In 2020, when tourism went totally out of control, Josie was mayor......and nothing was done. Now it's 2021, we have a new mayor, tourism is again gone ballistic,and again nothing will be done. The voters of Tofino decided to elect Mr. Law. There was an opportunity for change, but the voters said, in effect, "we're happy with things continuing pretty much the way things have been in the past". So, look forward to the mayor grinning and chuckling and issuing hollow words about how disappointed he is about how things are working out. And doing nothing about it. Look forward to more consultants (we need to count the water consumption), more reports from staff, increases in taxes and fees, a lack of accountability, and the town torn apart by unregulated people who have already proven, just by showing up here, that they have no respect for Tofino, for the residents, or for provincial health regulations. This is the municipal leadership that Tofino elected. For the next 18 months, this is what you're going to get. More of what you've already seen.
Ballistic tourism is great. People have money to feed their families. If you don’t like tourism move to Tahsis.or Zeballos. Or Haida Gwaii where everything tourism related is closed. Send a postcard if you can find anybody selling them. There won’t be a lineup at the Zeballos post office.
5:51. It's not about curtailing tourism, it's about curtailing the negative consequences. Now!, not four years from now! Here's a couple things D.O.T. could be doing:
1- a bylaw addressing beach fires, by-law, litter clean-up, and related costs to the taxpayer
2- Make some progress on implementing public parking fees to pay for tourism costs
3- Submit up-to-date renewal of all petitions to the province regarding RMI and MRDT allocations, and the availability of the funds for tourism infrastructure costs.
4- A moratorium on any expansion of the short term rental pool, pending expansion of the public water supply.
5- Public adknowledgement that the few units being supplied through THC and Catalyst are "not enough" and approval of rezoning land for private development of more housing.
6- A casino! (Think about it. Jobs, money, environmentally friendly)
During the election campaign, it was revealed that as many as 1500 people are living in Tofino, in staff housing, and are not included in the census or the local population count.
During the campaign to block the ACRD bus proposal, in 2019, the ACRD refused to accept letters of objection from residents who used the addresses of resorts and campgrounds where they were living at the time. ACRD claimed that these were "commercial" addresses, not residential, so these folks don't qualify as residents. It's well known that many seasonal workers live in staff housing and at campsites, since no other options exist for them to find a home. These people add to the stress on hospital, police, fire, ambulance. etc., but are not counted in the census. Thus, there's no funding for these services from federal or provincial governments regarding the existence of these additional residents. Tofino, and Tofino's taxpayers, get shortchanged.
Perhaps mayor and council need to contact the resorts and determine how many "staff housing" people actually exist, and take steps to get these people added to Tofino's actual population count. This isn't rocket science, a couple dozen phone calls could easily determine a reasonably accurate number.
This is something that council and staff could start working on, today. Instead of using Josie's old lines about "how difficult it is" and "how things take a long time". And accomplishing nothing.
I know a young woman with out of province plates and she is doing an online degree here because of covid and has been here since last June. She has been sworn at literally hundreds of times to go back to Alberta by so called Tofino locals. Tofino warrior whiner culture. Our community should not be talking with organizations that profit by sensationalizing fake woes by the 'local' whiner culture who hate beach fires.
9:53 Look who is the whiner now. Roast in your own flames.
"Doing an online degree here because of covid" She is here because of covid? Ha Ha You are kidding? And I love beach fires or I used too, before there were hundreds of them.
In 2020, when tourism went totally out of control, Josie was mayor......and nothing was done.
ReplyDeleteNow it's 2021, we have a new mayor, tourism is again gone ballistic,and again nothing will be done. The voters of Tofino decided to elect Mr. Law. There was an opportunity for change, but the voters said, in effect, "we're happy with things continuing pretty much the way things have been in the past".
So, look forward to the mayor grinning and chuckling and issuing hollow words about how disappointed he is about how things are working out. And doing nothing about it.
Look forward to more consultants (we need to count the water consumption), more reports from staff, increases in taxes and fees, a lack of accountability, and the town torn apart by unregulated people who have already proven, just by showing up here, that they have no respect for Tofino, for the residents, or for provincial health regulations.
This is the municipal leadership that Tofino elected. For the next 18 months, this is what you're going to get. More of what you've already seen.
Ballistic tourism is great. People have money to feed their families. If you don’t like tourism move to Tahsis.or Zeballos. Or Haida Gwaii where everything tourism related is closed. Send a postcard if you can find anybody selling them. There won’t be a lineup at the Zeballos post office.
ReplyDelete8:34 AM Just curious, but what should the mayor and council do to curtail tourism?
ReplyDelete5:51. It's not about curtailing tourism, it's about curtailing the negative consequences. Now!, not four years from now!
ReplyDeleteHere's a couple things D.O.T. could be doing:
1- a bylaw addressing beach fires, by-law, litter clean-up, and related costs to the taxpayer
2- Make some progress on implementing public parking fees to pay for tourism costs
3- Submit up-to-date renewal of all petitions to the province regarding RMI and MRDT allocations, and the availability of the funds for tourism infrastructure costs.
4- A moratorium on any expansion of the short term rental pool, pending expansion of the public water supply.
5- Public adknowledgement that the few units being supplied through THC and Catalyst are "not enough" and approval of rezoning land for private development of more housing.
6- A casino! (Think about it. Jobs, money, environmentally friendly)
7:24 PM Casino could pay for sewage treatment, and Bo's severance package
ReplyDeleteDuring the election campaign, it was revealed that as many as 1500 people are living in Tofino, in staff housing, and are not included in the census or the local population count.
ReplyDeleteDuring the campaign to block the ACRD bus proposal, in 2019, the ACRD refused to accept letters of objection from residents who used the addresses of resorts and campgrounds where they were living at the time. ACRD claimed that these were "commercial" addresses, not residential, so these folks don't qualify as residents.
It's well known that many seasonal workers live in staff housing and at campsites, since no other options exist for them to find a home. These people add to the stress on hospital, police, fire, ambulance. etc., but are not counted in the census. Thus, there's no funding for these services from federal or provincial governments regarding the existence of these additional residents. Tofino, and Tofino's taxpayers, get shortchanged.
Perhaps mayor and council need to contact the resorts and determine how many "staff housing" people actually exist, and take steps to get these people added to Tofino's actual population count. This isn't rocket science, a couple dozen phone calls could easily determine a reasonably accurate number.
This is something that council and staff could start working on, today.
Instead of using Josie's old lines about "how difficult it is" and "how things take a long time".
And accomplishing nothing.
I know a young woman with out of province plates and she is doing an online degree here because of covid and has been here since last June. She has been sworn at literally hundreds of times to go back to Alberta by so called Tofino locals. Tofino warrior whiner culture.
ReplyDeleteOur community should not be talking with organizations that profit by sensationalizing fake woes by the 'local' whiner culture who hate beach fires.
9:53 Look who is the whiner now. Roast in your own flames.
ReplyDelete"Doing an online degree here because of covid" She is here because of covid? Ha Ha You are kidding? And I love beach fires or I used too, before there were hundreds of them.
Hire Trump to build a wall!
ReplyDeletewe need more community; less resort please.
ReplyDelete