VICTORIA — B.C.’s NDP government wants B.C. Ferries and its independent commissioner to consider the “public interest” and not just the bottom line when setting service levels to coastal communities.
The bill does not explicitly define what the “public interest” is, though Trevena said it will broadly involve “placing greater emphasis on that interest and less on the commercial interest of the company” as well as taking into consideration government’s greenhouse gas reduction targets. The existing law already mandates the commissioner to balance the interests of ferry users, taxpayers and the financial sustainability of B.C. Ferries. The commissioner issued a preliminary decision Monday to allow B.C. Ferries to raise rates 2.3 per cent annually from April 2020 to 2024.
However, Trevena has stopped short of returning B.C. Ferries to direct government control, which would require government to absorb the ferry corporation’s debts. Trevena instead reiterated Wednesday she considers ferries part of “our marine highway.”