Your chance to speak out about BC Ferries . . . By October 31, 2014, please send me your views on fare and schedule improvements, as well as your ideas for different types of ferries on the Langdale/ Horseshoe Bay route. I will present your input on BC Ferries to the Premier. Contact me via email: glnohr@dccnet As chair of the Sunshine Coast Regional District and Area B Halfmoon Bay Director, I have been involved in meetings with twelve other coastal chairs, and with the Premier, Minister of Transportation, and Ferry Commissioner. This has gone on over the past two years in an effort to get some positive changes to BC Ferry fares and schedules. During that time the provincial government stayed the course on increases in fares and reduction of schedules, much to the concern of ferry-dependent communities. Officials from ferry-dependent communities tried in many different ways to make the Provincial government aware of the plight that their stance was putting these communities in economically—all to no avail. The chairs’ group lobbied both the Association of Island and Coastal Communities and Union of British Columbia Municipalities to do a Socioeconomic Impact Analysis of BC Ferries (SEIA). This study was then presented at the UBCM conference two weeks ago and was passed unanimously by elected officials from all over BC. The UBCM recommendation requests that the following be done by the Provincial government: 1) Reverse its November 2013 decision, and restore service levels and ferry fares to 2013 levels. 2) Take a “pause” or “time out” to consider the results of this SEIA and commit to undertaking further socioeconomic impact analysis that will build on these findings. 3) Take action to recognize the coastal ferry system as an extension of the highway system and administer and fund it accordingly. 4) Work cooperatively with coastal communities and other interested parties on the development and implementation of a long-term strategy for the coastal ferry system, based on solid socioeconomic impact analysis that will ensure the sustainability of coastal communities and the ferry service. At UBCM the chairs’ group met with the Premier and the Minister of Transportation, Todd Stone, on BC Ferries. Minister Stone was much more subdued than he was days before when asked about the UBCM study. I believe that his strong negative reaction to the study in the media helped to get the unanimous vote on the SEIA at UBCM. In our chair meeting the Premier felt we could all agree to disagree on the study but did suggest something must be done for the future of ferries. The Premier then requested that the chairs’ group meet with her and Minister Stone in November 2014. The focus of this meeting will be to listen to suggestions that the chairs will present from their communities to improve the ferry system. I had an opportunity last week to meet with Minister Stone and was able to convey the Sunshine Coast’s need for a full ferry schedule, relief for fares on commercial vehicles, maintaining a 5:30 ferry year round, and making sure that any future increases do not exceed the cost of living. The Minister said that we have hit the tipping point on fare increases and that fares will be going down in the near future, especially when LNG profits come on line in 2019. I pointed out that 2019 is still four years away, and the constituents of the Sunshine Coast are worried about the present for jobs and housing prices. The Minister indicated that changes will be part of the discussion in November. Garry Nohr HMB Director & SCRD Chair glnohr@dccnet
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 21:53:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015