September 24, 2025 – The Town of Gibsons is calling on the Province of British Columbia to intervene and address the chronic failures of BC Ferries’ Route 3 service between the Sunshine Coast and Metro Vancouver.

Despite the Province providing BC Ferries with a significant subsidy to meet the basic transportation needs of ferry-dependent communities, the Sunshine Coast continues to face inadequate and unreliable service. Adding to the concern, BC Ferries’ 25-year strategy “Charting the Course” outlines no plans for new or replacement vessels to service Route 3.

“People’s lives are being impacted significantly,” said Mayor Silas White. “We all accept some inconvenience living in a ferry-dependent community, but these service disruptions and delays are unacceptable. For other communities, this would be the same as shutting down the only highway in and out of town, damaging our economy, cutting off health services, and severely limiting people’s livelihoods.”

On September 23, Mayor White and Bowen Island Mayor Andrew Leonard met with Minister of Transportation and Transit Mike Farnworth to request the Province’s support for greater accountability to the essential service needs of ferry-dependent communities. Mayor White also requested provincial support for an external performance review of Route 3 by the BC Ferries Commissioner, in response to BC Ferries’ recent claim that the route is losing $30 million annually. Mayor White will also be submitting a formal letter to the Commissioner in support of this action.

The Town of Gibsons is urging the provincial government to:

  1. Enforce and update its service contract with BC Ferries to ensure the marine transportation needs of the Sunshine Coast are met immediately, including extending “peak” service requirements beyond July and August.
  2. Advance the “Let’s Connect” strategy to replace Ferry Advisory Committees with structured, transparent, and meaningful engagement between BC Ferries and local governments, ensuring Sunshine Coast communities have a real voice in shaping service improvements.
  3. Join our request to the BC Ferries Commissioner to conduct a performance review of Route 3 in response to ongoing service failures and financial concerns.

The Town stresses that reliable ferry service is not a luxury, but an essential transportation link critical to the health, economy, and well-being of the Sunshine Coast.