Ferry users on the Sunshine Coast say they’re fed up with the string of breakdowns on B.C. Ferries and are calling on the province to intervene.
Town of Gibsons mayor Silas White says the Sunshine Coast continues to grapple with a service that does not meet the community’s basic transportation needs, especially when residents depend heavily on the ferry.
“People’s lives are being impacted significantly,” White said. “We all accept some inconvenience living in a ferry-dependent community, but these service disruptions and delays are unacceptable. For other communities, this would be the same as shutting down the only highway in and out of town, damaging our economy, cutting off health services and severely limiting people’s livelihoods.”
A release from the Town of Gibsons says White and Bowen Island Mayor Andrew Leonard met with the province to request support for accountability to essential service for communities reliant on ferries, and to conduct a review of the route from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay.
“We also requested provincial support for an external performance review of Route 3 by the BC Ferries Commissioner, in response to BC Ferries’ recent claim that the route is losing $30 million annually,” the release said.
The town is urging the province to enforce and update its service contract with BC Ferries, ensure Sunshine Coast communities have a voice in shaping improvements, and commission a performance review.
The latest interruption comes after a mechanical issue halted service from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay last week.
