BC Ferries cut service without asking permission
By Andrew MacLeod
The Tyee
October 2, 2008
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. announced yesterday it is reducing service on the major routes between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The company has not, however, asked the B.C. Ferry Commissioner for permission to do so.
When the provincial government privatized the ferry company in 2003, it made a contract between the company and the province that requires BC Ferries to gain the commissioner's approval before cutting service. As the commissioner's website puts it, “BC Ferries cannot . . . cut back service on a route without the Commission’s permission.”
Deputy Commissioner Sheldon Stoilen confirmed the commission has not ruled on BC Ferries' service reduction, but added it does not need to. Stoilen, by the way, has a brother, Wayne Stoilen who sits on BC Ferries' board.
The cuts are mainly to off-peak and early morning sailings on the major routes and are about one percent of the service. The company is also substituting older, smaller ferries at times when traffic does not justify using a larger ship.
The contract sets out service levels over a full year, Stoilen said. The company had extra sailings over the summer that will balance the fall and winter reductions. “They will still meet their obligations,” he said. “When you average it over the year, they feel quite comfortable they're meeting their obligations under the service contract.”
The question then for transportation and infrastructure minister Kevin Falcon is whether the government has done enough to protect the ferry service for people travelling all year, not just in the tourist season. Tuesday morning he was at the demolition of the Coquihalla toll booths and could not be reached.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
Ferry cuts hamstring athletes on Sunshine Coast
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Kelly Sinoski |
Vancouver Sun |
Thursday, October 09, 2008
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Sporting groups on the Sunshine Coast are furious with BC Ferries after it announced plans last week to cancel two weekend sailings over the winter months.
BC Ferries argues the sailings - one at 7:25 p.m. Saturday from Horseshoe Bay and the other at 6:20 a.m. from Langdale on Sunday - were not running at full capacity and are not financially viable between October and March.
The two sailings are among 136 round trips on three routes that will be cancelled, starting on Oct. 19.
Yet at the same time, BC Ferries has announced it will add a special Friday-night sailing between Langdale and Horseshoe Bay for B.C. Lions fans who want to attend the games.
"If it's money, they have money for other things," said Ed Steeves, a member of the Sunshine Coast's ferry advisory board.
The move has prompted an outcry from the Sunshine Coast's sporting organizations, ranging from minor hockey to soccer, running and cycling. All have sent letters to BC Ferries asking for reconsideration of the sailing cuts.
The biggest issue, residents say, is that many of their events and tournaments are scheduled for Metro Vancouver on Saturday and Sunday mornings. If the 6:20 a.m. Sunday ferry is no longer running, they argue they won't be able to get there in time.
And, they add, if they want to come home in the afternoon on Saturday, they likely won't be able to leave Metro Vancouver until 9:15 p.m. If that ferry is full, they'll be stuck.
"It's almost like a provincial highway; you don't close the freeway at night to stop people from travelling," said Colleen Gould, of the Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey team. "There has to be some other alternatives to save money."
She added it would have been nice to have notice of the coming service changes.
Steeves, who also sits on the Sunshine Coast Regional District, said the first they heard of the changes was the day the plans were released to the public at large.
About 28,000 people live on the Sunshine Coast. The move, he added, will also affect commuters both on the coast and in Powell River.
"I'm disappointed they would treat a ferry advisory committee or anyone that way," Steeves said.
"There was no consultation, no warning, no nothing; this is what we get."
Deborah Marshall, spokeswoman for BC Ferries, said the corporation empathizes with the residents but said it was an "economic decision for us to make to save fuel.
"We had to take a good hard look at the numbers and the capacity utilization," she said.
"We do understand their concerns. It's a tough business decision to make but we're going to stick with that decision. Do you want to sail a ship that has 15-per-cent utilization?"
The decision to cancel the second last sailing on Saturday was made to allow travellers to stay in town longer. Although the 7:25 p.m. sailing is usually 46-per-cent full, she said, bundling it with the last sailing will mean a full crowd going back.
But Sue Duxley, a member of the Sunshine Coast Cycling Club, said the cutbacks will lead to families leaving the Sunshine Coast.
"This is an arbitrary decision by [BC Ferries] with absolutely no public consultation at all. It stinks," she said.
"You've got a government saying 'Keep your kids fit and healthy, get them into sports,' and now they yank the ferries."
The other runs to be affected are Swartz Bay - Tsawwassen and Departure Bay - Horseshoe Bay.
ksinoski@vancouversun.com
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