qathet Sunshine Coast Community Workshop: What we Heard Summary

On Wednesday, July 3, we hosted the qathet Sunshine Coast Community Workshop in Powell River to gather feedback on the priorities for our ferry services. Participants included members from the Ferry Advisory Committee and the broader community. The discussion was lively and informative, and several key priorities emerged as areas of focus.

Read the verbatim comments from the evening here.

The highest-ranking priorities were:

Methods to ease connecting travel: Exploring ways to make it easier for those travelling between Powell River and the Lower Mainland are desired, including things like connecting reservations, dedicated staging lanes at terminals for connecting travellers, and more efficient communication when delays are occurring on one route or another.

Support for medical travellers: Participants indicated a desire to make travelling for medical purposes easier, including easier access to free TAP reservations, especially in the summer months, and making connecting travel easier for those going to/from the Mainland for appointments.

Road safety at Blubber Bay and Saltery Bay terminals: Participants noted the ongoing need to provide safe access to the terminals for school buses, foot passenger drop-off and pick-up, and those trying to access terminal amenities. This was noted as a particular concern during peak summer months when congestion on local roadways prohibits easy terminal access.

Thank you!

We would like to thank everyone who came out to our in person workshop, and the member of the Ferry Advisory Committee who joined us. If you were not able to make it, there is still an opportunity to provide your feedback through the online engagement open now until July 18: Take the survey.