Our Story

As proud Vancouver Islanders with a passion for creating personalized vacation experiences that reflect values of quality, service, and attention to detail, Bruce and Leah’s journey began well before the Tofino Beach Collective.

Bruce and his brothers grew up in Tofino in the 1960s. Their dad, Howard, was the local general practitioner, and their mom, Lynn, worked as a registered nurse at the newly established Tofino General Hospital. At the southern end of the island, Leah spent her childhood in Sooke, where her family had emigrated from Holland, England, and Sweden.

They met, lived, and worked in Victoria before moving to Tofino in 1996. The McDiarmid family has always had deep roots in the community, and in 1996, they opened the iconic Wickaninnish Inn. The opening was the culmination of Howard and his family’s dream of one day establishing a world-class hotel on the most stunning point of Chesterman Beach. “The Wick,” as it is fondly known, is managed by Bruce’s brother Charles, hotelier and connoisseur of hotel service par excellence. Bruce was the opening restaurant manager at the Wick’s acclaimed Pointe Restaurant, and Leah worked alongside him in the early days of the hotel’s opening.

In 1998, Bruce and Leah took their passion for real estate and hospitality to a new level by founding Chesterman Beach Realty & Management Co. Bruce focused on developing Chesterman Beach Estates, while Leah obtained a realtor’s licence and focused on property management. Soon after, in 2000, they launched Tofino Vacation Rentals and began managing some of the first zoned short-term rental properties in Tofino.

After selling Tofino Vacation Rentals in 2015, they took a break to focus on our travels and studies, including Leah’s completion of a degree in Art History and Visual Studies. Love for Tofino called them back, and in 2021, they launched Tofino Beach Collective Inc., offering three unique, family-owned vacation rental homes at Chesterman Beach.

That same year, they opened the Tofino Gallery of Contemporary Art, representing local and regional Canadian contemporary artists in painting, sculpture, and photography. Whether you tour the Gallery or experience the unique, ever-changing showcase of artwork as guests in the Tofino Beach Collective’s vacation homes, be sure to let Leah know if something catches your eye. She would be happy to help you take a piece of Tofino home with you.