If ever there was a time for Powell River residents to speak out, this is it. BC Ferry Commissioner Gord Macatee will be in town next week, here for one reason only: to listen.
Macatee has undertaken a review of the Coastal Ferry Act, an investigation that will probe the financial relationship between BC Ferries and the government. He will be looking at whether rising ferry fares are affordable and sustainable. He’s prepared to recommend changes to better balance the interests of ferry users with BC Ferries’ mandate of making a profit.
As part of the review, Macatee is visiting communities to hear what residents think. He will be in Powell River on Thursday, September 8 and the public can let him know their thoughts starting at 8 pm at the Town Centre Hotel. Texada Island residents can attend a meeting with Macatee the following day at 12:30 pm at the Royal Canadian Legion in Van Anda.
BC’s government created the semi-private BC Ferries in 2003. Since then, rates have risen more than 60 per cent on minor routes, damaging economies in ferry-dependent communities. Higher fares mean fewer travellers, although CEO David Hahn has attempted to place the blame for a decline in traffic on a strong Canadian dollar and higher gas prices. High ferry fares are a factor when people consider where they are going to travel and how often.
The destructiveness of high fares doesn’t stop with lower numbers of travellers. Higher costs affect everything, from food to building supplies. They threaten the sustainability of coastal communities, as businesses close down, residents move and schools close.
The provincial government needs to repair the damage that’s been done since it revamped BC Ferries. The model is not working. BC Ferries is off course and only the government can right it.
High fares have impacted Powell River and Texada Island, both ferry-dependent communities. Residents have stories to tell and Macatee is the man to listen to them. His recommendations are the best chance of preventing BC Ferries from causing any more damage than it has already.
(Note: The venue for the public meeting with the BC Ferries commissioner has been changed to the Evergreen Theatre.)
