Assignment #2: Tofino Community Paper

The community that will be addressed throughout this report is Tofino, British Columbia. The general interest in this community arose from various trips there. During the most recent visit I began simply admiring the Tofino resident’s way of life. Simply put, Tofino is a one of a kind community from my point of view.

INTRODUCTION Tofino is a relatively small community compared to other settlements on Vancouver Island. The population in 2006 was 1,655, according to Statistics Canada. Also Tofino’s population density is 157.1 people/km2. This statistic may seem high relative to the community’s total permanent population, but Tofino’s land area is only 10.54km2. Progressing, Tofino’s major economic bases have changed significantly over time. During the 60s and 70s Tofino’s main industries were commercial fishing and industrial logging, but with various policy changes Tofino’s main industry has changed. Currently their main economic activity is tourism. More specifically, ecotourism, this includes such activities as wildlife watching, beach exploration, ocean fishing, hiking and walking, floatplane tours, surfing, and sea kayaking (Niwand, 2008). Furthermore, Tofino’s settlement structure resembles that of a common developing region shore-based community. There are many small docks lining the settlement’s limits. Also because Tofino is spatially small, the central business district encompasses the various roads directly attached to the docks.

POPULATION As stated above, Tofino’s population in 2006 was 1,655. The population has had little change, but from 2001 to 2006 there has been a population increase of 12.9% (Statistics Canada, 2006). Furthermore, the age and sex population distribution are virtually equal. This is illustrated in figure 1. As shown the population of both sexes is equal for almost all the age