As part of their contract with the Province, BC Ferries must apply to the Ferry Commissioner for approval of major expenditures. BC Ferries has now submitted an application for four new Island Class vessels and one new Salish Class vessel. Two of the Island Class vessels are earmarked for the Gabriola/Nanaimo route to provide a much-needed increase in capacity.
The Ferry Commissioner has posted the application on their website, along with a notice inviting public comment. Deadline for public comments is November 30, 2018. Please consider taking a moment to let the Ferry Commissioner know what you think.
I completely support the procurement of these ferries with two of them to be placed on the Nanaimo – Gabriola Island route. It should also be known that I support a complete redesign and build of the Gabriola Island terminal as outlined in the recent study regarding this issue.