‘Glacially slow’ process leaves Nanaimo waiting for passenger-only ferry
NANAIMO — Another summer will pass without passenger ferry service between Nanaimo and downtown Vancouver.
David Marshall, director of marine operations for Island Ferry Services Ltd. (IFSL), confirmed there is no way the service could be running by this summer, as lease negotiations with the Nanaimo Port Authority (NPA) move at a pace he described as “glacially slow.”
“It’s odd. We’ve always believed there’s a strong market and demand in Nanaimo, that the vast majority of people…want this to happen,” Marshall told NanaimoNewsNOW. “You would think that a private company bringing a substantial amount of money and satisfying one of the biggest demands in the city without any request for subsidy would be not just welcomed with open arms, but you would be moving very quickly to put that service in place. That has not been the case here.”
Marshall said the NPA issued a preliminary lease proposal at the end of March, more than two months after IFSL was selected as the preferred proponent following an open call for operators. He said a counter proposal was handed in on April 21 and hasn’t been discussed since.