Anger and frustration at proposed ferry service reductions reached a crescendo Tuesday night as hundreds of Powell River residents packed into the Town Centre Hotel for a public meeting.
While organizers limited the number of people inside to 375, hundreds of others had to remain outside in the cold and rain or jammed into the hallway outside the room. According to Kirk and Co., the firm that facilitated the meeting, over 800 people signed attendance sheets for the meeting held on Tuesday evening, November 26. City of Powell River Mayor Dave Formosa asked the representatives from BC Ferries and the ministry of transportation and infrastructure to return for another meeting at a venue that could accommodate all the people who wanted to attend.
Organizers dispensed with the plan to have the first 90 minutes of the meeting in an open house format and launched into the question and answer session shortly after 5 pm.
There were many calls throughout the evening to dock the ferry in Powell River instead of on Vancouver Island, with speakers pointing out if the ferry was docked here, usage numbers would increase. Other popular themes included making the ferry system part of the ministry of transportation and infrastructure and finding other ways of reducing costs, including decreasing executive salaries and the number of managers employed by BC Ferries.
The service cuts total 16 per cent of all round trips servicing Powell River and Texada Island, for a total estimated savings of $2.42 million to 2016.
The Powell River-Comox route is losing 94 round trips, including the last one on Saturday night year round and the first one on Sunday morning in the off-peak season. Saltery Bay-Earls Cove is losing 365 round trips, as the last sailing of the day is being cancelled year round.
Speakers talked about how the cuts would damage Powell River’s economy and businesses and many decried the plan to reduce the seniors’ discount by 50 per cent.
Another major theme during the meeting was the impact the cuts on the Powell River-Comox route would have on youth sports teams, as well as other sports activities. Niko Cristante, a soccer player who participates in the Vancouver Island Premier League, received a standing ovation after his presentation about how the cuts would impact youth who travel to Vancouver Island to compete. Day trips would no longer be possible and trips that involve an overnight stay would have to expand to two nights, he said. “The impact on youth sports in Powell River will be absolutely devastating and will be crippling,” he said. “The decision is in your hands. Please reconsider this for all youth in Powell River.”
Doug Skinner, a Board of Education trustee and a member of the Northern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee, also addressed the negative impacts the reductions on the Powell River-Comox route would cause. Powell River schools are linked with Vancouver Island for all BC School Sports, Skinner said, including soccer, swimming gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, cross country, track and field, and curling, and all club teams are arranged in the same way. Skinner provided examples of the additional money it would cost if teams had to spend an additional night on the island. “What you propose is totally unfair to the youth of Powell River,” he said.
Barry McDonald, president of Powell River Youth Soccer, said last weekend he travelled on six ferries and there were at least 60 people, including 13-, 14- and 15-year-old players and their parents, tied to the association on the first two runs. “The next four trips I took with those same 60 people and 16 and 17 year olds joined us,” he said. “That is a lot of revenue that will be lost with these changes.”
People move to communities where there are opportunities for their children, McDonald also said, and people leave communities when those opportunities are lacking. “We’re asking just to maintain the services for our youth,” he said. “We believe this decision is ill-advised.”
Jay Yule, School District 47 superintendent of schools, said the service reductions don’t align with provincial government objectives to have regular physical activity. Eliminating the weekend runs would make competing in sports events impossible. “For us in Powell River it really is about equal and equitable access to education for the youth and children, the same equitable access everybody across the province has,” he said. “Our youth deserve to participate in sports and other activities across the island in an equitable way.”
Kevin Richter, assistant deputy minister for the marine portfolio in the ministry of transportation and infrastructure, explained the service reduction plan was based on considerations, including which routes lose money and which sailings have low utilization. “We tried our best to balance those considerations with trying to provide basic service for the majority of people,” he said. “That’s why we’re out here. I’m hearing loud and clear. I’m hearing from sporting groups, I’m hearing from people who have medical needs to travel, to see family, to do all of that.”
Richter said the government and BC Ferries was seeking input on that plan. “Did we get these right? Can we refine them?”
Powell River residents need to fill out the feedback form that is part of the engagement discussion guide, Richter added.
The guide and more information about the planned service reductions can be found online.
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