Communities on Island's west coast promise crackdown on illegal camping
After experiencing an "unacceptably high level" of illegal and backroad camping over the last two summers, communities on Vancouver Island's west coast are collectively urging visitors to make reservations and only stay at authorized campgrounds.
Representatives from the districts of Tofino and Ucluelet, the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District, local First Nations and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve issued a joint statement last week calling on campers to stop their "disrespectful behaviour."
“The environmentally friendly and responsible way to camp in the region is to make a reservation at one of the many authorized campgrounds in the area,” said Daniel Sailland, chief administrative officer of the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District, in the release.
“There are no serviced camping sites on backroads along Kennedy Lake or highway pullouts and there is zero tolerance for unauthorized camping and unauthorized overnight parking within all communities.”
The communities say illegal camping "has had a negative impact" on Indigenous lands and surrounding ecological areas, as well as increasing wildfire risk and putting first responders in danger.
"To help limit the impact on this region, increased patrols and enforcement in 2022 will target dispersed and unauthorized camping within the areas of the Clayoquot Arm, along the Kennedy Lake Watershed, within Tla-o-qui-aht, Yuułuʔiłʔath, and Toquaht traditional territories, on municipal streets/lots, and within BC Parks and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve," the joint statement reads.
The communities note that available reservations at west coast campgrounds tend to become fully booked quickly, and they advise campers who don't have a reservation to find alternative accommodations or delay their trips.
“Backroad 'living' puts stress on the environment and local community members," said Charles McCarthy, president of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government.
"We strongly encourage visitors to come prepared with accommodation when travelling to the west coast.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.