The second attempt did the trick for the West Coast Multiplex Society, which convinced Tofino’s municipal council to publicly endorse its high performance surf centre pursuit last week.
The society had brought its plan to add a surf centre to its currently proposed ice rink and swimming pool facility to council chambers on July 23, but council had baulked at providing a letter of support for the project that the society had asked for.
During last week’s August 6 meeting, reinforcements arrived to strengthen the society’s pitch, including Head Coach of the Canadian National Surfing Team Shannon Brown.
“I’m not sure exactly what council needs to hear, but I see this as a really huge thing for the local community, especially for the local surfers,” Brown said to council during the public comment period at the start of Aug. 6’s meeting.
“There’s so many kids that are growing up in the area and taking to surfing, but it’s really limited here. We’re so far away from the major surfing hubs that to have a future in competitive surfing, kids have to travel really far to have access to the competitions or the training facilities that they really need to excel to a level where they can compete against others on the world’s stage. All of a sudden, we have a chance to tie in something that would benefit them hugely and give so many kids some kind of future in this sport that is a sport for life kind of sport.”
Brown had recently returned from Teahupo’o, Tahiti, where he had coached Canada’s first-ever Olympic surfer and local legend Sanoa Dempfle-Olin.
“She’s such an incredible story. She grew up on Cox Bay just up the road from here and, with obviously tons of support from the community, having had access to be able to travel and compete she’s gotten to the level where she’s qualified for the Olympics,” he said.
“She’s done all that without having access to the types of facilities that we’re talking about…That’s an incredible story and I’d love to see that story repeat itself. There’s so many kids coming up that have potential to get to her level and if we can help that along and foster that talent, it would be amazing. I really hope that council gets behind this and writes that letter of support.”
Brown had been part of a West Coast Multiplex Society meeting with B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Lana Popham who, he said, was excited about the potential addition of a high performance surf centre to the proposed multiplex project.
The society plans to meet with the province again this month and hoped to bring an official endorsement from West Coast communities to that table.
“Tofino, known for its world-class surf breaks, has a thriving surf community and attracts surfers from all over the globe. Including a high-performance surf facility within the Multiplex will not only cater to local surfers and youth but also position Tofino as a premier destination for surfing (and other) training and competitions,” read a letter to council signed by the society’s chair Samantha Hackett as well as former councillor Cathy Thicke both of whom had spoken during July 23’s meeting.
“This facility will provide training opportunities for local athletes, make surf and other sports more accessible, diversify tourism, and foster a stronger, safer connection with the ocean, a vital aspect of our community’s identity. Your support is crucial in helping us all realize this vision. A letter of support from the District of Tofino would significantly enhance the efforts, demonstrating the community’s need for this impactful project. With your endorsement, we can establish a facility to benefit current and future generations, promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.”
Hackett also spoke at Aug. 6’s meeting and suggested the surf centre would be both accessible to locals as well as a draw for high-level athletes.
“Tofino is already a place that athletes are coming to train,” she said. “So to be able to bring them into a facility that has some attention could really make those athletes then connect with our community. It would be something really inspiring for all ages and just benefit our community in general.”
She noted Ucluelet had unanimously agreed to write the letter of support for the surf centre the prior week.
Coun. Tom Stere congratulated Coach Brown and said his coaching has brought huge benefit to the region.
“He’s been not only in the Olympics as we all know, but has been supporting youth and my son was a beneficiary of that as well. I really want to thank him for the work he’s been doing for years, this is not just a one-off. Obviously the support for the centre is multifaceted,” Stere said, adding he would support the district providing a letter of support for the surf centre.
Coun. Duncan McMaster said he had been watching the Olympics and agreed a surf centre could bring benefits, but hesitated over unknowns around cost.
“One thing that stands out is that these athletes go to the best training facilities and coaches around the world. By setting up a performance centre, could Tofino be one of those places? Maybe,” he said. “I’m not a surfer. I have no idea what’s involved in a high performance centre. I have no idea what it’s going to cost…The notion is great, but I can’t fully support it until I know the nuts and bolts of what a surf centre costs and involves.”
Mayor Dan Law acknowledged that neighbouring Ucluelet, one of the communities that would share the multiplex with Tofino, had unanimously supported endorsing the centre.
“I see that Ucluelet has agreed to offer a letter of support to this crew to go to the provincial government and try to get some forward motion on a surf centre and I can get behind that. I think we still, regionally, have a lot to talk about about the multiplex idea,” he said. “I wouldn’t have a problem giving a letter of support for them to pursue the idea of a high performance surf centre, noting that the region still has to hammer out the multiplex and all that that entails.”
Coun. Kat Thomas agreed.
“I could fully get behind the aspect of adding on the high performance surf centre and support that as a concept, but I wouldn’t want our support letter to be misconstrued as full and complete support of the multiplex without consultation with our other partners who would be involved, or without an understanding of the financial aspects of what we would be committing ourselves to,” Thomas said. “I think this is a great idea to explore and would be a great addition to the project. I just think we need to explore the larger concept as well as this is going on.”
Coun. Al Anderson suggested the letter was clear that the society was looking for support for the surf centre concept specifically.
Council unanimously approved writing a letter of support.
