BC Ferries

What's up? Ferry fares, of course

March 4, 2010

Ferry fares have risen by more than 50% since BC Ferries Inc was 'privatized' in 2003. Calls from the Comptroller General, the Ferry Advisory Chairperson, the Islands Trust, UBCM, and the Associaton of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities urge the government to step in and take up its responsibility of service to coastal communities.

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Northern Expedition could leave from Tsawwassen

March 4, 2010

In a bid for more cruise passengers, a northern service route will be diverted to Tsawwassen terminal once a fortnight. Northern towns fear loss of jobs.

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Ferries: reduced fares, more traffic

December 17, 2009

Ferries’ president David Hahn credits summer’s Coastsaver fares for increased traffic and revenues. But rising fares over the past few years have decreased ridership. Sensitivity to fares works both ways.

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Minister considers, then ignores, first ferry report recommendation

December 3, 2009

By immediately reappointing a director of the BC Ferry Authority to The BC Ferry Services board, Minister Bond gainsays her commitment to consider the Comptroller-General's report. The Comptroller-General's key criticsim of ferry system governance was the overlap of the two boards.

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Fire & Service Cuts

October 22, 2009

BC ferries are a vital part of BC's infrastructure; a consistent and affordable service, which may not fit a 'profitability' model, is characteristic of infrastructure.

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Lower fares, more traffic on summer ferries

September 24, 2009

Special summer fares on certain routes give clear evidence that higher fares reduce traffic and revenues. However, CEO David Hahn attributes increased revenue to good weather.

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Ferries post first quater loss, fuel savings

August 27, 2009

Higher expenses and reduction in ridership cause of first quarter loss but a fuel rebate on the minor routes is a bonus to passengers.

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Ferries facing perfect storm

July 2, 2009

BC Ferries annual report shows a financial perfect storm in the offing for the 'privatized' company. A combination of all the original restructure plan's worst case scenarios have come true. Time for government to step in?

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Minor routes: summer fares canned

April 9, 2009

BC Ferries has eliminated the peak season fares on minor routes. Except for the Tsawwassen—Gulf Islands run, all other minor route fares will be the same year-round.

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Fares Less, Staff Less

January 29, 2009

BC Ferries has announced that, instead of fuel surcharges, they will offer fuel rebates on minor routes and the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route, starting February 12, 2009. BC Ferries CEO David Hahn has annouced that in the face of a ‘significant drop in ferry ridership’ and resulting reduced revenues, the company has ‘transitioned’ 35 management and administrative positions.

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Super C-Class design problems surface

December 11, 2008

Drawings and exclusive, on-site photos help explain what's wrong with the new vessels from Germany.

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BCFS 2nd Quarter Report Revealing

December 11, 2008

Anything but increased fares are blamed for reduced ridership (and revenues) in second quarter report. BCFS also reveals grandiose plans - perhaps it should stick to its core business, transporting British Columbians.

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BC Cabinet did not hedge its bet in ferries' privatization

November 27, 2008

The BC government did not make sufficient provision for factors affecting its privatization of BC Ferries Crown corporation in 2003. Some hazards it knew about and they were apparently ignored - others it should have protected against. Poor management of a public resource.

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BC Ferries short-term bail-out

Oct 30, 2008

The BC government has give BC Ferries $20million to reduce fares by 30% for two months, and restore service cuts on Sunshine Coast route.

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Anatomy of a body blow

Oct 16, 2008

How come the BC Liberal government can take the toll off the Coquihalla Highway but yet not bring the coastal ferry subsidy back to its former state?

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Without strategic change ferry service will collapse, says advisory committee

Aug 7, 2008

‘A strategic approach is urgently required both to immediately mitigate the impact of excessive fare-shock and to develop a transportation service that will be resilient to anticipated changing conditions. The absence of such an approach will likely lead to a collapse of BC Ferries’ business plan for the routes in question and to irreversible damage to the vulnerable coastal communities they serve’—Ferry Advisory Committee Chairs’ (FACC) were responding to massive fuel surcharges implemented on August 1.

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Island Tides Editorial: Heading for the Rocks on Auto-pilot

Aug 7, 2008

The fuel surcharges of 9 to 17% introduced last weekend, bring ferry fares to the boiling point.

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Unprecedented 'leave-behinds' on Galiano-Tsawwassen ferry

July 24, 2008

On Saturday evening, July 5, between 30 and 50 travellers were left behind at Sturdies Bay, Galiano Island, as the Queen of Nanaimo departed for Tsawwassen. They blocked the ramp and asked the ship’s Captain to speak to them. He came down to the car deck and did so; and then he called Galiano’s RCMP officer to disperse them. They were angry, they were not taking no for an answer—they had good reason to be angry.

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BC Ferries seeks 20% fuel surcharge

June 26, 2008

BC Ferries CEO declares August fare increases up to 9% on major routes, and 20% on minor route to cover recent increases in the price of marine diesel fuel.

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Traffic flat, earnings down for BC Ferries

June 26, 2008

As fares rise, projected traffic growth has not occurred. Corporation capital debt up $239 million to over $1 billion.

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Bringing the fleet up to scratch

May 1, 2008

As a way of helping improve our appreciation of BC Ferries capital requirements, Chief Financial Officer, Rob Clarke, stated that the average age of the fleet is greater than 32 years. There are several implications one can take from this statement but the most important is that for the last four decades we have been feeding off our capital base and now we face a very large ship renewal requirement. It presently looks as though the job of finding money for all those needed new vessels is expected to be from very much higher fares.

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Ups and Downs of the New Ferry Math

May 1, 2008

Since March 31, users of BC Ferries’ non-major routes are brushing up on their math, to try to keep track of what they’re going to be paying for travel, and to try to figure out where it can end. The fare increases which commenced on April 1 are the second round of hikes within five months. Together the two hikes have boosted minor route fares by 11% this year.

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Premier ducks question of ferry safety

April 17, 2008

Following the firing of a ferry captain for a recent close call in Active Pass, North Coast MLA Gary Coons stepped up the pressure on the government to force BC Ferries to enact all the recommendations found in the Morfitt Report. In the absence of the Transportation Minister, Coons fired off questions (in question period) to Premier Campbell, demanding accountability on behalf of ferry dependent communities.

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‘Let’s rock the boat,’ says protest organizer

April 3, 2008

Following the March 8, Gabriola-based ferry fare-hike demonstration in Nanaimo, a ship-board demonstration took place on March 27. Seventy protesters embarked on the noon ferry bound for Denman Island from Buckley Bay on Vancouver Island. The Denman and Hornby ‘footsies’ were protesting disproportionate ferry fare increases on minor routes connecting Gulf Island communities to the Mainland or Vancouver Island.

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New Prepaid Ferry Cards: Explaining the experience

April 3, 2008 | Patrick Brown

At the end of March, BC Ferries introduced a new wallet-size ExperienceTM Card which entitles the user to the discounted prepaid fare on any minor routes where it is offered (and even maintains ‘Travel History’ records that regular commuters can access to claim Income Tax deductions for transportation costs).

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Queen of the North—plenty of blame for management

March 20, 2008 | Patrick Brown

BC Ferry CEO David Hahn described the sinking of Queen of the North two years ago as the result of ‘human error’. The errors to which he referred were made by the two people on the bridge in the fourteen minutes before the ferry slammed into Gil Island in the middle of the night, sinking soon after, with the loss of two lives.

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Even Ferries Need to Fight Climate Change

January 24, 2008 | Gary Coons, MLA

More than 80% of British Columbia’s carbon emissions come from burning and producing fossil fuels. That is why any plan for carbon neutrality cannot omit the diesel fuel burning BC Ferry Fleet.

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Ferries (and government) Still on Autopilot

October 4, 2007 | Patrick Brown

If you thought this summer’s ferry fares were high enough, they’ll be 9.4% higher on the main routes next summer, and 8.1% higher on the other routes. And it won’t stop there. By 2011, fares on the main routes will be 45-50% higher than in 2003; on the other routes they’ll be 90-97% higher.

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Ferries on Auto Pilot IV: Fares to Increase

July 12, 2007 | Patrick Brown

Virtually all increases in the costs of operating coastal ferries will be paid by users.

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Ferry Advisory Committees on the Money

June 28, 2007 | Gary Coons, MLA North Coast

Ferry service is not a luxury - it is a necessity.

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Coastal Ferry Service Commentary

May 31, 2007 | Kevin Falcon & Tony Law

Letter sent by Kevin Falcon, Minister of Transport in reply to emails about the proposed rise in ferry fares.

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Ferries on Auto Pilot: III - The Subsidy Tradeoffs

May 17, 2007 | Patrick Brown

No increase in the basic ‘Service Fee’ to be paid by the provincial government to BC Ferry Services

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Ferries on Auto Pilot: II

May 5, 2007 | Patrick Brown

The Queen of the North was on autopilot with no-one at the helm when she crashed into Gil Island. She should have changed course; but didn’t.

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Ferries on Autopilot: I

April 19, 2007 | Patrick Brown

Over a year since the sinking of the ferry Queen of the North, BC Ferry Services says it was ‘human error.’

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Ferry fares to double between 2003 and 2012

April 19, 2007

BC Ferry Commissioner issues preliminary decision on fare caps.

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Islanders to have input into ferry negotiations

April 5, 2007

Ferry dependent communities will have a voice in the negotiation of the contract between BC Ferries and the Province.

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Queen of the North: what happened … but not why

April 5, 2007 | Patrick Brown

The recently published BC Ferries’ report on the sinking, a year ago, of Queen of the North supports the generally held conclusion that the ship had failed to turn to port at the bottom of Grenville Channel and had proceeded straight-on at fullspeed, colliding with the rocky shore of Gil Island fourteen minutes later.

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Time to Take a Stand on Ferry Service

March 22, 2007 | Priscilla Ewbank

I wish to share my views on BC Ferries’ change to the Friday evening departure time... First, I’d like to start by sharing my experience.

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BC Ferries to manage Sidney’s Anacortes ferry terminal

February 22, 2007

The Town of Sidney has announced a long-term lease arrangement with BC Ferries, under which BC Ferries will manage and develop the town’s international ferry terminal to the benefit of both parties.

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Safety reports galore–still waiting for the Queen of the North

February 8, 2007 | Patrick Brown

BC Ferries is at last talking about safety—and so are others. A second Transportation Safety Board (TSB) advisory relating to the January 9 Quinsam incident was released on January 22. Former Provincial Auditor George Morfitt’s long-awaited report on safety at BC Ferries was released on January 22.

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Ferries’ permitted profit of 14% includes ‘shadow’ taxes

January 25, 2007

BC Ferry Commissioner Martin Crilly has announced that the provincially owned private corporation, BC Ferry Services Inc, will be permitted to earn a 14% return on equity during Performance Term 2 (PT2), from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2012.

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Commentary on MV Quinsam: If They'd Tell Us, We’d Feel Safer

January 25, 2007

On Tuesday evening, January 7, vehicles were boarding the ferry MV Quinsam at Nanaimo when the ferry, apparently without warning, left the dock. The driver of the Gabriola-bound truck on the boarding ramp was able to escape, but his truck ended up in the water.

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Ferry fare increases unfair, says Islands Trust

November 16, 2006

The Islands Trust Council has recommended changes to the 2003 Coastal Ferry Act that would ‘keep public access to the Islands affordable for all.’

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BC Ferries now deciding future ferry fares and services

October 19, 2006

Decisions that will determine the fares and the level of ferry service for the rest of the BC coast from 2008 to 2012 will be made by the provincial government over the next six to nine months.

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Morfitt to audit ferry safety

July 27, 2006

Former Auditor General George Morfitt will start an independent review of BC Ferries’ safety policies, procedures and practices at once, with a report to be made public towards the end of the year.

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Ferry Fares Keep Adding Up

June 29, 2006 | Patrick Brown

On June 22, BC Ferries received approval from the Ferry Commissioner to implement its biggest fuel surcharge yet: 3.2% for the main routes, and 9.6% for the smaller routes.

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Auditor General Mulls Ferries’ Review

March 9, 2006 | Patrick Brown

Following a detailed submission from the BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union (BCFMWU), the Provincial Auditor General, Wayne Strelioff, may be considering an audit of BC Ferries Services Inc and the entire structure that links it to the provincial government, set up under the Coastal Ferries Act.

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Minister Says 'No' to Relocating Ferries

March 9, 2006

The BC Lodging and Campground Association recently met with BC Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon to request ‘that the ministry take a serious look at the economics of relocating the Tsawwassen to Duke Point and Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay ferry routes to one single route between YVR (the Vancouver airport) and the east side of Gabriola Island...'

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Fare Hikes, Cut-off Times and Commuter Cards Prompt Ferry Petition

March 9, 2006

A petition to BC Ferries has been initiated on Quadra Island... The petition states: ‘Those of us who live on the smaller coast islands have several serious concerns about the direction that the BC Ferry Corporation is taking...'

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No Shelter from the Storm — Ferry Protest

March 9, 2006

Hundreds of ferry users mounted a protest on the BC Legislature lawn, March 2.

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Cards to Replace Ferry Commuter Tickets

February 23, 2006

BC Ferries is proposing to replace discount commuter tickets with magnetic stripe cards.

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Privatization Begins with Mill Bay Ferry

November 17, 2005

When BC Ferries was ‘privatized’ into a provincially-owned private corporation, one of the provisions in the Coastal Ferries Act was that BC Ferries would aim to become a ‘service integrator’ and would seek other ferry companies to actually operate the ferries.

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BC Ferries Pursues ‘Alternative Providers’

November 3, 2005

BC Ferries has issued an RFEOI (Request for Expressions of Interest) to see who might be interested in operating the Mill Bay ferry...

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BC Ferries Acquires Ferry from Utah

September 22, 2005

BC Ferries has bought a ferry from the State of Utah for US$200,000 to use as a relief vessel on minor routes.

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Ferry News: Scanning the BC Ferries’ Website

July 28, 2005

If you want to find out what’s going on with BC Ferries, your first stop is their website.

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Queen of Oak Bay, Minus Cotter Pin, Safely Grounded

July 14, 2005

Just after 10am on June 30, the Queen of Oak Bay . . . unexpectedly lost power as it approached its Horseshoe Bay berth.

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BC Ferry Workers to Affiliate with International Transport Workers’ Federation

October 7, 2004

The membership of the BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union have voted 89% in favour of affiliation...

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A Series on BC Ferries’ Ships Being Built Outside BC

August 26, 2004

The few numbers BC Ferries has released indicate that they expect their new ferries to cost $170 million each if built in Europe, a total of $510 million...

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Deas Dock Dispute Mirrors Ferries Fracas

January 29, 2004

While arguments in Vince Ready’s binding arbitration of the contract dispute between BC Ferry Services Inc. (BCFS) and the BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union...

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Government Strips BCFS Assets

January 29, 2004

In the course of ‘privatizing’ the BC Ferry Corporation into BC Ferry Services Inc...

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Anatomy of a Labour Dispute

December 18, 2003

Job action, day by day.

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The Act that Wasn’t There

December 18, 2003

On Tuesday, December 9, at about the same time as the Union and the company were reaching agreement over the staffing of the Essential Services vessels...

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Mutual Respect Needed ~ Patrick Brown

December 18, 2003

Forget all that business about ferry workers being overpaid...

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Trumping the Labour Laws

December 18, 2003

One of the unique features of the Coastal Ferry Act is that it specifically trumps BC labour law.

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A New Offer from BCFS

December 18, 2003

At the marathon bargaining session on Thursday, December 11, BCFS presented a new offer to BCFMWU.

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A Very Special Corporation

December 18, 2003

The behaviour of BC Ferries is determined by the Coastal Ferry Act (Bill 18), passed by the current legislature on March 26, 2003.

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Letters about the Strike

December 18, 2003

I am a 16-year employee of BC Ferries. I am a wife, mother and grandmother...

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BC Ferries were Solvent Once

December 18, 2003

Throughout the 1990s, ferry committees from each Gulf Island were actively and regularly in consultation with BC Ferries...

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Many Years Before the Mast

December 18, 2003

BC Ferries was started by WAC Bennett in 1960, and so a significant number of employees have been with the company for many years...

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Special Report by Patrick Brown: ‘Privatized’ BC Ferries Goes Political

November 6, 2003

So soon after its conversion to a government-owned private corporation, BC Ferry Services Inc. has shown it cannot resist political tactics...

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Special Report on BC Ferries Restructuring by Patrick Brown: Full Speed Ahead, and Damn the Accountability!

January 30, 2003

BC Ferries’ new organizational structure is designed so that the provincial government can maintain control of the ferry service while avoiding responsibility for it.

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Special Report by Patrick Brown: Ferry Report Recommends Privatization, Increased Tariffs, even Bridges

January 31, 2002

Fred Wright’s December report on the fast ferries and the ferry corporation recommends privatization...

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Collection of Articles on Ferry Fare Dispute

November 1997–January 1998

This article contains a series of Island Tides’ articles recording a public outcry in 1997.

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