Community Alcohol Strategy

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Share Your Input

The District of Tofino, in partnership with Island Health, is beginning work to develop a Community Alcohol Strategy (CAS). Community members are invited to help inform this work by sharing their perspectives through a short survey, open from March 26 to April 23, 2026.

Supported by a PlanH Healthy Public Policy grant from BC Healthy Communities, this initiative will gather input from residents, businesses, service providers, First Nations partners & communities, and others connected to Tofino to better understand how alcohol affects health, safety, and well-being in the community.

Your feedback will help shape a community plan with clear priorities and next steps to support health, safety, and inclusion.

Take the Survey

Access the survey here or by using the survey tool below.

The survey takes approximately 5–10 minutes to complete and is open until April 23, 2026.

Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a draw to win a $100 prepaid credit card.

Your responses are anonymous and voluntary. Participants may skip any question or exit the survey at any time.

Additional Engagement Opportunities

The survey is one part of the engagement process. Additional opportunities for community members to share perspectives and ideas will take place throughout the project.

These may include conversations with community groups, discussions with local organizations, businesses, and service providers, and opportunities for the public to provide feedback as the strategy develops.

Updates on future engagement opportunities will be shared on this page.


What is a Community Alcohol Strategy (CAS)?

A Community Alcohol Strategy is a community-informed framework that helps communities:

  • Understand how alcohol use affects health, safety, and community well-being
  • Identify actions the District and community partners can take to reduce alcohol-related harms
  • Strengthen collaboration among community members, local government, First Nations partners & communities, and health organizations

The strategy development process focuses on understanding local perspectives and identifying practical opportunities to support a healthier community.

A Community Alcohol Strategy recognizes that alcohol is integrated into many social and community spaces. Rather than focusing on individual behaviour, this work aims to understand how local environments, norms, and systems influence alcohol use and to identify opportunities to reduce preventable harms.

A Community Alcohol Strategy helps to:

  • Identify community values, goals, and concerns related to alcohol use
  • Create an inclusive, respectful process that lays the foundation for future policy discussions
  • Align partners and resources, including First Nations communities, local businesses, health services, and municipal departments, around shared priorities for community well-being

A Community Alcohol Strategy does not:

  • Ban alcohol or target individuals
  • Introduce new regulations immediately
  • Predetermine future policy decisions

Any potential policy ideas that may emerge from this work would require further research, public input, and Council consideration before moving forward.


Why This Matters for Tofino

Tofino’s unique context – seasonal tourism, limited health and emergency response resources, a vibrant hospitality sector, and close relationships with First Nations – means that alcohol use affects the community in distinct ways. A Community Alcohol Strategy helps ensure local solutions are grounded in public health evidence while reflecting the realities of life in Tofino.

The process also aims to work collaboratively with local businesses, community organizations, other West Coast communities, and health partners to identify practical solutions that support both community well-being and the local health, social, and economic environment.

The goal is to take a balanced approach that promotes safety, inclusion, and long-term community resilience.

Local data highlights the importance of this work:

  • Over 50% of British Columbians aged 15 years and older consume 7 or more alcoholic drinks per week and are in the increasingly high-risk category for alcohol-related harm
  • Residents in the Alberni-Clayoquot region consumed an average of 14.3 alcoholic drinks per week in 2024
  • Substance use disorders in the Alberni-Clayoquot region have increased by 40% over the past 15 years, this is primarily due to alcohol.
  • Alcohol-caused admissions to Tofino General Hospital by West Coast residents were more than 4 times higher than the rest of Island Health alcohol hospitalizations in 2023.
  • The alcohol-related death rate in the Alberni-Clayoquot region (50.1 per 100,000) is higher than both the Island Health (37.6) and BC (33.6) averages.

These indicators highlight the importance of developing a coordinated community strategy that supports health and safety while respecting Tofino’s unique character and economic landscape.


Background and Recent Actions

Tofino has taken several steps in recent years to address alcohol-related health, safety, and social impacts.

West Coast Substance Abuse Summit (2018)

Hosted at Tin Wis by the Rural & Remote Division of Family Practice (Long Beach Chapter) and Dr. Carrie Marshall, the Summit brought together local health and social service providers who collectively identified alcohol as the top substance of concern on the West Coast. This gathering marked the first major collaborative effort to raise awareness about alcohol-related harms in the region and helped catalyze future community action.

Council Decision on New Liquor Outlets (2019)

Council declined applications for additional liquor stores due to concerns about increasing alcohol accessibility and the potential pressure on local health and emergency services.

Municipal Alcohol Policy (2021)

Tofino was one of the first municipalities in British Columbia to adopt a Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP). The policy promotes the health, enjoyment, safety, and inclusivity of events held on municipal property.

The MAP was developed as part of a broader community dialogue focused on harm reduction and responsible event management.

BC Liquor Store Purchase Restrictions (2024)

The Province of British Columbia supported a request from Ahousaht First Nation leadership to limit liquor purchases at the Tofino BC Liquor Store in order to reduce alcohol-related harms and impacts on remote communities.

Public Health Sector Support

Public health officials, including Medical Health Officers, view the MAP as a strong foundation and recommend exploring additional policy tools such as land‑use planning, licensing considerations, pricing measures, and advertising restrictions that influence how alcohol is accessed and promoted in the community.


How Your Input Will Be Used

Community feedback will help identify local priorities, community values, and practical actions.

Survey responses and engagement findings will be summarized in a “What We Heard” report, which will be shared publicly on this page.

The findings will help inform the development of the Community Alcohol Strategy framework and identify potential areas for future collaboration or action.

Individual survey responses will not be published.

Share Your Input

The District of Tofino, in partnership with Island Health, is beginning work to develop a Community Alcohol Strategy (CAS). Community members are invited to help inform this work by sharing their perspectives through a short survey, open from March 26 to April 23, 2026.

Supported by a PlanH Healthy Public Policy grant from BC Healthy Communities, this initiative will gather input from residents, businesses, service providers, First Nations partners & communities, and others connected to Tofino to better understand how alcohol affects health, safety, and well-being in the community.

Your feedback will help shape a community plan with clear priorities and next steps to support health, safety, and inclusion.

Take the Survey

Access the survey here or by using the survey tool below.

The survey takes approximately 5–10 minutes to complete and is open until April 23, 2026.

Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a draw to win a $100 prepaid credit card.

Your responses are anonymous and voluntary. Participants may skip any question or exit the survey at any time.

Additional Engagement Opportunities

The survey is one part of the engagement process. Additional opportunities for community members to share perspectives and ideas will take place throughout the project.

These may include conversations with community groups, discussions with local organizations, businesses, and service providers, and opportunities for the public to provide feedback as the strategy develops.

Updates on future engagement opportunities will be shared on this page.


What is a Community Alcohol Strategy (CAS)?

A Community Alcohol Strategy is a community-informed framework that helps communities:

  • Understand how alcohol use affects health, safety, and community well-being
  • Identify actions the District and community partners can take to reduce alcohol-related harms
  • Strengthen collaboration among community members, local government, First Nations partners & communities, and health organizations

The strategy development process focuses on understanding local perspectives and identifying practical opportunities to support a healthier community.

A Community Alcohol Strategy recognizes that alcohol is integrated into many social and community spaces. Rather than focusing on individual behaviour, this work aims to understand how local environments, norms, and systems influence alcohol use and to identify opportunities to reduce preventable harms.

A Community Alcohol Strategy helps to:

  • Identify community values, goals, and concerns related to alcohol use
  • Create an inclusive, respectful process that lays the foundation for future policy discussions
  • Align partners and resources, including First Nations communities, local businesses, health services, and municipal departments, around shared priorities for community well-being

A Community Alcohol Strategy does not:

  • Ban alcohol or target individuals
  • Introduce new regulations immediately
  • Predetermine future policy decisions

Any potential policy ideas that may emerge from this work would require further research, public input, and Council consideration before moving forward.


Why This Matters for Tofino

Tofino’s unique context – seasonal tourism, limited health and emergency response resources, a vibrant hospitality sector, and close relationships with First Nations – means that alcohol use affects the community in distinct ways. A Community Alcohol Strategy helps ensure local solutions are grounded in public health evidence while reflecting the realities of life in Tofino.

The process also aims to work collaboratively with local businesses, community organizations, other West Coast communities, and health partners to identify practical solutions that support both community well-being and the local health, social, and economic environment.

The goal is to take a balanced approach that promotes safety, inclusion, and long-term community resilience.

Local data highlights the importance of this work:

  • Over 50% of British Columbians aged 15 years and older consume 7 or more alcoholic drinks per week and are in the increasingly high-risk category for alcohol-related harm
  • Residents in the Alberni-Clayoquot region consumed an average of 14.3 alcoholic drinks per week in 2024
  • Substance use disorders in the Alberni-Clayoquot region have increased by 40% over the past 15 years, this is primarily due to alcohol.
  • Alcohol-caused admissions to Tofino General Hospital by West Coast residents were more than 4 times higher than the rest of Island Health alcohol hospitalizations in 2023.
  • The alcohol-related death rate in the Alberni-Clayoquot region (50.1 per 100,000) is higher than both the Island Health (37.6) and BC (33.6) averages.

These indicators highlight the importance of developing a coordinated community strategy that supports health and safety while respecting Tofino’s unique character and economic landscape.


Background and Recent Actions

Tofino has taken several steps in recent years to address alcohol-related health, safety, and social impacts.

West Coast Substance Abuse Summit (2018)

Hosted at Tin Wis by the Rural & Remote Division of Family Practice (Long Beach Chapter) and Dr. Carrie Marshall, the Summit brought together local health and social service providers who collectively identified alcohol as the top substance of concern on the West Coast. This gathering marked the first major collaborative effort to raise awareness about alcohol-related harms in the region and helped catalyze future community action.

Council Decision on New Liquor Outlets (2019)

Council declined applications for additional liquor stores due to concerns about increasing alcohol accessibility and the potential pressure on local health and emergency services.

Municipal Alcohol Policy (2021)

Tofino was one of the first municipalities in British Columbia to adopt a Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP). The policy promotes the health, enjoyment, safety, and inclusivity of events held on municipal property.

The MAP was developed as part of a broader community dialogue focused on harm reduction and responsible event management.

BC Liquor Store Purchase Restrictions (2024)

The Province of British Columbia supported a request from Ahousaht First Nation leadership to limit liquor purchases at the Tofino BC Liquor Store in order to reduce alcohol-related harms and impacts on remote communities.

Public Health Sector Support

Public health officials, including Medical Health Officers, view the MAP as a strong foundation and recommend exploring additional policy tools such as land‑use planning, licensing considerations, pricing measures, and advertising restrictions that influence how alcohol is accessed and promoted in the community.


How Your Input Will Be Used

Community feedback will help identify local priorities, community values, and practical actions.

Survey responses and engagement findings will be summarized in a “What We Heard” report, which will be shared publicly on this page.

The findings will help inform the development of the Community Alcohol Strategy framework and identify potential areas for future collaboration or action.

Individual survey responses will not be published.

  • Survey: Community Alcohol Strategy

    The District of Tofino is working with Island Health and community partners to develop a Community Alcohol Strategy (CAS).

    To ensure the strategy reflects the values and priorities of the community, input from residents, businesses, workers, and others connected to Tofino is essential.

    The goal of the alcohol strategy is to reduce alcohol-related harms and support a healthier, safer community.

    Feedback from this survey will help identify community priorities and inform the next phase of developing actions and recommendations for the Community Alcohol Strategy.

    Your Input Matters

    This short survey (5 to 10 minutes) asks about:

    • Community values around alcohol
    • Current views on alcohol in Tofino
    • Ideas for future actions and community initiatives


    Who Can Participate?

    Residents, business owners, workers, and others who feel connected to the Tofino community.

    Your responses are anonymous and voluntary. Participants may skip any question or exit the survey at any time. 

    Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a draw for a chance to win a $100 prepaid credit card.

    Deadline to Participate: Thursday, April 23, 2026.



    Privacy & Support

    Responses are collected through Talk Tofino and stored securely in compliance with privacy legislation.

    If you have questions about this survey or the Community Alcohol Strategy, contact:



    If you need support related to alcohol use, please reach out to your family doctor, West Coast Mental Health and Substance Use, or the West Coast Community Resources Society for local support. 


    Take Survey
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