Min. Trevena BCF Service Levels Response Ltr to TC

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Ministry of Transportation 
and Infrastructure 
  
Office of the Minister 
  
Mailing Address: 
Parliament Buildings 
Victoria BC  V8V 1X4 
 
 
September 9, 2020 
 
Peter Luckham, Chair 
Islands Trust Council 
1627 Fort Street, Suite 200 
Victoria BC  V8R 1H8 
Reference: 295606 
Your File: 5595-30 BC Ferries 
 
Dear Chair Luckham, 
 
Re: BC Ferries 
 
Thank you for your letter of July 30, 2020, regarding BC Ferries service levels in the Islands 
Trust area. I am sorry it has taken me so long to reply. 
 
I agree that ferries are an essential service and a key part of the social and economic needs of our 
coastal communities, and our priority is ensuring reliable ferry service is there for coastal 
communities as we proceed with a slow and safe restart in British Columbia. 
 
As you know, the ministry provided $180,000 to BC Ferries to support the continuation of BC 
Ferries’ discretionary sailings through to September 7. You may have heard by now that B.C. 
Ferries will be continuing these sailings until March 2021. I am pleased we reached an 
agreement with BC Ferries, and that they will continue to provide these critical services for 
coastal communities. 
 
We were also able secure BC Ferries’ eligibility for relief funding under the transit funding 
envelope of the 50/50 cost-share Safe Restart Agreement between the provincial and federal 
governments. The Province has earmarked up to $1 billion of additional provincial spending to 
address COVID-19 impacts and restart plans of local governments and public transportation 
services, conditional on matching federal contributions. You can be sure that any funding relief 
for BC Ferries will be based on considerations that put the public’s interest first, such as ensuring 
that communities have certainty around service levels and that fares are kept affordable. More 
information is available in our news release. 
 
As we move forward with Phase 3 of our Restart Plan, we want all our communities, no matter 
where they are located in the province, to have a chance to rebuild their economies. I want to 
assure you we remain committed to working with BC Ferries to ensure that coastal communities 
receive the ferry services they rely on. 
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In the meantime, I am glad to see you have already copied Mark Collins on your letter so that he 
will be aware of your comments regarding the importance of ensuring Ferry Advisory 
Committees are involved in all aspects of decision-making. 
 
Thank you again for taking the time to write. 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
 
 
 
 
Claire Trevena 
Minister 
 
 
Copy to: Honourable Selina Robinson 
 Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing 
 MLA, Coquitlam-Maillardville 
 
 Mark Collins, President and CEO 
 BC Ferries

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