A City of Powell River elected official is raising concerns about BC Ferries’ heavy weather matrix, which is used by ferry captains in deciding whether or not to sail in bad weather.
“As a ferry-dependent community, reliable ferry service is critical to Powell River’s well-being,” said Councillor Chris McNaughton, who holds the ferries portfolio. “The spike in heavy weather-related sailing cancellations—71 in 2011—raises serious concern over the social and economic impacts that result from the cancellations. Another consideration is the impact on residents travelling to medical appointments on Vancouver Island and the difficulty experienced with rescheduling when long wait lists of up to six months exist.”
BC Ferries has provided a comparative analysis of actual ferry cancellations against projected cancellations had the matrix been in place, McNaughton said. “The statistics show a staggering 500 to 1,500 per cent increase in weather-related cancellations has occurred since BC Ferries implemented the heavy weather matrix in 2010.” (See table.)
The matrix was one of the topics discussed during the most recent meeting of BC Ferries’ officials with members of the Northern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee. Captain Al de Koninck, BC Ferries’ marine superintendent, north islands, explained the genesis of the matrix was tied to a couple of spectacular incidents when vessels sailed in rough weather. “We are definitely more conservative, because we do not want to run the risk of injuring people,” de Koninck said. “That’s not what we’re here for. We want them to ride as comfortably as possible. We do want to make it as consistent as possible and I agree, there are some inconsistencies and we are working on that.”
De Koninck likened the issue to a pendulum. “When all hell breaks loose, the pendulum tends to swing one way and it takes awhile to find the centre,” he said. “All I’m asking you is to give the masters an opportunity to find the centre without interfering and I think we’re almost there.”
Bill Cripps, the ferry advisory committee chair, said, given the history and the public perception about heavy weather cancellations, it’s good that BC Ferries has a heavy weather matrix to build some consistency into the decision making. “I think that’s an important thing and I think it’s a positive thing,” he said.
However, the interpretation of the matrix at the beginning of its use was “a little on the conservative side,” Cripps also said. “It appears they were not sailing when in the past they would have, in some cases.”
BC Ferries’ officials have reviewed the matrix, Cripps added, and the pendulum appears to be swinging back to fewer cancelled sailings, “as they get used to using the decision-making tool that they have. At the end of the day, this could be a good process for us in terms of getting some consistency, because we didn’t seem to have that before.”
Regardless of the pendulum swing, McNaughton said, the increased weather-related cancellations will continue to impact resident, visitor and business travel between Powell River and Vancouver Island. “As a result, we have begun discussions with BC Ferries and the province to explore options for passengers travelling for medical appointments,” he said. “In addition, we are asking the province to provide a greater investment in video conference technology to connect patients with doctors for consultations and other non-medical procedural visits.”
Additionally, replacement vessels for the Queen of Burnaby and North Island Princess must be designed to accommodate heavy weather conditions, McNaughton said. “The severe impact of the matrix undermines economic vitality in our region and places a huge burden on families in our community,” he said. “Our commitment is to continue to explore, with BC Ferries and the province, options to ensure reliable transportation for Powell River residents, visitors and businesses.”
