The B.C. government will follow through on controversial cost-cutting measures for BC Ferries, including the elimination of a route tourism operators say will kill their businesses.
"We as a government and a province need to address the significant cost pressures facing the coastal ferry system all the while ensuring that we do everything we can to respect the taxpayers of B.C.," transportation minister Todd Stone said at a press conference February 5.
In November, Stone announced several cost-saving measures, including the reduction of a seniors' discount, testing slot machines on sailings between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen and cutting some sailings on routes that service small communities on B.C.'s central coast.
The decision to completely cancel the summer sailing between Port Hardy and Bella Coola also still stands, said Stone.
Tourism operators in Bella Coola and the Chilcotin area say that cut, which is part of the Discovery Coast Circle Route, will be a major blow to their businesses.
The B.C. government plans to replace the Queen of Chilliwack, the 115-car ship that currently travels directly between Port Hardy and Bella Coola with the smaller Nimpkish, which can hold 16 cars. The journey will now also involve a transfer.
A report released by the Tourism Industry Association of B.C. on January 13 concluded that many tourism and other businesses that serve the circle route would face hardship or have to close because of the decision to cut the ferry route.
