Editor:
Here's a question worth investigating: how come the federal government funds 60 per cent of Marine Atlantic and only 28 per cent of our Marine Pacific?
Did you know that $55.8 million of federal dollars are extended for the Confederation Bridge to PEI? Toll revenue pays for the bridge operations and the maintenance for the next 35 years, which is $1,466,500,000 over that time span.
Our BC Ferries annual operations budget is $740 million, of which $180 million comes from the B.C. provincial government and $27 million comes from the federal government.
We are, in my opinion, chasing after the wrong sources for funding and maintaining service runs for our B.C. marine highways.
This is an Ottawa lobby and should not be directed at Victoria. With the federal election on the horizon, now is the time to start making the Ferry Coalition make inroads to the funding we have paid federal tax dollars for.
We are missing the boat.
Doug Hockley, Sechelt
