Naomi Nicholson walks around the property at Chims Guest House, pointing out the different types of accommodation she and her husband Ed have spent the past two post-COVID-19 years building up.
The tidy buildingsB次元官网网址攁 mix of private suites, tiny homes and an RV pad, are situated off Highway 4 west of Port Alberni, and offer views of Mount Arrowsmith and the forest at the back of the property.
ItB次元官网网址檚 quiet on the lotB次元官网网址攖oo quiet for Nicholson. B次元官网网址淏efore the road closures and fire we were doing pretty well,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淣ow everything has kind of stopped, but I still have bills to pay.B次元官网网址�
Nicholson is just one of dozens of business owners and operators impacted by the closure of Highway 4 during the Cameron Bluffs wildfire, and continuing into the scheduled weekday closures for rock scaling and cleanup.
Cancellations that came in when Highway 4 closed on June 6 due to the wildfire have had a detrimental snowball effect.
Nicholson said she has corporate bookings for companies waiting to work on large projects in the Alberni Valley, but they keep pushing back their bookings because they cannot get their oversized equipment into the city to start work.
The oversize restrictions on Highway 4 have also affected her directly: Nicholson has another tiny home that was supposed to be delivered in mid-June to her property, but movers canB次元官网网址檛 get it here: it canB次元官网网址檛 travel over the long detour on a gravel logging road, and oversize loads arenB次元官网网址檛 permitted around Cameron Lake. In the meantime she has had to start making payments on the homeB次元官网网址攚ithout the ability to make revenue from it.
B次元官网网址淣ow IB次元官网网址檓 paying on an asset I own and canB次元官网网址檛 access and I canB次元官网网址檛 make money on it,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e booked for the August long weekend for two weddings and a baseball tournament. I sure hope they still happen.B次元官网网址�
A business impact survey conducted jointly by chambers of commerce in Port Alberni, Tofino and Ucluelet collected data on how the closure impacted businessesB次元官网网址攏ot just tourism businesses.
Jolleen Dick, CEO of the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Centre, wouldnB次元官网网址檛 share an exact dollar figure but said the impact is B次元官网网址渄efinitely way over a million dollars.B次元官网网址� She had 55 Alberni Valley-based businesses respond to the survey B次元官网网址渨hich is a 10 percent sample of the number of business licences we have here. Most respondents indicated 60 to 80 percent loss in their businesses as a result of the closure,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淥ther impacts were having to lay off staff as a result of the (June) closure because there wasnB次元官网网址檛 enough business. Freight was a huge issue and continues to be an issue.B次元官网网址�
The problem with the new scheduled closures, she added, is the roadwork needs to be done while the weather is good. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 definitely going to be a challenge.B次元官网网址�
In Tofino, the revenue reportedly lost by businesses during the closure period was an estimated $29.7 million, according to the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. In Ucluelet that figure is $14 million, for a west coast total of nearly $44 million in losses.
Most of the businessesB次元官网网址攍ike NicholsonB次元官网网址攚ere not eligible for business interruption insurance or government assistance. Some workers were able to access EI, but many that are temporary or seasonal staff did not qualify.
For Elliot Drew, operations manager at McLean Mill National Historic Site, news of the scheduled July and August closures is disappointing. Drew was hoping 2023 would be a rebuilding year for the millB次元官网网址攖he first since 2019 operating without restrictions.
At the beginning of the tourist season it looked like the mill was well on its way. B次元官网网址淚n the first week of June we saw 176 visitorsB次元官网网址攊n literally the first five days of June,B次元官网网址� he said.
On June 6, Highway 4 was closed when the Cameron Bluffs wildfire reached the highway. A detour route via Bamfield Main through Lake Cowichan was opened within 24 hours, but drivers were encouraged to use the detour route for essential travel only. It was a dusty, arduous road for some tourists.
Since that point, with the exception of the Saturday of high school promB次元官网网址攚hen the mill site was busy with graduates coming for photosB次元官网网址擝次元官网网址渨eB次元官网网址檙e seeing 10 or so people per day,B次元官网网址� Drew said.
B次元官网网址淎lthough itB次元官网网址檚 increasing slowly weB次元官网网址檙e not back to seeing 30 to 40 people per day.B次元官网网址�
While more local residents are visiting the site and using it as a place to walk, they arenB次元官网网址檛 the ones spending money in the gift shop, he said. B次元官网网址淚t makes a big difference in that revenue.B次元官网网址�
Rock-scaling crews made B次元官网网址済ood progressB次元官网网址� in the first three days of the new work, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. On Friday, July 21 they began removing one of four cranes that were put in place at the end of June to hold up a mesh fence against the bluff.
Given its complex nature, rock scaling B次元官网网址渕ust be completed during good weather and during daytime hours,B次元官网网址� the ministry noted. The work is required before the highway can be safely reopened to two-way traffic.
The road continues to be closed for two periods daily, from 9B次元官网网址�11:30 a.m. and again from 1:30B次元官网网址�5 p.m. There are no closures overnight or on weekends, including on the B.C. Day long weekend. WeatherB次元官网网址攑articularly windy conditionsB次元官网网址攃an affect closures. For up-to-date information about road conditions, check the .
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