Your readers deserve the facts about the potential delivery of passenger-only ferry service from Nanaimo. The fact is, B.C. Ferries is not considering a passenger-only service linking Nanaimo and Vancouver.
As part of the $18.9 million in service reductions that B.C. Ferries is making to the coastal ferry service prior to April 2016, there is an initial $4.9 million in service reductions on the way for the three major routes serving Vancouver Island — Tsawwassen to Duke Point, Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay and Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay.
In addition, there will be opportunities to look for further savings and efficiencies when significant capital investment is planned. I expect that each future capital project such as a terminal upgrade, for example, will be looked at closely for savings and efficiencies, and that each will be scrutinized to ensure the expenditure is a prudent one.
These changes in service will not result in the closure of either of the Nanaimo terminals at Duke Point or Departure Bay. However, it will result in reductions to current levels of service.
Some may choose to see these reductions in service provided by B.C. Ferries as a negative, but I hope Island Ferry Services Ltd. and other private-sector companies see this as an opportunity. I believe the market already exists for their proposed service, and as service reductions take effect at B.C. Ferries, private delivery of passenger-only service might help reduce the impacts of service reductions to B.C. Ferries’ mid-Island routes.
On some routes, there are already alternative private passenger-only ferry services that supplement the B.C. coastal ferry service. We’re out in coastal communities right now engaging the communities on the upcoming service changes, and we’re seeking feedback on features ferry users might like to see in these supplemental services.
The government of British Columbia strongly supports and advocates for private-sector investment across all areas of business in our province. We know that private-sector investment drives job creation and the provincial economy in every sector, from transportation to mining, from small business to industry.
I encourage IFSL and any other company wishing to provide new services to the community to continue to work with the City of Nanaimo. The province has no plans to offer its own passenger-only ferry services to compete with private-sector operators.
Todd Stone is B.C.’s minister of transportation and infrastructure.
