Impending cuts to B.C. Ferries service will undermine a public consultation process that was about get underway, said Jim Abram of Quadra Island.
“We’re right at the beginning of a big process to talk about service cuts so this doesn’t sound good,” said Abram, vice-chairman of Strathcona Regional District on Sunday.
Abram’s comments followed news that Transportation Minister Todd Stone will hold a press conference Monday in Victoria to announce B.C.’s “long-term vision for the coastal ferry service, including upcoming service changes.”
Abram sits on a group made up of coastal regional district chairs, which have been meeting with Premier Christy Clark, Transportation Minister Todd Stone, Transportation Parliamentary Secretary Jordan Sturdy among others over ferry service.
The premier assigned Sturdy to work with the regional district representatives after a resolution was passed by the Union of B.C. Municipalities asking the province to treat ferries as part of the highway system.
The committee members all met with Sturdy individually and had planned to meet with him collectively this Friday in Vancouver.
Flights and hotels were booked, said Abram.
But that meeting, which was set up three weeks ago, was suddenly cancelled on Friday, he said.
“We got an email saying ‘Sorry, Jordan has other commitments, he’s cancelling,’ ” said Abram.
Another meeting, set for Tuesday in Nanaimo, where ministry representatives were expected to give their plans on service provisions to the regional district reps, is still on the agenda.
Abrams says he’s baffled by the fact that an announcement on service cuts could occur as a consultant hired by the ministry is about to spend six weeks meeting with coastal community representatives over B.C. Ferries service.
“I imagine they’re coming out with a bad announcement tomorrow and them going out to communities to ask them what they think about it,” said Abram.
Any further service cuts will negatively impact people living on B.C.’s coast, he said.
It’s illogical to gauge ferry efficiency by the vehicle load because it doesn’t take into account the impact of those vehicles on the economy, Abram said.
“We gave one of the biggest fish processing plants in B.C here on Quadra Island — it ships millions of dollars of fresh fish off of this island five times a day,” he said.
He also pointed to B.C. Hydro trucks coming to restore electricity to customers: “It only takes two or three trucks to come over here and 3,000 customers back on line.
“That’s a lot of money to BC Hydro.”
Spokespeople for the Transportation Ministry refused on Sunday to give further details about Monday’s announcement.
