Program should be amended to allow places like Tofino to provide for really needed tourism infrastructure....such as employee housing. Joint venture between tourism and municipality...Would solve a lot of problems....oh ya we have no water.
How about businesses pay for employee housing ? Taxpayers here are burdened enough already. RMI funding should be available for sewer and water improvements as tourism has increased the demand.
RMI money already comes from business, not general taxpayers. As well there are lots of small business' that can't afford to provide housing. This would be a way for more general tourist money to contribute to housing.
In former times , logging companies had a large number of homes in Tofino for their staff. This was in the 70s and eighties. Cypre Crescent was named after the M&B camp at Cypre River. A lot of the houses on Neil St were also M&B houses. Staff housing is not a new problem here.
The trailer park behind the gas station was also originally built as staff housing for loggers. Tonquin Apartments were built for fish plant workers and other employees . Also in the 70s
If you have a business here it is best to include some form of staff housing in your business plan. It is unrealistic to think that the taxpayer should provide that for you . The unlimited growth of short term rentals has made the rental housing situation even worse.
There should be more RMI taxation on ALL facets of the tourism industry, not just on hotels. B&B's, surf shops, restaurants, curio shops, galleries, eco-tours, fishing charters, and every business that profits from tourism should collect some RMI funds to toss into the kitty, to pay for ...... Yeah, water and sewer upgrades, and whatever else the system needs in order to function. This "free ride" for certain businesses needs to end. Let's see them contribute some of their profits back into the community......everyone knows they don't use any of it to provide housing for their staff, they just sit and whine that no one provides it for them.
Requirements for staff housing are already existent in Tofino Bylaws. How has that worked out?
Let's bring back clear cut logging.... and a herring fishery, M&B, and the Canfisco plant. That ought to solve everything. Oh wait, self righteous town folk couldn't get rid of them fast enough. "We can make more money out of protecting Clayoquot Sound than destroying it."
It's a different economy today, different world. Globalization will solve everything. Right! Tofino has become a tourist economy. Much of it a two bit economy full of little two bit players, renting surfboards and their spare bedroom. I suspect Air BNB makes good money though.
And besides you couldn't get a trailer park, or residential subdivision, or rental complex approved, if your life depends on it. This is what you're talking about, right? Back in the day, things happened! It was terrible.
Now it is all Climatephobia. It drives everything. And we go nowhere.
Some of the two bit players are buying up vacation rentals as fast as they can. what that does is create a commercial entity out of a vacation rental which was originally intended is to be a supplemental income so the two bit players could afford to live here. every time a vacation rental is bought up by an investor(who is laughing up his sleeve at the stupidity of our zoning bylaws) it permanently removes a single-family dwelling from our housing mix. whereas the commercial use of a single family dwelling should be assessed as commercial use and the taxes collected accordingly. meanwhile the District Council appears to be living in the past century when it comes to closing the gate after the horse has left. spending RMI on the stupid downtown street impediments is an insult to the people that live here... doesn't do anything to improve the real issues that we face such as discharging raw sewage into clayoquot sound, getting more water storage, having some sort of attainable housing component for entry level residents, etc. etc.
Agree with you 8:49. This gussying up of the downtown does nothing to address many of the real issues associated with tourism development in our community. In fact it just exacerbates our tourist related problems by drawing in more. Of course that is what that the programme was intended to do. Promote tourism. The program needs a reboot. It is basic infastructure that the town needs to keep pace with the number of visitations. Water, sewer, housing, parking, roads etc. are what we need to sustain the community.
Hopefully our Mayor and Council are lobbying the new government in Victoria to provide greater flexibility in how these moneys are generated and spent.
Just tell them it was a poorly designed Liberal policy that needs fixing. That should work.
I will point out that above ground vacation rentals do pay taxes on their income. There is a benefit to provincial and federal coffers. Just a response to an above comment saying these VCs SHOULD pay taxes.
Some of you idiots need to go into district and talk to staff or council and learn what exactly tourism tax can be spent on! It’s a provincial tax with lots of restrictions and cannot be used on infrastructure I believe.
@6:09 "Some of you idiots need to go into district and talk to staff or council and learn what exactly tourism tax can be spent on!"
RMI funds can be spent on $1200 bronze plaques around town honoring Josie. ...and just wait for the RMI ART project about to unfold.... Garbage we don't wanna see on our beach will be defacing the million dollar downtown streets.
Are you kidding me? $1200 was spent on shitty little plaques?
How embarrassing! How gauche! If I were in such a position, I would have immediately vetoed such a suggestion to aggrandize me with taxpayer money.
My intent would be to serve my constituents, without the need for them to stroke my ego.
Perhaps for the same money, a small eco-friendly pond could have been built instead for anyone wanting to admire their own reflection. Vacationers staying over at the dorm could maintain it at a cut rate.
Program should be amended to allow places like Tofino to provide for really needed tourism infrastructure....such as employee housing. Joint venture between tourism and municipality...Would solve a lot of problems....oh ya we have no water.
ReplyDeleteHow about businesses pay for employee housing ? Taxpayers here are burdened enough already. RMI funding should be available for sewer and water improvements as tourism has increased the demand.
ReplyDeleteRMI money already comes from business, not general taxpayers. As well there are lots of small business' that can't afford to provide housing. This would be a way for more general tourist money to contribute to housing.
ReplyDeleteYa tourists should pay for everything
ReplyDeleteIf a business can’t afford staff housing they are in the wrong business.
ReplyDeleteIn former times , logging companies had a large number of homes in Tofino for their staff. This was in the 70s and eighties. Cypre Crescent was named after the M&B camp at Cypre River. A lot of the houses on Neil St were also M&B houses. Staff housing is not a new problem here.
DeleteThe trailer park behind the gas station was also originally built as staff housing for loggers.
DeleteTonquin Apartments were built for fish plant workers and other employees . Also in the 70s
You are just a Grinch, and even you don't believe that.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a business here it is best to include some form of staff housing in your business plan. It is unrealistic to think that the taxpayer should provide that for you . The unlimited growth of short term rentals has made the rental housing situation even worse.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteExcept, of course, for blow jobs. Blow jobs should remain tax-exempt.
ReplyDeleteThere should be more RMI taxation on ALL facets of the tourism industry, not just on hotels. B&B's, surf shops, restaurants, curio shops, galleries, eco-tours, fishing charters, and every business that profits from tourism should collect some RMI funds to toss into the kitty, to pay for ...... Yeah, water and sewer upgrades, and whatever else the system needs in order to function. This "free ride" for certain businesses needs to end. Let's see them contribute some of their profits back into the community......everyone knows they don't use any of it to provide housing for their staff, they just sit and whine that no one provides it for them.
ReplyDeleteHotels got free water for a decade. How many offered to compensate the district ? None
ReplyDeleteTourism should be banned as part of the fight against climate change.
ReplyDeleteRequirements for staff housing are already existent in Tofino Bylaws. How has that worked out?
ReplyDeleteLet's bring back clear cut logging.... and a herring fishery, M&B, and the Canfisco plant. That ought to solve everything. Oh wait, self righteous town folk couldn't get rid of them fast enough. "We can make more money out of protecting Clayoquot Sound than destroying it."
It's a different economy today, different world. Globalization will solve everything. Right! Tofino has become a tourist economy. Much of it a two bit economy full of little two bit players, renting surfboards and their spare bedroom. I suspect Air BNB makes good money though.
And besides you couldn't get a trailer park, or residential subdivision, or rental complex approved, if your life depends on it. This is what you're talking about, right? Back in the day, things happened! It was terrible.
Now it is all Climatephobia. It drives everything. And we go nowhere.
I was simply pointing out that housing has been an issue here for several decades.
ReplyDeleteSome of the two bit players are buying up vacation rentals as fast as they can.
ReplyDeletewhat that does is create a commercial entity out of a vacation rental which was originally intended is to be a supplemental income so the two bit players could afford to live here.
every time a vacation rental is bought up by an investor(who is laughing up his sleeve at the stupidity of our zoning bylaws) it permanently removes a single-family dwelling from our housing mix.
whereas the commercial use of a single family dwelling should be assessed as commercial use and the taxes collected accordingly.
meanwhile the District Council appears to be living in the past century when it comes to closing the gate after the horse has left.
spending RMI on the stupid downtown street impediments is an insult to the people that live here... doesn't do anything to improve the real issues that we face such as discharging raw sewage into clayoquot sound, getting more water storage, having some sort of attainable housing component for entry level residents, etc. etc.
Agree with you 8:49. This gussying up of the downtown does nothing to address many of the real issues associated with tourism development in our community. In fact it just exacerbates our tourist related problems by drawing in more. Of course that is what that the programme was intended to do. Promote tourism. The program needs a reboot. It is basic infastructure that the town needs to keep pace with the number of visitations. Water, sewer, housing, parking, roads etc. are what we need to sustain the community.
ReplyDeleteHopefully our Mayor and Council are lobbying the new government in Victoria to provide greater flexibility in how these moneys are generated and spent.
Just tell them it was a poorly designed Liberal policy that needs fixing. That should work.
I will point out that above ground vacation rentals do pay taxes on their income. There is a benefit to provincial and federal coffers. Just a response to an above comment saying these VCs SHOULD pay taxes.
ReplyDeleteSome of you idiots need to go into district and talk to staff or council and learn what exactly tourism tax can be spent on! It’s a provincial tax with lots of restrictions and cannot be used on infrastructure I believe.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletehttp://tofinonews.blogspot.com/2013/01/original-rmi-announcement-from-2008.html
@6:09 "Some of you idiots need to go into district and talk to staff or council and learn what exactly tourism tax can be spent on!"
ReplyDeleteRMI funds can be spent on $1200 bronze plaques around town honoring Josie.
...and just wait for the RMI ART project about to unfold.... Garbage we don't wanna see on our beach will be defacing the million dollar downtown streets.
Good one !
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding me? $1200 was spent on shitty little plaques?
ReplyDeleteHow embarrassing! How gauche! If I were in such a position, I would have immediately vetoed such a suggestion to aggrandize me with taxpayer money.
My intent would be to serve my constituents, without the need for them to stroke my ego.
Perhaps for the same money, a small eco-friendly pond could have been built instead for anyone wanting to admire their own reflection. Vacationers staying over at the dorm could maintain it at a cut rate.
Mrs. Clinton should resign
ReplyDeleteNobody else wants the job.
ReplyDeleteNobody else wants the job? Cause it has been so debased. No one wants the job? That is fine we would be better off with a provincial appointee anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Gov't gets into supporting and subsidizing "the arts", it all seems to turn into propaganda exercise. And that is because it is.
ReplyDeleteFoxy lady in the henhouse.
ReplyDelete