The changeover to BC Ferries’ summer schedule between Saltery Bay and Earls Cove continues to be a thorn in the side of local businesses.
Local shipper Gord Milne raised the issue at the Northern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee’s biannual meeting with BC Ferries on June 1. The summer ferry schedule was also discussed as part of the recent fixed-link consultation on June 22, between civic and business leaders and provincial government, said committee member and Powell River Regional District Electoral Area A director Patrick Brabazon
“The schedule is not serving our community,” said Brabazon.
The summer schedule, brought into effect June 21, moves the 5:35 am sailing from Saltery Bay to 2:05 pm, a change designed to improve summer tourism traffic flow, but creates scheduling difficulties for Powell River businesses needing to make one-day return trips to Vancouver.
BC Ferries has said it would be willing to make changes, even moving runs from slower times of the year, if a business case can be made, according to Brabazon.
Powell River-based helicopter parts supply company owner Jason Rekve did not attend the fixed-link meeting, but he did send a June 23 email to BC transportation minister Todd Stone and BC Ferries president Mike Corrigan, among others, stating that something has to be done to improve service. According to Rekve, the changes reduce his company’s shipping options and make timely delivery more challenging.
“We do need to hold the government and BC Ferries responsible and make them realize this isn’t just a Powell River problem,” said Rekve. “This is a problem in every community they service on the coast.” Rekve said the short-term fix would be to return sailings to the previous schedule.
According to BC Ferries public affairs manager Darin Guenette, the solution is not that simple. The ferry corporation has a service agreement with the BC government mandating a total number of required sailings and the ferry advisory committee would need to present options that are backed by broad community consensus in order to make any alterations, said Guenette, who added the corporation is willing to entertain schedule changes.
“BC Ferries is always open to discuss options with our ferry advisory committee first, as we need to understand their perspectives on broad community needs and wants,” said Guenette.
The ferry corporation would be willing to look at a schedule change, but Guenette cautioned such an undertaking is much more complex due to the diversity of schedule needs in the community.
“Assuming that is possible, we would by all means put a schedule change in place,” he said.
Before anything is brought to BC Ferries, Brabazon said the committee will continue to establish some operational facts and community and business needs.
Rekve said he is pushing for a broader discussion on Powell River’s ferry service and was disappointed that only Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons responded to his letter.
Rekve blames the current ferry service for restricting business and coastal communities, a conclusion backed by a 2014 Union of BC Municipalities report that stated 10 years of ferry rate increases has caused a reduction in province’s gross domestic product, a key indicator of economic health.
“You cannot convince people that this is a place that can be prosperous simply because of the cost and the time of the ferry,” said Rekve.
He said in the short term he would like to see the early morning ferry restored, but in the longer term he would like the community to have a discussion on the viability of ferry service to the lower Sunshine Coast.
“We don’t have good ferry terminals at Saltery Bay or Earls Cove, or proper highway infrastructure down to Sechelt,” said Rekve. “Get rid of that ferry and put the money into the main terminal out of Westview, make the schedules line up and not cost a fortune; that would be best.”
Meanwhile, the regional district will continue efforts to pressure the provincial government to reassess the economic impacts service reductions have had for coastal communities, said Brabazon.
“This is certainly a political problem created by the provincial government,” he said. “For them to suggest they are not responsible for BC Ferries is utter balderdash.”
