Dear editor,

For years B.C. Ferries attributed the persistent Baynes Sound cable ferry mechanical breakdowns to teething problems. These teething problems, however, have become so chronic that union members and Denman and Hornby islanders refer to the world’s longest cable ferry as a failed experiment that needs to be decommissioned. Recently released information from FOI requests finally confirm what islanders have suspected—that the world’s longest cable ferry costs taxpayers plenty to keep in iffy service.

Although BCF’s ousted CEO claimed that the cable ferry would save taxpayer dollars on fuel and staffing and provide service on a par with conventional vessels, BCF accounts confirm that the cable ferry costs the same as a conventional vessels for fuel and staffing—$2 million annually – and according to BCF’s confusing records that call for an independent audit, the cost for maintenance and repairs run into the millions annually.

BCF justifies keeping the cable ferry in service because the current budget cycle doesn’t provide funds for replacement.

By placing budget considerations over reliability and cost-effectiveness, however, BCF and the Minister of Transportation and the BCF Commissioner, who provide corporate governance, are in violation of the ̨ÍåMMÂãÁÄÊÒ Ferry Act, BCF’s operational bible. The ̨ÍåMMÂãÁÄÊÒ Ferry Act is unambiguous in mandating that the corporation provide assured service to ferry-dependent communities; and that government overseers steer the corporation towards improving service in a fiscally responsible and transparent manner.

The task of a CEO who is hired to turn around a dysfunctional corporation is to correct the failures of former CEOs, not to perpetuate them. Thus, islanders will continue to appeal to CEO Jimenez to reconsider keeping a failed experiment in costly service. As Albert Einstein warns, to repeatedly do something in the same way but expect a different outcome is madness.

Sharon Small,

Denman Island