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Woman wants Tofino to get a nude beach

91ƵThey may enjoy a surf and then walk around naked and just be free.91Ƶ
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Rachel Sutton looks out over Cox Bay on a sunny Tuesday afternoon. The Tofino resident and vacation rental operator is raising the idea of bringing a nude beach to the community. (Photo - Andrew Bailey)

A Tofino resident is laying bare her desire to see the community adopt a nude beach.

91ƵWe91Ƶve become a major tourist destination and a nude beach is inclusive and allows people to be free while they91Ƶre on vacation and it allows people who are local to feel that they can gear down comfortably without such a moral compass on their bodies,91Ƶ Rachel Sutton told the Westerly News.

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91ƵThe ethos of Tofino and Ucluelet and the West Coast is fairly irreverent and we are a population who value uniqueness and doing things in a creative and spontaneous manner91ƵThey may enjoy a surf and then walk around naked and just be free.91Ƶ

People of all genders are permitted to be topless in B.C., but full nudity is illegal on public lands. However, the province does offer an assortment of nude beaches. NaturistDirectory.com, a website that promotes destinations to travellers looking for clothing-optional opportunities, lists Vancouver91Ƶs Wreck Beach, Nelson91Ƶs Red Sands Beach, Hornby Island91Ƶs Little Tribune Bay and Crescent Rock91Ƶs Naturalist Beach as its top four B.C. beaches.

Sutton said Tofino is an accepting and inclusive area and is 91Ƶcertainly91Ƶ the type of community that could embrace a nude beach.

91ƵWe have a fresh migration of people to this area in the last three to five years who are forward thinking,91Ƶ she said. 91ƵI think also, universally, we91Ƶre seeing some more archaic viewpoints go the way of the charming antiquity and we are stepping forward in a resurgence of the kind of energy we saw in the 91Ƶ70s.

91ƵWe91Ƶre facing worldwide wars, we91Ƶre facing famines and droughts, we91Ƶre facing bigger issues to do with gun control and questionable politicking in our country as well as our neighbours to the south and this is an irreverent, light spark of joy that could be a pleasant dinner conversation.91Ƶ

She said promoting body positivity is important and a nude beach could add to Tofino91Ƶs allure to visitors.

91ƵI love the idea that we could just gear down and not have to feel a lot of shame, blame or guilt about our bodies. We could just say, 91ƵWell this is how I arrived.91Ƶ We all came into the world naked and why should we feel ashamed?91Ƶ

Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne told the Westerly News she is not opposed to the idea, but said it would likely be more of an informal agreement than an official designation.

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91ƵI don91Ƶt have any moral objections to the idea. I just think it91Ƶs something that needs to be discussed well with the community and if something was going to go in that direction, be it formal or informal, that everyone is respected for their feelings.91Ƶ



andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca

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Andrew Bailey

About the Author: Andrew Bailey

I arrived at the Westerly News as a reporter and photographer in January 2012.
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