File photo.
BC Ferries wants to hear what compensation is on the table from the provincial government before it cancels a fuel rebate.
B.C. Transportation Minister Claire Trevena sent a letter to the corporation saying she is “surprised and disappointed” about BC Ferries’ plans to remove a 2.9 per cent fuel rebate on major and minor routes and a 1.9 per cent rebate on northern routes.
BC Ferries’ president Mark Collins said the plans should not have been a surprise, telling CBC that the fuel rebate cuts were part of a six-month discussion about fares.
Collins said Trevena’s offer to “provide funds to BC Ferries to avoid this increase,” is new and wants to hear more about the compensation before any changes are made.
Trevena said her ministry has been working closely with BC Ferries to negotiate a deal to freeze rates and reduce others.
The NDP’s fare reduction strategy was put in place April 1, with plans to freeze rates on three major routes, lower costs by 15 per cent on other sailings and a full discount on seniors’ rates Monday through Thursday.
Collins says BC Ferries will give the government a couple weeks to see what they have to say and added, “we’ll go from there.”
With files from CBC.
Andy Neal
