Water was already in short supply by early August. On Vancouver Island, Tofino reservoirs were so low that taps began to run dry. People started to bathe from buckets, skipped cleaning and let their dishes pile up. The sound of surf to the locals was usually calming, but now, the sound of rainwater sloshing in barrels — collected from downpours months earlier — was more irritating than soothing.

Meanwhile, in a beachfront rental just steps from Tofino’s Chesterman Beach, a hot tub was still steaming under a string of fairy lights, as guests from Vancouver sipped wine and enjoyed their stay..

The contrast was not lost on Leila George, as she hauled jugs from a friend’s rain tank that afternoon in 2023.

“We’re in a drought. They’re on a vacation,” George said.. “It’s like

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