That's the life!

Ucluelet (you-CLEW-lit) also affectionately known as “Ukee” is a small town of about 2,000 permanent residents located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. 

Ukee is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world.  The Pacific ocean is home to whales of all species, some transient, some resident, and provides seafood of incredible variety.  The sky is teeming with raptors – hawks, eagles and vultures.  The rain forest is like visiting another planet, with trees as large as some big city bachelor apartments.  The mountains provide a completely different environment, with an abundance of ancient conifers, crystal-clear lakes, songbirds, more raptors, black bears and mountain lions.

The people of Ucluelet are friendly, passionate and environmentally conscious.  With such an abundance of natural resources, Ukee folks often find themselves fighting to protect the environment they love.  Remember the Clayoquot Sound anti-logging protests of 1993?  It was the largest peaceful demonstration in Canadian history, with over 800 people arrested.  That right beside Ucluelet.  http://www.perc.ca/PEN/1993-11/s-moore.html

Since the early 1990s, Ucluelet has been busy planning it’s future.  As the logging and fishing industry has quietly pulled it’s operations (and employment) out if the district, the town has shrewdly planned to reinvent itself as a tourist destination.  Their wise efforts over the past decade have warranted numerous awards including:

• The District of Ucluelet was awarded four out of five blooms and took first place in the mentoring category.
  (Communities in Bloom, October 2008)
• District of Ucluelet was the winner of a Community Excellence Award for small communities in the leadership and innovation category, recognising the extensive work completed in innovative community planning and on environmental initiatives.
  (Union of BC Municipalities, September 2008)
• The District won a bronze Innovation and Excellence award for its Bear Smart program
  (Premier of BC, February 2008)
• Prestige Award
  (Vancouver Island Economic Developers Association, January 2008)
• The District of Ucluelet has won the 2007 Energy Aware Award in the Community Planning and Development category as a result of Ucluelet’s exemplary commitment, leadership and vision in using land-use policy to drive energy and climate progress.
  (Community Energy Association, September, 2007)
• Felice Mazzoni, the District of Uclulet’s Director of Planning Services, won the Planning of the Year award from the Planning Institute of BC.
  (Planning Institute of BC, April 2007)
• National Sustainable Community Planning Award
  Ucluelet’s Official Community Plan
  (Federation of Canadian Municipalities, 2006)
• Award of Excellence – Comprehensive & Policy Plans
  Weyerhaeuser/Ucluelet Comprehensive Development Plan
  (Planning Institute of British Columbia, 2006)
• Community Excellence Award – Leadership & Innovation
  Weyerhaeuser/Ucluelet Comprehensive Development Plan
  (Union of British Columbia Municipalities, 2006)
• Gold Award – Environmentally Sustainable Project (population under 20,000)
  Ucluelet Official Community Plan
  (The International Awards for Liveable Communities, 2006)
• Silver Award – Most Liveable Community (population under 20,000)
  Ucluelet
  (The International Awards for Liveable Communities, 2006)
• Global Category Award/Gold First Place – Community Sustainability (all population categories)
  Ucluelet
  (The International Awards for Liveable Communities, 2006

Ucluelet and the neighbouring town of Tofino now attracts over One Million tourists every year.  Wow. 

Still curious?  Check out their official website:

http://www.ucluelet.ca/