Tofino Bus Service stabilizes thanks to Islandlink After weeks of concern over affordable transportation to west coast, Islandlink expands service over summer

By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter

Vancouver Island – IslandLink, a Nanaimo-based passenger bus service, is pleased to announce that it is meeting the demand for increased bus service from PortAlberni to Tofino and on other Vancouver Island routes, thanks to the purchase of more busses.

“We knew there was a need for yearround bus service on this route and the enthusiastic response over the last three months is proof,” says Phillip Morgan, owner of IslandLink. “We are thrilled that travelers in the region have accepted us as a provider of reliable and efficient bus service and we thank everyone for continuing to book seats with us,”

In January 2023, Ha-Shilth-Sa reported that Tofino Bus and Vancouver Island Connector paused bus service to the western communities of Tofino and Ucluelet, citing a 95 per cent decline in ridership since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The company said it would resume services in May 2023 as they move to a more economically feasible seasonal service.

The announcement raised concern in Clayoquot Sound First Nations communities, who heavily rely on bus service not only for routine trips to ‘town’, but also for those of limited means that need to get to medical and dental appointments.

Just days after Tofino Bus made its an- nouncement to suspend service, IslandLink announced that it would be expanding its service to include a link between Nanaimo and Tofino/Ucluelet beginning Jan. 30, 2023. They stated that, with their fleet of smaller busses, they believed they could run a profitable service.

“We’ve looked at the numbers, and with our 15-passenger vehicles, we’re able to add this service,” said Morgan. Beginning Jan. 30, 2023, IslandLink ran its new route between Nanaimo and Tofino three days a week, to the relief of west coast residents.

In a statement issued May 8, 2023, IslandLink said it has carried more than 1,100 passengers on the new route since it’s launch in January.

To meet the increasing demand for service, IslandLink has purchased two new 24-seat busses which will be used on the Nanaimo-Tofino route. In addition, beginning May 18, 2023, service will increase to five days a week on the Tofino route. There will be twice daily bus service between Nanaimo and PortAlberni. IslandLink launched in 1998 as service to connect passengers from Qualicum/ French Creek and Parksville to the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo. It has since expanded to include Campbell River in the north to Victoria in the south and 12 communities in between, plus Tofino and Ucluelet in the west.

“We are here to stay as we continue to build and enhance our service in the region,” said Morgan.

Submitted photo

Island Link will open a base for the west coast route in PortAlberni on May 18, 2023. They state that the drivers will be residents of PortAlberni and the busses will be maintained there.

Every IslandLink bus offers free Wi-Fi.

For travel between PortAlberni and Tofino/Ucluelet, beginning May 18, passengers leaving PortAlberni may catch the bus to the west coast at Harbour Quay at the foot ofArgyle Street.

The pickup/drop off location in Tofino is in the parking lot behind the Tofino Coop. The bus stop in Ucluelet is located at 1645 Cedar Road.

When booking online, the fare from Port Alberni to either Ucluelet or Tofino (either direction) is $30.00. The rate is $40 for those paying at the bus with no reservation. These rates are one-way fares.

Because there are two buses operating on the route, passengers can now make day trips from PortAlberni to the west coast if they so wish.

“We plan to do all we can to make this bus service responsive to the needs of all west Coast people and their visitors,” said Morgan.

For more information on Island bus routes, schedule and fares, and to book a seat online, visit the Islandlink website at www.islandlinkbus.com

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Decriminalizing drugs - good or bad?

By Alexandra Mehl Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

British Columbia – On Jan. 31, 2023, the province of British Columbia decriminalized personal possession of some drugs, which would allot for 2.5 grams of opioid (heroin, morphine, and fentanyl), crack and powder cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA(ecstasy) for personal use, for a three year period.

The aim of the decriminalization project is to address B.C. toxic drug crisis by reducing stigmas and barriers associated with accessing life-saving services, reads the provincial website.

In response to the decriminalization project in B.C., some municipalities initiated the development of bylaws that would prohibit drug consumption in certain public places.

On Jan 26, 2023, Campbell River’s Public NuisanceAmendment Bylaw and Ticketing for Bylaw OffensesAmendment Bylaw, was adopted. Soon after, it was repealed (Feb 23, 2023), with a request that staff report back on further options.

Arevised version of the Public Nuisance Amendment Bylaw has gone through two readings, and will be brought back to council in June, said the City of Campbell River. It will prohibit the public consumption of drugs 15-meters from certain public spaces, narrowing from the initial city-wide bylaw.

In the email to Ha-Shilth-Sa the City of Campbell River said that their intention with the implementation of the bylaw is to “foster a safe and comfortable environment so that people can use and enjoy public space.”

“Council hears feedback from residents, businesses, and visitors that the consumption of controlled substances in certain public locations creates discomfort, can result in unsafe and disruptive behaviors, and causes members of the public to avoid certain locations, which limits their participation in recreational and leisure activities,” reads the email.

This revised bylaw would prohibit the consumption of controlled substances within fifteen meters of any playground, sports field, tennis court, picnic shelter, water park, skate park, or covered bus shelter, and important locations to the City such as City Hall, the Community

Centre, Sportplex, Spirit Square, Centennial building, Robert Ostler Park, the Library, Tidemark Theatre, Centennial Swimming Pool, the Museum, Maritime Heritage Centre, and the Discovery Fishing Pier, reads an email from the City of Campbell River.

Pivot Legal Society challenged Campbell Rivers initial bylaws filing a petition with the BC Supreme Court on Feb 10, 2023.

“I think that there’s far more concern and emphasis put on people’s level of comfort, than there is with the actual lives of drug users and feeding into people’s stigma against drug users at direct cost to the lives of drug users,” said Caitlin Shane, a staff lawyer with Pivot Legal, when asked about municipalities’ development of bylaws regarding public consumption of drugs.

“The idea with decriminalization is to counter the outcomes of criminalization,” she said.

Criminal sanction or bylaws, such as those that involve fines, will continue to drive people to use drugs underground which leads to fatal overdoses, said Shane.

She said that bylaws that prevent people from using drugs in public will most significantly impact the unhoused community, especially in communities where there are fewer services accessible to them.

“There is no evidence that BC’s decriminalization policy (or any decriminalization policy) will result in an increase in public drug consumption,” reads Pivot Legal Society statement regarding Campbell Rivers bylaws.

“We were really cautionary about this; to say that these bylaws could really undermine the entire policy,” said Caitlin Shane, when reflecting on Pivot Legal Society’s participation as a core planning member for the decriminalization policy.

At the beginning of May, the Mayor and City Council met with Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Michele Babchuk MLA, to discuss the Public Nuisance bylaw and collaborations that would safely address the harms of substance abuse, reads the email.Additionally, they received a presentation from Dr. Reka Gustafson, Chief Medical Health Officer for Island Health, and Dr. Charmaine Enns, Regional Medical Health officer.

The City of Campbell River has an overdose prevention and supervised consumption site on Dogwood Street operating from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In an interview with Ha-Shilth-Sa, Sharie Minions, Mayor of PortAlberni, said that she does not agree with responses of municipalities across the province prohibiting the use of drugs in public spaces, but she can understand why this approach is being taken.

“Nobody wants to see drug use in our public spaces,” said Minions. “I don’t personally agree with that response, just because I don’t feel it’s going to be effective.”

Minions said that mental health and addictions is not a responsibility of the municipal government, though when the federal and provincial government make changes, such as the decriminalization project, there is impact at the municipal level.

“There’s no guide, and I think we’re all just trying to do our best to respond,” said Minions. “We’re trying to react and do the best we can to keep our public spaces vibrant and safe.”

PortAlberni is one among many municipalities responding to “an increase in the vulnerability of people in our community struggling with mental health and specifically addictions to opioids,” said Minions.

“Walking through our community, you see the results of that every day, there are a lot of people needing more and more support,” she continued.

For PortAlberni City Council, they haven’t discussed different approaches when considering the decriminalization. Minions said that they plan to “let the professionals lead and to support where we can.”

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