Save Our Ferries

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Save Our Ferries is proud to let our new member talk about his views on BC Ferries…We’ll let his words speak for themselves.


"The ferry system is a critically important public service, there's no question about it," – Premier Gordon Campbell, July 30, 2008
 “Without accountability built into the structures of government, built into the decision-making powers of government, the people of British Columbia are consistently going to be taken to the cleaners by a government that's acted irresponsibly and incompetently at historic levels.”   
“…what processes does this government have in place for accountability?”

– Gordon Campbell, Leader of the Opposition 1993 - 2001


The Coastal Ferry Act has removed BC Ferries from the Scrutiny of the Auditor General, the Ombudsman Act and access to Freedom of Information.

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

74 For the purposes of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, all records that, immediately before the conversion of British Columbia Ferry Corporation into a company as contemplated by section 19 of this Act, were in the custody or under the control of British Columbia Ferry Corporation and were records to which the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act applied, are deemed, on that conversion of British Columbia Ferry Corporation into a company and until the records are disposed of in accordance with the Document Disposal Act,to be under the control of the Ministry of Transportation.

Ombudsman Act

75 The Ombudsman Act does not apply to the Authority or to British Columbia Ferry Corporation after its conversion into a company as contemplated by section 19 of this Act.

Consequential Amendments

 Auditor General Act
78 Section 1 of the Auditor General Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 23, is amended by repealing the definition of "public body" and substituting the following:
"public body" means
  (a) an agency of the government,
  (b) a board, commission, council or other body of persons, whether or not incorporated, all the members of which or all the members of the board of management or board of directors of which are appointed by an Act, an order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council or a minister of the government,
  (c) a corporation, more than 50% of the shares or ownership of which is, directly or indirectly, vested in the government, or
  (d) a corporation, association, board, commission or society to which a grant or advance of public money is made, or the borrowings of which may be guaranteed by the government under the authority of any Act,
but does not include the B.C. Ferry Authority, established under the Coastal Ferry Act, or British Columbia Ferry Corporation.

 “What processes does the Premier have in place to hold his ministers responsible for their areas of concern?”
- Gordon Campbell, Leader of the Opposition 1993 – 2001


In the 2006 Deputy Auditor General’s report, Changing Course – A New Direction for British Columbia’s Coastal Ferry System, one of the key findings was that there is no evaluation criteria put into place to evaluate BC Ferries performance and to determine if there is a need to make changes to the Coastal Ferry Act.  


 
“What processes does the Premier have in place to hold his government responsible -- to hold the people of British Columbia and the taxpayers of British Columbia with some regard -- so that ministers know that the consequences for ineptitude and incompetence don't always fall to the taxpayers of B.C., but they personally assume accountability and responsibility for such enormous overruns and failures?”
- Gordon Campbell, Leader of the Opposition 1993 - 2001


The Provincial Government has given BC Ferries over a half a billion dollars in the first performance term alone, without any accountability.

“My question to the minister responsible for B.C. Ferries is: can he tell this House and the people of British Columbia how he intends to maintain this vital transportation link throughout the year?”
 - Gordon Campbell, Leader of the Official Opposition 1993 - 2001


Transportation Minister, Kevin Falcon, continues to say there is nothing that the Provincial Government can do, that they’re hands off. He even said, “Boo Hoo” to the impact of rising fares on the First Nations members on Kuper Island.
From Hansard, Feb. 14, 2008

D. Routley: That government's responsibility is to British Columbia, to its people, to its forests, to its water, to its fish — all of which it has abandoned piece by piece. We hear about no-net-loss forestry. No net loss from when — today?
Go take a look at my constituency, Madam Speaker. I'll take you up there, and we'll take a look at some river valleys that have been denuded by the lack of oversight that this government allowed on private lands.

Hon. K. Falcon: Boo hoo.

D. Routley: The Transportation Minister says: "Boo hoo." He says: "Yeah, boo hoo." Will the minister say "boo hoo" to my constituents? The minister says yes, he'll say "boo hoo" to my constituents, who have suffered the loss of their schools, their trees, their sawmills and their jobs under this government and that minister.
…
D. Routley: What else wasn't mentioned in the throne speech, one might ask. Well, I'll answer: ferries. Ferry fares. Can you imagine a government that over four years could oversee more than 100 percent increases in ferry fares on our small runs? This is unbelievable.

Hon. K. Falcon: Boo hoo.

D. Routley: Unbelievable. A Transportation Minister who does his boo hoo act again. Maybe the Transportation Minister could come to Kuper Island and say boo hoo to the elder on Kuper Island who collects pop bottles to get back on the ferry. You know, Mr. Transportation Minister, that elder cried when the ferry staff wouldn't let her on. She didn't have enough money. In fact, the RCMP were called to pull her from the ferry.
http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/38th4th/h80214a.htm#9667

 “Government cannot do anything it wants, and the people of British Columbia will let you know that.”
- Gordon Campbell, Leader of the Opposition 1993 – 2001


Minister may take action for ferry operator
33 (1) If, for the purposes of providing core ferry services, a ferry operator considers it necessary to
(a) acquire, enter on, pass over or use any land,
(b) alter any feature of land,
(c) construct, relocate, remove or use roads on, to or from land, or
(d) place on, alter or remove from land any substance or structure,
and is unable to obtain the agreement of the owner of the land within a reasonable time and on reasonable terms, the ferry operator may refer the matter to the minister.
(2) If the minister is satisfied that the action under subsection (1) proposed by the ferry operator is reasonable and necessary for the provision of core ferry services, the minister may
(a) take the proposed action, or
(b) take any other action, mutually agreed between the minister and the ferry operator, that the minister has power to take under one or both of the Highway Act and the Ministry of Transportation and Highways Act.
(3) For the purpose of this section, the minister may acquire or expropriate any land, stream, water, watercourse, fence or wall, the appropriation of which the minister believes reasonable and necessary for the provision of core ferry services.
(4) The minister may for the purposes of subsection (3) contract with all persons, guardians or trustees, not only for themselves, their personal representatives and assigns, but also for and on behalf of those they represent, whether infants, absentees, persons with a mental disorder or other persons otherwise incapable of contracting, who own or have an interest in the land, stream, water or watercourse.
(5) A contract, conveyance or other instrument made under subsection (4) is valid for all purposes.

This Act prevails

71 In the event of a conflict between this Act and any other enactment, this Act prevails.

 “We need to examine the operational and decision-making processes that have led our ferry fleet into this sea of red ink. The people of B.C. used to own the ferries, now the corporation is effectively owned by the banks. Hundreds of thousands of British Columbians depend on the ferries for their economic survival as well as their link to family and friends. We must ensure the BC Ferry Fleet will serve British Columbians for generations yet to come. A full public inquiry is the first step."
– Gordon Campbell, Leader of the Opposition 1993 – 2001


“These are failures to the people who depend on the ferry service and failures to the people of British Columbia who depend on the government's word.”  
-  Gordon Campbell, Leader of the Opposition 1993 - 2001


Over five years, we have seen fares skyrocket. This is impacting tourism, industry and the social and economic viability of Coastal Communities. In 2003 the Provincial Government promised:
Improved service and customer choice - click for more information
Guaranteed service levels and fair rates - click for more information
An independent regulator to protect the public interest - click for more information
Economic development and job creation - click for more information
Public ownership of ferry terminals - click for more information
No new public debt - click for more information
Ongoing accountability - click for more information


WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!!

  “No one argues with the needs of coastal communities and the needs of B.C. Ferries.”
- Gordon Campbell, Leader of the Official Opposition 1993 - 2001

 

Will the Provincial Government make the proper course correction?
As many of you reading this site will probably have realized by now, the Save Our Ferries Team - four ferry workers and our favorite grandmother - have often enjoyed poking fun at the Provincial Government and the Coastal Ferry Act. However, due to several events in the past couple of weeks, we feel it is time for us to get serious. (Don’t worry - we will get back to having fun shortly).

There is something wrong with BC Ferries.
To be sure, BC Ferries has not been on a proper course for a very long time and provincial governments of all stripes have, over the years, propagated this. The Social Credit and the NDP consistently failed Ferries with improper controls and business practices and the lack of a long-term vessel replacement plan. A change was overdue and the misstep culminated in the Fast Ferry Fiasco. At the very end of the 90’s, the NDP had finally started to put it back on course when the Liberals came into power. At that time, the Liberals clearly decided it was easier to off-load what they likely viewed as an albatross than to “fix” the problem. To give the Liberals credit, they continued (and continue) to subsidize BC Ferries - but that’s about it. Taxpayers’ money is still being distributed without proper oversight or accountability.
So now, BC Ferries is off course heading towards a “Perfect Storm”: rising fuel costs and surcharges, increasing fares, shortage of labour (over 800 workers leaving in a two-year period), vessels breaking down, aging workforce, safety incidents, and declining traffic. These problems could be dealt with if BC Ferries had clear direction and a mandate but, instead, the Coastal Ferry Act and the business model that it operates under have exacerbated them.
BC Ferries is broken from the very top of the organization… the BC Ferry Authority, to the bottom… the front line workers. The Company and the Union are operating in crisis management mode and the impact is being felt throughout Coastal British Columbia. It is time for the Provincial Government to take the helm and sail BC Ferries to calmer waters in order to protect this vital economic engine.
This is beyond partisan politics, NDP or Liberal, left or right, Union or non-Union. This is about what is in the best interests of the people of British Columbia.
The Save Our Ferries Group is calling upon Premier Gordon Campbell to form a stakeholder working group with representatives from all of the interested parties to review the Coastal Ferry Act and BC Ferries itself. The Province and a steering committee with a clear mandate will guide the stakeholder working group to make the necessary changes to protect British Columbia’s Marine Highway.
It is not too late to alter the course to calmer waters.

Thank you for your time,
    Save Our Ferries

Proposed Committee:     Provincial Government, official opposition, business, tourism, First Nations, users, labour, trucking, BC Ferries

 

In 2003 the Provincial Government promised the people of British Columbia that the New BC Ferries would achieve the following…

…they didn't tell us the whole story....

Save Our Ferries was created to ensure that BC Ferries becomes part of the Provincial Highway System, and to protect the Social and Economic well being of BC Coastal Communities.

Click here for a link to see what the Ferries critic, NDP MLA Gary Coons and others have to say

New BC Ferry

Sea to Sky Highway Upgrade Cost:
$600 million
Toll:
Free
3 Super C-Class Vessel Cost:
$542 million
Toll:
45.3% More from 2003 to 2011