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Let foot ferry sink or swim

The foot ferry business needs to have a business model that as accurately as possible puts the costs to the user up front.

To the Editor,

Re: Passenger-only ferry not at all essential, Letters, Oct. 29.

The foot ferry is not an essential service per se. It could be a successful business.

Personally, I like the idea of a toll bridge joining the Island to the mainland as the best alternative to the ferry system.

All of that aside, the foot ferry business needs to have a business model that as accurately as possible puts the costs to the user up front. What does it matter what the fare is? If it is too high the ferry will not have the loads it needs to be successful. If it is too low there will be no return of investment for the shareholders so they won’t risk it. As far as thinking of the $400,000 a year payment as a $300,000 subsidy, how about thinking of it as a total gain compared to the nothing we get now.

Lastly, there can be no cost for the infrastructure to the taxpayer. The never-built new sportsplex that was proposed at no cost to the city was shown to be a total cost to the city and was rejected. I hope our council is just as astute for this venture.

J. SharpeNanaimo