Final report - Integrated Land Management Bureau

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4. STRATEGIC ISSUES Transportation Assessment of the Central & North Coast of BC Communities and industries in the LRMP Plan area must contend with a spectrum of transportation-related challenges arising from their remote location, and the effects of weather. In the course of our research and consultation, we have identified many of these, and learned how they affect business, economic growth, and quality of life for residents. This section of the <strong>report</strong> identifies the broad issues that generally affect the entire region, and isolates the key issues for each community. 4.1 Regional Issues ► Issue: High transportation costs and infrequent service impedes economic development High transportation costs and poor community access prevent some businesses from flourishing in the Planning Area, and pose a barrier to new investment. Here are some examples. • The logistics and cost of transportation have made it infeasible to operate value-added mills in remote locations when it is much cheaper to boom or barge timber to the Lower Mainland for processing there. After barges have delivered supplies, food, equipment and fuel to the various coastal communities in Planning Area, they generally return to the Lower Mainland or Campbell River empty, posing additional costs for the suppliers and buyers. • BC Ferries’ 2007 local feeder service on the Central Coast, the Nimpkish, was not profitable, and was subsequently cancelled. • Heiltsuk Freight transports goods from Vancouver to Bella Bella on BC Ferries at an operating loss. • Without an efficient link to Prince Rupert, residents of Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams cannot commute to work on a daily basis. This means local problems of unemployment. • Improved transportation is essential for the success of the growing wilderness tourism sector. Poor connections and in some cases inefficient operations are together suppressing employment and economic growth in the transportation study area, and raising the cost of doing business. Chisholm Consulting 74
Transportation Assessment of the Central & North Coast of BC ► Issue: BC Ferries’ withholding of North Transportation Strategy has created uncertainty about future service and deterred private investment Our consultation with residents, business owners and government representatives from throughout the transportation study area revealed the commonly held concern that transportation infrastructure and service will not stay at its current level, and could decline in the future. The status of BC Ferries Northern Service is a leading transportation concern among residents of the Central and North Coast, particularly in the remote communities. Uncertainty about the provincial and federal government and BC Ferries’ plans for coastal transportation deters private and public investment decisions. BC Ferry Services (an independent corporation) is paid a service fee by the provincial government to deliver specified service levels on “designated routes”. In addition, the BC Government pays BC Ferries an amount for “reimbursement” of delivery of the “Social Program” and a service fee of up to $2.2 million to help financially support several “Unregulated Routes” that are serviced by other parties. For example, BC Ferries has an eight-year contract with North-Co to provide a passenger ferry and light freight service between Prince Rupert and Metlakatla, Oona River, Kitkatla and Hartley Bay (Route 60). Neither BC Ferries nor the BC Government has released the Northern Service Strategy that BC Ferries developed after a public consultation in 2003 and 2004. BC Ferries prepared a Northern Service Strategy and submitted it to the BC Government and the latest amendment (April 1, 2008) to the Coastal Ferry Services Contract 57 reflects that such a strategy is either being prepared or now exists, but it has not been released to the public. As discussed earlier, BC Ferries’ plans to review Alternative Service Providers for the northern routes were delayed after the sinking of the Queen of the North. In a March 27, 2008 letter to the BC Ferries Commissioner, BC Ferries presented its Alternative Service Providers Plan, explaining how it intends to proceed with a second RFQ/RFP to outsource its Northern Service. 58 The lack of a publicly available Northern Service Strategy and the restructure of BC ferries into a private corporation, with less accountability to the public and BC legislators on a legal basis, feed a general sense of public uncertainty about the future of the Northern Routes. This notwithstanding, the anecdotal feedback is that BC Ferries’ management has become more responsive and communicative about local concerns with the new private corporation 57 Pg 2 states as follows, “ BC Ferries, in consultation with stakeholders, has developed a “Northern Strategy” to improve customer service and to enhance operational efficiency on those routes [Ferry Routes 10, 11, and 40], which has been delivered to the Province. The Core Service Levels in relation Designated Ferry Routes 10, 11 and 40 will include any adjustments arising out of the Northern Strategy ….” 58 Available at http://www.bcferrycommission.com/ASPPlanPT2FINAL.pdf Chisholm Consulting 75
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Transportation Assessment of the Ce
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary
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Transportation Assessment of the No
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TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF KEY CENTRAL AND
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Issues and Recommendations Transpor
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Transportation Assessment of the No
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1. INTRODUCTION Transportation Asse
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FIGURE 1: MAP OF LRMP PLAN AREA Sou
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Source: Statistics Canada, Census 2
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TABLE 2-3: MUNICIPAL POPULATION TRE
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2.1.3 Economy Transportation Assess
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Source: Statistics Canada, Census 2
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Page 35 and 36: Transportation Assessment of the Ce
Page 51 and 52: 2.3 Communities 2.3.1 Central Coast
Page 53 and 54: WAGLISLA (BELLA BELLA) Transportati
Page 55 and 56: KLEMTU Transportation Assessment of
Page 59 and 60: OCEAN FALLS Transportation Assessme
Page 61 and 62: LAX KWA’ALAAMS Transportation Ass
Page 65 and 66: OONA RIVER Transportation Assessmen
Page 67 and 68: DODGE COVE Transportation Assessmen
Page 71 and 72: TABLE 2-29: TRANSPORTATION INFRASTR
Page 73 and 74: 3. SWOT ASSESSMENT Transportation A
Page 75 and 76: KITIMAT Strengths • Northwest Reg
Page 77 and 78: Opportunities Central Coast: • Im
Page 79 and 80: Opportunities • New Fairview dock
Page 81 and 82: 3.4 Rail Strengths • Improved CN
Page 83 and 84: 3.6 Major Ports PRINCE RUPERT Stren
Page 85: KITIMAT Strengths • Ice-free, she
Page 91 and 92: ► Issue: No coastal BC transporta
Page 101 and 102: TABLE 4-2: RESIDENCY OF PASSENGERS
Page 103 and 104: 5. RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 General Stra
Page 111 and 112: BIBLIOGRAPHY Transportation Assessm
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Final report - Integrated Land Management Bureau

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