Ninth in a series of Black Press B.C. election coverage leading up to May 9
Regardless of where your vote goes, chances are riding the ferry is going to change under the next B.C. government.
The two front-runners are making promises aimed at cutting fares for some ferry users.
The B.C. Liberal Party swung first on the ferries front this campaign, announcing a tax break for frequent sailors as part of their B次元官网网址淰ancouver Island platformB次元官网网址� announced on the eve of the campaign.
The B.C. NDP Party swung back harder later in the week, promising a rates freeze and then sweetening the pot by adding free rides for seniors during slower weekday runs.
No such B次元官网网址渂earing giftsB次元官网网址� strategy from the B.C. Green Party, however, unless you were hoping for a wholesale change in the way the ferries operate.
and the Greens arenB次元官网网址檛 promising tweaks to user fees.
Instead, it wants to repatriate BC Ferries as a Crown corporation, where it will be repurposed as part of the partyB次元官网网址檚 overall pledge to use public resources to B次元官网网址渟upport the maximization of the health and well-being of British Columbians.B次元官网网址�
Green candidate Adam Olsen (Saanich North and the Islands) has talked about utilizing ferries in the way that best benefits communities, rather than the ferry corporationB次元官网网址檚 bottom line. Fare hikes and service reductions, he said, are the wrong path.
B次元官网网址淸B.C. communities] want government to fund and manage the ferries system as an extension of the highway network and request government to work cooperatively to find solutions that are beneficial for coastal communities and the provincial economy,B次元官网网址� he said in statement on the .
The idea of BC Ferries as part of the highway system also plays a big role in the rationale of the NDP.
Their plan includes a proposal to roll back fares on smaller routes by 15 per cent, freeze major route fares, and provide a 100 per cent seniorsB次元官网网址� weekday discount.
READ:
B次元官网网址淭his is an essential first step in making BC Ferries affordable and accountable to Island residents. I am determined to ensure the ferries once again become an integral part of our highways system,B次元官网网址� North Island NDP candidate and ferries critic Claire Trevena said.
B次元官网网址淚t impacts in so many different ways, whether it is the small tourist operator or bigger businesses. The cost of ferries is having a huge negative impact on our economy and it is not just our islands B次元官网网址� the cost of ferries is having an impact across the province,B次元官网网址� she told theecoreport.com.
B次元官网网址淎ny economist will show you that if you decrease fares, more people will use the system.B次元官网网址�
That may be the case B次元官网网址� as recent BC Ferries experiments in discount pricing seem to have indicated B次元官网网址� but the question being posed by the BC Liberals is how much cost needs to be borne by the rest of the province in order to serve the ferry user.
Liberal Mike DeJong, B.C.B次元官网网址檚 most recent finance minister, said the would lead to deficits, tax increases, and a dropping provincial credit rating.
That said, the party says it understands that for some Islanders, ferries are a necessity.
Their compromise is a tax break of 25 percent of what individual British Columbians pay in ferry fares annually, up to $1,000, for a $250 saving.
This will be put in place as an interim measure as they develop a loyalty program to reduce the cost of ferry travel for .
B次元官网网址淲e know living on an Island can be really expensive, so [we are] investing in a B.C. Ferries plan which is going to be a little cheaper for people,B次元官网网址� Liberal leader Christy Clark said recently during a campaign stop in .
As an added bonus the party also pledges to invest $1 million into improving BC Ferries WiFi.
Overall vehicle and passenger numbers are up in the first three months of 2017, continuing a recent trend, but bucking the general trend for the previous decade.
A 2014 report for the Union of BC Municipalities concluded fare increases had resulted in a $2.3 billion reduction in British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 GDP over a ten-year period.
