Regional District of Nanaimo chair Joe Stanhope has waded into the ongoing debate about the BC Ferry system.
“The Coastal regional district chairs are looking forward to the release of the BC Ferry Commissioner’s review of ferry fares and appreciate the expansion of the Commissioner’s mandate to now include ferry users, rather than just the economic viability of the BC Ferries Corporation,” Stanhope said.
“Our group considers this review, and our continuing commitment to represent the interests of the even larger group of all coastal residents and visitors, will assist the premier and Transportation and Infrastructure minister Blair Minister Lekstrom in some tough, but critically important, decisions in the very near future.”
Stanhope made the comments at a meeting between the heads of 11 regional districts, the Islands Trust and Premier Christy Clark and Lekstrom on Sept. 29.
• It doesn’t make sense, says MLA Ron Cantelon, to take a 6,000-pound vehicle from Vancouver Island to Vancouver.
That’s why, the Parksville-Qualicum representative said, he’s looking at the possibility of a foot passenger ferry from Nanaimo to downtown Vancouver.
“We need to have a foot passenger ferry tied into the Sky Train transit system,” he said.
Conceding that such a service has been tried on several occasions and failed each time, Cantelon said he’s looking for a different approach.
“What we need is someone with expertise with ship building and maintenance, such as Seaspan,” he said. “They have the knowledge of the sea and the financial resources. The others didn’t have the depth, the capacity or a shipyard. Seaspan has that.”
Cantelon said he met with some of the senior management of Seaspan in the context of seeking support for a federal ship-building contract and brought up the idea at that time.
“They told me to do more homework, but I wasn’t thrown out of the office,” Cantelon said.
• The 2011 boating season is quickly winding down and so is the deadline for nominations for the Canadian Safe Boating award.
This award ceremony is held every January to recognize a person, group or organization that has gone beyond the call of duty to promote boat safety and environmental stewardship.
Do you know someone who designed a new boating safety product or initiative, or who otherwise contributed to safety on the water? Did someone you know mount a rescue of someone who was in trouble on the water?
Categories include: Rescue of the Year, Marine Professional of the Year, Top Volunteer Dedicated to Safe Boating, Best Boating Safety Initiative, Safeguarding the Environment, Marine Industry, Visible PFD Wear in Advertising and Best Media Contribution to Boating Safety.
You have until Nov. 4 to visit www.csbc.ca to send in your nomination.