An open letter to Ms. Elizabeth J. Harrison and the BC Ferries Board of Directors

Let me start off by congratulating you on the fabulous work you’ve been doing. You’ve really done amazing things in raising fares, sinking ships, and buying new vessels to cater to tourists. All the while, ignoring customer complaints about service and rendering it prohibitively expensive for the average person to travel on board one of your ships. I can really see how you and your board have earned that 60% pay increase you just voted yourselves.

I was under the false impression that they still taught courses in ethics, counsellor, but perhaps that’s one of the courses you slept through at the University of Alberta.

There’s this false impression floating around that the only sector being harmed by your ridiculous business practices is the tourism industry. Unfortunately, there’s thousands of people being left out of that equation who need ferry service in order to survive. I am, of course, talking about the residents of the Gulf Islands who don’t have the option as to whether they’re use your BC Ferries or not for their travels.

Oh, but you don’t have to leave your island, that’s your decision! Yes, unless of course I need medical service (like X-Rays, or lab work), or I should happen to need something not offered by any of the 2 retail outlets available to me. And speaking of those retail outlets, I suppose that I can expect to pay even more for food and basic necessities now that they have to pay more to bring them on-island. Again, thank you and kudos to your board.

Reading over your biographies you’re an impressive bunch. Do any of you make less than a 6 figure salary? I doubt it, especially with your part-time work as board members netting you the same salary I made working full-time for the past decade in Alberta. I wonder if any of you know what it’s like to actually have to think about whether you can afford to ride a ferry boat. Again, I doubt it.

Although I know that it’s a tall order, do you think that for this coming year you could try to improve service, slow down rate increases, or in any other way try to act like a real company; not just a government-supported monopoly? If I see a rate drop at any point, then I’ll consider your salary money well spent… but then again, my opinion doesn’t matter. It’s not like I can shop around and find a better deal.

Here’s a tip: instead of giving yourselves another pay raise next year, why not buy yourselves a private helicopter? Trust me, the money you save on ferry fees going back and forth between the mainland and Vancouver Island will make up for it.