Fallout continues after last week’s surprise dissolution of BC Ferries’ longstanding ferry advisory committee (FAC) system, as local officials question whether the goal is more about “controlling the message” from the company. 

Committee members were taken by surprise Monday, Nov. 25 during a conference call where they expected to hear an update on a report on fleet-wide short-term priorities. Instead, they were told the 13 all-volunteer FACs would be “retired” by the end of April 2025.

An email the ferry company sent to FAC members indicated it had been in conversations with local government representatives to inform its decision, and the press release that accompanied the announcement included quotes of support for the plan from some B.C. elected officials, including mayors. 

But elected representatives on Salt Spring or the Southern Gulf Islands were not among them. 

Gary Holman, the Capital Regional District (CRD) director for the Salt Spring Electoral Area and a FAC member, confirmed the announcement was a “complete surprise to every FAC in the province,” and said the lack of an opportunity to suggest ways to improve communications left him suspicious of the ferry company’s motives. 

“My perception is that moving to a ‘modern’ digital approach isn’t about improving communication, but controlling the message,” said Holman, who also serves on the elected Salt Spring Local Community Commission.

“It’s a pretty shitty way to treat hundreds of knowledgeable and dedicated volunteers,” said Holman.  

Salt Spring FAC chair Harold Swierenga –– who has served on the body since 2006 and been its chair since 2007 –– confirmed no notice had been given, although he had observed a drop-off in BC Ferries’ engagement generally since the pandemic interrupted the ability to have regular in-person meetings.

In the past, Swierenga said, BC Ferries staff attending FAC meetings had included higher-level staff –– such as the marine superintendent or vice president of finance –– which meant time-sensitive decisions could be made at the meetings. More recently, he added, the meetings were attended largely by public engagement personnel, who could only pass on FAC concerns to operational staff. 

“I was surprised with what they said [in the call],” he said, “but not totally shocked.”  

Indeed, some planned in-person FAC meetings were halted last September, after a member of the public attending the Sunshine Coast FAC reportedly said she would “take a gun to everyone” over a reduction of sailings under consideration. In the months that followed, some meetings eventually began to take place online, although many were repeatedly postponed.  

Fewer scheduled meetings meant more ad hoc communications –– possibly compounded, Swierenga said, by organizational and personnel changes at BC Ferries. 

“The FAC concept is somewhat unique,” Swierenga wrote in a note to fellow FAC members shared with the Driftwood, “and I suspect some of the new staff may have been uncomfortable with the concept.” 

The Nov. 25 email to FAC members said BC Ferries’ plan was to develop a “digital-first, inclusive and representative approach that addresses the evolving needs of coastal communities and reflects the growing importance of online engagement.” 

BC Ferries has cited an August customer survey where it said 81 per cent of respondents “prefer to engage digitally” over the current format, although fewer than half of those responses indicated they were “aware” of the existing FAC model.   

Holman said the bottom line for BC Ferries, and the goal of engagement efforts including the FACs, is the delivery of affordable transportation services, and despite the company’s missteps, he felt Salt Spring’s service was generally on the right track, citing upcoming shifts in 2027 to a two-ship service for summer months at Fulford and year-round at Vesuvius. 

“I may be in the minority,” said Holman, “but on the whole, with three heavily subsidized routes on which service levels have recently been enhanced somewhat, I think Salt Spring Island is pretty well served.”