Ministry of Transportation
Province of British Columbia
April 27, 2007
Dear Minister:
Somewhere, sometime soon, the destruction of island communities through punitive ferry fare increases must be reversed or we will lose something much more valuable than the illusory profits that BC ferries were never intended to generate.
In the Gulf Islands right now would be an excellent time for ministers paid and pledged to serve their constituents to do so in ways that are fair and equitable to all.
Raising ferry rates only slightly on the big runs while hitting island families with constant and crippling fare hikes is neither fair nor equitable. It doesn't even seem to make any business sense since higher fares mean fewer riders means higher operating costs and more fare increases and even fewer users in a tightening noose that is strangling our island communities.
Surely, this is not the ministry's intention.
Meanwhile, BC Interior ferries charge nothing for their runs because they are still part of the highway system that the coastal ferries also once operated under. It seems evident to me that either we include island ferries in current highway subsidizes-or we stiff taxpaying drivers with additional “user fees” by placing all BC roads and ferries behind toll gates equipped with plaques listing all provincial corporate subsidies.
If government fails to act with courage and vision, externalities not currently factored into accounting software “decisions” may soon intrude. For example, if the Greenland and Arctic ice sheets continue to accelerate their current melt down, ferry crews tells us that a fraction of the resulting sea level rise will render all ferry ramps on the BC coast unusable.
What then? Is government prepared to house, feed, transport and find work for a concomitant surge of environmental refugees from the islands? Is government prepared to compensate all of the Vancouver Island businesses-large and small-no longer frequented by islanders? What about the job losses and resulting fall-off in tax revenues spreading outwards from empty community ferries?
Why not jump outside of a rapidly closing box-and avoid what is already building into a major constituent backlash-by taking this opportunity to heed local knowledge and begin rethinking ferry service to the islands? With the BC government suddenly going green-at least in statements to the media-it's time to match brave words with actions as bold as Portland's. (Please Google that city's climate change initiatives, and take special notes of the simultaneous health, happiness and economic booms its residents and visitors are enjoying.)
Here in the islands we need to deal with the “double-whammy” of Climate Shift and the End of Cheap Oil by turning off as many carbon burning machines. Right now. This means taking another look at “transportation” by promoting-and horrors! even subsidizing-alternate forms of transport, instead of, say, jet fuel.
Why not help people coming to the islands-residents and visitors alike-get out of their cars? We need parking lots at the smaller ferry terminals where vehicles can be left, and electric shuttles to deliver us and our goods to our island destinations. As owner and operator of an electric vehicle I would be pleased to brief you on the perfect match EVs make filling daily island transportation needs.
Finally, I would like to suggest a quick, no-cost way to immediately deal with rapidly rising fuel costs without forcing people heading for the islands to swim there:
Slow The Big Boats Down!
The big “Queens” do not need to maintain 24 knots crossing the Gulf of Georgia. As a seaman with extensive seagoing experience I am well aware that maintaining 15 knots underway is “slow” only to drivers in a hurry… to drive right off an ecological and economic cliff.
Let's lead the way to a better future together! With so many good reasons to do the right thing by returning affordable ferry service to communities that contribute so much to this "coastwise” province, while providing essential havens for so many others who come here for rejuvenation and respite-why not power down all those inhumanly programmed computers and become a quiet hero today?
Thank you for your foresight and leadership,
Will Thomas
Back to "Experience The Inconvenience"
THE WORD FROM ABOVE
The Minister replies to the many, many, many letters he is receiving.
Congratulations! As concerned BC Ferries passengers, you no longer have names. You are all #155843 in this form letter response from the Coastal Ferry Service:
Thank you for your recent e-mail about the rising cost of island and coastal ferry trips in British Columbia.
The health and vibrancy of B.C.'s island and coastal communities depend on an affordable ferry service. That's why I've made sure the provincial government's commitment to these ferry services remains substantial.
Presently, taxpayers contribute more than $130 million a year to guarantee service levels for minor, northern and Sunshine Coast ferry routes - a 10 per cent increase over last year. My ministry also provided an additional $5.5 million recently to help defray increased fuel costs. No other small communities in B.C. benefit from this degree of sustained transportation funding, whether for highways or ferries, and I'm proud that we're helping to protect the unique communities and lifestyles on our islands and coasts.
Taxpayers also provide about $15 million of additional funding annually to keep costs affordable for seniors, students, disabled residents and those travelling for medical reasons.
I recognize that, despite this government support, ferry fares represent a major expense for many residents. There's no way around the fact that coastal ferry services are expensive to provide, especially for low-volume routes. Taxpayers across B.C. contribute significantly, but the people who live in and love our islands and coasts must share these costs too.
The independent British Columbia Ferry Commissioner reviews BC Ferries' spending to make sure that any proposed ferry rate increases are justified. The commissioner concluded that a fare increase is justified and BC Ferries' costs are reasonable.
My ministry is now in negotiations with BC Ferries. You can be sure we will continue to work to maintain a lasting and financially-stable ferry system for our coastal and island communities.
Again, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
Best regards,
Kevin Falcon
Minister
ISLAND RESIDENTS RESPOND
"Rising Rates Creating Impassable Gulf For B.C. Ferry Riders"
Mark Hume
Globe and Mail Apr 2/08
(edited by William Thomas)
Only a 10-minute ferry ride separates Tom Skillman from his home in Campbell River, on Vancouver Island, and his workplace at a fish-processing plant on Quadra Island. But with B.C. Ferries' rates spiralling upward, Mr. Skillman sometimes thinks of the swirling waters at the north end of Georgia Strait as an economic gulf that is getting increasingly difficult to cross.
Mr. Skillman says the cost of crossing from Campbell River to Quadra, one of the Gulf Islands, is now so high, it is cheaper for him to own two vehicles, one on each side of the strait, so that he can cross the water as a foot passenger.
"The fact of the matter is you can buy a car, insure it, put the gas in that car and you're going to save more money having that second vehicle than if you drove over with your primary vehicle."
At the southern end of Georgia Strait, Priscilla Ewbank, who runs the Haggis Farm Bakery and general store on Saturna Island, is also struggling to swallow steadily increasing ferry rates. She said residents, who are angry, are starting to feel trapped. "You think twice before you go into town."
Ms. Ewbank said ferry costs have made it harder to hire and keep workers. "Those people, who are the heart of the community, if they can't get back and forth in a realistic manner - and I'm not talking about every day, or twice a day, or three times a week, I'm talking about once a week - then it starts to create a hardship and there's less and less reason to live here. We have a thriving business. We can sell all the organic bread we can make, and probably twice over that, and we can't find another baker. Part of the reason for that is affordable housing and another is transportation."
Ms. Ewbank said it is unfair of the government to apply a "user pay" principle to small coastal ferry services, when the costs of maintaining big northern highways, or building the Sea-to-Sky Highway on the Lower Mainland, are absorbed by the Ministry of Transportation. "We just want a fair deal."
Tony Law, an elected trustee who lives on Hornby Island, midway up the east coast of Vancouver Island, said he has seen people move away because of increased ferry costs. "It's having a big impact. There's a significant drop-off in the summer [in ferry traffic] ... suddenly we've lost our day-trippers, people who used to come over to walk on the beach, buy some pottery and have a meal. It's hurt businesses, that's for sure."
VOLCANO-ROMETER
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by
William Thomas