Denman Island Community Page

We wanted to let the community know of a remediation project they will see happening at the Denman East terminal in the coming weeks. This work is unrelated to the terminal upgrades and will not involve the removal of trees at any point.

We need to remediate 70 metres of shoreline at the terminal to keep our structures safe. Work is expected to begin mid-July and continue through to mid-August. You’ll see big rocks (called rip rap) being placed along the west side of the terminal. Work is focused only on our current shoreline structure.

There will not be any operational impact or any changes to traffic patterns while our contractor works. Work will be completed during the day and in accordance with the regulations and bylaws of the Islands Trust and Comox Valley Regional District. The use of equipment means there will be some additional noise during the day, and we will do everything we can to minimize impact to our nearby neighbours.

If you have any questions about the project, please email us at engagement@bcferries.com.

UPDATE: Thank you to all those taking the time to respond to the survey, we have already received over 90 responses to date!

We have recently been made aware that some participants are receiving an error message when attempting to complete the survey. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate the frustration this has caused. We have addressed the issues and participants should no longer be required to enter email addresses. We have also removed a link we believe was leading participants away from the survey before they were able to complete it. We will continue to monitor to ensure everyone has the opportunity to provide their comments and feedback and we have extended the survey until June 16 to provide additional time for community members to give their feedback.

If you continue to receive an error and cannot complete the survey, or you would prefer to leave your feedback via email, please reach out to us at engagement@bcferries.com

Note: While logging in is not required, if you would like to do so to complete the survey, you will need to create a login profile for this engagement portal (bcferriesprojects.ca), which will be different than your bcferries.com login.

BC Ferries is working to improve ferry service for residents of Denman Island and Hornby Island. As part of this work, we want to hear your thoughts, concerns and aspirations for two key initiatives: the Denman Island East Terminal Project and enhanced summer service on Routes 21 and 22.

Visit the project page to participate in online engagement and share your thoughts: https://www.bcferriesprojects.ca/denman-east-terminal

Thank you to everyone who attended our round table conversations on May 26 and 27^th.

Eighteen BC Ferries staff and two professional facilitators were joined by 170 people on Denman Island and 90 people on Hornby Island to have open dialogue on the Denman East terminal project, summer schedules, and other topics of importance to the community.

Participate online

We continue to listen through our online engagement, which is open until June 16^th for those who were not able to attend the sessions, or those who wish to contribute additional feedback. Share your thoughts here: https://www.bcferriesprojects.ca/denman-east-terminal/survey_tools/denman-hornby-feedback

What we heard

We are grateful for the input we received. A detailed ‘what we heard report’ will be coming, but some of the key themes we heard were:

From Denman Island:

• The impact of Hornby Island-bound traffic on safety and quality of life for Denman Island residents, e.g. speeding, road safety, environmental impact
• The desire for a direct Buckley Bay – Hornby Island route
• The importance of taking a full-system view, including the potential to make changes at Buckley Bay to mitigate the traffic concerns created by Hornby-bound traffic, e.g. allowing only one Hornby Island sailing of traffic onto Denman Island at a time
• The desire to retain as many trees as possible and the rural feel of the Denman East terminal
• The desire to be re-engaged on plans for the Denman East terminal

From Hornby Island:

• The importance of travel certainty for residents, and the desire for priority for medical travel and school children
• The desire for Hornby residents to have equal shared deck space with Denman residents on the sailings between Denman Island and Buckley Bay
• The desire to proceed with the Denman East terminal project
• Requests for clarity on operational procedures, e.g. loading/unloading procedures, livestock policies etc.
• Requests to reassess the Monday-Friday two-ship schedule from Buckley Bay – Denman Island, and realign sailings to include weekends

Our next steps

Using the feedback we heard through our sessions and online, we will prepare a ‘what we heard’ report for publication to communities this summer.

Our teams are already busy discussing how we can respond to what we heard. We will be back to the communities later this summer/early fall with our next steps. This will include an update on our plans for further engagement on the Denman East terminal project for both Denman and Hornby Island communities.

Once again, thank you to everyone who attended the sessions. And thank you for hosting us in your community halls. We greatly appreciate the use of these amazing community spaces and we look forward to continuing our work with you in the near future.

BC Ferries is working to improve ferry service for residents of Denman Island and Hornby Island. As part of this work, we want to hear your thoughts, concerns and aspirations for two key initiatives: the Denman Island East Terminal Project and enhanced summer service on Routes 21 and 22.

Visit the project page to participate in online engagement and share your thoughts: https://www.bcferriesprojects.ca/denman-east-terminal

The review of the Baynes Sound Connector is now available in its entirety. View it here.

Report Summary

Our four-year plan submitted to the BC Ferry Commissioner on September 30, 2022 included a proposed expansion and repowering of the Baynes Sound Connected in 2026. The bigger ship was proposed to move additional traffic and better support a higher capacity vessel on Route 22, the connection between Denman and Hornby Islands.

Since submitting the report, we have completed a review of vessel operations to date and assessed alternative ways to accommodate future demand. The review considered multiple options including replacing the Baynes Sound Connector with a conventional ferry.

Upon review, it was decided to accelerate upgrades to the vessel machinery and hull coatings while deferring the proposed expansion of the vessel. Instead, we will be deploying the Kahloke alongside the Baynes Sound Connector this summer and bringing the Quinitsa into service on Route 22.

Starting June 22, the Kahloke and Baynes Sound Connector will operate together Monday to Friday on Route 21. This service is scheduled through to September 4. In addition, the Quinitsa, which began service earlier this week between Denman and Hornby Islands, will continue on the route into December.

This fall we’ll review how the summer went and collect feedback from customers and crew to inform a final decision on the proposed expansion of the Baynes Sound Connector.

In the link above, and in the sidebar on this page, you will find the report comparing the options that supported our decision. This report has been shared with the BC Ferry Commissioner, the BC Ferry Authority, and our operations board.

We are hosting two large community events next week (May 26^th and 27^th) to discuss medium-term plans for the Baynes Sound Connector, evaluation criteria for summer service and safety-related upgrades at the Denman East terminal. You can learn more about the sessions here.

Session Format

For these sessions, BC Ferries is working with third-party facilitators from Spur Communication who help organizations and communities hold meaningful conversations on challenging topics.

These events will be facilitated circle discussions allowing you to sit in face-to-face conversation with fellow community members and BC Ferries staff. Drop in and join in the discussions most relevant to you. Agendas for each session are noted above.

There will be three consecutive circle discussions, each focused on a different topic of conversation:

• The Denman East terminal upgrade project and mitigating environmental impacts of the project
• Evaluating enhanced summer schedules for Routes 21 and 22, and vessel plans for both routes
• Other topics the community would like to discuss

Conversations will be hosted by two facilitators and relevant BC Ferries experts. We value respectful dialogue and participation, and will be actively creating a space in which all voices can be heard. We look forward to meeting with you.

Send us your questions ahead of time

Let us know what questions you’d like answers to by leaving a note on our virtual ideas board.

Click here to visit the virtual ideas board and add your questions

To learn more about the project, visit the documents library on the right hand side of the page.

Meet our facilitators

Spur Communication is a strategic communication consultancy. Since 2015, we have helped partners build better conversations. We specialize in communication planning and implementation, as well as the design, execution and evaluation of engagement programs. Our services include facilitation, public and stakeholder engagement, communication strategy and crisis communication.

We have a breadth of experience helping our clients engage meaningfully through constructive dialogue. Our clients include Capital Regional District, BC Hydro, the Government of BC, Transportation Investment Corp., the City of North Vancouver, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and a wide range of non-profit organizations providing integral community supports.

Spur operates on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples.

We are accelerating service enhancements for Routes 21 and 22 this summer, including:

• Providing additional capacity on the Denman-Hornby Island route from May to December by replacing the Kahloke (21 vehicle capacity) with the Quinitsa (44 vehicle capacity)
• Providing two-ship service Monday-Friday on the Denman-Buckley Bay route from June to September by operating the Kahloke alongside the Baynes Sound Connector

These improvements balance the communities' need for additional service during peak season, and BC Ferries operational constraints.

• Running two-ships between Denman Island and Buckley Bay, Monday to Friday allows us to reliably crew both vessels, and focuses increased service on supporting critical resident travel (medical, shopping, business, commercial)
• Operating the Quinitsa between Denman Island and Hornby Island through peak season provides increased service on the route for as long as possible, while allowing the vessel to serve as a relief vessel on other routes where needed

We will be engaging with the community on how to evaluate the success of this enhanced service at our upcoming engagement sessions at the end of May. Learn more about these sessions by clicking the link below.

• Denman East Terminal Upgrade

The Baynes Sound Connector will temporarily be removed from service on our Denman Island West – Buckley Bay (Vancouver Island) route for scheduled maintenance from Wednesday, April 12 - Sunday, April 23, 2023.

Please note: During this time, the Quinitsa will provide replacement service on this route and the loading ramp's maximum permitted gross vehicle weight (GVW) will be reduced to 39,500 kilograms and 5 axles.

The new BC Ferries app is now available for download to your mobile device in the App Store and Google Play Store. Designed with convenience and personalization in mind, the app makes it easier than ever to check schedules and current conditions, book sailings and manage your trips.

New features and enhancements include:

• Travel Preferences: Allows customers to save travel details for quick access to schedules and current conditions and make faster bookings on frequently travelled routes.
• Current Conditions: Route sailing status and estimated deck space will be easier to view with the updated app layout.
• Making and Managing Bookings: New designs and personalized travel preferences will enable easier bookings. Customers can quickly jump to the next available sailing with the new Express book feature, and manage existing bookings on-the-go.
• Schedules: Enhanced features on daily and seasonal schedules and the introduction of travel preferences will make it easier to trip plan.
• Alerts: Gives customers the option to receive timely push- notifications for service notices and upcoming sailing reminders on their device.
• Seamless check-in: Customers can find their upcoming trips on their app dashboard to access the booking barcode for seamless check-in at the terminal.

This is BC Ferries first release and the company already has plans for new features and functionality. The app will also continue to evolve based on feedback from customers and evolving digital trends.

More information about the mobile app, including how to and helpful tips, is available online at https://www.bcferries.com/app

Since filing in September 2022, an elevated risk of recession, coupled with higher inflation and cost pressures across BC Ferries operations, has forced a recalculation of estimates and plans contained in the company’s Performance Term Six Submission to the independent BC Ferries Commissioner.

Revisions to the plan are in three key areas:

• Traffic Outlook – BC Ferries’ traffic outlook has been updated to reflect the growing certainty of a mild recession occurring during Fiscal 2024;
• Capital Program and Maintenance – continued inflation and higher maintenance costs associated with maintaining an ageing fleet have been factored into an updated schedule and 12-year capital plan.
• Labour and Talent Development – a more comprehensive view of actions necessary to secure required crew levels in response to the growing gap of both exempt and bargaining unit wages relative to the marketplace.

The revised plan also acknowledges the recent commitment of $500 million in new funding from the Province to support the lowering of fare increases for people who rely upon the coastal ferry service. While funding terms are not finalized, the Commissioner will determine the impact on BCF’s revised four-year plan, and will make a final determination on the Performance Term Six price caps by September 30, 2023. The plan is now posted on the Commissioner’s website bcferrycommission.ca for public feedback.

Click here to view the full media release.