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
DEVELOPING 122 active wildfires burning across Canada, 32 considered 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
B.C. parents sentenced to 15 years for death of 6-year-old boy
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced the mother and stepfather of a six-year-old boy who died from blunt-force trauma in 2018 to 15 years in prison.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
'More aggressive': Tocchet shifts lineups as Canucks get ready to take on Oilers in Vancouver
As the Canucks prepare to take on the Oilers for Game 5, Vancouver head coach Rick Tocchet is making changes to the team's lineup.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
Police issue Canada-wide warrant for Regina homicide suspect
Police have issued a Canada-wide warrant for a man wanted in a homicide which occurred in Regina on May 12.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
Speaker cuts ties with Sask. Party, alleges he faced threats, harassment from gov't MLAs
The Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislature Randy Weekes has severed ties with the Sask. Party after accusing some members of harassment and intimidation tactics, including a situation he claimed saw the Government House Leader bring a hunting rifle to the legislative building.