Salt Spring’s Local Community Commission (LCC) has voted to join a growing chorus of officials advocating for Vesuvius-based ferry crews — pushing for what they call a compromise in the face of possible local job losses.
The MV Quinsam is scheduled for replacement by 2027, BC Ferries has said, as two diesel-hybrid Island Class ferries move to Route 6, sailing between the Vesuvius Bay and Crofton terminals, an expanded two-ship service the ferry company said will meet growing demand and reduce traffic congestion on both ends.
Each of the planned vessels — the Island Gwawis and the Island K’ulut’a — has space to hold 47 vehicles and around 400 passengers if crewing permits, according to BC Ferries; with roughly the same foot passenger capacity, Quinsam can hold 63 vehicles.
But while islanders may look forward to the new service, a plan to “homeport” both vessels on the Crofton side threatens the jobs of Salt Spring-based workers, according to B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union president Eric McNeely, who warned that of the 21 regular employee positions currently crewing the Quinsam, 18 are based on Salt Spring — and the remaining three are backfilled by casuals and “mobile regulars” from across the island.
“There will be zero ship-based positions in Vesuvius if both vessels homeport in Crofton,” said McNeely.
Pressed by Salt Spring Island Capital Regional District (CRD) director Gary Holman and in turn by a vote of the CRD’s Electoral Areas Committee, CRD board chair Cliff McNeil-Smith sent a letter to BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez on behalf of the broader board Tuesday, June 17, urging the ferry company to reconsider — and proposing a “dual homeporting arrangement” supported by the union to preserve those Salt Spring jobs.
BC Ferries has said Salt Spring crew members would have the option to ride to Crofton for their shifts on the first vessel each day, starting their work aboard the second. McNeely pointed out that adding two hours of “unpaid commuting” to each workday was an unsustainable change that will push employees to leave the island.
“This plan wasn’t shared widely by BC Ferries,” said LCC member Brian Webster at the commission’s meeting Thursday, June 19. “They have not spoken to a single elected representative on Salt Spring. They don’t recognize there is local government on Salt Spring Island at all.”
Holman said the ferry company quietly announced its plans shortly after BC Ferries abruptly dissolved Salt Spring’s Ferry Advisory Committee — a group that historically would’ve offered local input before such actions were taken. In addition to the CRD Board, Holman said he had been speaking with Islands Trust chair Laura Patrick and MLA Rob Botterell, who both indicated some support. Holman said Botterell told him he’d met with Jimenez and described the conversation as “very polite, but no indication of compromise.”
“And [dual homeporting] is exactly how the Island Class ferries at Gabriola and Nanaimo are,” said Holman. “One is stationed at each terminal.”
In recent years the Vesuvius-Crofton route has seen problems from inconsistent staffing, sometimes leading to sailing delays and cancellations; BC Ferries has said it believes a shift to Crofton homeporting would grow its employee base for the route, drawing from a larger pool of potential crew from Vancouver Island.
But the Island Gwawis and Island K’ulut’a can also be operated as all-electric vessels, part of a fleet-wide BC Ferries effort to reduce emissions — and the eventual shift away from fossil fuels would require significant charging infrastructure, possibly explaining the company’s reluctance to upgrade terminals on two islands rather than just one.
“The upgrades at Crofton terminal will allow BC Ferries to consider electrification on Route 6 in the future,” said BC Ferries senior communications advisor Sheila Reynolds, “provided BC Hydro deems it feasible.”
In a May 29 press release, BC Ferries announced it was working with BC Hydro to install shore-based rapid charging infrastructure for Island Class ferries at the Nanaimo Harbour terminal, “on track” for electrification by summer 2026.
According to the ferry company, the battery energy storage capacity of the Island Class ferries is currently 800 kWh, and can be upgraded to a maximum of 2,000 kWh — by comparison almost 27 times the capacity of a “long-range” Tesla Model 3.
And while the ferry’s effective all-electric range has not been specifically discussed, in a 2021 interview former BC Ferries president and CEO Mark Collins said early testing showed the fuel-efficient hybrids could sail for about 45 minutes on battery alone — making it unlikely even an upgraded vessel would complete a full day’s sailings without requiring shore-side recharging.
BC Ferries’ cost estimates for a ferry charging station are confidential, Reynolds said, to ensure a fair and competitive bid process, as the company is still in the tendering phase for some of its shoreline electrification projects. A 2021 estimate from BC Ferries planned a high-level budget of $150 million to add charging infrastructure to nine terminals — a number unlikely to have fallen since.
Meanwhile, LCC members are working to coordinate with the Local Trust Committee on another letter to Jimenez, meant to demonstrate the breadth of local support for dual homeporting and, Webster said, to tell BC Ferries, “We exist, and it’s important for you to connect with us.”
Jimenez will be on Salt Spring Island to participate in ASK Salt Spring on Friday, June 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at SIMS.
Editor’s note: BC Ferries has advised that this story contains an inaccurate comment from Local Community Commission (LCC) member Brian Webster made at a June 19 public meeting, i.e. “This plan wasn’t shared widely by BC Ferries. They have not spoken to a single elected representative on Salt Spring. They don’t recognize there is local government on Salt Spring Island at all.”
BC Ferries says the homeporting issue was included in an April 15, 2025 meeting attended by some local government officials, including CRD director Gary Holman. However, the four other LCC members were not invited to participate and did not know about the meeting.
A follow-up story on the homeporting issue and other ferry matters will be on this website and in the Driftwood newspaper on July 9.