Asset Management Strategy

The District of Tofino is developing a long-term Asset Management (AM) Strategy to guide the maintenance, renewal, acquisition, and development of individual Asset Management Plans for consistent delivery of the program. This strategy will ensure that community infrastructure remains reliable, sustainable, and aligned with the community’s service expectations.

To inform the AM Strategy, the District is asking residents and local businesses to share what they value most, what service levels they expect, and how they believe the community should balance costs and investments for future renewals and acquisitions.

What is Asset Management?

Asset Management in Local Government is a strategic, long-term approach to managing their physical infrastructure (roads, sanitary and water systems, buildings, parks) and other assets (land, natural) to deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable services, making informed investment decisions by understanding asset condition, risks, and performance over their entire lifecycle.

In Tofino, Asset Management is how the District plans, maintains, and funds community assets (such as roads, parks, water systems, sanitary sewer systems, and public buildings), so they remain reliable and safe over time. It helps determine when to repair, replace, or upgrade infrastructure while balancing service quality, cost, and long-term sustainability.

An AM program and planning are requirements for most major provincial and federal grants. Communities with AM Plans have a higher likelihood of successfully securing funding, as having AM Plans in place demonstrates a community’s understanding of potential risk from renewal of existing infrastructure vs. investment in acquiring new infrastructure. This helps Tofino stay current with industry standards and continue to provide sustainable municipal service delivery.

Asset Management BC (AMBC) serves as a leader in building awareness, providing education, and supporting collaboration among local governments in the province. They offer frameworks, tools (like Asset Smart), and resources to help communities develop and implement sound asset management practices. Much of their work is focused on helping local governments meet their fiduciary responsibilities and adhere to requirements for receiving provincial and federal infrastructure grants.

Learn more: Asset Management BC

Asset Management Plans

Major physical District-owned assets are grouped by the services they provide. Each service is covered by an individual Asset Management Plan, which is written using a framework developed by the National Asset Management Strategy (NAMS) Canada. The overall AM Strategy ensures a consistent approach is used across all asset categories and aligns with the community’s vision for municipal service delivery.

Master Planning is an important pre-step to AM Plan development. A Master Plan provides capacity information for each asset group, identifying and prioritizing capital projects and condition assessments. This information is then integrated into the specific AM Plans. Example: Water Master Plan will be used to develop the District of Tofino Water AM Plan - slated for release in 2026

District Services & Asset Groups

The District provides essential services supported by infrastructure in these categories:

• Sanitary Sewer – collection and conveyance network, lift stations, treatment plant, outfalls
• Water – distribution system, submarine pipelines, raw water capture systems, pumps, reservoirs, treatment facilities
• Transportation – roads, sidewalks, multi-use paths (MUP), street lighting, signage
• Fleet – cars, trucks, heavy equipment vehicles, utility operation vehicles, fire engines, recreation vehicles
• Parks & Public Facilities – parks, playgrounds, green spaces, community buildings, trail networks

Take the 5-Minute Survey

The District wants to hear directly from the people who live, work, and do business in Tofino. Your input will help identify which services and assets are most important, how well current service levels meet community needs, and what should be prioritized for future investment.

The survey takes about five minutes to complete, and all responses are confidential.

Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a draw to win a $100 prepaid credit card. Survey closes on January 31, 2026.

How Your Feedback Will Be Used
The District will review all responses to identify common themes and priorities. Results will help shape the Asset Management Strategy and guide future budgeting and planning decisions.