Tofino Harbour Authority closed due to standoff with ‘squatter,’ agency says [Video]

The Tofino Harbour Authority says it has temporarily shuttered its office in the coastal Vancouver Island community due to an escalating standoff with the operator of a so-called “squatter” vessel.

The harbour authority says the vessel has been illegally occupying harbour property at the Armitage Point dock for more than two years, despite repeated notices to vacate.

Ryan Crawford, the harbour authority’s operations manager, says the vessel operator has been discharging raw sewage and burning wood in the sensitive marine area, leading to confrontations with harbour authority staff.

“The situation, which has been unresolved for over two years, escalated recently, prompting the closure,” Crawford said in a statement Monday.

The not-for-profit harbour authority, which leases and manages the daily operations of the public small-craft marina from its Fourth Street office, says the vessel operator refuses to leave the premises and is disrupting critical harbour operations.

The office closure will affect …