Mayor Dave Formosa thinks City of Powell River should run its own ferry service in order to address and potentially solve issues with cancelled sailings and connectivity, but this appears to be a lofty idea formulated in frustration.
As Formosa begins his research, calling in an unnamed ferry expert to help put together what would be a multimillion-dollar project, residents of Powell River and surrounding areas get further away from the desired result: affordable, reliable transportation.
It’s unlikely that a city-run ferry service could run cheaper than the current ferry system run by BC Ferries, given that our municipal government has no experience operating such a multifaceted, volatile business that depends heavily on a number of unpredictable factors, including infrastructure, equipment, marketing, personnel and weather conditions.
Some have suggested that Formosa’s self-run ferry idea could be a thinly veiled threat to BC Ferries: either they fix the problems with the existing ferries or we run them ourselves. This approach also lacks a sensible strategy.
BC Ferries is currently mandated and paid for by government to provide a minimal level of service to our area. Above and beyond that, the corporation loses tens of millions of dollars a year on the three ferry runs currently servicing the city.
While BC Ferries might see a benefit in handing off millions in losses to another body, why would we want to take it on? Deficit from a city-run ferry service could be passed on to Powell River residents in the form of similar or even higher ferry fares, as well as tax hikes.
Meanwhile, over on Kootenay Lake, a provincial government-funded ferry run by a private contractor and worth nearly $20 million consistently travels 10 to 15 times per day between Balfour and Kootenay Bay. This 35-minute ferry carries 80 cars, 250 passengers, has a small cafeteria and costs nothing to ride.
The longest free ferry ride in the world runs every hour in the summer and is considered part of the highway system, even though there is a road in and out of the area.
If working with BC Ferries to improve existing services is no longer an option, Formosa and council should focus their efforts on lobbying the provincial government for a free ferry service similar to Kootenay Lake as a necessary extension to Highway 101.
Unless he can somehow prove a city-run ferry service can actually be a feasible option, Formosa should just let the idea float away.
