All proposals will remain confidential, subject to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act. Any interpretation of, additions to, deletions from, or any other corrections to the Proposal document will be issued as written addenda by the District of Tofino. It is the sole responsibility of the potential proponents to check with the District of Tofino’s website, to ensure that all available information has been received prior to submitting a proposal.
8. Enquiries
Clarification of terms and conditions of the proposal and purchasing process shall be directed to: Sally Mole, Director of Parks and Recreation parks_rec@tofino.ca
250 725 3229 ext 37
The District, its agents and employees shall not be responsible for any information given by way of verbal communication. Any questions received by the District of Tofino staff that affect the Proposal Process will be issued as addenda by the District of Tofino.
9. Working Agreement
The successful proponent will enter into a working agreement with the District based upon the information contained in the request for proposal and the successful proponent’s submission and any modifications thereto.
10. Evaluation Criteria
Proposals shall be evaluated to determine the best value offered to the District against conformance, but not limited, to the following criteria:
• • • • • • •
Experience and qualifications of applicants Understanding of the project objectives/outcomes and vision Project deliverables Creativity in preparing the deliverables Long term value to the District and impacts on surrounding area Value for money References
The District has the right to reject any or all proposals received.

Cat Needs Home

2012-01-05T13:59:00.001-08:00

Ron James' Cat Asa Needs A Home!
Asa is a sweet and mellow 15 year old cat who became homeless when Ron James, her former caregiver and long time Tofino local, died last year. Asa is a loving, healthy and playful small black cat with white paws and face and big golden eyes. She loves to curl up on a warm lap and be patted, to play and to socialize. She’d like a loving home to call her own. Her current foster home has been flooded out by Tuesday's rain storm. Can anyone open their home to her. I'm sure Ron would be most appreciative. If not, please help spread the word and help Asa find a new home! For more info call 725 1254 Thanks!!

tsunami Siren test

2012-01-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

Seems that the Tsunami Sirens work.....any reports ?

Water Questions

2012-01-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

My phone has been ringing off the hook with readers wanting answers as to why we have a boil water order.
1. In a Westerly News article our CAO states that the problem is with our Bay St. pump station which feeds from Sharp Creek,Close Creek etc.Why is the Bay St. station incapable of processing water during heavy rain ?
2.We have a state of the art 2 million dollar water treatment plant at Sharp Rd. was it in use ?
3.Can the downtown access water from the new 2 million dollar Sharp Rd. treatment plant ?
4.Is there a regular schedule for inspection of the water sources on Meares Island ? There was a slide that affected the Close Creek system a few years ago ; have the other sites been checked for soil stability and debris ?
5.The heavy rainfall was forecast well in advance.With winter water consumption very low,why can't we use water from storage tanks for a few days until the turbidity levels drop ? We have a million gallon tank at the stump dump as well as tanks at Rosie Bay,DL 117 and Barr's Mt .
6.Do we have a heavy rain protocol for our water system ?
7. Is council going to adopt a "portfolio" system where one councilor will be responsible for the water system ?
If you have answers to any of the above questions or have questions of your own please comment.

CBC story

2012-01-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

CBC will be running a story on Tsunami Debris in a few minutes.If you can't tune in you can access it online at "The Current" website on cbc.ca

Boil Water Advisory Extended to Entire Village ! please read

2012-01-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

BOIL WATER ORDER

Effective Date: JANUARY 4TH, 2012

Please note that WATER for DOMESTIC PURPOSES (drinking, cooking, etc.) should be boiled before consumption. The boiling water should be at a rolling boil for a minimum TWO MINUTES.

District of Tofino staff are continually monitoring the water supply system and will provide updates as they become available.

This order will be in effect until further notice. Information will be available on the district web site www.tofino.ca.

For further information contact the District of Tofino at:

District office 250-725-3229, Public works yard 250- 725-4212

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boil Water Advisory ! please read

2012-01-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

Boil Water Advisory Has been extended to Entire Village !Updated 2:30 pm Jan. 4th NOTICE
BOIL WATER ORDER
Effective Date: JANUARY 4TH, 2012

Please note that WATER for DOMESTIC PURPOSES (drinking, cooking, etc.) should be boiled before consumption. The boiling water should be at a rolling boil for a minimum TWO MINUTES.

District of Tofino staff are continually monitoring the water supply system and will provide updates as they become available.

This order will be in effect until further notice. Information will be available on the district web site www.tofino.ca.

For further information contact the
District of Tofino at:
District office 250-725-3229, Public works yard 250- 725-4212

water problems

2012-01-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

Just waiting to get an update from the District on the status of our water. Please stay tuned.thanks,Ralph

Another Storm Warning

2012-01-03T23:09:00.000-08:00

Winds
Issued 09:30 PM PST 03 January 2012
Tonight and Wednesday
Storm warning in effect.
Wind southeast 40 to 50 knots diminishing to south 30 to 40 early Wednesday morning and to southwest 25 early Wednesday afternoon.

Waves
Issued 04:00 PM PST 03 January 2012
Today Tonight and Wednesday
Seas 5 to 7 metres building to 8 before morning then subsiding to 5 to 7 late Wednesday morning. Seas subsiding to 5 Wednesday afternoon.
Extended Forecast
Issued 04:00 PM PST 03 January 2012
Thursday
Wind west 40 knots diminishing to 20 in the afternoon.
Friday
Wind south 25 to 35 knots.
Saturday
Wind southeast 20 to 30 knots.

Weather & Visibility
Issued 09:30 PM PST 03 January 2012
Tonight and Wednesday
Rain at times heavy.

Road flooded

2012-01-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

Please watch for water on the road by Red Crow corner and Coop gas bar . Heavy rain ! Lots of water on Alberni Highway as well . Please proceed with caution .

Happy New Year !

2012-01-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year !

Japanese Earthquake

2011-12-31T22:05:00.000-08:00

A STRONG EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED BUT A TSUNAMI IS NOT
EXPECTED ALONG THE CALIFORNIA/ OREGON/ WASHINGTON/
BRITISH COLUMBIA OR ALASKA COASTS...

NO WARNING... NO WATCH AND NO ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR
THESE AREAS.

BASED ON THE DEPTH OF THE EARTHQUAKE WITHIN THE EARTH A TSUNAMI
IS NOT EXPECTED ALONG THE CALIFORNIA/ OREGON/ WASHINGTON/
BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALASKA COASTS.

AT 928 PM PACIFIC STANDARD TIME ON DECEMBER 31 AN EARTHQUAKE WITH
PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE 7.0 OCCURRED
SOUTH OF HONSHU JAPAN AT 371KM DEPTH.

Yet Another Storm Warning !

2011-12-31T08:55:00.000-08:00

Marine Forecast
Winds
Issued 04:00 AM PST 31 December 2011
Today Tonight and Sunday Storm warning in effect.
Wind northwest 15 knots increasing to southeast 15 to 25 early this morning and to 25 to 35 early this afternoon. Wind increasing to southeast 35 to 45 late this afternoon except 40 to 50 northwest of Estevan Point late this evening overnight and Sunday morning.

Waves
Issued 04:00 AM PST 31 December 2011
Today Tonight and Sunday Seas 2 to 3 metres building to 3 to 5 after midnight.

Beach Clean Up- All Welcome

2011-12-30T14:28:00.000-08:00

Another Storm Warning !

2011-12-29T14:23:00.001-08:00

Winds
Issued 10:30 AM PST 29 December 2011
Today Tonight and Friday
Storm warning in effect.
Wind southeast 15 to 20 knots increasing to 30 to 40 this afternoon and to 40 to 50 early this evening. Wind diminishing to southwest 20 to 30 late this evening then increasing to southwesterly 30 to 40 before Friday morning. Wind veering to northwest 30 to 40 near noon Friday.

Waves
Issued 04:00 AM PST 29 December 2011
Today Tonight and Friday
Seas 4 to 6 metres building to 6 to 8 before Friday morning.
Extended Forecast
Issued 04:00 AM PST 29 December 2011
Saturday
Wind northwest 20 knots increasing to southeast 25 to 35 in the afternoon.
Sunday
Wind southeast 25 to 35 knots veering to southwest 25 to 35 late in the day.
Monday
Wind southeast 25 to 35 knots becoming northwesterly 30 to 40.

Weather & Visibility
Issued 10:30 AM PST 29 December 2011
Today Tonight and Friday
Rain changing to a few showers late this evening and ending Friday evening.

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Storm Warning in Effect !

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Overseas readers

Lillooet Update !! Consultant Update !