BC Ferries is hoping for second reading soon on the rezoning it needs to continue with upgrades at the Langdale terminal, but some of the reaction from the community suggests Coast residents have other priorities.
Ferries wants to consolidate the four lots that make up the terminal property and have it zoned to allow for existing terminal uses, such as parking lots and ferry berths, as well as a control tower, retail space, areas for “float plane and emergency helicopter services,” mobile food vendors and a “caretaker suite and vessel personnel accommodations.”
According to Ferries, the accommodations would allow the company to have “crewing flexibility” to make different schedules and vessel types more practical in the future by having employees stay at the terminal for short periods, like an overnight layover.
Ferries hasn’t released specific budget numbers, but the Langdale upgrades are part of a $201-million program of work at several terminals. The federal government has offered $17 million in infrastructure funding for the Langdale project. Construction could begin as early as 2019.
A BC Ferries survey on the project wrapped up Oct. 31. The consultants handling the public engagement for Ferries said 2,153 people took the survey and 175 people gave their input face-to-face at booths set up at the terminal. The detailed results will be released later this month.
The company also held a public information meeting October 26 as part of the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) zoning process, and many of the comments written on sticky notes or recorded on a flip-chart by SCRD staff were about issues like hourly sailings, preferred boarding for residents and people with medical appointments, and on-time performance.
When it came to the plans for the terminal, some attendees said they want BC Ferries to make sure that shops and food services are locally owned. “No Bread Garden. No White Spot. No Starbucks,” read one of the sticky notes. Another comment said, “Do we need shops for tourists? No!” and another bluntly asked, “Why do we need this?”
There were also calls for better parking, improvements to the traffic flow within the terminal and separated bike lanes, as well as worries about noise and sewer treatment.
Nearly 5,000 people have signed an online petition launched by local resident Glenda Sewards to “Stop BC Ferries and the Sunshine Coast Regional District planning department from implementing this ridiculous plan and waste of money which could be used towards the Sunshine Coast residents’ needs.”
The petition calls the terminal improvements a “tourist plaza” and says “residents need hourly sailings, reduced fares and preferred boarding.”
BC Ferries has been saying that “two-vessel operation with hourly service” is still part of its strategy for the Langdale-Horseshoe Bay route, but president and CEO Mark Collins told Coast Reporter in September that it’s at least five years down the road because it’s tied to the improvements at Langdale, as well as purchasing new vessels and upgrading Horseshoe Bay.
There’s also an active petition on assured loading for people travelling under the Travel Assistance Program (TAP) for medical appointments. TAP covers fares, but doesn’t guarantee you’ll get on a specific ferry. The petition was started by Kim Darwin, the former Green Party candidate for Powell River-Sunshine Coast.
Darwin said the petition, which had more than 2,600 signatures online and on paper as of early this week, is a direct response to concerns she heard during the campaign.
“The number of people who have commented and shared their personal stories is really incredible,” Darwin said. “These are people who are dealing with life or death situations, they’re people who are in extreme pain or distress… When people are going through these kinds of things, not everybody has the additional funds [to make a reservation].”
Darwin said, considering the aging demographic on the Sunshine Coast, travel for medical reasons is an important issue for a lot of people. Her petition asks BC Ferries and the province to accept TAP forms as “priority boarding reservations” as long as travellers arrive at the terminal 30 minutes ahead of the sailing and to allow them to be used up to two days before and after the scheduled medical appointment.
Darwin’s petition was on the agenda for the Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee’s Nov. 3 meeting, which took place after Coast Reporter’s deadline.
