By eliminating thousands of sailings on minor ferry routes, the provincial government is perpetuating BC Ferries’ downward spiral that is killing coastal communities.
As part of its long-term vision for BC Ferries, the government is slashing thousands of sailings, clawing back seniors’ discounts and introducing slot machines in an effort to staunch the company’s financial bleeding. For the three routes that provide service to Powell River and Texada Island, the cuts amount to 16 per cent of all round trips.
The government’s framework for choosing which sailings to cancel is based on utilization statistics. It has also used data on how much money each minor route loses. But that approach flies in the face of why the ferry system was developed, which was as a service to coastal communities, part of the provincial transportation system, not as a business that makes a profit. Using an artificial utilization rate belies the fact that thousands of people rely on the ferry system to get to work, to school or to a doctor’s office. The ferry system provides a transportation foundation for businesses in coastal communities and is an integral part of local economies.
Community leaders and officials are saying that the government appears to have a complete disregard for the economic well-being of coastal communities. It is impossible to grow economies if the vital transportation link is continually eroded.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone stated that the government doesn’t consider the ferry system to be part of the highway system. He was also clear that while the government is consulting communities on the cuts, any adjustments to the announced service reductions will have to be done within the context of the $14-million target for savings on minor routes. As well, Stone said the government will not increase the subsidy to BC Ferries.
While cuts will proceed, BC Ferries has rolled bonuses for its executives and managers into their base salaries and provides lifetime ferry passes for both passenger and vehicle travel to every employee who retires after at least 10 years with the company.
In the last round of public consultation before the May provincial election, 71 per cent of respondents indicated they wanted BC Ferries to be brought back under provincial management and funding. The government continues to ignore the calls to return the ferry system to what it truly is, a public service.
The service reductions are proof that the government’s quasi-independent, user-pay model for BC Ferries is fatally flawed. The system is failing and it is taking coastal communities down with it.
