Forbes Hall
5PM ~ 8PM
A reminder of the BC Ferries/MoTI meeting next Wednesday December 11th at Forbes Hall from 5 PM until 8 PM. http://www.coastalferriesengagement.ca/
The Thetis and Penelakut meetings are the last of 20 such meetings in ferry dependent communities which started on November 20th following Minister Todd Stones announcement of ferry service cuts to the minor routes.
Feedback from other FAC Chairs indicates that the meetings have been very well attended, and in some cases many people have not been able to get in to the halls to hear the proceedings. Participants have been respectful to the presenters, but very vocal in their distain for the depth of the cuts and the process that supposedly supports these cuts. Please plan on attending the meeting...numbers speak volumes. Some of the meetings participants are showing up in their work clothes (hospital workers, mill workers, fire fighters etc.) to emphasis the need for commuter runs (like our cut 6:20 PM sailing). Many folks have brought their children along to show the effect that cuts have on families. In fact, I am told, the presence of children at the meetings have had a definite impact on MoTI's Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) Kevin Richter. If you are affected by the cuts, please attend and tell your story. Also, a big THANK YOU to Veronica Shelford for collecting the information from those of you who are affected by these changes...
We were told on November 19th (meeting with FAC Chairs and the government) by Kevin Richter that these cuts were a done deal...We are now hearing that this may not be the case, as they will take the findings from these meetings back to the political decision makers for a final decision. Another reason to attend Wednesday's meeting!
On Thetis and Penelakut Islands we may think we have dodged a bullet on our route, which we may have for the time being...BUT. When Performance Term 4 (PT 4) starts on April 1st, 2016, BC Ferries will be looking at between $120 and $200 million shortfall in projected funding. A large part of the shortfall will be capital cost outlays for new vessels (replacement for the Queen of Nanaimo and the Queen of Burnaby) and terminal upgrades (Horseshoe Bay for example needs $200 million in seismic upgrades). In other words MoTI/BCF will be back again looking to further reduce service and raise fares...
Additionally we were informed on November 19th that BC Ferries would be meeting with local Ferry Advisory Committees in January of the new year to re-jig the schedules to take in to account the cancelled sailings. A couple of important points regarding this:
First of all, local FAC's have no mandate to speak on behalf of the entire Thetis Island Community or Penelakut Tribe. We may in some cases be able to point the way to possible solutions but that's absolutely as far as we are prepared to go. BC Ferries created this package of cuts and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure approved it. The 'team' is delivering it to us on December 11th, and BC Ferries needs to come back to the community and explain the rationale for the new schedule.
Second, regarding the April 1st, 2014 timing, take a look at this excerpt from the Coastal Ferry Services Contract:
Ferry Schedules
4.12 Commencing on April 1, 2008 and continuing every six (6) months thereafter, BC Ferries will make available its Published Schedule, which may be revised for operational considerations, for each Designated Ferry Route for the following twelve (12) months.
If BC Ferries and the Ministry had any regard the contract, the change date wouldn't be April 1st, 2014. The absolute soonest it could be, would be April 1st, 2015. To try to do it as is happening now is a blatant violation of the Contract, which nobody seems to care about.
In closing, the FACC will be putting out a number of news releases over the next few weeks regarding this process, so please stayed tuned for more important information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call...
Best Regards...
Keith Rush, Ferry Advisory Committee Chemainus-Thetis-Penelakut
keithrush17@gmail.com
Ph: 250-416-0013
Cell: 250-732-2766