Trying to find solutions

With a weekend to digest all that has happened on the North coast on the last five days, the attention turned to what is going to happen to the service on the North coast in the spring and vital summer seasons. As well as the longer term plans for the entire North Coast. With the Ferries providing a vital link for goods and services on the North Coast and Queen Charlottes a quick solution is needed to keep the freight moving to the various dependant communities.

In addition to the concern over the actual transportation problems, there is worry over how the tragedy will impact the area’s tourist industry. With tourism one of the few bright lights in the local economy at the moment, any disruption to the schedules or actual fear of travel to the area could have long lasting ramifications.

The Daily had two stories in its Monday edition that addressed both of those issues.

We provide them for your reading below.

BC FERRIES MOVING ‘SOONER THAN FAST’
By Patrick Witwicki
The Daily News
Monday, March 27, 2006
Page One

B. C. Ferries President David Han is adamant that the company will come up with a solution to address the immediate and long-term concerns of the North Coast in the aftermath of the sinking of the Queen of the North Wednesday morning.

“Our job is to get service up and running,” he said. “We’ll move on this as fast as possible, and try to get solutions that work for everybody.”

In the short-term, that will mean the addition of the Queen of Prince Rupert, which should be up-and-running by mid-April. Currently, the ferry is out of service undergoing a refit but that process will be completed as soon as possible.

A barge service is already up and running, moving goods and services over to the Queen Charlotte Islands.

While the refit is almost complete on the Queen of Prince Rupert, some other minor adjustments are necessary, as crew members will no longer sleep in cabins below deck (underneath the car level).

“We’re moving all the crew upstairs, so there’s a change in cabins,” said hah. “There will be less cabins for passengers, except for those with medical (needs), and the elderly.”

A search is underway for another vessel to join the route, most likely to handle the sailing between Rupert and Skidegate on the Queen Charlotte Islands. Currently the Queen of Chilliwack is undergoing a refit, and could be the ship added on the route, even though the vessel is smaller than its predecessor, said Hahn.

Still, it should be able to handle the summer conditions.

“If this was the middle of winter, you wouldn’t run it,” he said. “In the summer though, it’s okay.”

However, B. C. Ferries is keeping a lookout for something better.

“We’re out there searching now,” he said. I don’t know what the international market is going to turn up. But (those ships) will (have) to meet Transport Canada regulations, and have the capacity that we need.”

B. C. Ferries has already had the task of reassuring staff on all their vessels that the service is still safe. Now it will set about taking the message to the public, something it sees as integral to ensuring tourism along B. C.’s coast doesn’t decline this summer, or in the future.

“People have got to look at the overall safety record of the past 45 years,” said Hahn, pointing out that the Queen of the North is the first B. C. Ferry to sink.

Still, there are stakeholders throughout the North Coast who are hopeful a B. C. Ferries Advisory Commission will convene in Rupert in the near future to address all of those concerns. Hahn said that will happen, but not until they have some definite options in place.

“That takes time to plan,” he said. “You have (MLA) Gary Coons running around trying to get meetings, but we don’t do that until we have all the pieces of the puzzle in place. Otherwise, it ends up being nothing but bureaucratic. When you have something meaningful on paper, then you can sit down and talk.”

As for the future, plans for the three new vessels for the North Coast are being fast- tracked, said Hahn.

“We will order those ships sooner than fast,” he said. “This should have been done 15 years ago.”


NORTH IS BRACING FOR TOURISM IMPACT
By Patrick Witwicki
The Daily News
Monday, March 27, 2006
Page One

For decades, the pristine beauty and wilderness of B. C.’s North Coast was one of the best kept secrets in Canada. But during the past few years, tourism in the North, with the focus on Prince Rupert and the Queen Charlotte Islands, has been increasing to the point where the North Coast enjoyed huge tourism numbers in both 2004 and 2005.

However, there is shared concern within all northern communities that Wednesday’s sinking of the Queen of the North could have a serious negative impact on tourism, which in turn could affect the economy of the North Coast.

It’s an issue that Tourism Prince Rupert needs to address quickly, said Bruce Wishart, Executive Director.

“It’s far too soon to know exactly what impact that is going to have,” he said. “I know Prince Rupert Tourism is addressing this. (We need to get) the message out very quickly that it’s a safe option.”

Tourism Prince Rupert has already had discussions with Tourism B. C., as the economic impact could be felt throughout the North, never mind just coastal communities.

“It’s a circle tour,” said Wishart.

People don’t want to stop and then turn back. The Inside Passage affects all the heartland area.

“People who want to travel the North… that will inevitably lead to the Inside Passage.”

People on the Queen Charlotte Islands share Wishart’s concern.

“We need some solutions fast,” said Masset mayor Barry Pages. “We want our marine highway on schedule.”

Currently, there is a push to get B. C. Ferries Advisory Commission to meet in Prince Rupert and come up with solutions for the future, but that may take some time, said Wishart.

The provincial government and B. C. Ferries’ main concern is still with those missing passengers, and concerns with passengers and crew that were on that ship,” he said.

“Short-term, whatever it takes to get service back to coastal communities, whatever it requires for the safety of the crew and passengers, let’s get that up and running as soon as possible.”

Short-term, barge service is expected to provide the Charlottes and coastal communities along the Inside Passage with supplies, and the Queen of Prince Rupert is expected back in service in mid April.

But it’s the summer months that has everyone concerned.

“Tourism has a huge impact in the summer months,” said Wishart. “Now, we’re realizing the major tour operators like from Germany an other countries, they’re already booked in for the summer.

“We need to address that. And for the summer, (we need) a vessel the same size as the Queen of the North, and running on the same planned schedule.”