By Eric McNeely
BC Ferries is proposing a major change to Route 6 between Vesuvius and Crofton. It’s a change that could have serious economic and social consequences for Salt Spring Island.
The plan is to replace the MV Quinsam with two smaller Island-class ferries, both homeported off-island. This decision will have real impacts on Salt Spring ferry workers and their families.
Right now, the Route 6 run supports local, stable, eight-hour positions based on Salt Spring. Under the proposed plan, these would become 10- or 12-hour shifts, requiring nearly two hours of unpaid commuting each day.
For many workers, this is an unsustainable change, forcing some to make the choice to leave.
When workers are forced to leave or take jobs off-island, the island loses residents, volunteers and contributors to local schools, services and businesses.
BC Ferries has positioned this change as a green initiative, but the new ships burn more diesel combined than the Quinsam, and there’s no immediate capability to power them using BC Hydro. Presenting this as an environmental improvement, without shore-based charging in place, is misleading.
Emergency response also deserves thoughtful consideration. In February, when an air ambulance couldn’t fly due to weather, the Quinsam provided an additional late-night sailing to transfer a patient by ambulance from Salt Spring. Because the vessel was already on-island, the transfer was immediate. If the vessel had been homeported in Crofton, the delay could have been critical.
What’s most concerning is the lack of consultation.
The crews who work this route weren’t asked for input. The community hasn’t been properly informed. The Ferry Advisory Committees, which would’ve provided a forum for community input, were dissolved before this proposal was announced.
Salt Spring Islanders haven’t been given a clear opportunity to ask questions or offer insight on this major change to their ferry service. Salt Spring deserves to be heard. Operational decisions that affect communities shouldn’t be made behind closed doors.
There’s a simple solution. Homeport one vessel on Salt Spring and one on Vancouver Island. This is already done successfully on the Nanaimo–Gabriola route, and it would preserve both community access and local employment on Salt Spring.
We urge residents to speak up. Contact your elected officials and BC Ferries directly. Ask questions. Demand transparency. Before this change is finalized, the community deserves a clear voice at the table.
The author is president of the BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union.