Over 500 residents stood upon grass and gravel at the old arena site, Willingdon South, at noon on Friday, July 8 to show concern about rising ferry fares and their effect on the community.
As the Queen of Burnaby’s noon departure to Little River carved its wake into open water, the crowd continued to grow. Several residents came with signs, visible markers of frustration and disappointment. Fares Are Killing Our Community, Ferries Are Our Highway, and Keep Fares Affordable were some of the messages on display.
Small business owner Janice Olfert took a creative approach with her message. As the operator of Heather Tours, the ferries are a lifeline for her business. Olfert said she has seen fares increase 71 per cent since she began making bus trips seven years ago. Her sign displayed the fare receipt from her first trip to Vancouver in 2004 alongside that of her most recent.
Residents mingled and signed letters of concern, as several community leaders took to the stage in a bid to gather public support for the issue.
Powell River Regional District Chair Colin Palmer blamed the provincial government for allowing frequent fare increases to become an “uncontrollable juggernaut.”
Palmer urged residents to make their concerns and opinions heard, suggesting they write individual letters to Blair Lekstrom, minister of transportation and infrastructure, Premier Christy Clark, and Kevin Falcon, minister of finance.
“I want the Chamber [of Commerce], I want PRREDS [Powell River Regional Economic Development Society], I want the ferry advisory committee and I want you to be as active as possible after this rally,” he said. “This isn’t the end, this is only the beginning.”
The concerns of Texada Island residents were represented by Dave Murphy, regional district director responsible for Area D, Texada Island.
“That’s our highway for Texada. It’s also our highway for Powell River,” Murphy said, voicing frustration with the lack of understanding he received from an unnamed provincial politician on the matter. “Last year, when I brought this issue up to him about the ever-rising fares, his reply to me was ‘Hey, you chose to live there.’ Well let me tell you as I told him, we all can’t be bankers, brokers and carnie operators. Some of us have to work in the hinterland and mine and harvest timber and produce and work for our families and to produce taxes for this province.”
City of Powell River Mayor Stewart Alsgard echoed Murphy’s point. “We’re not just a pretty ornament on the coastline here,” he said. “We’re a thriving, vibrant community that demands that we want to make sure we have equal access to the rest of this beautiful province.”
Dave Formosa, Powell River Chamber of Commerce president and city councillor, was next up to the microphone to discuss details of the current legislation.
“We are a minor run,” he said. “Within the legislation, it says every run has to make a profit. It also says that if they’re making a profit in Langdale or Tsawassen, they can not share those moneys to the minor routes.” Formosa noted that the current legislation leaves fare increases as one of the only options for BC Ferries to make up the difference on minor routes.
“When Scott [Randolph] and I met with minister Blair Lekstrom about two months ago in Penticton, we actually had minister Lekstrom ask Scott and I for help. He said ‘We need you to help us, get us letters and get us support so I can go to caucus and get the legislation opened so that we can look at it.’”
Friday’s rally provided a chance for residents to sign such letters, in addition to being a visible outpouring of support. Following the speeches, the crowd made its way to Nicholas Simons’ constituency office. Simons, MLA for Powell River-Sunshine Coast, who was in attendance at the rally and walked with residents up to his Marine Avenue headquarters, made a brief speech before serving refreshments.
“I have spoken to three separate ministers of transportation about this issue,” he said. “We have raised this issue on approximately three dozen times. We have tried to put in amendments to the Coastal Ferries Act on two occasions and not until just recently has government decided that there is, in fact, a problem.
“We are not asking for special deals, we’re not asking for people to treat us better than anywhere else. We’re asking that our highway system remains a public highway system to serve the interest of the public. These roads are essential to our quality of life.”
