Many have tried and many have failed, so what is going to be different this time?
The call and the need for a foot-passenger ferry service from Gibsons to Vancouver has been a hot topic for many years and now a company that is providing a service from Bowen Island is looking to add a Gibsons-to- Vancouver run on its schedule.
English Bay Launch is currently conducting an on-line survey to gauge public interest and when we talked with co-owner Mike Shannon on Tuesday the number of responses received had reached the 700 mark.
I moved to this community in 2003 to begin my role as editor of Coast Reporter. I have seen first-hand several passenger-ferry operators try and fail at providing a service for the Coast.
In 2008 one company came into the community full of promise announcing its plans at a public meeting at the Gibsons Legion. I was invited on a media tour of their boat several weeks later. The company said all the right things, had all the right plans and were committed to making it work. But they failed to sign an agreement with the Gibsons Landing Harbour Authority, had mechanical problems with their vessel, could not deliver on their on-time performance and lost the few passengers that did utilize their service. In short, they sunk quicker than the Titanic.
In 2010 they tried again by offering a commuter ferry service from Hopkins Landing to Vancouver, but once again, the company didn't properly consult with local government, didn't talk to area residents about the increase in foot traffic, vehicle traffic and whether residents were OK with the operation utilizing their dock. This plan also hit the bottom of the ocean.
So will the plans of English Bay Launch be different? Well for one, everything that I have read up about this company is positive. They are an established company with established routes and established track records. They have been operating the Bowen run for three years, they have met with the Gibsons Landing Harbour Authority and the Town of Gibsons and have been given permission to tie up at the new concrete float at the end of the wharf. These are all huge pluses.
The on-line responses so far are very positive and the push for a passenger ferry could not be greater right now. Another plus.
In the past year local government officials pitched an idea of a passenger-only ferry service at the 2012 Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention with all three local governments passing resolutions in support of lobbying the provincial government.
During the December review of B.C. Ferries and public consultations throughout the province and especially here on the Coast, time and time again the idea of a passenger-only ferry came up. Plus, plus again.
The minuses in the plans and the admitted stumbling blocks could be costs and could be buy-in by the public. And this is where the tourist industry, the Gibsons Chamber and business community have to get on board and support this endevour. This has the potential to be a real boon for the tourist industry and the economy in Gibsons. Finally we have a company and a proposal that appears to be on the right track. I wish them well and hope that this can finally work.
