Many islanders are encouraged by last week’s NDP budget reveal, especially the line item calling for a 15 per cent ferry fare rollback.
“Thank God they put some money in,” said Susanna Braund, chair of Bowen Island’s Ferry Advisory Committee. “I don’t think it means a lot except I think the seniors who haven’t been travelling because of the fare that was imposed on them, I think they will feel much freer to travel.”
In fact, the ferries will be free for seniors to ride from Monday to Thursday, the NDP announced as part of the budget speech on Feb. 20. Meanwhile, Bowen Liberal MLA Jordan Sturdy was a little more skeptical about the free ride.
“I do understand the desire to see lower fares,” said Sturdy, but the challenge, he added, is how to compensate for the fare freeze on the major routes.
Sturdy said the government has not been clear as to how B.C. Ferries is supposed to make up those revenues.
“You can try and sell more hamburgers but, you know, that’s a limited opportunity. You can reduce services,” speculated Sturdy, adding the extra sailings that were added to Bowen could be at risk.
Another budget item that stands out to Sturdy is the speculators’ tax, “because it will affect people who have non-principle residences on the island.”
“And I don’t think the government really was aware of some of the unintended consequences associated with the speculators’ tax,” said Sturdy, adding Bowen is a cottage community in a Metro Vancouver jurisdiction.
Other big budget spending initiatives announced centre on child care and housing affordability. Bowen Coun. Maureen Nicholson said she is very encouraged by the budget.
“The province’s 30-point housing plan puts significant funding and other support into affordable housing,” said Nicholson. “What that means for Bowen, I expect, is movement on our BC Housing project proposed on the Community Lands and more flexible tools for rezoning, including the potential for rental-only zoning.”
Coun. Melanie Mason said the budget is “welcome news for communities like Bowen that have been caught up in the ripple effects of the Lower Mainland housing crisis and the increasing cost of living for B.C. families.”
“Hopefully, this will be the catalyst to start working with BC Housing on a project to be able to provide mixed-income housing as well as additional rental housing for seniors and families,” said Mason.
On the ferry front, Mason said it was great to see the provincial government acknowledge in the budget speech that B.C. Ferries is part of the highway system and that skyrocketing fares put ferry-dependent communities like Bowen “at a disadvantage that is both costly and unfair.”
