Denman Island Community Page

In keeping with terminal development plans created in consultation with the community, the Denman East terminal is being upgraded to help ease traffic congestion and improve safety and access to the terminal for people and vehicles. The project will begin in mid-February and continue until the end of May 2023.

Key aspects of the project include:

• Reducing congestion on the roadway and creating safer vehicle access by expanding the holding area at the terminal and adding a holding lane along East Road.
• Making it safer and easier for walk-on passengers to access the terminal by creating a short-term parking, dedicated foot-passenger access, and a dedicated pick-up/drop-off area.

Work will begin with the clearing of trees surrounding the terminal to make way for an expanded holding lot and lanes. BC Ferries will donate the lumber to local First Nations and community organizations. We will also be working with properties in close proximity to reduce the impact of tree removal and construction activities. Tree clearing activities will conclude by mid-March to avoid nesting season for local birds.

While construction is active travelers will notice construction vehicles and activity at the terminal. Traffic management personnel will be on hand at key times to help ensure everyone’s safety.

Please visit the Denman East Terminal Upgrade project page at https://www.bcferriesprojects.ca/denman-east-terminal to stay up to date on construction progress.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at engagement@bcferries.com

In response to a request from the Denman-Hornby Ferry Advisory Committee and the broader public, the schedule for the route will be adjusted to improve connections for those travelling to Hornby Island on Friday evenings. The revised Friday evening schedule will commence December 16th, 2022 and remain in effect through the duration of the off-peak season until further notice.

To accommodate the change, the existing round trip at 7:50 pm leaving Hornby and 8:45 pm leaving Denman will be replaced by two round trips that have been realigned with Buckley Bay sailing times on Friday evenings. The revised schedule with the additional round trip and revised departure times is outlined below:

Note: Those travelling from Buckley Bay on the 7pm ferry will connect with the 7:40 pm above and those travelling from the 8:30 pm sailing from Buckley Bay will connect to the 9:10pm above.

Summary of Engagement Results

On November 7, 2022 we held a community drop-in on both Hornby and Denman Island. We had over 130 people attend the events in person, in addition to over 700 people who visited the online community page and reviewed information being presented. Comments and feedback about important topics to the community were also collected on the pages and in person. A quick synopsis of engagement results for each island can be found below. The full report is available and can be found by clicking the links below or in the Documents section on the right-hand side of this page.

• Engagement Summary Report

Denman Island
Synopsis of Engagement Results

67 participants attending in person and over 50 comments were received

Engagement activities included:

• A three-week online engagement
• One in person community drop in

Key themes that emerged from the engagement included:

• Future of the Baynes Sound Connector
• Accessibility (time and day) and format of community event
• Increased service levels – extension of schedule

Hornby Island
Synopsis of Engagement Results

71 participants attending in person and over 80 comments were received

Engagement activities included:

• A three-week online engagement
• One in person community drop in

Key themes that emerged from the engagement included:

• Future of the Baynes Sound Connector
• Desire for resident priority
• Equal access for Hornby traffic

BC Ferries has heard the requests from Hornby Islanders for a larger vessel on the route and we understand the strong desire for an increase in service. We realize there is a need for more capacity on this route at peak times, as well as a number of other routes throughout the ferry system.

In September of 2022, we presented our Performance Term Six Submission (PT6) to the BC Ferries Commissioner. The submission provides financial and service planning information that helps the Commissioner in setting a price cap, the maximum allowable increase to fares for the next four years (2024-2028). The submission includes proposals for many needed service enhancements for our customers. This includes new vessels as well as a number of near-term service enhancements to increase capacity on some inter-island routes, including the Denman – Hornby route, as well as major routes and northern routes.

For the Denman Island – Hornby Island route, we are planning to deploy a larger vessel in the peak season starting as early as next summer. The MV Quinitsa, which carries approximately 44 vehicles, will replace the current vessel, the MV Kahloke, which carries approximately 21 vehicles in the summer months. The Kahloke would transition to the Buckley Bay – Denman Island route to provide supplementary service alongside the Baynes Sound Connector for the peak season. We are confirming our plans now and will keep the community updated on this page.

The Commissioner will make the final determination on the PT6 price caps by September 30, 2023. In the meantime, we encourage community members to review and provide feedback on the submission by visiting the Commission’s website at www.bcferrycommission.ca.

Under contract to the Province, BC Ferries is the service provider responsible for ferry service along coastal British Columbia.

UPDATE (November 14, 2022): Thank you for participating and sharing your thoughts and feedback. This session is now closed, and we will be reporting back to the community on what we heard and next steps in the coming weeks. Please check back to this page for updates and to view the report.

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