The City of Fernie is sending a letter of support to the BC Ferry Coalition. The City of Fernie received a letter from Barry Pages, chair of the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District (SQCRD) Board regarding the BC Ferries service cuts and fare increases announced by the province of B.C. on November 18, 2013.
“Ferries are a part of highways,” said Fernie Councillor Randal Mcnair. “If some other corner of government were to tell us that use of our highways were to be cut back 20 per cent of the time, I would hope that the folks in the Queen Charlottes and that part of the world would come to our aid in the coast communities and the Kootenays. What's transpiring is going to have considerable impact on the economic viability of many of these communities. We know what it's like to go through a difficult time. We know how important the transportation corridors are to our communities in the Kootenays and in the Peace, the Fraser Valley and the islands.”
The SQCRD board is requesting support to fight the proposed cuts to BC Ferries’ services and is supportive of the BC Ferry Coalition's continued efforts to oppose these cuts and fare increases.
“The SQCRD board is undivided in its concern over the rising costs and the proposed reduction in ferry services to coastal communities,” wrote Pages. “Many hotels across the province have already shown concern over the sustainability of their business, as they are seeing an unprecedented amount of booking cancellations brought on by the BC Ferries service cuts.”
The BC Ferry Coalition is an ad hoc steering committee of allied residents from coastal communities around B.C.