Fuel surcharge yet another hit to the local tourist industry

We’re down to one ship on the Northern route a smaller vessel than usual, with no replacement planned until the new year, so one would have thought perhaps a mulligan might be in order for the hard pressed residents and travelers to and from the North Coast.

But nope, B. C. Ferries will stick to its guns and get ready to add to your bill this Thursday to travel on the Queen of Prince Rupert this summer. The Ferry Corporation has received permission from the BC Ferry Commission to increase the fuel charge on passages north and south by 9.6% which probably won’t be doing wonders for an already stagnating tourist season. Interestingly enough the Vancouver Island routes will only take a 3.2% hit. Perhaps the travellers there are a little closer to the BC Ferry head office?

On Opinion250 a Prince George website, Roberta Bowman of the Chamber of Commerce outlined the challenges facing the tourist industry in the area this year with the reduction in capacity and service by BC Ferries.

With weekly declines of between 1250 and 1525 passengers on a weekly basis, its not hard to figure out the economic impact on the local tourist economy, to have BC Ferries put the surcharge on top of all of that seems down right mean-spirited, especially considering the recent payout for the Queen of the North and the government monies received for runs not completed thus far.

While you probably can understand that they are at the mercy of the oil industry just like you and me, the fact that they haven’t been keeping their end of the transportation bargain on the North Coast should count for some leverage you would think.

The situation hasn’t escaped the eye of Prince George commentator Ben Meisner, who has been observing the Prince George scene for many years. Meisner comes to the defence of the Northwest suggesting that Prince George City Council should be helping to light a fire under the provincial government, if only to help preserve the tourist industry in Prince George itself. Meisner correctly points out that if 1500 hundred less people per week are leaving Prince Rupert then, that’s probably 1500 people that aren’t coming to Prince George. You can check out his entire editorial here.

Welcome to the fight, perhaps vote rich Prince George might be able to wake up the folks in Victoria that the current situation isn’t particularly workable.