By Ian Dutton
Times Colonist staff
Feb. 14, '04

Suggestions that the provincial Liberals had no mandate to privatize BC Ferries is laughable, Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said Friday.

"I'd say we had a 77-seat mandate," said Falcon, speaking via his cellphone.

"One of the things that was very clear throughout the last election campaign was the disgust people felt for political interference in the workings of the ferry system, especially the fast-ferries debacle.

"I think the majority of people agree with what we did, establishing an independent authority to remove political interference from the ferry service."

Falcon was refuting a poll commissioned by the BC Ferry and Marine Workers Union which showed 80 per cent of those polled felt the government had no mandate to privatize the ferry system, and that 93 per cent felt the ferry service was simply an extension of the highway.

The minister also said he thought the poll was premature.

"As the process rolls out I think you'll see more and more good things," he said. "We're already starting to see some improvements and I think we'll see many more."

He likened the privatization to that of Vancouver International Airport.

"I think if you talk to just about anyone who uses the airport, they'll tell you it's a lot better place to be than when it was government-run. Soon they'll be saying the same thing about the ferries."

Falcon said the ferry service is functioning as an extension of the highway, even though it is mandated to try to reach the fiscal break-even point.

"We're still putting $100 million a year into the service and we will continue to do that."

Times Colonist newspaper
Feb. 14, '04

Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

1) The government should increase
funding to our school systems to
ensure that there is adequate funding for core curriculum programs in the education system?

97%

92%

a) Agree Strongly

79%

b) Agree strongly or somewhat
strongly

93%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

2) The BC Ferries and Inland Ferries
are an integral part of the provincial highway system?

98%

92%

a) Agree Strongly

77%

b) Agree strongly or somewhat
strongly

93%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

3) The BC Government should fund
and manage an efficient, publicly owned highway system?

95%

90%

a) Agree Strongly

68%

b) Agree strongly or somewhat
strongly

91%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

4) BC’s highway system should
remain publicly-funded rather than
privately financed?

95%

87%

a) Agree Strongly

69%

b) Agree strongly or somewhat
strongly

89%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

6) The BC Ferry system is an
essential service and should not
be required to return a profit to
investors?

83%

81%

a) Agree Strongly

51%

b) Agree strongly or somewhat
strongly

81%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

7) Corporate sponsorships including
marketing and vending agreements in schools should not be used to replace reduced education funding in our schools?

72%

71%

a) Agree Strongly

49%

b) Agree strongly or somewhat
strongly

71%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

8) The BC Highway system is funded through a formula based on mileage called ‘highway equivalency’. Do you believe the ferries should be funded on a per mile basis similar to the highway system in order to provide stable funding, or should the system remain as it currently is with a subsidy system than can change?

83%

81%

a) Use a per mile system

30%

26%

30%

b) Remain as is

52%

54%

52%

c) Neither

9%

8%

9%

d) Don’t know/not stated

9%

12%

9%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

9) Have you heard of the legislation
that privatized and now governs
BC Ferries, enacted in 2003, Bill
C-18, otherwise known as the
Coastal Ferry Act?

45%

57%

52%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

10) The Coastal Ferry Act states that BC Ferry Services Incorporated must consider contracting out services including ferry routes. Do you believe BC Ferry Services would provide a more reliable service if broken up into multiple segments and contracted out to private operators or would it be
more reliable if it remained as is?

72%

71%

a) Agree Strongly

21%

14%

23%

b) Agree strongly or somewhat
strongly

74%

78%

73%

c) Don’t know/not stated

5%

8%

4%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

11) The Coastal Ferry Act allows for
contracting out of services in order
to reduce costs, effectively
breaking up BC Ferry Services
into a number of smaller parts.
Some people feel that this is the
best way to reduce the cost to
taxpayers. Others feel that BC
Ferry Services should seek cost
savings through administrative and
operational efficiencies first before
changing the current system.
Which of these two viewpoints
most closely reflects your own?

a) Contracting out

22%

17%

24%

b) Administrative and operational
efficiencies

74%

78%

73%

c) Don’t know/not stated

4%

5%

4%

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12) BC Ferries traditionally has subsidized fares on some of its smaller routes from some of the busier ferry routes. This results in slightly higher fares on the larger routes but more affordable fares on the smaller routes. This practice is referred to as ‘cross subsidization’ and the practice is scheduled to be terminated. Do you support or oppose cross subsidization of ferry routes?
Would that be strongly or somewhat?

a) Somewhat oppose

32%

30%

33%

b) Strongly oppose

13%

13%

13%

c) Strongly support

33%

41%

31%

d) Somewhat support

65%

69%

64%

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13) Do you support or oppose the sale
of publicly-owned assets such as
ferries to private operators?
Would that be strongly or
somewhat?

a) Somewhat oppose

73%

83%

70%

b) Strongly oppose

51%

57%

50%

c) Strongly support

10%

6%

11%

d) Somewhat support

26%

16%

28%

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13) Do you support or oppose the sale of publicly-owned assets such as ferries to private operators?
Would that be strongly or somewhat?

Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

a) Somewhat oppose

73%

83%

70%

b) Strongly oppose

51%

57%

50%

c) Strongly support

10%

6%

11%

d) Somewhat support

26%

16%

28%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

14) Some people feel that the
provincial government was
mandated in the last election to
apply major changes to the way public service is delivered in this province. Others say that the provincial government was not given a mandate for major changes such as the privatization of BC Hydro and BC Ferries and should seek more public input before the changes are made.
Which of these two view points is closest to your own?

a) Government WAS mandated

17%

10%

18%

b) Government was NOT mandated

80%

86%

79%

c) Don’t know/not stated

3%

4%

3%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

15) BC Ferry Services Incorporated, a private company, has a 60 year contract with the government to provide a public transportation service. Some people feel this is too long of a contract while others feel it is an appropriate contract length. Which of these two viewpoints is closer to your own?

a) 60 years is too long

71%

72%

70%

b) Appropriate length

24%

21%

25%

c) Don’t know/not stated

5%

7%

5%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

16) The Coastal Ferry Act does not
include wording to require BC
Ferry Services to address public concerns. Do you believe that the
Act should require the participation
of public advisory groups in order to obtain public input into major policy decisions?

71%

72%

70%

89%

93%

88%

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Provincial Average

Coastal

Non-Coastal

17) The Auditor General is responsible for monitoring the use of public tax money. BC Ferry Services receives about 98 million dollars annually to provide ferry services.
Do you believe that BC Ferry
Services should be subject to the scrutiny of the Auditor General as other publicly-funded services are or should the system remain as is?

a) Subject to scrutiny

80%

72%

82%

b) Remain as is

18%

24%

16%

c) Don’t know/not stated

3%

4%

3%

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