Good News. The Office of the Ombudsperson is in the process of assigning an investigator to investigate the BCF Commissioner’s failure to make the corporation accountable. Once an investigator is assigned, she/he will alert the Commissioner. I was warned that the process could be a long but thorough one. Following is my latest complaint to MOTI and the Commissioner addressing the part deregulation evidently plays in their support of BCF keeping the cable ferry in iffy and unsafe service:
January 23, 2025
Dear Transportation Minister Farnworth and Commissioner Haig:
Your continued silence about the current seven-week long service interruption involving the Baynes Sound Connector indicates a continued support of B.C. Ferries violation of the Coastal Ferry Act’s overarching mandate— to provide safe and reliable service to ferry dependent residents in a fiscally responsible way. It also confirms the perils of deregulation and a need for immediate government oversight.
The evidence for replacing the cable ferry is irrefutable: the Baynes Sound Connector has the highest mechanically related service interruptions in the fleet and costs $5.9M annually to operate, not $300,000 as hyped by the former B.C. Ferries CEO in 2013 to gain government approval. Despite a preponderance of opposing evidence, two provincial governments have supported the corporation in keeping a failed experiment in service.
Because of deregulation, BC Ferries has been permitted to run a substandard vessel that was also designed without a functioning fire suppression system. According to an industry expert, this latest prolonged service reduction is due to BCF scrambling to fix one of the four sprinklers. If two malfunction, he explains, the vessel would not be permitted to run. Because of scant government oversight, BCF has been permitted by two governments to put lives at risk by cutting fire suppression costs in the following ways:
There are no hydrants, hoses, staff safety equipment, or even a water source;
There is no federally mandated backup fire suppression system. Consequently, cars cannot be parked under sprinklers when they are not functioning;
There is no forced ventilation, air quality measuring equipment, or breathing apparatus below deck in case of a needed rescue. Consequently, staff is forbidden to go below deck;
The system can only be serviced from a bucket truck when the vessel is not operating;
There are no available spare parts;
Certified officers and engineers are not required because the vessel is attached to land and not considered a ship.
Given this proof that the cable ferry is unsafe, are you going to continue supporting BCF’s resolve to keep it in service once a sprinkler is fixed?
Until you compel BCF to comply with the Coastal Ferry Act by replacing the Baynes Sound Connector with an available island class vessel, Denman and Hornby islanders will continue to feel like collateral damage to a political system that places corporate decision-making over customer and staff safety, service reliability, and cost effectiveness.
Respectfully,
Sharon Small,
Denman Island Resident