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Advisory committee welcomes ferry commissioner report

NANAIMO – Stakeholders in B.C. Ferries have a rocky path ahead of them in the face of a report from B.C. Ferry Commissioner Gord Macatee.

B.C. Ferries stakeholders have a rocky path to sustainability ahead of them in the face of a report from B.C. Ferry Commissioner Gord Macatee.

The report, released last week, said B.C. Ferries has reached a tipping point of rising fares and declining ridership, and should cut costs, receive more subsidy from the province and keep future fare increases to the rate of inflation.

The Ferry Advisory Committee, appointed by B.C. Ferries to represent the interests of ferry users and ferry-dependent communities, welcomes the report as a realistic roadmap of coastal transportation problems.

Andre Lemieux, former FAC chairman for Gabriola Island, said the commissioner’s report is a good start and echoes what the committee has said for years.

“Ferry fares are out of control and traffic numbers have dropped because of it,” he said. "B.C. Ferries has tried to blame rising fuel costs and a poor economy and ignore the fact fares have played a big part.”

Lemieux said there are decisions ahead for B.C. Ferries, the provincial government and the travelling public.

The committee considers the province’s annual $150-million subsidy of B.C. Ferries adequate, but only if there is an initial fare reduction and future increases  are linked to the rate of inflation.

“That will increase traffic, but the question is, 'can we afford it?' We all know the province has some money problems,” said Lemieux.

Harold Swierenga, Salt Spring Island FAC chairman, said coastal ferry users have to be realistic and accept some service changes, but cuts are only acceptable if the provincial government increases its financial contribution to adequately support the ferry system.

Lemieux believes there is some public appetite for service reduction, but questions how it would be implemented.

“You just can’t reduce one or two sailings in the middle of the day because the labour costs are still there. It has to be something drastic,” he said. “The Nanaimo to Vancouver routes are the big money-makers and probably the easiest to make cuts, but there are a lot of questions still to be answered.”