Dyan Dunsmoor-Farley writes:
Hello all,
I am writing to you in two capacities: as a member of the Ferry Advisory Committee and as a member of Sustainable Gabriola. As you know the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure held an Open House and community meeting on Tuesday night at the Haven on Gabriola. The FAC and the FAC Chairs had made it clear that the approach the province is taking to this consultation was flawed. Nonetheless, it was good to hear so many Gabriolans contributing to the debate. If you were unable to attend please consider filling out the online feedback form at http://www.coastalferriesengagement.ca/index.html .
Because the FAC and Sustainable Gabriola are concerned about how the consultation is being conducted, we have decided to conduct our own consultation addressing the questions that we, as island ferry users, think are important. This includes: what the purpose of the ferry service should be, what values and principles should guide it, how it should be governed, who it should be accountable to and how it should be paid for. A discussion of possible models will be included in this discussion building on some of the creative ideas that surfaced at the recent Ratepayers’ meeting.
We have booked the Community Hall for December 8th from 10:00 to 1:00. More detailed information will be posted in the coming week. This is an opportunity for use to build our vision of a ferry service from the ground up. Please mark the date in your calendar. Feel free to call me if you have any questions or if you would like to help with any aspect of organizing and hosting this event.
Sincerely,
Dyan Dunsmoor-Farley
Gabriola Ferry Advisory Committee
250 247-8060