Editor:
In defense of a decision to procure four ferry vessels from China, the CEO of BC Ferries has stated that “our decisions have saved our customers and British Columbians unaffordable and unnecessary fare increases.”
Costs are an issue. Pressure on fares and taxes and the potential for an unsustainable debt level were cited as determining factors in the decision of the independent Commissioner of BC Ferries to not permit at this time the replacement of the Queen of Surrey, which serves the Sunshine Coast.
Federal support for ferries on the Atlantic coast is based on constitutional obligations and interprovincial considerations. Fare reductions were recently announced by the federal government.
The fare for a car and driver in Marine Atlantic for the North Sidney, Nova Scotia to Argentia Newfoundland route (280 nautical miles and 16 hours) is $182.21. In B.C., the fare for the Inside Passage from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert (274 nautical miles and 16.2 hours) is $661.15.
Premier Eby has stated that Atlantic Canada gets $300 per ferry user of federal support for every $1 that BC Ferries receives.
Is there a case for greater federal government financial support to BC Ferries?
The coast of B.C. is the entire western coastal boundary of Canada, and for this reason the servicing of coastal communities within it should be of federal interest. From a geopolitical perspective, it is a “gap” in the coastline of the U.S. between the 49th parallel (near Tsawwassen) and the Alaska panhandle (near Prince Rupert).
If the federal government is sincere in its intent to have one country and one economy, it needs to provide more financial support to BC Ferries than it has in the past. It also should support the building of ferries in B.C. so that it is competitive with that in foreign countries. A federal financial commitment to replace the Queen of Surrey would enable a local ship building company such as Seaspan to develop the needed capacity within a specified time frame.
Judy Skogstad, West Sechelt
