The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) will hold an open house on the future of the coastal ferry system on November 28, between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at BICS. There will be a question and answer period starting at 7:30 p.m. A complete description of the process and supporting data can be found at www.coastalferriesengagement.ca.
The service contract amendment recently signed between BC Ferries and MOTI requires finding "service adjustments", (savings) of $30 million, $4 million have been found in the three major routes between Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo. That leaves $26million still to found. The contract indicates criteria the cost reductions will be based on which include routes that incur a significant financial loss annually, routes that have an annual capacity utilization level of less than 55 per cent and routes where specific round trips have a less than 20 per cent usage.
The contract says that "specific adjustments will take into account the need to ensure basic ferry service at the route level, where applicable. Examples of basic ferry service include travel to and from school, work, and significant community events."
The consultation process will look at existing conditions and the need to reduce BC Ferries' operating costs, and also a vision for the future including alternative means of delivering transportation services. This process set in place by MOTI is intended to lead to discussions with the communities likely to be affected. Kirk & Co. will assist MOTI in presenting open houses but they will not be making recommendations on either cost savings or sailing cuts.
The results of these consultations will influence ferry service to Bowen for the foreseeable future. Key to the continued economic and social viability and growth of Bowen Island is access to reasonably-priced and frequent ferry service for both cars and passengers. The BC Ferries system is as much part of the provincial public transportation system as the provincial highway system, yet MOTI wishes to achieve higher levels of cost recovery from coastal ferry users than from landbased public transit, the inland ferries and the provincial highway system.
The open house is intended to look at the future, not the current situation. It is not intended to address some of the more recent operational failings of BC Ferries, including the deployment of a sub-standard replacement ferry while the Capilano was in refit. However, the feedback form does ask for input on the sizes and types of vessels that should be considered when making decisions about what to build to replace the many aging vessels in the minor route fleet.
We urge all Bowen residents to come to the open house and make their views known about ferry service for Bowen and the coast. We are looking forward to seeing you there.
Bowen Island Municipality Ferry Advisory Committee: Adam Holbrook, Bill Van Luven, Erwen Smith and councillor Alison Morse
