Tofino has landed another thwack to thwart a familiar foe as the town’s municipal council recently approved a ban on plastic water bottles under one-litre.
The new prohibition will require provincial approval and, after council’s unanimous vote, will be sent to the province for review.
The district’s manager of legislative services Keegan McColl presented the proposed bylaw to council during their March 12 regular meeting and suggested it followed Tofino’s strategic priorities around zero waste and protecting and restoring natural areas.
He noted Tofino banned plastic bags, straws and takeout containers in 2020 and became the first municipality in the province to ban single-use plastic cutlery in 2022.
In 2023, the Surfrider Foundation’s Pacific Rim chapter presented as a delegation to council around the idea of banning plastic bottles, suggesting over 60,000 bottles were recovered in Clayoquot Sound from 2015 to 2023 and that up to 70 per cent of bottles never find their way to a recycling bin.
After hearing that delegation, council directed their staff to look into a plastic bottle ban.
McColl added current and previous councils have invested heavily in water refill stations throughout Tofino through partnerships with private and non-profit organizations leading to 13 public refill stations being installed and a 14th under construction at Cox Bay.
He added that 71 businesses in Tofino and Ucluelet have already voluntarily signed on to a pledge not to sell water bottles.
Similar to the district’s plastic straw prohibition, anyone with accessibility or mobility needs will be exempt from the plastic bottle ban.
“Customers shall not be required to provide any medical information to prove their need,” McColl said.
He added plastic bottles bought in bulk would still be permitted in keeping with other plastic prohibitions.
“Currently, a box of plastic bags or a box of plastic straws intended for use in the home are exempt from both the BC regulation and our bylaw,” he said. “Our legal team has recommended we follow this definition structure to ensure there are no inconsistencies with our current bylaw and to best fit the single-use-plastic framework set by the province.”
He said other exemptions include the emergency operations centre when active, if the district is in a state of emergency or when Tofino is in Stage 3 water restrictions and above.
He said a 60-day public engagement process included communications through social media and the district’s TalkTofino web page, where 12 commenters were in favour of the ban and four opposed it.
“Those four had particular concerns about water scarcity within the District of Tofino,” he said.
He said the district has received letters from the Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations supporting the ban and suggesting Nuu-chah-nulth language be incorporated into the launch and education campaign around the prohibition.
He added that support has also been received from the Tofino Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Tofino and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
McColl’s presentation followed a lengthy and controversial discussion and vote to opt in to new provincial legislation around short term rentals and the town’s council was clearly relieved to have a less divisive issue to support.
“Super. What a great presentation,” said Mayor Dan Law.
“This is so nice to be able to have this conversation. I think there’s no issues around supporting this particular one,” said Coun. Tom Stere.
Coun. Duncan McMaster spoke in favour of the prohibition, but expressed hope that bottles larger than one-litre could be included in the ban in the future.
“I’ll be supporting the motion of course, but I would support banning all plastic bottles,” he said.
McColl noted the proposed ban has passed a legal review and will now be sent to the provincial government for approval. If that approval is received, McColl said district staff are recommending a six-month transition period to give businesses time to comply before the ban takes effect.
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