Mayors Silas White (Town of Gibsons) and Andrew Leonard (Bowen Island Municipality) have issued a formal call to Premier David Eby for immediate intervention to address the ongoing deterioration of ferry service on BC Ferries Routes 3 (Langdale–Horseshoe Bay) and 8 (Snug Cove–Horseshoe Bay).
In a detailed letter sent April 25, the mayors describe a “system in crisis, with frequent service breakdowns, prolonged delays, and an absence of accountability across the organizations responsible for coastal ferry operations.”
The letter notes the most recent example — over the Easter long weekend — included a vessel breakdown and widespread service disruptions, which left travellers stranded and communities scrambling to respond.
White told Coast Reporter on Friday, the regular service issues are “incredibly disruptive to our daily lives on the Sunshine Coast.”
“And people were stuck last Thursday. I know people had to stay overnight, which again, it was that the last ferry ended up being at 1:30 in the morning and people had to stay overnight on the other side, which is really rare,” said White. “But that's what BC Ferries is treating as the norm for us now.”
On April 21, the Monday of the Easter long weekend, the 10:50 a.m. sailing of the Queen of Coquitlam from Langdale was stranded outside of Horseshoe Bay for four hours and finally escorted by tug boat into dock, after an issue with its "pitch control.” Besides that delay, that caused several sailings to be cancelled causing some travellers to miss work, important appointments and flights.
In the letter, White reminds Eby that in 2023 he committed to making BC Ferries a top priority.
“Yet today, our communities remain burdened by an unreliable service that affects not just travel plans, but our residents’ health, livelihoods, and businesses."
The letter outlines four specific demands for provincial action:
- Creation of an accountable governance table that includes ferry-dependent local governments alongside BC Ferries leadership and regulators.
- Mandatory transparency in operational data, including real-time and historical performance metrics at the route level.
- Immediate service improvements for Routes 3 and 8, including increased vessel redundancy and a clear timeline for vessel and terminal upgrades.
- Reinstatement of meaningful community engagement structures to ensure ferry users have a real influence on operational and capital planning decisions.
"Reliable ferry service is not a luxury — it is a fundamental public service, critical to the economic and social well-being of ferry-dependent communities," Leonard said in the letter. "The consequences of inaction are profound and growing."
The mayors have requested a written response by May 31 and a meeting with Premier Eby and Minister of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) Mike Farnworth, before the peak summer travel season.
On Thursday, April 24, Coast Reporter made requests for information from both the office of Randene Neill, MLA of Powell River-Sunshine Coast, and the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, regarding the service disruptions of the past week, including the Easter long weekend.
On Friday, Coast Reporter received an email statement from MOTT, which read, "People on the Coast rely on BC Ferries for reliable transportation to and from home, to visit family, and to get goods and services to their community. It is our expectation that BC Ferries provides a reliable service that meets the needs of the communities they serve."
The statement added, BC Ferries' operations are overseen by both the BC Ferry Authority and the BC Ferries Corporation Board. "As BC Ferries is a private company, the province remains at arm's length from its day-to-day operations."
"Through BC Ferries, it is our understanding that certain vessels are currently undergoing refits in preparation for the busy summer season and were therefore unavailable to provide additional service over Easter long weekend," the email continued. "We understand that BC Ferries has finalized its vessel deployment plans for the upcoming peak summer season to help manage increased travel demand across the system, including Route 3.
"The summer schedule, now available in BC Ferries' website, includes the return of a fully dedicated second vessel on Route 3 during the peak summer season. The Queen of Coquitlam will operate on this route seven days a week to support higher traffic volumes."
Neill also responded Friday afternoon with an emailed statement.
