A new report from the BC Ferry commission says the ferry-line’s engagement with local communities has deteriorated.
According to the report, the commission reviewed BC Ferries’s public engagement process in 2022, recommending that they make an annual report on public engagement and share it with the commission, ferry advisory councils, the ministry of transportation and infrastructure, and the BC Ferry authority.
This report is for the year ending on March 31 this year, where ferry commissioner Eva Hage says since the review, the ferry corporation has seen mixed results.
“Progress has been made in Indigenous Relations, while engagement with ferry dependent communities has deteriorated,” said Hage in the report.
These comments come after in-person meetings were suspended last year after a member of the public made comments that were interpreted as threats at a Sunshine Coast meeting. This led to virtual engagement continuing, with the ferry-line set to return to in-person meetings this spring and summer.
Along with the meetings, the ferry line is in the process of restarting engagement with the advisory councils, according to the report.
For fiscal 2025, the commission recommends BC Ferries show the steps they’ll take to make customers feel respected, heard, and valued, to communicate the role the councils will have in their engagement, and that all online communication is relevant and timely.
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