Saturna Island R.atepayers and Residents Association {SIRRA)
PO Box 27, Saturna, British Columbia, VOFI 2Y0
Email: nfo@sina.ca
September 14,2015
BC Ferries
Attn: Mr. Mark Collins
Vice President, Strategic Planning and Customer Engagement
1321 Blanshard Street
Victoria, BC
v8w 0B7
. Response to 2015 BC Ferries Southern Gulf Islands Schedule Consultation
The Satuma Island Ratepayers and Residents Association (SIRRA) wishes to comment on BC Ferries consultation to
improve schedules and service to the Southern Gulf Islands. Our organization represents over 50% of all the property
owners on Saturna Island as well as the residents who live on the island. Once a year we poll our members as to the most
important issues facing them and for the past several years reliable, accessible and affordable service from BC Ferries has
ranked as the most important issue.
SIRRA notes with interest that BC Ferries' goal 'to improve service and better aligl customer needs with sailing schedules"
is one that could only be expressed by a monopoly. A customer-driven organization would "improve service by aligning
schedules with customer needs".
In this regard, our membership believes your proposed20lT ferry schedules are seriously flawed and highly discriminatory
of the Southern Gulf Islands and particularly Saturna. As you are aware, islanders were surprised and dismayed that the
revised schedules for the off-peak season (10 months of the year) were developed without consideration of any socioeconomic
impacts such changes would have on the communities BC Ferries seryes:
o Saturna businesses have been able to exist because of the services provided by BC Ferries over the last 20 or more
years. Any deterioration, even a small one, in access to Vancouver Island and to the other islands will be sufficient
to make local businesses unsustainable;
o It will be difficult for many people and families of islanders to visit on a regular basis or for others to live here
year-round and to access basic services, such as doctors, dentists, banking and/or to shop for supplies. The
proposed changes to the schedules simply makes these services too inaccessible;
. These schedules also create problems in reverse - contractors coming onto islands from Vancouver Island will
have longer trips and shorter turnaround times. Thus, services to islanders will cost more, that is, if service
providers decide to come at all;
o Our property values, after years of continual fare increases, have plummeted and any further deterioration of
service will exacerbate that decline.
The improvements in the summer schedule (2 months of the year) are welcomed, but since the improvements to the other
Southem Gulf Islands (and especially Salt Spring) vastly outweigh those provided to Saturna, the "competitive gap" among
the Southern Gulf Islands will expand funher. Rather than gaining, or even maintaining existing levels of tourism, Satuma
businesses and property olvners will be further marginalized.
SIRRA asks why the major re-write of the schedules on Route 5? We were told at the public meeting on Saturna that
improvements in the summer haye to be balanced with "efficiencies" in the winter. We understand the challenges BC
Ferries face; wejust don't understand the approach by BC Ferries.
We do not understand how the "pairing" with Galiano will improve BC Ferries efficiencies. From a customer's perspective
it makes no sense:
o It adds longer travel time for residents, businesses and visitors;
o It destroys the long standing, community and business dependent connections between Saturn4 Mayne and Pender
Islands;
. It takes longer to load and unload traffic than at Village Bay; and the Sturdies Bay dock is unsafe to transfer longer
and larger vehicles, such as boat trailers and RVs.;
o Plus, in bad weather, the connection to the Mainland is at risk as Sturdies Bay is an exposed terminal.
For all the reasons above, SIRRA categorically opposes pairing of Saturna with Galiano.
SIRRA does not understand BC Ferries' logic about the efficiencies gained by tinkering with the current off-peak schedule
and why the corporation decided to squeeze out efficiencies by revising the schedules on Route 5l5a to fit Route 9 while
excluding Route 4 that, like Route 54 serves traffic from both Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen.
From a customer perspective, we ask that BC Ferries revisit the way it conducts business. Home porting, live-aboards,
short-link, reconfiguring Salt Spring terminals (especially Long Harbour) are all sfategies that can aid in achieving
substantial cost reductions (possibly improving service). These are longer-term initiatives and could be challenging to
implement. However, SIRRA is baffled that these strategies were explicitly excluded from the scheduling exercise and
customers bear all the brunt of what BC Ferries wishes to call "efficiencies".
In summary, SIRRA encourages BC Ferries to start from the long-term use pattems of the public you serve, and based on
inputs from your customers (via the FAC), develop schedules that will assist, not destroy, the communities that you serve.
Our organization would be pleased to support you in finding solutions that support local communities while reducing
Joan Hoskinsori
SIRRA President Fro Tem
cc Gordon Macatee,BC Ferry Commissioner
The Hon. Todd Stone, BC Minister of Transportation