• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Restaurants, Fish Plants Close As Mayor Says Tofino Has 10 Days of Water Left

Posted on: Thursday, 31 August 2006, 18:00 CDT

By DIRK MEISSNER

TOFINO, B.C. (CP) - Everybody in Tofino, even the mayor, says they knew the tiny West Coast community would one day run out of water.

It was only a matter of time before the growing Vancouver Island community, with its high-end resorts, trendy bistros and new subdivisions, would tap the water reservoir dry, they said Thursday, a day before the community shuts off municipal water to businesses.

Mayor John Fraser said Tofino, located about 425 kilometres northwest of Victoria, now is in danger of becoming a community that will have bottled water as its only supply within 10 days.

Some businesses were trucking in their own water in an effort to stay open and at least one surf rental shop used buckets of water donated by friends to clean their boards.

Concerned residents packed an emergency council meeting Thursday where a motion to enact a bylaw was being debated to force businesses to shut off their water.

People who couldn't get into the meeting because the chambers were full stood outside the municipal hall demanding to be heard.

"It was meant to happen," said Tofino resident John Nadeau about the water shortage.

"It's always been a question of money and politics and I guess now it's going to be serious and they're going to have to talk about it. It's been swept under the carpet for years."

Nadeau, who's lived in Tofino for more than 30 years, said most of the community's 1,800 full-time residents remained in denial about the water supply, silently hoping the area's steady rains would arrive to top up the reservoir before it got too dry.

Tofino, located in a West Coast rain forest, averages more than three metres of rain annually. But summers are usually dry and this summer's been extra dry.

"We've always been bailed out by rain," said Mayor John Fraser, prior to the council meeting.

"I guess you get a little lackadaisical," he said. "You need a wake up call sometime and this is it."

But Fraser sidestepped concerns by many locals that the community pushed development without ensuring its infrastructure could handle the extra load.

"The issue is the fact it hasn't rained in two months," he said.

Andrea Arnet says the community's failure to properly handle the water issue cost her a job.

She was laid off after working 22 years at Schooner's Restaurant, which is closing Friday. Arnet said she's weathered seasonal layoffs, but she's never been laid off before Labour Day.

"Last week I was told don't water my lawn and this week I'm told they're going to close the restaurant that I work at," said Arnet, who's lived in Tofino for 25 years.

Others, including fish plant workers and hotel staff, were also laid off. Some hotels, had already posted closed signs on Thursday.

At Deb's Hair Boutique, the water shortage resulted in cuts of a different kind.

Adriana Lefrancois said the boutique can only offer dry hair cuts until the shortage subsides.

"Spray and go that's it," she said.

Lefrancois also blames the water shortage on the community's inability to build infrastructure that can handle recent development.

Tourists were aware of the water shortage, but most said it had yet to hit them directly.

Two women from Bangkok said they were leaving Friday after spending several days in Tofino.

Suganda Pirsuchpen said the hostel where the women stayed asked them to take a quick shower.

Tofino is a remote tourist town just outside the breathtakingly beautiful Pacific Rim National Park. It is home to some world-renowned resorts, including the beach-front Wickaninnish Inn.

It borders on a UNESCO Biosphere and Clayoquot Sound and draws visitors for a variety of natural attractions from whale watching to surfing.

Tofino's population is estimated to grow to up to 20,000 people in the summer months.

Source: Canadian Press

More News in this Category