The time has come for tourists to say farewell to free parking in Ucluelet.
The district is set to impose a $10 flat-rate, daily parking fee to all travellers from outside the West Coast region.
Ucluelet and electoral Area C residents will be exempt from the fees as will members of local First Nations, including Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ, Toquaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Ahousaht, and Hesquiaht.
Tofino residents will also be exempt, but will be charged a $50 annual registration fee.
The town’s municipal council began sniffing around the possibility of parking fees in February of last year as a way to cover expenses like infrastructure upgrades without asking local taxpayers to foot the entire bill.
Council agreed to have their staff take a look at the feasibility of fees, but was split when a staff report arrived on their desk in June, voting 3-2 in favour of moving ahead with a visitor pay parking program.
When the district’s Chief Administrative Officer Duane Lawrence presented a pay parking plan on Oct. 29 however, council’s support was unanimous.
“I was one of the strongest opponents of this idea and I’m not going to say I’ve done a 180, but I have essentially changed my mind and I’ve done so based, in part, on many conversations that I’ve had with folks in town, the majority of whom expressed support for this,” said Coun. Mark Maftei, who had been one of the two votes opposed to parking fees in June.
“I know that there was a lot of discussion and debate about our recent tax increase and I think everyone in town sort of took it on the chin quite admirably because, I think, everyone understands the challenges we’re facing as far as our infrastructure. This is really one of the only other sources of revenue that we have access to," he said.
Tofino launched pay parking at its local beaches in 2021 and across its community in 2023, charging an hourly rate of $3 at beaches and $2.50 in town with residents of Tofino, Ahousaht, Opitsaht, Esowista, Hesquiaht and Tyhistanis exempt from the fees.
Tofino charges residents of Ucluelet, Hitacu, Macoah and the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District, including Electoral Area C and Port Alberni $60 for an annual parking pass.
While specifically charging Tofino residents $50 with all other West Coasters free from fees could be seen as a cheeky poke at Tofino for making Ucluetians pay to park, Lawrence explained the registration fee would cover administration expenses.
Council also unanimously agreed with their staff’s recommendation to not include any pay kiosks and instead rely on QR codes and an app accessible via smartphone.
