Rising ferry fares combined with service cutbacks have scuppered a sizable chunk of the province's economy, according to a report released last week.
The report, commissioned by the Union of B.C. Municipalities, concluded fare hikes over the past decade have cost the province about $2.3 billion in forgone economic activity. Because, while passenger volumes increased for most other modes of transportation during that time frame, on B.C. Ferries they fell sharply.
Small coastal communities dependent on ferry traffic may have taken the biggest hit, but they're not the only ones on stormy seas. The report makes it clear there's also been a significant ripple effect.
One suggestion floated by the report is to consider an often overlooked level of government for a life ring - in Ottawa - which receives back in taxes considerably more than it invests in the system. But the overwhelming issues faced by B.C. Ferries are still the province's to consider.
Politicians and ferry executives were busy doing the backstroke, taking pains not to see the obvious relationship between rising fares and travellers' decisions to take a pass.
But the evidence presented just makes common sense. Why take a family to Vancouver Island on vacation when you can go south of the border for far cheaper?
Even "user pay" systems only work as long as there are still users. When they disappear, the report made clear, it affects everyone financially - whether they live in Lund or Burnaby.
