A Lower Sunshine Coast resident’s petition calling for priority boarding at Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal has received a mixed response in Powell River.
Last month Gibsons resident Ryan Medd started a petition at change.org that asks BC Ferries to provide resident-first loading for all communities without alternative road access routes, except those from the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island.
“Expecting residents to pay more [via reservations], simply to access what is truly an essential service, is wrong,” Medd wrote in the petition that will be delivered to BC premier Christy Clark, transportation minister Todd Stone and BC Ferries chief executive officer Mike Corrigan.
The petition asks BC Ferries to provide preferred loading to those residents of communities who rely on ferries for medical appointments, travel, youth sporting events and other reasons. In his petition, Medd states that treating all passengers equal is “not fair.”
While the idea has appeal for Powell River residents, City of Powell River councillor and Northern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee member Karen Skadsheim said she is of “two minds” with the petition.
“A lot of what this community and the coast relies on is tourism,” said Skadsheim. “If you get a full boat of residents showing up at the terminal and they take priority over the tourists, that is not going to do much for the economy.”
However, Skadsheim said she does not like how BC Ferries’ current reservation system works either.
“Maybe residents shouldn’t have to pay a reservation fee,” said Skadsheim. “That’s a more workable solution.”
Describing the reservation system as a “cash grab,” Skadsheim said if passengers miss their reservation because of the line at the booth, they are out $20. “That’s reprehensible,” she said.
Powell River resident and BC Bike Race organizer Wayne Brewer said he also worries about the impact priority loading would have on tourism, particularly as Powell River has worked so hard to develop the sector.
“We have worked so hard to develop a vibrant tourism industry and it is just now beginning to pay off,” said Brewer. “I worry much more about the huge percentage of deck space provided by reservations. That discourages and punishes travellers, locals and visitors alike.”
As of press time, the priority-loading petition had more than 1,000 signatures.
