A toilet-paper ribbon was cut and Tofino’s Poet Laureate regaled an enthusiastic crowd with her freshly penned ‘The Flush of our Success’ before accompanying a choir for a song that included the words: “At last we won’t be surfing, surfing in our poo” parodying The Beach Boys.
Tofino has officially stopped pumping raw wastewater into the ocean.
Community members, politicians and stakeholders gathered to celebrate the town’s long-awaited wastewater treatment facility on Aug. 22.
The roughly one-hour celebration MC’d by the district’s director of infrastructure and public works Aaron Rodgers wiped away years of missed deadlines, underestimated budget costs and criticism over discharging raw sewage into the ocean.
Back in 2015, the federal government imposed a deadline of 2020 for the town to treat its sewage. That deadline whizzed past and the district swirled further into trouble when a $55 million cost estimate proved well-short of reality in 2020 as contractors bid closer to $84 million to build the project.
The district had initially received $40 million from the provincial and federal governments to build what it thought would be a $54 million project with $14 million coming by way of local taxpayers, but the $84 million figure flushed that idea.
The district took several kicks at the can for more funding from their provincial and federal colleagues and managed to secure enough from each to finance a scaled back $77.5 million facility last summer.
That $77.5 budget held true and the district was finally able to celebrate.
“Thanks for being here on this auspicious occasion to celebrate the opening of Tofino’s wastewater treatment plant,” Rodgers said to loud applause, cheers and whistles. “It’s the district’s pleasure to present a project that is on budget and ahead of schedule.”
Mid Island - Pacific Rim MLA and Tofino’s former mayor Josie Osborne spoke at the event and joked about the formalities of the celebration.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody wearing a tie outside of a wastewater treatment plant,” she laughed, referencing Rodgers’ suit. “I’ve known Aaron for years and the tie does not come out often, so that just shows the dignity and honour of this occasion.”
Osborne spoke to the beauty of Tofino’s natural surroundings and the importance of solid stewardship within the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation’s traditional territories.
“It’s our privilege to live in this place and anyone who’s lived in Tofino for even a minute knows just how important it is to take care of this place and that we have a real responsibility to live up to the stewardship that the Ha’wiih of the Nation have led in this place for millenia,” she said. “The wastewater treatment plant is an absolute cornerstone of that commitment.”
Osborne was the town’s mayor from 2013–2020 and suggested “there are so many stories” she could tell about the journey leading up to the now fully-functioning facility.
“I almost can’t believe that this day has arrived. We used to talk about this so much, what it would be like the day that we could proudly announce to the world that we are no longer putting raw wastewater into the beautiful waters of Clayoquot Sound,” she said as loud applause interrupted her. “Yes. Hooray, hooray, hooray. How many years has it been?...It’s a dream of this community and it’s an incredible amount of hard work that it takes to get to a day like today.”
She expressed gratitude for the many people involved with putting the project together, including local taxpayers.
“You’re all part of this and of course part of it too is money. We’ve had some difficult conversations as a community about what the cost would be and how that would impact our water and wastewater utility bills and how much debt we were willing to take on as a community to make sure that we were doing the right thing,” she said. “I think we made really good decisions and we had amazing support from both the provincial and federal government…This is a real victory and a real accomplishment for this community.”
She recalled that when she moved to Tofino 26 years ago, there was a shellfish closure near the town’s sewage outfall and that closure area grew rapidly through the years.
“I am so looking forward to the next few years to see that shellfish closure area grow smaller and smaller and smaller because we know that finally we’re doing the right thing. We’re taking care of this breadbasket Clayoquot Sound that sustains us all and I’m just so proud of everything that we’ve managed to do with this project,” she said.
Tofino’s current mayor Dan Law thanked a longlist of contributors to the project’s completion and spoke to the Nuu chah nulth principle that ‘all things are one.’
“I’m so thankful that the Tla-o-qui-aht are willing to share some of their wisdom that they have learned from stewarding these lands for time immemorial,” he said. “When we care for the environment, we care for each other and we care for generations that will come long after we are gone. That’s a wonderful thing to share.”
He acknowledged that the construction of the new facility had brought burdens to residents and businesses.
“It’s been really disruptive. There’s been businesses that have had giant holes and construction equipment outside their business for a long time and it seems like there’s a lot that we all could complain about, and yet, honestly, I’ve heard so little complaining,” he said.
“It’s part of my job that people complain to me, so feel free, but the complaining that I do hear is always couched with a final clause, ‘Well, it will be over and we know that it’s for a good thing.’”
He added that the new facility’s construction is a “fantastic” triumph for the community, though the success will likely be forgotten as new issues arise.
“It’s hard to explain how fantastic it is because we know that in a year everybody’s going to forget about it. The sewage is going to go out mysteriously as it always has. But, we know that what we are doing is amazing,” he said. “It just goes to show to me what a resilient and visionary community that we have. That when we share a goal and we tackle even a most difficult challenge, we do it together…You’ve shown an amazing amount of support and patience.”
He added that along with federal and provincial funding, the project was also buoyed by funds from the town’s tourism sector and fixed roof accommodation providers.
“(They) have, through the (Municipal Regional District Tax) program, been contributing significant amounts, $400,000 a year, towards this capital project,” he said. “It’s just one example of how our tourism sector and larger fixed roof accommodation providers are supporting our community and our environment.”
He pointed to Courtenay-Alberni MP and former Tofino municipal councillor Gord Johns in the audience and touted his efforts to get federal dollars into the project.
“At a crucial time in this project where there was a potential that it would miss windows and have a really difficult time getting forward, Gord Johns stepped up,” Law said. “Because of Gord’s hard work, determination and his advocacy for this community and this project, it was able to get done in an essential window of time.”
He noted Osborne also stepped up at a crucial time to find provincial funding.
“Josie took this on personally, she worked behind the scenes incredibly hard,” he said. “I am honoured to say that we are so very well represented in Ottawa and Victoria. Without them, this project would have been much, much, much more difficult to get forward.”
He expressed gratitude to the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation for their support and advocacy.
“I look forward to working with Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation more on major projects. It’s been a joy,” he said.
Johns spoke next and excitedly proclaimed it was “a great day.”
“It is so great to be home in Tofino, Tla-o-qui-aht territory, with a big celebration today,” he said.
Johns recalled being on the town’s municipal council in 2008 and talking about the project back then as he pointed to members of district staff who have been working on it since then as well as others who have contributed, including members of the Wastewater Management Committee.
“Your passion to make sure that we’re doing what’s right and our duty to protect the environment, to live up to the teachings and the values of Tla-o-qui-aht and their ancestors and the important role that we play,” he said. “This is just an incredible achievement…This is the largest investment, not just in the history of Tofino, but all of the history in Tofino put together from the federal government and it’s long overdue. We had decades where we couldn’t get money, we were just too far from Ottawa where they didn’t care and we put a lot of money in the coffers and the banks in Ottawa to help communities across this country have success, so it’s our turn on this project so that we can do the responsible thing.”
He added protecting the oceans and ecosystem is a key priority of the West Coast and its residents and touted Law’s efforts in securing funding from higher levels of government.
“Dan, I can’t say enough. There was a lot of silence at the end of a couple of those calls when you were calling me for the size of the money that you were asking for. You came to Ottawa, you pushed hard. You were relentless,” Johns said. “You got this across the finish line. Without your push and determination, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Rodgers then introduced his boss and district CAO Nyla Attiana who heralded her staff’s efforts in getting the project completed.
“It’s difficult to get emotional about wastewater, but I might because I’m going to be talking about my staff,” she said. “I’m extremely proud to be standing here today to celebrate this momentous occasion for our region; one that we’ve been looking forward to for a very long time. This is an important day for many of my staff who have worked diligently and tirelessly on this project.”
She added the new facility was “decades in the making” and many people were integral to its fruition, giving a particular shoutout to North American Construction.
“NAC, you have been a part of our community, not just working in our community throughout the duration of this project. You have gone above and beyond during emergencies resulting from extreme storms to help us address critical infrastructure challenges to restore services to our community. Those are times that we will forever be grateful for and have become meaningful memories of the project,” she said.
She reiterated that her staff were exemplary throughout the process.
“I have the honour of leading a team of employees that I would describe as hardworking problem solvers, innovators and individuals of extremely high integrity,” she said, thanking her predecessor, former CAO Bob MacPherson, as well as the town’s council for providing the resources necessary for an effective team to grow.
“Our success as a local government translates into success for our community. Today is about celebrating this success together,” she said.
Attiana said the project felt ”‘insurmountable” when it began, but was led through rough waters by project manager Simon Kirkland.
“Simon has the ability to put a comprehensible box around a very complex project. This is an invaluable skill in a project manager,” she said. “Simon, you’ve been an exemplary leader on this project. Thank you for looking out for the district’s interests, for the patience in bringing us all along and for your consistent communication throughout the project. You made it look effortless, but I know you will be needing a vacation very, very soon.”
Kirkland was the event’s final speaker and thanked his project team and the audience for arriving to celebrate the success.
“As this plant becomes operational, it officially ends the decades long practice of discharging untreated raw sewage into the Pacific Ocean,” he said.
“In doing so, as all the other speakers have said, we’re taking a massive, critical step forward in protecting the unique ecosystems that surround us, helping to set an example and show other communities that are in the same boat here in Canada that it is possible.”
