Privatization of Ferry Services

[Curtis]

Mill Bay Brentwood Bay should either be contracted out or the route should be free

[Ian]

Non of them, I knew this would happen if bc ferries became a private company!

[Cascade]

We agree that there should not be any dropping of routes - even the ones that don't make a "real" profit - but we can see a lot of mileage in taking on Route 12 and two other routes.
A lot of tax payers money has not been wisley spend in running the fleet - Management has a lot to answer for - plus the current government's who were in power during the last 40 plus years. We can see in the near future around 5 possible operators - running the BC Coastal ferry service - which does include BCFS - on the main 5 routes.

[Low Light Mike]

I wonder what obligations the Government really has regarding coastal ferry service. I don't mean the contractual obligations of the latest Act, but I mean the "moral obligation" of providing subsidized ferry service to a remote island.

For example, I wonder why the Government runs a subsidized car ferry to Saturna Island, but not to Lasquiti, or to Protection Island, or to Ahousaht (Flores Island), or to Hardwicke Island, or to Mudge Island, etc etc. Is it just because BC Ferries took over the gulf-islands ferry company in the '60s that the goverment still has to subsidize the Saturna ferry?

What if the people of Lasquiti demand a government subsidized car ferry to French Creek? Would the government be obligated to provide the funds or service? It seems to me that the only reason that Saturna gets service, is because it's traditionally received service. Same with Mill Bay. It's not on merit or overall fairness to the Province's taxpayers, but only because the government took over a ferry service 40 years ago, and now it can't shake itself rid of the funding drain.

So I think that my point is that some of these BC Ferry routes should never have been taken over by the government in the first place (either by Ministry of Highways or by BC Ferries). If the population of an island wants ferry service, the island's residents and businesses should be the ones to create, run & fund the service.

If 2,000 moved to Hernando Island (by Lund), would the taxpayers of BC be obligated to fund the purchase of a vessel and to subsidize the route's operations for a new route to Hernando Isl. ?

just wondering....

[cascade]

We do agree with most of your points - Flugel Horn - that the Government of the day - should have taken over the main - major routes - kept the Island open for buiness & tourism - and had some form of sub on these routes to encourage "Trade"
As for the other smaller routes - the ones that service small Island, then yes again - there should be a form of Federal & Local sub for the operators. But routes - where there is a clear alternative to using a ferry then maybe not - like for example Route 12 - Brentwood - Mill Bay. As there is the Malahat.

A Ferry service is like the Police & Fire Service - They can not go on Strike - they are required by the community at large.

[NMcKay]

i think that the same thing should happen as with the Sea to sky. they have docks there just in case, and should the need arise. the klitsa is just around the corner to take ove

[Curtis]

The sea to sky highway and the malahat are good ideas to have a alternate ferry service when the sea to sky floods or has a rockslide or if it's heavily snowing on the malahat they need to have a ferry service to keep them non isolated from other areas of BC

[Ian]

I was at porteau cove last year and that ferry berth looks rather new, anyone got info on it.

[Ferryman]

Yeah it's the highway dock, for when something happens on the highway, they get a ferry in to transport the traffic on the highway, but I don't know what ferry they use, im guessing maybe the Garibaldi II but it can't support that many cars

[NMcKay]

No. those docks were specifacally designed for the Capilino and bowen queen. they are the ships that would take over when the highway is closed.