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SSI Historical Archives 129 McPhillips Ave Sa1t Spr ing Is1 and , BC V8K 2T6 01/01/98 DrifrAvOOd Wednesday, April 9,1997 Vol. 39, No. 15 Your Community Newspaper On the Intemet at http://www.driftwood.bccLong aHarbou Salt Spring Island, B.C $1 r(incl. GST) closure included in ferry options By VALORIE LENNOX B.C. Ferries crewman Kerry Driftwood Staff Butler, who was observing the The future shape of ferry service meeting, noted one drawback in the Gulf Islands began to come would be the loss of jobs on Salt into focus Friday when the Spring since fewer crew members Southern Gulf Islands Ferry would be required for the Mayne Advisory Committee singled out Queen than are needed for the two of 12 options for further study. Queen of Tsawwassen or Queen of At the same meeting and despite Nanaimo. objections from most of the com­ He also pointed out the frequent mittee, B.C. Ferries representatives transfers at Village Bay required asked that a third option also be under the proposed system might studied as a "worst-case" example. be difficult since people do not trav­ Under further consideration are a el in neat packages. Many arrive Village Bay-Swartz Bay hub option towing trailers or boats and foot developed by the Salt Spring repre­ passengers often lug kayaks, bicy­ sentatives and identified as S-5a, a cles and backpacks. direct service option dubbed S-7 Under option S-7: and a reduced service option, S-l 1. • the Cumberland would sail Under option S-5a: between Fulford Harbour, Swartz • the Mayne Queen would shuttle Bay, Otter Bay and Village Bay; between Long Harbour and Mayne • a new Century class ferry Island's Village Bay, taking two would sail between Fulford and hours for a round trip; Swartz Bay; • the Cumberland would travel • Long Harbour terminal would between Swartz Bay, Otter Bay on be closed but two vessels, the Pender Island and Village Bay, a Century class and the Cumberland, three-hour round trip; would have their home ports at • a landing craft-style ferry would Fulford Harbour; link Village Bay to Lyall Harbour • the Mayne Queen would run on Saturna, a one-hour round trip; from Swartz Bay to Village Bay. to • either the Queen of Lyall Harbour. Tsawwassen or the Queen of • the Queen of Tsawwassen Nanaimo would sail from Village would sail between Village Bay, Bay to Sturdies Bay (Galiano) and Sturdies Bay and Tsawwassen. then to Tsawwassen, a three-hour This proposal offers the best han­ round trip. dling of traffic loads for the next • Ferries at Fulford and Vesuvius decade but reduces inter-island ser­ would continue to operate as at pre­ vice. It would require a new berth sent. and new holding compound for Salt Spring resident Drew traffic at Fulford Harbour plus Thorburn, who presented the pro­ upgrading of Sturdies Bay terminal posal to the committee, said advan­ for winter use. Montague Harbour tages include improved inter-island on Galiano would be closed. links, access to Tsawwassen or Under option S-ll, one of four Yahoo! It's spring Swartz Bay from any island within identified as reduced service Taking a leap into the cool waters of St. Mary Robinson, Tyler Dakin and Adrian Kaiser. two and a half hours and an addi­ options: Lake as an expression of enthusiasm for the Spring is truly here. tional route from the Gulf Islands to • Long Harbour would be closed; central Vancouver Island by way of great weather are Joe Marzalik, Jamie ph««b,D«mdliund» FERRY OPTIONS 2 Salt Spring and Crofton. Waterbird collective Lack of goveriiment funding aid honoured with award may spell end of transition house Salt Spring's 180-member Waterbird Watch Collective and founder Nina Raginsky received the annual Kees Vermeer Award Friday in recog­ By VALORIE LENNOX the end of April. A sold-out from the Outer Islands. nition of the group's work for wildlife conservation and education. Driftwood Staff fundraising event Saturday, enti­ Average stay was approximate­ Salt Spring's six-bed transition tled Salmon-Chanted Evening, ly three weeks per family. Since September 1994, group members have recorded sightings of collected an additional $2,500. waterbirds throughout the island and compiled their data into quarterly house will close at the end of this "This house has been in exis­ reports. They are also fund-raising to purchase a 12-acre property on month unless the provincial gov­ The provincial Ministry of tence since July '95 and been used North Beach Road which houses a 118-nest heron colony, one of the ernment can be encouraged to Women's Equality forked over a consistently since then," Harland largest in the province. loosen its purse strings or enough one-time grant of $10,000 but that observed. Appropriately, the award was presented Friday night during a Waterbird community donations materialize money must be used for fundrais­ The house itself was purchased Watch-sponsored educational program by Canadian Wildlife Service biol­ to support the service. ing and not for operating costs. for use as a transition house by an ogist Rob Butler on herons. An estimated $5,000 a month is "This is a resource which allows anonymous donor and other dona­ Raginsky was delighted that the efforts of the collective's volunteers required to pay for utilities, food women and children to change tions furnished the house. were recognized. and staff. But on March 26 the desperate conditions in their Since opening, it has been oper­ "Everybody has worked really hard for the Waterbird Watch," she said. Gulf Island Women's Resource lives," noted Nettie Harland, ated by a mix of paid staff and To date, the group has raised $7,959 towards purchasing the North Network, which operates the chairwoman of the network's volunteers and financed through Beach Road property. Included in that total is a $1,000 pledge from the house, learned that there would be board of directors. Between April government grants and local dona­ Salt Spring Conservancy and $522 raised at Friday night's presentation. no further government funding as 1 last year and January 31 this tions. Since 1995, those involved The Kees Vermeer award includes $250, which Raginsky said would of March 31. year, the transition house sheltered with the transition house have be added to the money already collected to purchase the heronry, bring­ The group has enough money in 49 women and children. Slightly ing the total to over $8,000. reserve to operate the house until more than one-third of them came TRANSITION HOUSE 5 2 * WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 1997 N E WS B E AT GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD *penntf ofi&otui V eZt d tf&ttfce Option S-$(t, proposed by Salt Spring Ootion S-ll. not endorsed bv the representatives: advisors committee • retains Fulford-Swartz Bay route and Vesuvius- • retains Fulford-Swartz Bay with Century class Crofton as is ferry; Vesuvius-Crofton as is • Long Harbour to Tsawwassen eliminated: • Long Harbour is closed; Gulf Islands to Mayne Queen links Long Harbour with Mayne Tsawwassen service only operates at peak Island; Queen of Tsawwassen or Queen of periods Nanaimo sails between Mayne and Tsawwassen • Cumberland links Swartz Bay, Mayne and • Cumberland links Swartz Bay with the Penders Galiano and Mayne • Mayne Queen links Fulford, the Penders and • A landing craft style ferry links Mayne with Saturna Saturna • Capital cost projected at $32.9 million • Capital cost estimated at $10.4 million* Operating loss projected at $54.4 million over • Operating loss estimated at $76.8 million over 10 years 10 years* Option S-8 offered the greatest savines but was rejected bv the advisors committee Option S-7 * retains Fulford-Swartz Bay with Century Class • retains Fulford-Swartz Bay with Century class ferry; Vesuvius-Crofton as is ferry; Vesuvius-Crofton as is • Long Harbour is closed; Gulf-Islands to Cumberland links Fulford, Swartz Bay, the Tsawwassen service eliminated Penders and Mayne: home-ported at Fulford • Cumberland links Swartz Bay, Mayne and • Long Harbour closed Galiano • Mayne Queen links Swartz with Mayne and • Mayne Queen links Swartz Bay, the Penders, Saturna Saturna and Fulford • Queen of Tsawwassen sails between Mayne, Capital cost projected at $30.4 million Galiano and Tsawwassen Operating loss projected at $27.7 million over • Capital cost projected at $32.9 million 10 years Operating loss projected at $75.8 million over * Based on S-5 projections, not analyzed by B.C. 10 years Ferries FERRY OPTIONS: Narrowed to three From Page 1 pointed out that the option, which upgrade of Sturdies Bay. Operating ring is sprung • a new Century class ferry offers the lowest level of customer losses over a decade were projected would serve Fulford-Swartz Bay; service, had to be explored in order at $75.8 million. Flowers like this tulip are bursting with colourful life through­ • the Cumberland would connect to show that all options had been Option S-ll requires a $32.9 mil­ out the Gulf Islands — a sure sign we can put the wet, snowy Swartz Bay, Village Bay and considered before a final recom­ lion capital investment for upgrades memories of winter far behind us. Photo by Detntk i Sturdies Bay; mendation was made. at Fulford Harbour and a new • the Mayne Queen would serve In all but one of the options Century class ferry. Operating loss­ Fulford, Otter Bay and Lyall proposed, Fulford Harbour termi­ es over a decade were estimated at (^ulffslcind f^lciss Harbour; nal was identified as a problem $54.5 million. • Route 9, Gulf Islands to due to the lack of space for wait­ Option S-5a resembled an option Tsawwassen service, would only ing or parked vehicles.

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