2022 Election

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1) So, the first question is the obvious one. Tell us about yourself and in general terms why you have chosen to run.

2) What qualification or life experience has prepared you for the responsibilities you are seeking by running for office?

3) Residents have expressed many concerns over the years. Number the items from 1 to 14 on the basis of your sense of priorities with #1 as your top priority. The item you would feel most urgently needs to be addressed. Should you wish to comment on any item please do so below your ranked list.

             Recreational facilities

             Climate change

             More publicly funded housing

             More privately developed housing

             More staff housing

             Justice for First Nations

             Greater economic diversity

             Water Supply

             High property taxes

             The proportion between commercial and residential taxes

             Promoting tourism

             Pay Parking

             Vacation Rentals

            Making Tofino a more affordable community for those who live and work here

            Other____________

4)  Recent studies have identified that, over the course of a year, for every Tofino resident there are 300-500 tourists, depending on the study. Should tourists be paying a greater share for operating the municipality?

5) Last year Tofino initiated a pay parking scheme for the beach areas. Partly in an effort to secure money from tourists to help the town in paying for needed infrastructure. It seems to be a success. The plan was that this year the program was to expand into the downtown area where summer parking problems abound. The implementation of that plan has been delayed, apparently while the need for Offshore parking and the parking needs for downtown businesses are reconciled. Do you think pay parking is an important initiative for the community and a good way to generate money?  How would you proceed? How should any revenues over the costs of operation be spent?

Increasingly, housing issues in Tofino are becoming complex. Businesses are buying existing residential homes and converting them to staff housing. Vacation rental by absentee property owners seems to be commercializing our residential areas. These more commercial uses of residential property can apparently pay a higher purchase price for the home than families trying to live here can afford.  They may also be able to write off expenses against income that resident homeowners are unable to do. 

Rates of home ownership in Tofino are in decline.

6)  Currently we have a complaint driven bylaw system in which bylaw responds to problems only when infractions are reported by citizens. Issues such as illegal vacation rentals and illegal uses of property with, for example, trailers and motor homes parked as rental units on residential property are becoming increasingly problematic.  This pits neighbour against neighbour. The argument is that lack of enforcement of vacation rental infractions and other forms of commercialization results in a loss of much needed residential housing units while the quality of neighbourhoods is deteriorating as they fill up with temporary and substandard rental units. For the good of the town, does bylaw need to be more proactive in enforcing important Municipal bylaws?

7) Going forward, will increasing numbers of vacation rental with absentee owners, and other quasi commercial uses of residential property actually reduce the number of residential properties and pose a threat to the long-term viability of Tofino as a place to live?

8)  Tofino’s taxation and spending increases at a rate exceeding the rates of population growth, inflation, and wages for the average Tofitian.  It has been argued the divergence is so apparent in terms of livability, versus the cost of operating the municipality, that spending must be curbed, and/or alternate sources of revenue must be found. In response to this dilemma, it has recently been proposed that Tofino petition the provincial government to allow a sales tax to be applied to all commercial transactions (hotels, retail stores, charter operations, restaurants, etc.) in an effort to 1) secure the infrastructure Tofino needs as it grows and 2) to place the burden of the necessary taxation more properly on tourists. Please comment.

9)  Do you think Tofino is facing a crisis as families leave because they cannot afford to live here? The Tourism in the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Region  A Vital Snapshot | 2021 report states the following re: the Living Wage: 

At $19.63, our region’s living wage—the hourly pay that each parent must earn                                                to cover the basic expenses of an average family of four—was the highest in BC in 2019. 

Few people actually receive this wage, however, and more than half of the region’s population earns below $31,000.15  Over 16% of women and 18% of men earn less than $10,000 a year. 

Between 2017 and 2019, monthly family expenses have increased by approximately $300 (or 5%) in our region. Rising housing costs are largely driving up the cost of living.

Please comment.

10) It has been 20 years since Tofino has done anything significant to improve/increase its water supply. It is an issue for discussion in many reports and council meetings. For example, the availability of water is often cited in regard to the consideration of rezoning for housing development. Recommendations from the most recent staff report offer, as a solution, further water restrictions and methods to reduce consumption layered on top of the current system of seasonal water restrictions. It also tentatively suggests the consideration that certain businesses in Tofino may need to close for the summer months. As well, the study identifies opportunities for increased supply and storage to avert the potential for summer shortage. The report identifies that within a few years of the end of the upcoming council term, Tofino’s water demands will begin exceeding supply. Are you prepared to make the decisions necessary to avert Tofino’s current and looming water insecurity?

11) What else would you like to address? 

12) Let’s say you have a very successful term in office. How would Tofino be better in the future than it is today, because of your successful efforts? How did you bring that about?

Thank you for your time, and effort, and thank you on behalf of the Directors and Members of the Tofino Ratepayers Association for your commitment to public service.

A reminder again to have your questionnaire returned by September 26. View questionnaire results at tofinorpa.ca after September 27.

Jack Gillie  on behalf of the Tofino Ratepayers Association