Southern Sunshine Coast Community Page

We've gathered a list of what we’ve heard as priorities from your Ferry Advisory Committee and community over the past two years. Now we need your help to:

• Review the list of feedback we’ve received from your community
• Prioritize the feedback we can action

Your feedback will be used by the Community Prioritization Panel (CPP) - a panel comprised of Ferry Advisory Committee Chairs from across the coast - to create a prioritized list of recommendations for the whole BC Ferries system.

The survey is now closed. Check back on this page for updates on the process and what we heard from your community.

On Monday June 17, we hosted the Southern Sunshine Coast Community Workshop 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:

• Near-term Service Improvements,
• Reservations and travel certainty
• and Accessibility.

Near-term Service Improvements

Participants emphasized the need to enhance on-time performance and improve service. Their comments focused on the current off-season scheduling, which has gaps of up to three hours between ferries. They requested a review and adjustment of this schedule, alongside an extension of the peak season schedule to better accommodate demand.

Reservations

Feedback on the reservation system highlighted the need for better travel certainty and the importance of communication and greater flexibility with reservation and walk-on cutoff times. Examples shared included not requiring reservation holders to show up 30 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing time when it is known the sailings are running behind. The availability of reservations is also crucial, as residents cannot always plan their trips far in advance, and many sailings are often sold out well in advance. We also heard from some participants the suggestion of removing reservations and asked for greater transparency regarding reservation data.

Accessibility

Accessibility improvements were another top priority. Participants asked for more accessible washrooms on vessels and at terminals. We heard shared ideas on enhancing the terminal experience for people with different mobility needs.

Communications During Delays and Cancellations

Participants noted that the 'Current Conditions' updates need to be more accurate and suggested that overall communication and status updates need significant improvement.

Understanding Priorities

Lastly, we also asked participants what makes an item a priority for them. Several responded that they would like to see marketing deprioritized. One participant articulated this sentiment well, stating that they want to be able to travel easily, efficiently, and at a reasonable price.

Thank you!

We would like to thank everyone who came out to our in person workshop, and the members 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 until July 2nd.

Join us! For an Interactive Community Workshop

Monday, June 17, 2024

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Sechelt

Please note: The event registration is full. Join the waitlist to be next in line should space become available.

Agenda

• Introduction & presentation: 20 minutes
• Reviewing the feedback we’ve heard from you (interactive stations): 35 minutes
• Prioritizing the feedback we’ve heard from you (interactive stations): 30 minutes
• Wrap-up & close: 5 minutes

Session Format

This community workshop will begin with a short presentation, followed by two interactive sessions that ask participants to help us:

1. Ensure the feedback we have captured from the Ferry Advisory Committee and community is complete and accurate
2. Prioritize the feedback we’ve captured based on what is most important to the community

Participants will also walk away with a better understanding of:

• How BC Ferries makes decisions
• The aspects of ferry service that are rising to the top as most important for their community
• The next steps for considering and taking action on the feedback provided
• How to stay involved and connected in the next steps

To get the most from the session, participants are encouraged to stay for the entire workshop, but are most welcome to drop in and stay as long as they wish. We understand life is busy and time is precious.

There will an online engagement component hosted on this page that mirrors the workshop input, for those who are not able to attend.

To stay connected, please click the ‘Stay Informed’ icon at the right hand side of the page, or continue to check this page.

We look forward to meeting you.

This spring and summer we’re getting back out with our Ferry Advisory Committees and the communities we serve. With a focus on resetting conversations, we’ll be looking at what we’ve heard from FACs and communities over the past two years. We’ll work together to:

• Review the list of feedback we’ve received from each community
• Prioritize the feedback we can action
• Establish criteria that will help a new Community Prioritization Panel make recommendations about what’s most important across the ferry system

This work will result in a prioritized list of action items for each community. From there, a Community Prioritization Panel (CPP) will work to consolidate these items into a prioritized list for the whole BC Ferries system.

All FAC chairs have been invited to participate in the CPP and the panel will deliver a final public report by October 31, 2024. This report will help guide how BC Ferries reviews and makes decisions on changes needed to improve service and experience for customers, and also help inform long-term decisions that align with the ongoing Charting the Course vision process.

Timelines

• May: Virtual meetings with all Ferry Advisory Committees
• June/July: In-person community workshops

Dates and details for community workshops will be posted to this page shortly.

New Safety and Security Measures

In order to create a safe and respectful environment for all, BC Ferries has implemented changes based on recommendations made in its safety review, including:

• Establishing safety and security policies for public events that align with WorkSafe BC requirements.
• Rolling out a new mandatory respectful workplace policy and training across the company, including training in Prevention of Violence in the Workplace for all BC Ferries representatives who will take part in community events.
• Establishing plans and templates to support safety and security assessments in advance of FAC and community meetings.
• Establishing new processes for public events, including the request for participants to RSVP ahead of time, new sign-in requirements, and a new Code of Conduct that will apply to all public events. We’ll provide more information on what you can expect to see at events in an upcoming post to this page.
• Updating the Terms of Reference and Code of Conduct to ensure the correct foundations are in place to support a mutually respectful and productive relationship with FACs.

Stay Informed

We’ll be providing updates to this page in the coming weeks, click the ‘Stay Informed’ icon on the right hand side of the page to receive updates to your email inbox.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

The BC Ferries Community Relations Team

Langdale Terminal: November 14 - 17, 2023

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensure the safe operation of our terminal facilities, BC Ferries will be carrying out asphalt paving work at the Langdale terminal during the week of November 14^th through 17^th, 2023.

During this period, single-lane closure of the transfer deck will be required to facilitate part of the repair work. Vehicle and pedestrian traffic patterns in the terminal may be modified to accommodate the other various repair works. Customers are reminded to please follow the direction of staff to ensure safe and efficient movement through the terminal for both arrivals and departures.

We anticipate a minor impact to operations and on-time performance of sailings during this time and would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding while these necessary works are completed.

Service Notices will be updated, as required, to inform of any changes to this scheduled work.

For more information or traffic updates please follow @BCFerries on Twitter, or visit our website at bcferries.com.

Now is the time to shape the vision of the coastal ferry service in BC.

Transportation, transit and ferry systems around the world are under pressure resulting from the pandemic, population growth, climate change, inflation and other factors. BC’s coastal ferry system is no exception, and BC Ferries is responding with actions to address current operational issues. We are also embarking on a long-term transformative journey to reshape our coastal ferry services in response to the evolving needs of the communities we serve.

We invite you to participate in Charting the Course, an initiative that aims to define what is needed to keep people, goods, and services in coastal communities connected and moving through to 2050 and beyond.

Hearing from you is an important part of this initiative to help us build a more sustainable and resilient ferry system. The first phase of engagement is open until November 28. Learn more and participate here: https://www.bcferriesprojects.ca/bc-ferries-charting-the-course

Route 3 will experience some service disruptions between September 9 and at least October 9, 2023 as a result of the Coastal Renaissance being out of service. Over this time, the following sailings will be cancelled:

We know the loss of the 5:30pm sailing has significant impact on those who commute using this route, and we wish to give everyone as much time as possible to plan their journey. We sincerely apologize for the impact we know this will have for you.

Those with reservations on the cancelled sailings will be contacted by our Customer Care team to let them know if space is available on an alternate sailing. It’s expected all impacted customers will be accommodated. Bookings that must be cancelled will be refunded in full and a voucher for free ferry travel at another time will be provided. For those without reservations, we wish to assure you that there is still space available on our other sailings, with about half of the deck held for drive-up traffic.

Why is this disruption happening?

Our operation is large and complex, we do not have spare ships available to fill in when unexpected mechanical issues happen, so we must move existing vessels around and change schedules to accommodate as many customers as possible with the available resources.

In this instance, a ship from the Departure Bay – Nanaimo route (Route 2) usually moves to Route 3 on weekdays to provide the 5:30pm service, however with the loss of the Coastal Renaissance on Route 2, we must make ship and schedule changes that allow us to maintain the minimum level of service we are contractually obligated to provide. Route 3 service levels remain within contractually obligated levels, but some supplementary service will be lost over this time with the cancellation of the sailings noted above.

Foot passenger travel between Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver) and Langdale (Sunshine Coast) is expected to be very busy for the following sailings as a result of large group reservations:

Busy Sailings:

We recommend arriving at the terminal as early as possible and being prepared for possible sailing waits if you intend to travel as a foot passenger on these sailings.

For the most up-to-date sailing and departure information, sign up for service notices on the BC Ferries App, follow us on Twitter @BCFerries, or visit bcferries.com for further information.

Today marks National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day we celebrate and recognize the diverse cultures, traditions and immeasurable contributions of First Nations, Inuit, & Métis across Canada. Indigenous Peoples are the traditional stewards of the rivers, lakes, land & sea where we are privileged to live and work.

#NIPD2023 serves as an opportunity to learn and deepen our understanding of the Indigenous cultures throughout Canada.

• Learn more about Indigenous Peoples land, languages, history and culture: https://maps.fpcc.ca/
• The First Peoples’ map highlights BC's Indigenous language regions, artists & artworks, place names & landmarks: https://native-land.ca/
• Native Land is an app that allows users to map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages: https://ow.ly/1pUt50OPX10
• Use the @BCGovNews map to find events happening in your community celebrating National Indigenous History Month: https://ow.ly/fif850OPX4l
• Learn more about the history, cultures, and experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Canada: https://ow.ly/mJ4250OPX91

Learn about National Indigenous People’s Day and how you can participate in celebrating their culture and heritage.

#BCFerries remains committed to fostering meaningful relationships with the Indigenous communities we serve. We recognize the importance of collaboration and partnership as we work toward a future of mutual respect, reconciliation and inclusivity.

As a part of our ongoing commitment to ensure the safe operation of our terminal facilities, BC Ferries will be carrying out overnight terminal work on the Langdale transfer deck beginning at 9:00 pm, April 13, 2023, until June 9, 2023. In an attempt to mitigate traffic disruption to our passengers, the necessary work will take place between 9:00 pm - 7:00 am Monday through Saturday.

This work will be the first phase of the planned Langdale Terminal improvements. The required work will include the use of generators and mechanical hand tools required for welding, cutting and surface preparation, which may increase the level of noise around the terminal. Noise is expected to be intermittent and all efforts will be made to minimize the noise for our neighbours.

We thank our neighbours for their patience and understanding as we complete this necessary work.

For more information or traffic updates please follow @BCFerries on Twitter, visit our website at bcferries.com, call us toll-free at 1-888-BCFERRY (223-3779) or subscribe to the BC Ferries App on your mobile device.