Powell River's business community is welcoming the provincial government’s announcement that it will look into the costs and benefits of linking the Sunshine Coast to Metro Vancouver by road.
Todd Stone, minister for transportation and infrastructure, announced Friday, September 18 that the government is a preparing to hire a consulting firm to perform a transportation study that would weigh road access to the Sunshine Coast against the current ferry service.
“We’ve heard from stakeholders from Powell River to the Sunshine Coast that highway access is important for attracting tourism and investment,” said Stone. “Over the coming months, we’ll look at the opportunities available and see how the costs and benefits stack up against the existing transportation options.”
According to information from the ministry, “a number of potential connections will be explored, with options ranging from a highway link around Jervis Inlet, to direct bridge connections along the coast.”
Stone also announced that West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy is planning to meet with Sunshine Coast and Sea to Sky local governments and community leaders “to further gauge community interest in a highway link.”
Cory Carr, Powell River Chamber of Commerce vice president, said the local business community is encouraged the minister recognizes communities on the Sunshine Coast have transportation concerns.
Carr said he believes the government is starting to act on the lobbying Powell River's business community undertook about two years ago when the government announced cuts to BC Ferries funding.
“One of the things we started to explore was the fixed link, because if the longterm ferry strategy wasn’t going to work for us, then maybe a fixed link would be a viable option, especially over a longer timeframe,” said Carr. Growth on the coast is expected over the next 30 to 40 years, he said.
Carr added there is a real possibility that the government will link Squamish to Gibsons with a road along the shores of Howe Sound, particularly if the province’s Woodfibre Liquid Natural Gas project moves forward.
“We’re then only one ferry away instead of two,” said Carr. “We feel like it doesn’t get us all the way there in terms of being connected to the Lower Mainland, but it makes us feel like we’re not so much a subject to what happens with BC Ferries.”
Nicholas Simons, Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA, said the community consultation process is key and he hopes the government will follow through on any recommendations.
"If they want to do this, fine, but don't let it take away from the work they should be doing to make sure that the systems in place now are adequate for the communities they serve," said Simons.
Carr agreed the work that consultants do with the communities will be important in order to include all opinions on having a connecting road.
“It’s pretty encouraging that we’re on the minister’s map as being a transportation priority and nice to be recognized as a growing area,” said Carr.
Gary Fribance, Third Crossing Society president, is cautiously optimistic about the announcement and said the society will continue to petition government to build a road that connects central and northern Vancouver Island to Kamloops and Alberta.
“We hold the view that this proposed route is an east-west connection, not so much north-south,” said Fribance. “It’s secondary to us that the link would connect Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast.”
The society estimates the road, which would be about 170 kilometres in length from Powell River to near Squamish would include a 3.2-kilometre tunnel and could cost between $500 to $600 million, but money would be recovered through savings from the province’s reduced payments to BC Ferries and tapping into a $1-billion federal government fund.
