Future development and raw water supply needs were the focus of Tofino’s Aug. 26 Committee of the Whole (CoW) meeting, but Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation (TFN) has asked mayor and council for an exemption from any planning or policies pertaining to the future growth of Canada’s Surf Capital.
After suffering an unprecedented drought in 2023, District of Tofino staff created a Water Master Plan and Conservation Plan, which ultimately led to the creation of a Limits to Growth Policy that tackles the issues outlined in the Water Master Plan.
TFN Tribal administrator Jim Chisholm sent a letter on Aug. 13 to Tofino Mayor Dan Law and his council regarding the Limits to Growth Policies.
Chisholm thanked district staff for meeting with him to discuss Tofino’s intention to limit growth. He went on to highlight that TFN’s ability to participate in Tofino’s economy has been “hobbled” by their limited capacity, which they are working to increase “by way of reconciliation discussions with Canada and British Columbia”.
“With our desire for a different and more prosperous future, discussion of limits to growth are occurring at an inopportune time,” reads the letter. “We note the irony that water supply is the principal driver of these considerations when Tofino’s water supply is from our Tribal Parks on lands that we have worked for decades to protect. It seems an incredible disconnect that Tla-o-qui-aht’s desire to participate in the Tofino economy might be stalled due to concern about the supply of a commodity that is provided from our home territory without compensation or consideration to Tla-o-qui-aht.”
“While we continue to work together to find solutions to Tofino’s water challenges, we ask that any activity that Tla-o-qui-aht undertakes be exempt from any limits to growth plans or policies that Tofino may adopted. We ask this is a good faith gesture from Tofino considering the foregoing explanation of our need to better align our resources and our desire to participate in Tofino’s economy,” TFN’s letter continues.
During the Aug. 26 CoW meeting, council passed a motion that directed district staff to proceed with a Limits to Growth Policy based on a limit of 100m3/day to 120m3/day use of raw water for a new development.
According to district staff, this allocation of 100m3/day to 120m3/day is the maximum amount of risk Council is willing to allocate for any single operation within the policy.
“Developments, including single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses, and apartments, consume an estimated prescribed amount of water daily, and staff use these estimates to calculate overall water usage, and prioritized allocations. The policy will prioritize specific types of development and set conditions for approval until an additional water source is secured,” explained district staff.
By comparison, in the 2024 operational summer months of June and July, Tofino-based aquaculture company Cermaq used an average of 141m3 of district-supplied water per day, and Creative Salmon (Waterfield Management) used an average of 30m3 per day, said district staff.
Tofino mayor Dan Law corresponded to TFN’s letter on Sept. 3.
“During Council’s discussion, the remarks in your letter were deliberated. Council conveyed their willingness to proceed with developing a policy that includes proposed options for the requests made by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation regarding future development and raw water supply needs, given the chosen risk threshold,” said Law in his letter to TFN.
“District of Tofino Staff and Council remain committed to this discussion and working towards developing a policy that includes provisions for the developments proposed by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation,” Law wrote.
The first draft of the Limits to Growth Policy is set to appear in front of mayor and council during the Oct. 8 regular meeting. District staff say the first draft will include details on how TFN is “prioritized in future water allocation decisions”.
