B.C.’s Minster of Transporation, Todd Stone, announced April 25 that the federal government will now allow federal infrastructure money to be used for BC Ferries infrastructure upgrades. Ferry infrastructure was not previously allowed as a category under the federal Build Canada program.
Building Canada funds could go towards vessel replacement and upgrading ferry terminals. Replacing the 13-car Nimpkish with a 40-60 vehicle boat is a high priority, Stone said, as is a new terminal for Langdale on the Sunshine Coast.
Read: Sunshine Coast land link proposals highlight ferry service controversy
From our archives: Ferry service way off course, critics say
The Nimpkish currently runs between Bella Bella and Bella Coola on B.C.’s Central Coast. When it replaced the much larger Queen of Chilliwack in 2014, tourism operators in the area said business immediately dropped as European tourists opted not to take a popular route through the Chilcotin by car and down the Central Coast by ferry.
Check out BIV’s podcast for the week of April 25, 2016:
