The province is set to do a review of B.C. Ferries, looking to find if customers are receiving maximum value for services.
Shirley Bond, minister of transportation and infrastructure, and Colin Hansen, finance minister, announced the review of independent transportation authorities, which includes B.C. Ferries and transit provider TransLink on July 28.
"During these challenging economic times, we must ensure that services provided to ratepayers are done so in a way that is financially sustainable and provides maximum value for all British Columbians," Hansen said in a release.
The review will be conducted by comptroller general Cheryl Wenezenki-Yolland and will look at operational costs, executive and board compensation, corporate structure and financial performance. The review comes six years after B.C. Ferries was established as a private business at arm's length from the government.
The review is set to be completed by Sept. 30 and will contain a public report and recommendations the province and B.C. Ferries may choose to act on.
Jakob Knaus, Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) representative for the southern Sunshine Coast, said the review was a positive thing, but he had concerns over what it could mean for funding.
"It's always a good thing when a monopoly organization is being audited. Obviously they are looking at every nook and cranny for where they can save some money," he said.
Knaus said the FAC will use the audit to campaign for a fundamental shift in the way the province funds Route 3 (Horseshoe Bay-Langdale). He said residents of the Sunshine Coast would be better served if the province funded it from the overall tax base rather than subsidizing B.C. Ferries to keep the route running.
"We intend to make a submission to the comptroller on the basis that Route 3 is our provincial highway and we would like this provincial highway to be treated the same as a land-locked highway," he said.
B.C. Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall said B.C. Ferries was fine with the audit, but could not speculate what the results would be for the company, ferry riders or finances.
"We do have a big contract with the government, so it's prudent that from time to time, they would take reviews," she said.
She said the company wouldn't be bound to act on any recommendations in the final report, as B.C. Ferries is an independent body but "if they have some good suggestions, we're more than happy to look at them," she said.
Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons said he did not know what to expect from the audit, but he hoped it would shine a light on the "negative consequences of the privatization."
"I hope that the audit actually contemplates the public good. I hope it assesses whether changes that have occurred at B.C. Ferries have been good for the general public, have been good for ferry-dependent communities and tourism," he said.
