Chairs from nine regional districts and the Islands Trust met with BC Ferry Commissioner Gordon Macatee recently to discuss the newly released report on the Coastal Ferry Act.
In total, 12 regional districts and Islands Trust, a federation of government bodies covering the islands and waters between the mainland and southern Vancouver Island, are now involved with the collective. The intention of the group is to combine efforts to make recommendations and offer opinion on matters related to BC Ferries. With the recent inclusion of Skeena Queen Charlotte Regional District and the Central Coast Regional District the group now represents the entire coast of BC, Vancouver Island and metro Vancouver.
The chairs held the meeting to clarify certain details of the report with Macatee and then decide among themselves what their response is going to be.
In general the group is in favour of the recommendations that the report makes. Of 24 recommendations Colin Palmer, Powell River Regional District chair and leader of the Coastal Regional District Chairs, said the collective is in favour of 19 without question. There are five, however, that the group believes need more analysis and discussion before it will feel comfortable endorsing them.
One issue, the removal of a clause disallowing cross-subsidization of the ferries between major and minor routes, is something the group realizes it will not all agree on. Those taking part who represent minor routes generally approve of it, said Palmer, while those representing major routes, such as the chairs from Vancouver and Victoria, are not in favour.
A major task that still needs to be sorted out, even if it’s not Macatee’s responsibility to do so, is figuring out a specific amount that the government needs to increase its subsidy by. Palmer would like to hear government discussion of a fare rollback or of how much they will need to increase subsidies in order to allow fare raises to follow cost of living increases.
“It’s that kind of serious problem where we have to say to the government ‘sorry you guys, you’ve got no choice, you’ve got to make some decisions,’” said Palmer. “And they know it...They say they don’t have any money. Well, lots of people don’t have any money but there are some things which are priorities.”
More information is also needed on Macatee’s idea that the commissioner should appoint the ferry advisory committees and that they should be able to advise to not just BC Ferries Services, but also the commission and BC Ferries Authority.
“That would take some kind of mental adjustment for a few people to figure out how that was going to work,” said Palmer, “but I don’t think it’s a dramatic change. It’s just that he’s saying they shouldn’t be reporting to the ferry corporation.”
The other two questionable recommendations concern the idea for a tourism surcharge on fares and the concept of allowing local governments to “buy down” ferry fares while potentially setting conditions. Palmer said he can’t imagine voters and taxpayers ever signing off on such an agreement, but did say that Macatee described the idea as just one tool among many.
Ultimately the chairs made a decision to bring these two points to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) and Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) for further input.
Every chair involved in the meeting will now go back to their boards which will give feedback to develop an official stance. The group will then bring that stance to Blair Lekstrom, minister of transportation and infrastructure, and Premier Christy Clark once a meeting can be arranged. Palmer predicted that this process should happen this month.
Palmer said the main point of the report is still Macatee’s remark that we are at the tipping point of the ferry system being affordable and sustainable.
