PooleB次元官网网址檚 Land is shutting down.
The travellers and residents that made up the famous, controversial and longstanding B次元官网网址渆co-villageB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址渉ippie communeB次元官网网址� community on the outskirts of Tofino have largely dispersed. The structures they stayed and lived in are being torn down, according to Michael Poole, who owns the roughly 20-acre property.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e both the very best who are staying to help me clean up this mess, the true friends, and then thereB次元官网网址檚 the ones who just really canB次元官网网址檛 seem yet to manage. People who just canB次元官网网址檛 operate in the usual world and love it here,B次元官网网址� Poole said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 all transforming. WeB次元官网网址檙e cleaning the board for a new era to begin, whatever it isB次元官网网址B次元官网网址檝e been the garbage man here and I donB次元官网网址檛 want to be in charge of anything anymore. IB次元官网网址檝e had it. It was good, but IB次元官网网址檓 kind of burned out on it, honestly; more than burned out.B次元官网网址�
Poole purchased the property in 1988. What it became began to take shape about a year later as people began visiting and staying.
B次元官网网址淭here were the really intelligent, the best travellers and university educated people that really came from good families and then there were the ones coming from totally broken situations with no education and poor working skills and all of that, so itB次元官网网址檚 been dynamic letB次元官网网址檚 say,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t turned into some kind of experience for people and I guess the town at first saw it as staff accommodation.B次元官网网址�
He estimated the land hosted upward of 100 people in any given day during TofinoB次元官网网址檚 busy summer months and perpetually carried a varied reputation, from being heralded for the desperately needed staff housing it provided, to being slammed for its loose laws and perceived illegal activity.
B次元官网网址淲henever anybody does anything, thereB次元官网网址檚 always a bell curve of responses. Many of the people still in Tofino got their start here because there was nowhere else to get a foothold in order to get a job and to stay. Even among that group, thereB次元官网网址檚 a bunch of different responses,B次元官网网址� he said.
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He believes it was the affordable accommodation his land offered that allowed PooleB次元官网网址檚 Land to exist with little government intervention, despite its illegality, for over 30 years. He also said he was already itching to move on before TofinoB次元官网网址檚 district office began handing him fines this past summer.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e thanked [TofinoB次元官网网址檚 fire chief and manager of protective services] Brent Baker many times for giving the three fines of $1,000 each, that really got my attention. At first, I thought, B次元官网网址極h well, theyB次元官网网址檙e just rattling sabers because they have to,B次元官网网址� but then I realized, no, this is real and I said B次元官网网址楾hank you. This is so good. Now I get to quit this crummy job cleaning up after world travellers,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Poole said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 fully dedicated now. I know IB次元官网网址檝e run around the bush many times, but now itB次元官网网址檚 time to sell the placeB次元官网网址B次元官网网址檓 out.B次元官网网址�
Baker has been with the district office for over three years and told the Westerly that he had not received a formal complaint about PooleB次元官网网址檚 Land, so the complaint-driven bylaw enforcement process had not been triggered, until early 2019.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 respond to complaints via Facebook and those sorts of things. When people sit down and take the time to go through the process, then we absolutely follow up with our process,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪ometimes it can be a lengthy process and we have to work our way through it, make sure that weB次元官网网址檙e doing all our due diligence, but that was the case here and hopefully we end up with a positive outcome.B次元官网网址�
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He said the three $1,000 fines were related to zoning infractions after an investigation determined that Poole was operating a campground illegally, though the primary focus of the PooleB次元官网网址檚 Land crac down was centered around health and safety. He added that the Tofino Volunteer Fire Department has responded to two vehicle fires and one structure fire at the property in 2019.
B次元官网网址淭his process has been ongoing for about a year because we set out with the goal of voluntary compliance,B次元官网网址� he said, adding that Poole has been exemplary in his cooperation.
B次元官网网址淓very engagement that IB次元官网网址檝e had with Michael Poole has been very positive, very pleasant, he was very welcoming to myself or any other agencies that I brought along with me. He always greeted us as friendly as anybody you might imagine.B次元官网网址�
Poole has looked into selling the property before and said heB次元官网网址檚 now committed to seeing that sale through, suggesting heB次元官网网址檚 received offers on the land for around $3 million.
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He said he plans to help the Tofino Habitat Society with crowd funding or other means to try to buy the land from him, but added that itB次元官网网址檚 likely a developer will purchase it.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 two options, one is that our society buys it and the other is that some rich developer buys it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲hatever happens, from now on, it will have to comply with the bylaws of Tofino, which doesnB次元官网网址檛 really fit at all with our society and itB次元官网网址檚 very unlikely that a rag-tag crew could pull it together. ItB次元官网网址檚 going to take some real savvy.B次元官网网址�
He added that he is skeptical about the societyB次元官网网址檚 ability to take it on.
B次元官网网址淚, really, very much doubt that itB次元官网网址檚 going to go that way,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 say that this is ending and just going to get sold to someone typical.B次元官网网址�
He said heB次元官网网址檇 like to see the land used for educational purposes, particularly to test out alternative energy and living methods, rather than be developed in a traditional sense.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e got about a month to decide finally. And, in that month, we are going to put it out that this is over and what can happen next and see if thereB次元官网网址檚 any interest out there from anywhere to do a really good job here, instead of the usual money-grubbing cement works,B次元官网网址� he said.
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He added that if the land does go to a developer, he plans to put at least $100,000 from the sale of PooleB次元官网网址檚 Land towards helping the society purchase an Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District lot near the West Coast landfill between Tofino and Ucluelet where, he believes, the residents who relied on PooleB次元官网网址檚 Land will be safely distanced from public and municipal scrutiny.
B次元官网网址淭hat, I believe, is the perfect halfway point where staff accommodation and food security meet in harmony. ThereB次元官网网址檚 no neighbours out there,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hat takes the whole problem of staff accommodation out of Tofino and UclueletB次元官网网址tB次元官网网址檚 large enough to be a small town of its own.B次元官网网址�
He added though that he does not plan to be involved in the management of the potential new site.
B次元官网网址淚 wonB次元官网网址檛 be part of all that. IB次元官网网址檒l be a visitor like everybody else. I donB次元官网网址檛 want to run anything. I donB次元官网网址檛 want to own anything. IB次元官网网址檓 going into my so called sadhu stage, which is when you divest of everything and let go of it all,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚deally, right now, it will be up to the board of directors of the Tofino Habitat Society.B次元官网网址�
Poole noted Oct. 7 marked the 31st anniversary of PooleB次元官网网址檚 Land and said heB次元官网网址檚 excited to spend more time travelling.
B次元官网网址淚 became old here. From 37 to 68 this all happened and I stopped being a traveller to become landed. Now, IB次元官网网址檓 going back to being a traveller again,B次元官网网址� he said, adding he plans to explore and invest in other unique communities that he finds.
B次元官网网址淭o try and just add some good kitchens and quality food processing here and there,B次元官网网址� he said.
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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