Prohibition of Plastic Water Bottles 1 Litre & Less

Background

On August 22, 2023, a delegation from Surfrider Pacific Rim presented to Council regarding the impact of single-use plastic bottles on the environment, and particularly the local marine environment of Vancouver Island’s west coast. Surfrider representatives noted that over 60,000 plastic bottles have been recovered from regional, local and remote west coast beaches on Vancouver Island since 2015, and that 60% of plastic bottles are never recycled, ending up in waterways and marine environments. The presentation included letters of support from First Nations in the region, and a list of +70 local businesses that are already voluntarily observing the ban. The delegation urged Mayor and Council to ban the sale of plastic water bottles 1 litre and under within the District of Tofino to reduce ocean plastics and their impact on the local environment.

Proposed Bylaw Amendment

During a November 28 Regular Council Meeting, Tofino Mayor and Council authorized staff to proceed with amending The District of Tofino's Single-Use Item Regulation Bylaw No. 1277, 2020, to include a provision to prohibit the sale of plastic water bottles 1 litre and less. Please note, this is not a blanket ban on all plastic water bottles, but only smaller plastic water bottles 1 litre and less.

During this meeting, Council also authorized staff to conduct a public consultation process to gather feedback from consumers of plastic water bottles 1 litre and less.

Proposed Exemptions

If Council proceeds to include the prohibition of the sale of water bottles 1 litre and under in the Single-Use Item Regulation Bylaw, exemptions will be considered as follows:

• Emergency Operations Centre Activation: If the Emergency Operations Centre should be activated, the Emergency Operations Director, Mayor, CAO or Council may choose to issue an exemption of this prohibition to protect the public health, safety, and welfare, and no reasonable alternative to single-use plastic water bottles will serve the same purpose.
• State of Local Emergency Declaration: If a State of Local Emergency should be declared, the Emergency Operations Director, Mayor, CAO or Council may choose to issue an exemption of this prohibition to protect the public health, safety, and welfare, and no reasonable alternative to single-use plastic water bottles will serve the same purpose.
• Stage 3 and 4 Water Restrictions: If the District of Tofino should post notice of either Stage 3 or Stage 4 Water Restrictions, the prohibition will be lifted to ensure convenient, safe and reliable access to water bottles 1 litre and less while the restrictive stages are in effect.
• Accessibility & Mobility Exemptions: will be provided where a reasonable accommodation is needed by an individual due to a medical or physical condition.

** Emergency drinking water repositories are also available locally in storage through the Tofino Emergency Program for crisis events, including mass-scale evacuations.

Ministerial Approval

On July 24, 2025, the District of Tofino received a letter from the Province granting the District permission to proceed with adopting the bylaw.