NDP pledge to freeze BC ferry rates

Party also plans to create grant program

The New Democratic Party promised Wednesday to freeze ferry rates for two years while conducting an audit of BC Ferries’ operations, targeting a service that has angered coastal residents because of increasing fares and service reductions.

The plan, which came on the second day of the campaign for the May 14 election, was part of a list of NDP platform promises that also pledged hundreds of millions of dollars for skills training programs and postsecondary education grants.

The B. C. Liberals immediately attacked the announcements, saying the NDP had already committed to spending $ 1 billion, which the governing party said was far more than the province can afford.

NDP leader Adrian Dix said that if his party is elected, his government would launch an audit to determine how BC Ferries can save money or shift resources to keep fares low and ensure the service is meeting the needs of coastal communities.

During the audit, the NDP would spend $ 40 million over two years to prevent any rate increases until at least March 31, 2015.

“We shouldn’t forget the essential role BC Ferries plays in communities,” Dix said at a campaign stop in Abbotsford.

“It is an economic linchpin in many communities. For many people, it’s completely essential not just to their weekly lives, but to their daily lives.” On Wednesday, Liberal Premier Christy Clark said the NDP’s rate freeze was simply too expensive.

The Liberal party platform, released earlier in the week, includes a plan to pay off BC Ferries’ $ 1 billion debt, but not urgently.

The Liberals would use its so- called prosperity fund, which would be supported by expected liquefied natural gas revenues, but the fund isn’t expected to be up and running until 2017. The NDP would also put off planned service reductions, now scheduled to take effect next year.

In addition, the NDP would spend $ 80 million over three years to improve B. C.’ s skills training and apprenticeship system for students and employers, and would create a one- time $ 20- million scholarship fund for post- secondary and skills training students.