THURSDAY OCTOBER 18, 2018 VOL. 44, NO. 40
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BIMTAC and FAC still advocating for Boweners
SUSANNA BRAUND FERRY ADVISORY
COMMITTEE CHAIR
Editor’s note: as this paper was going to press, BC Ferries announced that they would be running a class A ferry on the 7:30 a.m. commuter run until at least the end of November. With ferry tensions mounting and frustration with BC Ferries coming to a head, here’s an update of how the Ferry Advisory Committee and the Bowen Island Municipality Transportation Advisory Committee has been advocating for Boweners. The situation: Late in the last school year some high-school students were left behind when trying to travel on 7:30 a.m. ferry from Snug Cove because the passenger capacity was reached. Some of these students had exams that day. BC Ferries responded by raising crew from B licence (392 passengers) to A licence (432 passengers) for the rest of the school year. BC Ferries resumed licence A at the start of the school year in September, but after about a week of passenger numbers not exceeding 392, they reverted to B licence. B licence is BC Ferries’ regular crewing level for our route, unless we inform them that extra passengers are expected, in which case with due notice they are willing to increase to A licence. The difference is two extra crew, who are employed for several hours, hence the difference involves a significant expense over budget for BC Ferries. These crewing levels are set by Transport Canada for the safe and efficient operation of the ferry fleet. Continued on page 3
Alexa Bennett Fox and a young Team Bennett fan at the third annual Bowen Island Public Library adult spelling bee Saturday night. See more pictures from the event on page 7. Photo: Len Gilday
Cape Roger Curtis controversy reappears in last week of campaign BRONWYN BEAIRSTO EDITOR
Heating up like an old injury, not quite healed, Cape Roger Curtis emerged as an election issue last weekend.
For more than a decade, the cape has been a source of controversy within councils and among community
members as the previously untouched (in recent years, though most of the island was logged more than a century ago) area has been developed.
On Oct. 13, it came to the attention of islanders that a memorandum, intended to be a private document for potential Cape on Bowen investors but mistakenly published on a Kelowna realtor’s
website, quoted two Bowen candidates standing in next weekend’s civic election. The 20-page prospectus outlines the cape owners’ vision for the Cape land, the desirability of the land, the political climate and quotes locals’ emails to Candy Ho, executive officer of the Cape on Bowen. “The concept of ‘aging in place’
has always been a top priority for seniors on Bowen Island,” said mayoral candidate Gary Ander, in the memorandum quoted from an email received September 22. “Your track record with previous projects is impeccable and as mayor I would enthusiastically welcome your development proposal,” it said. Continued on page 3