Highway 4 closure 'horrific for many small businesses' on Vancouver Island
Tofino is normally a tourist mecca in the summer, but it was hit hard by the closure of Highway 4 in June, and now we know just how deep the economic pain went.
The Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce estimates the loss of the route between June 6 and June 23 cost Tofino $29.7 million in revenue and Ucluelet $14 million, for a total of nearly $44 million for the tourist towns.
Krissy Montgomery runs Surf Sister Surf School in Tofino and is a member of the chamber. She says the summer months are critical to the viability of many Tofino businesses.
“Most of us our operating out of about 16 weeks of profitability, so if you're taking three of those away right off the back, it can be devastating,” she said Tuesday.
Port Alberni’s chamber of commerce hasn’t calculated how much its businesses lost in June, but president Jolleen Dick says it’s a lot.
“The road closure's impact on Port Alberni has been horrific for many small businesses,” she said.
Montgomery says part of the problem has been staff leaving the remote area in search of busier work, including six employees who left her business in June.
“A lot of our staff here in Tofino is seasonal, or they're students, so they moved on, they moved to different towns, got different jobs,” she said.
The communities are now calling on the province to provide disaster relief funding for small businesses to address losses that rivalled the pandemic.
In fact, Montgomery says, so far the situation has been even worse than the pandemic, due to the lack of help from government.
“The difference being that there's no support, so I have found it personally more challenging than I did COVID.”
And the situation is only going to get worse. For at least the next four weeks, Highway 4 will be closed to all traffic from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except a two-hour window in the middle of the day,
Small businesses in Tofino are pleading for the province to create a larger window for tourist traffic.
“I’m worried some businesses here aren't going to make it,” said Montgomery. “We are definitely seeing slower traffic than normal — lots of cancellations – with people just not wanting to deal with the road closure.”
The province issued a statement telling CTV News it is working with marketing agencies to attract people to the west coast communities, and is encouraging tourists who can’t make it there this summer to book for the fall — a cold, hard truth for businesses that normally wrap up their peak season by then.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amber Alert issued for 2 toddlers near Quebec City
Police have issued an Amber Alert for two children who have gone missing from the Saint-Raphaël area.
Netanyahu acknowledges 'tragic mistake' after Rafah strike kills dozens of Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a 'tragic mistake' had been made after an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians and killed at least 45 people, according to local officials.
What Canadian grocery shoppers need to know about anticompetitive allegations
Amid mounting outrage over high grocery prices, a retail expert says there's a solution to fostering more competition in the country.
Indigo Books & Music shareholders vote to approve privatization sale
Indigo Books & Music Inc. shareholders have voted to approve a deal that will see the retailer become a private company.
Mike Tyson had medical issue on cross-country flight
Boxing legend Mike Tyson required medical attention after experiencing an 'ulcer flare up' toward the end of a cross-country flight Sunday, his representatives confirmed to the New York Post.
Canada pledges visas for 5,000 Gaza residents related to Canadians
Canada said on Monday it would grant temporary visas to 5,000 Gaza residents under a special program for Canadians' relatives living in the war-torn enclave, a preparatory move in case they are able to leave in the future.
Arrests made in 'highly orchestrated' GTA auto theft operation: police
Peel Regional Police say they have arrested 16 suspects and issued arrest warrant for another 10 individuals in connection with an auto theft investigation carried out by a 'highly orchestrated criminal operation.'
Latest deadly weather in U.S. kills at least 20 as storms carve path of ruin across multiple states
Powerful storms killed at least 20 people, injured hundreds and left a wide trail of destruction across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
North Korea says its attempt to put another spy satellite into orbit has failed
A North Korean rocket carrying its second spy satellite exploded midair on Monday, state media reported, after its neighbours strongly rebuked its planned launch.