Residents of Keats and Gambier islands will continue to have access to the B.C. Ferries float at Langdale -but only until Oct. 15.
B.C. Ferries has extended its cutoff date from June 15 and pledged to work with the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) to find an alternative location. B.C. Ferries will also be offering the SCRD $25,000 to help build a new dock or refurbish an existing one.
"We wanted to be a good corporate citizen. We understand that people have used this float for years," said Deborah Marshall, spokesperson for B.C. Ferries. "We've had safety and liability concerns for years and we're at a point where we're just not willing to tolerate the risk anymore. We just wanted to be part of the solution."
The decision came after a fiery meeting held between B.C. Ferries and island residents on Gambier Island March 15 where residents said the original June 15 cutoff date did not leave them enough time to find an alternative. Rob Clarke, B.C. Ferries' chief financial officer, took the residents' concerns to the B.C. Ferries board.
"What [Clarke] and the other B.C. Ferries folks who attended that meeting heard loud and clear from the folks was that wasn't enough time, so what we wanted to do was make sure people had enough time to have another dock built or refurbished," said Marshall.
Cal Bowles, manager of transit and ports for the SCRD, said his department met with representatives from B.C. Ferries on March 27 to discuss potential locations. Bowles mentioned the float at Hopkins Landing in SCRD jurisdiction as a potential location.
Bowles was set to present a report on the docks issue from his department to the SCRD infrastructure services committee yesterday (Thursday) for directors to discuss.
He said B.C. Ferries offer of $25,000 was appreciated, but it would likely not cover much of the total costs of building or refurbishing a dock. A single piling for a new dock can cost up to $8,000, Bowles said, not to mention the cost of doing a feasibility study.
Bowles said it was too early to know what the full cost of a replacement will be as the SCRD has several options to review before moving ahead. He added he was confident that at least an interim solution would be found by the Oct. 15 deadline.
Joyce Clegg, ferry advisory committee member for Gambier Island, said the extension to October is well timed.
"Traditionally summer is the busiest time for private boats going in and out of Langdale, what with people on holidays and people visiting and the camps and whatnot," she said. "In two months' time, there was no chance that a location could be found or operational."
Clegg said B.C. Ferries' decision to offer funding was a welcomed gesture to stave off hard feelings for the company.
"It shows, perhaps, that they are aware they have created the problem," she said.
Clegg said she has been informed by B.C. Ferries that if any safety infractions occur with private boaters at the Langdale float between now and October, the float will be closed to private use immediately.
