Homeporting of BC Ferries (BCF) vessels in ferry-dependent communities has a long history.
It not only made sense as a way to provide decent-paying unionized jobs on islands where those were few and far between but to ensure a car-carrying vessel was available for emergency transport if the need should arise. That was the case on Salt Spring this past February when the air ambulance could not fly due to the weather and a patient was transported to Vancouver Island by ground ambulance via Vesuvius. As well, getting an early-as-possible first sailing of the day off an island is essential for any number of reasons.
While everyone on Salt Spring Island should be pleased to see two 47-car vessels operating on Route 6 between Crofton and Vesuvius by 2027, as opposed to the current one that holds 63 vehicles, BCF has announced that it plans to homeport both of the new-to-us ships at Crofton. (The Island K’ulut’a currently serves the Quadra Island-Campbell River route and Island Gwawis runs between Nanaimo and Gabriola Island).
In response to allegations that the homeporting shift will kill Salt Spring jobs, BCF says resident crew members can hop on the first sailing back to Crofton in the morning to start work on the next sailing. However, according to BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union president Eric McNeely, employees would not be paid for commuting time. McNeely also points out that shifts are slated to change from eight hours to 10 or 12 hours per day; a much-less-desirable scenario for resident Salt Spring workers, especially with the added commute time.
The homeporting change is an example of an issue that would have been brought before the Salt Spring Island Ferry Advisory Committee for input if the entity was still in existence.
Now, the island’s locally elected officials have joined McNeely and the union in calling for a rethink of the plan, with a completely logical compromise suggested: homeport one vessel in Crofton and one in Vesuvius, as is done on the Nanaimo-Gabriola route.
We support the request for BCF to revisit its announced plan and consider the dual-homeport alternative, and encourage islanders to let the ferry corporation know how they feel too.