Tofino-Ucluelet Westerly News, March 14, 2018

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NEW MARINA UNDERWAY

WHALE FEST PARADE

Toquaht First Nation expanding Secret Beach

Sun shines on oceanic floats

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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Westerly News

TOFINO-UCLUELET

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WesterlyNews.ca

Cannabis open house next week Tofino seeks public’s input on legalization

ANDREW BAILEY andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca

Tofino’s municipal council hasn’t sent its proposed cannabis ban up in smoke just yet, but has delayed making a decision until they can get a clearer picture of what their community wants them to do. “Cannabis legalization is a bit of a game changer,” said Tofino mayor Josie Osborne. “Municipalities have never gone through this kind of thing before, so we want to be careful and cautious and get it right. We understand there are some who want us to go really quickly and there are some who, probably, don’t want us to go at all on the subject of cannabis.” Canada’s federal government is expected to legalize cannabis this summer. Concerns over where retail marijuana would fit in Tofino’s zoning bylaws caused the town’s council to consider passing a temporary ban on the sale and distribution of cannabis, but locals clamoured against that proposed ban at a Feb. 13 public hearing, prompting council to launch a revamped community consultation process. That process will begin with an open house event on March 20 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Tofino’s Best Western Tin Wis Resort. Osborne said the event will follow an unstructured format with no presentations scheduled. Continued on A3

JEN MCLEOD PHOTO

Enamoured with their romantic West Coast surroundings, smitten tourists Justin Warger and Robin Simcoe of Malakwa B.C. decided Ucluelet’s Amphitrite Lighthouse was the perfect backdrop for a wedding. The couple invited locals to their spontaneous big day over social media and received an outpouring of support as they tied the knot alongside their son Jase under a sunny sky on Monday. Read about it on page 16.

Tofino receives $2M for path extension ANDREW BAILEY andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca

Fears that future bicyclists traveling along a path being built through the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve would find themselves stuck on a narrow highway, with no bike lane, roughly two kilometres away from Tofino were erased on Friday morning. Tofino mayor Josie Osborne was elated as she stood at a podium set up at Tofino’s Cox Bay Visitors Centre, where

the community’s Multi-Use-Path currently ends, and announced $2.3 million is coming from Canada’s Federal Gas Tax Fund to connect the MUP to the Park Reserve’s incoming ‘Ups-cheek ta-shee’ path about 2.2 kilometres away. “This is a really exciting development and a dream that’s really come true for Tofino and Ucluelet and all the communities on the West Coast to be able to connect our communities,” she said. Continued on A9

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