Ferries should support coastal economies

Re: “Leaky ferry out for second time,” July 20. In 1958, premier W.A.C. Bennett recognized the need for a reliable provincial ferry service. When I arrived on Texada Island in 1972, our ferries were classified as part of the highway system.

A B.C. Ferries website says their “commitment to customer safety and service has never been stronger.” Words are cheap and the efforts by the privatized coastal ferry fleet to “improve service and shield taxpayers from future debt” have only downgraded the service on all of the northern runs to the detriment of the coastal economies.

The privatized corporation is pursuing non-resident travel dollars with the creation of “coastal getaways” in an attempt to reimage the fleet as “cruise” ships rather than the highways they were intended to be.

Commerce and tourism are dependent on reliable and timely transportation links. The current management has the Queen of Burnaby (Comox-Powell River) back in drydock at the peak of tourist season, with the North Island Princess (Texada) filling the gap on the Sunshine Coast right after needing a tugboat to ensure her ability to cross the water — during a weekend that draws as many tourists to Texada as the people who live here.

Northern rural economies have always had challenges with freight cost and location. I suggest the coast is the tourism jewel of B.C. If you do not support the local resident populations, the businesses that attract tourism cannot survive the off-season. Leslie Goresky Texada Island