Imagine living in a remote area where the only access to the mainland is either by a passenger ferry or your own private vessel. On trips back and forth for supplies, to do your banking, visit your doctor or a friend, you dock your vessel at a float and go about your business. Sounds simple, right? Well, it's not going to be so simple anymore.
Residents on Gambier and Keats islands got the news they feared on Saturday that the Langdale dock they have used for years will cease to exist come June 15.
According to B.C. Ferries, safety at the float is the number one reason why public access to the float is being closed and that Transport Canada's new, enhanced post 9/11 port security upgrades are the secondary reason.
B.C. Ferries admitted Saturday that they never should have allowed public access to this float in the first place. The reason - they don't want to see anyone killed or injured. To our knowledge no one has ever been killed using that float. As for injuries, well, there are safety issues with anything. But are things suddenly so hazardous that this has become a huge safety liability? Islanders have been using this float for 50 years.
B.C. Ferries also admitted that they dropped the ball and that they were "late out of the gate" - a decision on this has been before the Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) for 18 months. So why has it taken so long for B.C. Ferries to have any exchange of dialogue with island residents? And when they finally did sit down with residents, it appears the decision was already made. Even though B.C. Ferries stated as recently as last month they had no idea when they would cut off access to the float, the date June 15 was suddenly pulled out of a hat on Saturday.
Improving safety is laudable and we realize that with the new Transport Canada regulations, B.C. Ferries probably didn't have much of a choice, but it's the way they went about making this choice that really stinks.
Consultation with area residents has been virtually non-existent - we'll just shut off access, too bad, so sad, we don't care.
Islanders will most certainly be left high and dry come June. They're upset. Can you blame them?
