MP takes Island issues to Ottawa
-
Share on Facebook
-
Share on Bluesky
-
Share on X
- Copy Link
Courtenay – Alberni MP Gord Johns says there’s a huge disparity between east coast and west coast ferries.
He said BC Ferries received approximately $1.63 in federal funding per passenger, while east coast ferry systems received approximately $291 per passenger, roughly 178 times more than BC Ferries.
“We often hear about western alienation, well it’s real, and few large populations in Canada understand that feeling better than Vancouver Islanders,” he said. “This isn’t about taking away support from Atlantic Canadians – their ferry systems are essential national infrastructure – the question Vancouver Islanders are asking is why essential marine highways on the west coast aren’t treated with the same level of federal importance?”
Johns said the BC Ferries funding formula with the feds is more than 50 years old, when the population of Vancouver Island was around 450,000 people.
