Wonder why this is like this? Why we are teetering on the edge of a complete water shut down involving all businesses and everything else in Tofino? People can correct me if I'm wrong or incorrect on certain things. in the nineties The Ministry of tourism kept hounding Tofino to change our incorporation status to resort municipality to be able to qualify for RMI money. For some years the district resisted that change because, specifically, we did not have the infrastructure to support a major surge in tourism visits. No sewer or really reliable water source unless we went to Kennedy lake. Eventually the district gave in and we became a resort (disability) municipality and all of the RMI money poured into the district. A little too late everyone realized the money was only to be used for advertising and tourist junk. Not sorely needed infrastructure. Enter of course tourism Tofino whose only job was to promote tourism and attract more and more visitors. Over time it seems the district became more aligned with tourism Tofino than the people of the community. It got worse as time went on and critical infrastructure was forgotten about as well as maintaining it. At least the water anyway. The people of the community became the enemy and shoved aside with any of their concerns and or suggestions. Transparency? Gone. This attitude pervaded the entire district it seems with it ignoring knowledge experience history etc. and any other input that might be helpful to solving some of our problems, including water. facts were not shared with the taxpayers to preserve the sense of secrecy about the mystery work the district was involved in until here we are with a minor Fiefdom treating the residents like serfs. see you at Tuesdays meeting.
A few corrections are in order to your posting. In the mid 90's The tourist industry itself resisted RMI status for about 5 years. Their position was that their businesses payed enough taxes already.
Most of the councillors were supportive of RMI status which would provide a source of funding to the industry so it could promote itself. At the time Chamber of Commerce would come cap in hand asking for money from the taxpayers to finance their activity. I recall the head of the chamber asking for $50,000.00 and reminding the council that tourism was now the most successful economic activity in Tofino . One councillor said in response. If tourism is that successful then why are yiou asking the general Tofino taxpayer to subsidise you. Eventually they figured it out and were happy to have their customers pay a little bit more and fund their advertising very well.
Your other main mistake is that at that time the DOT had a water system and sewage system(without treatment) almost identical to the system it has today. That is the problem almost nothing has been done in the intervenening 30 plus years to add water to the system. Hence with millions of tourists we experience cronic shortages every year.
In the old days councillors used to be intimately knowledgeable and aware of the water system. It was the main part of their job. Now councillors get elected, and retire. understanding little about one of the DOT's main functions. Water supply. They are dependant on staff and consultants who come and go.
Same story same outcome, leaving problems and not fixing them….the town of Tofino suffers unnecessarily on the simplest things, just maintain the infrastructure…..water reservoir. It’s bad management and the priorities are focused on pickle ball courts, new community Recreation centre and whatever else is stormed up in the unstable/ unsustainable office. To run a town you need critical thinking and planning. If you do this you get this outcome, if you don’t years go by and the problem gets worse for the town & tax payers. The problems with Tofino starts at the DOT and it will never change, we need business minded people in office that understand math and is good with numbers and planning…..It should be run as a business. They keep banging their own drums and patting themselves on the back when they accomplish their own pet projects…..Look what I did.
*Looks like town might be on the road to shut down again like it did in 2006. Maybe cloud seeding is an option LOL
It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong. ~Thomas Sowell ~
back to 5:04. the decision to go to resort municipality status was undertaken once the council approved the Kennedy lake water supply project. koers did the engineering etc and all parties were on board; acrd, parks, Esowista, Ucluelet, Tofino each taking responsibility for their portion of a pipeline. the wastewater management plan for sewage treatment was well underway. however in order for the district to put a water pipe in the ground to the airport and Esowista there needed to be a referendum to spend money outside the district boundaries. the referendum failed and that was the end of an unlimited water supply. 20 years later and at 3 times the original cost estimates the treatment plant is finally under way. just in time for not enough water to operate it effectively....
Wonder why this is like this? Why we are teetering on the edge of a complete water shut down involving all businesses and everything else in Tofino? People can correct me if I'm wrong or incorrect on certain things. in the nineties The Ministry of tourism kept hounding Tofino to change our incorporation status to resort municipality to be able to qualify for RMI money. For some years the district resisted that change because, specifically, we did not have the infrastructure to support a major surge in tourism visits. No sewer or really reliable water source unless we went to Kennedy lake. Eventually the district gave in and we became a resort (disability) municipality and all of the RMI money poured into the district. A little too late everyone realized the money was only to be used for advertising and tourist junk. Not sorely needed infrastructure. Enter of course tourism Tofino whose only job was to promote tourism and attract more and more visitors.
ReplyDeleteOver time it seems the district became more aligned with tourism Tofino than the people of the community. It got worse as time went on and critical infrastructure was forgotten about as well as maintaining it. At least the water anyway. The people of the community became the enemy and shoved aside with any of their concerns and or suggestions. Transparency? Gone. This attitude pervaded the entire district it seems with it ignoring knowledge experience history etc. and any other input that might be helpful to solving some of our problems, including water. facts were not shared with the taxpayers to preserve the sense of secrecy about the mystery work the district was involved in until here we are with a minor Fiefdom treating the residents like serfs. see you at Tuesdays meeting.
A few corrections are in order to your posting. In the mid 90's The tourist industry itself resisted RMI status for about 5 years. Their position was that their businesses payed enough taxes already.
ReplyDeleteMost of the councillors were supportive of RMI status which would provide a source of funding to the industry so it could promote itself. At the time Chamber of Commerce would come cap in hand asking for money from the taxpayers to finance their activity. I recall the head of the chamber asking for $50,000.00 and reminding the council that tourism was now the most successful economic activity in Tofino . One councillor said in response. If tourism is that successful then why are yiou asking the general Tofino taxpayer to subsidise you. Eventually they figured it out and were happy to have their customers pay a little bit more and fund their advertising very well.
Your other main mistake is that at that time the DOT had a water system and sewage system(without treatment) almost identical to the system it has today. That is the problem almost nothing has been done in the intervenening 30 plus years to add water to the system.
Hence with millions of tourists we experience cronic shortages every year.
In the old days councillors used to be intimately knowledgeable and aware of the water system. It was the main part of their job. Now councillors get elected, and retire. understanding little about one of the DOT's main functions. Water supply. They are dependant on staff and consultants who come and go.
ReplyDeleteSame story same outcome, leaving problems and not fixing them….the town of Tofino suffers unnecessarily on the simplest things, just maintain the infrastructure…..water reservoir.
It’s bad management and the priorities are focused on pickle ball courts, new community Recreation centre and whatever else is stormed up in the unstable/ unsustainable office.
To run a town you need critical thinking and planning.
If you do this you get this outcome, if you don’t years go by and the problem gets worse for the town & tax payers.
The problems with Tofino starts at the DOT and it will never change, we need business minded people in office that understand math and is good with numbers and planning…..It should be run as a business.
They keep banging their own drums and patting themselves on the back when they accomplish their own pet projects…..Look what I did.
*Looks like town might be on the road to shut down again like it did in 2006.
Maybe cloud seeding is an option LOL
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.
~Thomas Sowell ~
back to 5:04. the decision to go to resort municipality status was undertaken once the council approved the Kennedy lake water supply project. koers did the engineering etc and all parties were on board; acrd, parks, Esowista, Ucluelet, Tofino each taking responsibility for their portion of a pipeline. the wastewater management plan for sewage treatment was well underway.
ReplyDeletehowever in order for the district to put a water pipe in the ground to the airport and Esowista there needed to be a referendum to spend money outside the district boundaries. the referendum failed and that was the end of an unlimited water supply. 20 years later and at 3 times the original cost estimates the treatment plant is finally under way. just in time for not enough water to operate it effectively....