Post by tyty on Mar 3, 2006 9:46:27 GMT -8
VICTORIA (CBC) – Frustrated ferry users ran into rough waters in Victoria Thursday.
More than 100 protesters gathered outside the legislature to air a long list of complaints about how B.C.'s ferry service is being run. At the top of their list – fare increases.
The protesters say there has been a 38 per cent hike in fares over the last three years on small coastal routes, such as those serving the Gulf Islands.
Jim Abram of the Comox-Strathcona Regional District says he wants the ferries treated as part of the highway system – not a private company.
"We've got a marine highway out there ... we go from point A to point B, we cross a bit of water," Abram said. "Now tell me how it's any different to go from one side of the Lions gate Bridge to the other side of the Lions Gate Bridge – across a piece of water."
Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon didn't have much sympathy for the protesters.
"Apparently they harken back to a day when the corporation was run by government and they view those days quite positively," Falcon said.
"I can tell you, for taxpayers, that wasn't a positive experience. You know, hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, over $1 billion of taxpayer money that was written off."
Falcon says that residents of the Gulf Islands are subsidized by travellers using the main routes between the mainland and Vancouver Island. He says residents would be paying a lot more without those subsidies.
More than 100 protesters gathered outside the legislature to air a long list of complaints about how B.C.'s ferry service is being run. At the top of their list – fare increases.
The protesters say there has been a 38 per cent hike in fares over the last three years on small coastal routes, such as those serving the Gulf Islands.
Jim Abram of the Comox-Strathcona Regional District says he wants the ferries treated as part of the highway system – not a private company.
"We've got a marine highway out there ... we go from point A to point B, we cross a bit of water," Abram said. "Now tell me how it's any different to go from one side of the Lions gate Bridge to the other side of the Lions Gate Bridge – across a piece of water."
Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon didn't have much sympathy for the protesters.
"Apparently they harken back to a day when the corporation was run by government and they view those days quite positively," Falcon said.
"I can tell you, for taxpayers, that wasn't a positive experience. You know, hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, over $1 billion of taxpayer money that was written off."
Falcon says that residents of the Gulf Islands are subsidized by travellers using the main routes between the mainland and Vancouver Island. He says residents would be paying a lot more without those subsidies.
