Canada/Workers can continue to live in RVs in Tofino

Mackenzie Beach Resort will continue to be able to accommodate RVs that house Tofino workers. City council voted Wednesday for a new permit that increases the number of sites from 20 to 30.

For Ross McKenzie, manager of Mackenzie Beach Resort, it's a relief. The tenants who live here were very nervous about the temporary permit not being approved because they didn't really have anywhere else to go.

If it hadn't been approved, over 25, 30 people would have been without housing, and this land we have would have become largely useless.

A quote from Ross McKenzie, Manager, Mackenzie Beach Resort

Since 2018, Mackenzie Beach Resort has offered 20 RV sites. Two three-year authorizations have followed one another.

Just over half of the sites are for businesses [such as] kayak companies, restaurants or bike rental companies [to house their workers], explains Ross McKenzie.

There are also individuals from the community who rent sites.

Ross McKenzie explains that RV renters have almost everything as in a house, although everything is smaller, from the bed to the kitchen. We provide water, electricity and sewer hook-ups," he explains.

The manager acknowledges that the space is not ideal for families, and that the majority of tenants are in their twenties or early thirties.

Almost all sites are occupied year-round.

Of course, Tofino is very much a summer economy [...] We could probably have twice as many sites in summer and they'd all be full. I'd be less sure about that for winter.

A quote from Ross McKenzie, Manager, Mackenzie Beach Resort

Several Tofino workers and businesses have written to the town council to ensure that residents can continue to live on this land. Among them: Natasha Baert-Hockin, owner of Tofino Sea Kayaking, who rents two sites for her employees. She too breathes a sigh of relief.

Natasha Baert-Hockin insists that if the permit had been refused, it would have been devastating, and she would have had to scale back her business. This year, for various job offers, she received almost 100 CVs. Only one person had accommodation, she says.

Her company currently houses 11 out of 12 employees, 6 of whom in an apartment in her own home. She would much prefer to have a better, healthier separation with her employees, and not be their landlord, but with the situation in Tofino, that's just not possible, she regrets.

30 recreational vehicles and 75 authorized persons

A report to the Board states that a maximum of 75 people will be allowed on the premises, and that only employees working in Tofino will be allowed to live there.

The minimum stay is 30 days, and no environmental impact is expected from the expansion. Water use was also verified before the permit was granted.

The report acknowledges that staff housing, particularly low-cost housing for seasonal workers, remains an ongoing challenge in Tofino.

Although the form and character of the proposal is not ideal for long-term development, the use of recreational vehicleshas been a useful, if not always fully regulated, addition to Tofino's long-term rental housing stock.

A quote from Report to Tofino City Council

The report states that there is no opposition to this project, because it is temporary and can be dismantled quickly at the end of the permit. The permit is for three years, but Ross McKenzie already expects his hotel to apply for an extension in 2027.

Eventually, Mackenzie Beach Resort would like to be able to construct a building on this piece of land. We'd like to find a more permanent solution for housing, but you know, these things take time.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/