The sa国际传媒 government brought in its long-expected ferry cuts, and the pain will be felt up and down the coast. Users of the smaller sa国际传媒 Ferries routes, who have been waiting for the hammer to fall, now know the details. But two surprises were added to the mix: Seniors will lose half their discount, and slot machines could start showing up on major routes, a move that smacks of desperation.
Although sa国际传媒 Ferries is supposed to operate like a private company, the announcement makes it clear that government is driving the decision-making process.
鈥淭he government of sa国际传媒 is charting a new course for our coastal ferries鈥� future,鈥� it reads. 鈥淭he guiding principles behind all future decisions to affect the coastal ferry service will be based on an affordable, efficient and sustainable system which protects basic service to coastal communities for future generations.
鈥淭hese guiding principles are a framework for sa国际传媒 Ferries and the sa国际传媒 Ferry commissioner.鈥�
Of the three principles, 鈥渁ffordable鈥� takes centre stage in this round of changes, no surprise after the government had already demanded savings of $18.9 million.
In the first round, $14 million will be cut from smaller routes, where usage rates often are below 30 per cent, and Ferries will find another $4.9 million on the major routes before April.
Some of the minor-route cuts are substantial: The route between Port Hardy and Bella Coola via the mid-coast will be cancelled, Port Hardy-Prince Rupert will be cut by 32 per cent, Vesuvius-Crofton by 12 per cent, Skidegate-Prince Rupert by 27.2 per cent, Gabriola-Nanaimo by 14.5 per cent. Powell River will see cuts in sailings to Comox and Texada Island. The Brentwood Bay-Mill Bay ferry is not affected.
For residents of the smaller islands who have lobbied against service cuts, it will become harder to get on and off their islands.
For seniors, the discount offered sa国际传媒 residents over 65 was a popular perk of getting older, with about one million seniors taking advantage of the deal. It offered a free passenger ride between Monday and Thursday on most routes. They had to pay only for their vehicles.
Instead, beginning April 1, they will pay 50 per cent of the ticket price. The government expects that as many as 150,000 seniors will stay home rather than pay. Chopping the seniors鈥� discount will save the ferry service $6 million.
It鈥檚 an unwelcome move among seniors, but it鈥檚 part of a growing trend. As baby boomers move into their senior years, companies across North America are looking at the increasing cost of seniors鈥� discounts and are phasing them out.
Cutting costs can only go so far, which is why the province wants to find new sources of revenue. First up for consideration is gambling, which seems to be Plan B any time raising taxes seems unpalatable.
Despite the legion of problems it creates and the disproportionate amount of money it pillages from those who can least afford it, we are likely to see slot machines or other gaming options on ferries between the Island and Vancouver.
As always, there are no easy answers to the Ferries dilemma. The provincial government will contribute $180 million to sa国际传媒 Ferries this year, which means $1.4 billion in the last 10 years. Costs keep rising.
Badly underused routes don鈥檛 make economic sense, so some cuts are inevitable. Standardization of ferries, no-frills vessels and new technologies such as natural gas are potential money-savers that Ferries is considering.
But offering gambling as a way to keep the ferry system afloat suggests the decision-makers are bereft of ideas.
