Ferry Advisory Committee Pages

BC Ferries and Snuneymuxw First Nation Enter into Relationship Agreement

(Snuneymuxw Territory, B.C.) - BC Ferries and Snuneymuxw First Nation have entered into a relationship protocol agreement to guide their work together going forward. The agreement is the first step in building a strong partnership between the two parties built on mutual respect, recognition, mutual benefit and cooperation.

The agreement is based on a recognition of Snuneymuxw’s rights under the Snuneymuxw Treaty of 1854 that protects and preserves Snuneymuxw lands and waters, and enables trade and commerce in their territory. The agreement also affirms the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as the framework for reconciliation between the two parties.

Read the full press release here.

VICTORIA – The Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival runs from July 15 to 17, and that’s something to get excited about.

Measuring just 51 square miles, skinny little Denman Island sits in the Strait of Georgia wedged between even tinier Hornby Island and the east coast of Vancouver Island. The 1,300 people who call Denman (Sla-dai-aich) home regularly welcome visitors to a variety of events. There’s the biannual Denman Island Home and Garden tour (“long been considered one of BC’s top horticultural events”), the yearly Denman Island Pottery Studio tour (“1 island. 2 days. 10 studios.”) and even a baroque music festival and workshop.

In the summer, BC Ferries increases the number of hours it sails between Vancouver Island and Denman Island seven days a week. Extra weekend service is also added between Denman Island and Hornby Island to get residents and visitors to where they want to go.

But one annual happening, perhaps, shows better than all of them how the island punches above its weight in celebrating art and community.

Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival is a festival with a difference: eclectic and intimate, hosting and showcasing authors of different genres and statures from Canada and beyond, and promoting Indigenous writers, both established and emerging, all while attracting myriad readers and writers who come for entertainment and enlightenment.

Read the full News Release here.

VICTORIA – About 10 years ago, Dorothy and her weary wooden shell, caught a free ride on a BC Ferry headed to Gabriola Island. On June 28, 2022 Dorothy will take advantage of another complimentary trip, putting an end to her Gabriola sabbatical. A lot has changed during the decade long experience. Thanks to some restoration work, the 125-year-old beauty doesn’t look a day over 30, and her trip back to Vancouver Island will be on board a hybrid electric Island Class ferry, which should appeal to the environmental sensibilities of the oldest registered operational sailboat in Canada.

Read the full News Release here.

BC Ferries celebrates Ferry Advisory Committee Volunteers
National Volunteer Week 2022

To ensure our service meets the needs of communities across coastal BC, we regularly consult with the 13 Ferry Advisory Committees comprised of residents who represent local communities serviced by our inter-island routes.

FAC Chairs and members work year-round to provide BC Ferries with advice and insight that helps inform day-to-day operations, terminal and vessel improvements, schedule changes, and other initiatives. There are no days off for an FAC Chair. They answer emails, phone calls, and questions from community members 24/7. Find out more about the Ferry Advisory Committee Volunteers in the profiles below.

Bowen Island - Melanie Mason
Chemainus, Thetis, Penelakut - Keith Rush and Sharon Cross
Mill Bay, Brentwood Bay - Ian Cameron
North and Central Coast - Councillor Reg Moody
Northern Sunshine Coast - Kim Barton-Bridges
Quadra, Cortes - Michael Lynch
Salt Spring Island - Harold Swierenga
Southern Gulf Islands - Mary Greenwood
Tri Islands - Melissa Fletcher