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Better airport and highway needed: Duncan Current Conservative MP stresses improved access to the Alberni Valley MARTIN WISSMATH ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
The Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet was a popular draw for tourists this summer, and has been named the top attraction in B.C., according to TripAdvisor. Ucluelet and Tofino were recently included in a list of B.C. communities the province plans to support for tourism, a boost that could bring benefits for Alberni businesses. [BARBARA SCHRAMM FOR THE WESTERLY NEWS]
What’s good for the West Coast is good for Alberni, says chamber MARTIN WISSMATH ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
Port Alberni may not be a resort city, but it is benefitting from its location as a West Coast destination, says the executive director of the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce. The B.C. Government announced last week that it is investing $10.5 million in 14 resort communities around the province for projects to support local tourism and increase visitation. The funding is part of the government’s Resort Municipality Initiative, which was extended until the end of 2017. Two of the communities are Tofino and Ucluelet, which together are receiving more than $800,000 as part of the initiative. Alberni–Pacific Rim MLA Scott Fraser said Port Alberni does not qualify for the funding under a strict criteria of a “resort municipality” from the province, which must be a small communitiy with the bulk of its economy based on tourism. Fraser said it’s important for the Alberni Valley to continue promoting tourism to diversify its economy. Bill Collette, the executive director of the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the RMI investment in the West Coast is good news either way. “We’re not on that [resort] list in their minds at this point, but it’s good for us and it’s good
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“It just continues to enhance their product, which in turn means we jump on the backs of that.” Bill Collette, Executive director of the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce
for the Island as a whole . . . that those two neighbours did get the funding,” Collette said, adding it’s an opportunity to bring more people through the Alberni Valley. “It just continues to enhance their product, which in turn means we jump on the backs of that.” Tourism numbers in the Valley have increased dramatically over last year, Collette noted, by upwards of 175 per cent this summer. Ucluelet will receive a total of $179,714 in funding for infrastructure improvements to beautify public spaces and enhance visitors’ experience. The West Coast municipality is broadening its available activities for tourists including the development of the Wild Pacific Trail, improvements to public washrooms, boat launch and wharf enhancements. More information on the Wild Pacific Trail is available at www.wildpacifictrail.com. A total of $639,935 is expected for Tofino, which has also been involved in the RMI program since 2008. The Pacific Rim National Park resort municip-
ality is investing in enhancements to special events such as the Tofino Film Festival, trail improvements, paths and beach access, downtown revitalization and a civic centre upgrade. “The Resort Municipality Initiative is designed to help improve and strengthen the economies of resort communities around the province,” stated Shirley Bond, B.C. Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skils Training. “We know that the tourism sector helps drive our diverse economy and is a significant job creator,” she continued. “We want to ensure that when visitors choose to enjoy one of these resort municipalities they have a memorable experience and that it motivates them to continue to make British Columbia their year round destination of choice.” Mayor of Tofino Josie Osborne noted the RMI funding is helping “Tofino’s tourism economy by enabling us to undertake infrastructure development and programming that we could not otherwise afford.” The other 12 resort municipalities receiving funding are Fernie, Golden, Harrison Hot Springs, Invermere, Kimberley, Osoyoos, Radium Hot Springs, Revelstoke, Rossland, Sun Peaks, Valemount and Whistler. Martin.Wissmath@avtimes.net 250-723-8171
Job growth, a new highway connector and a better airport are three things that the Alberni Valley needs the most to improve its economy, says Conservative Member of Parliament John Duncan. “If you improve your infrastructure, you improve your investment climate,” Duncan said, adding that he would advocate for federal funding to support the Horne Lake Connector and Alberni Valley Regional Airport. Duncan, who currently sits as an MP for Vancouver Island North, is running for the new Courtenay–Alberni riding for this federal election. James Lunney, the (formerly Conservative) independent incumbent for the old Nanaimo– Alberni riding, is not up for re-election. Compared to Lunney, Duncan is “quite a different individual,” he said. His views on divisive political topics are not the same. The Conservative party does not have an official position on abortion, Duncan noted; but his personal pro-choice position “has been clear,” he said. But he is opposed to doctor-assisted suicide and capital punishment, he added. With a background working in the coastal forestry industry, Duncan is familiar with Alberni’s history, having lived here in the 1970s for a year. “I think it’s a great community with a beautiful setting and I like the people and the sense of community that you have,” Duncan said. But the city looks different now than it did four decades ago, he noted. He started his political career as a village councillor in Ucluelet in the early 1980s. After about a decade Duncan was first elected to the House of Commons in 1993 as a Reform Party MP. He won the Conservative Party seat for Vancouver Island North in the 2008 and 2011 elections. The federal Conservatives’ Building Canada Fund, which was $14 billion last year, together with the provincial government, can be used to support the necessary infrastructure investments for access to the Alberni Valley, Duncan said. A new highway is important to ease the traffic on Highway 4, which is “choked,” especially in the summer months, said Duncan. “And it’s slow in the other times of year,” he added. The Alberni Highway passes through Cathedral Grove, where the speed limits drops to 50 kilometres per hour through a pedestrian crossing zone. The Horne Lake Connector is a proposed project that would construct a new provincial highway near Horne Lake to the Alberni Valley, con-
Buildings demolished for Dry Creek enhancement
Weekend storm causes havoc in Lower Mainland
The city spent $333,000 this year to purchased two properties, allowing space to be cleared for a wider channel.
Almost 35,000 customers were still without power late Monday afternoon as crews worked on damage from fallen trees.
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DUNCAN
necting it with the Inland Island Highway 19. Duncan said he is “well aware” of the proposed LNG plant and transshipment hub projects for Sarita Bay with the Huu-ay-aht First Nations and Port Alberni Port Authority. “I’m really happy to work with municipal-level governments, having come from local government, having been a community volunteer, and having lived for at least 20 years in smaller communities,” Duncan said. “I know what it takes, I know how communities with good councils can set priorities that make sense. I believe that Port Alberni council and the regional district governance have some good priority setting.” With the high population of First Nations in and around the Valley, Duncan noted his experience as the federal government’s Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development from 2010–2013. (Duncan resigned the post in 2013 after he wrote a letter to the Tax Court of Canada on behalf of a constituent, which he deemed inappropriate for a Minister). “The First Nations factor in the riding is very significant and very important,” said Duncan. “I understand the dynamics of working with First Nations.” Duncan praised the region’s potential for growth as a tourist attraction. “You’ve got a whole bunch of really special circumstances in Port Alberni that make things publically accessible and affordable,” he said. “You’ve also got hundreds of thousands of people traversing through Port Alberni to go out to the West Coast and capturing some of those would lead to all kinds of investments. That’s just starting to happen in a very significant way.” Duncan was in Port Alberni last week and will be back in town before the Fall Fair, he said. His campaign office is located at 4728 Johnston Rd. Martin.Wissmath@avtimes.net 250-723-8171
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ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES VOLUME 66, NUMBER 165
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