Senior fares
Bill Cripps, chair of the Northern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee, attended a meeting on Vancouver Island with other ferry advisory chairs and representatives from the provincial government and BC Ferries on Tuesday, November 19. The government made a presentation about measures it announced to find $18.9 million in savings, including service reductions, reducing the seniors’ discount by half and introducing a gaming pilot project on the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route.
There was a lot of discussion about the seniors’ discount, which the province said cost $15 million in 2012-2013. The province provides BC Ferries with the money to pay for the program, Cripps said, and will continue to pay the same amount even after seniors start paying 50 per cent of the passenger fare in April 2014. BC Ferries will receive the fares seniors pay, estimated to be $6 million because the government expects seniors will not be travelling as frequently, for a total of $21 million. “The $6 million becomes another user pay initiative by BC Ferries, even though user pay was eliminated from the Coastal Ferry Act,” Cripps said. “This is not a savings as reported in the discussion guide. It’s an additional revenue being extracted from seniors.”
Government officials were not able to answer questions in any detail about the financials associated with the cuts, Cripps said, but the committee chairs went into great detail about the harm the service cuts would cause, from the point of view of business, jobs, families and economic development. “We walked away from the meeting very, very frustrated with their inability to give us any more detail on how this is all going to work and save the money that they’ve claimed. We made it very clear that the real problem is fares and declining traffic.”
The province is holding open houses next week in Powell River and on Texada Island. “People who are directly impacted by these cuts really do need to show up and indicate what it’s doing to them,” Cripps said.
Truck theft
Police are asking for public assistance in helping to locate a stolen pickup truck.
The vehicle, a 1996 blue and grey Ford F-150 BC licence plate EX9805, was last seen on Friday, November 15, on Duncan Street across from Powell River airport.
The company name “Sharpes Bay Development” is displayed on the driver and passenger side doors.
“[Auto theft] is definitely more rare in Powell River than in most cities,” said Powell River RCMP Constable Tim Kenning. “We’re isolated—there aren’t many places to go.”
With ferry traffic monitored by video cameras, one of the only places thieves could take stolen vehicles would be out into Powell River’s backcountry, said Kenning.
He added there have been patrols, but they have not yet gone deep into the backcountry. “Those will happen over time,” he said.
People who head out into the backcountry for recreation or work are asked to take note of any other vehicles they may encounter and report if they see the truck.
“If we could get a CrimeStoppers’ tip, that would help give us a better idea of where to look for it,” added Kenning.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to please contact Powell River RCMP 604.485.6255 or, to remain anonymous, contact CrimeStoppers at 1.800.222.TIPS (8477) or online.
Kettle campaign number
People interested in volunteering for Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign can reach Kimberley Murphy at 604.483.3045.
