Fintry Queen: hope floats

Hope floats – especially when you’re trying to relaunch the Fintry Queen.

Andy Schwab has for years been trying to relocate the 325-passenger ferry to the Penticton waterfront, where he hopes to run regular cruises to Naramata and Summerland, plus do charters and wine tours.

The plan has faced numerous obstacles and become ensnared in the larger debate about commercialization in and around Penticton’s parks.

But he remains undeterred, and is planning to launch a sprawling public consultation process to sell residents on the idea of allowing him to moor the vessel near the Kiwanis Walking Pier.

We understand some city officials are concerned Schwab’s business could go belly up, leaving the Fintry Queen permanently at anchor on the Penticton waterfront. That’s a legitimate concern, but Schwab has an answer for it.

He’s hoping as a first step to get on the agenda for the next Community Revitalization Committee, which reports to city council.

If elected officials are truly committed to the vision of making Penticton an “adventurous waterfront city,” they should do everything they can to support Schwab’s outreach campaign, beginning with allowing him to address the committee.

Yes, there are a lot of questions – particularly given the Fintry Queen was ordered out of its last home by the City of Kelowna in 2016 due to unpaid moorage fees – but Schwab insists he has the answers.

Let’s hear him out.

—Joe Fries, Penticton Herald