Anyone who tried to travel by car to Vancouver Island this past summer knows the frustration is real.Long waits and cancelled sailing times at British Columbia’s flagship BC Ferries Corp. have resulted in unruly tourists and locals alike, who have threatened employees and officials and caused vandalism at terminals and facilities.Now the troubles are having unintended consequences for Vancouver Island’s economy, especially construction, which relies on the service for raw materials from the mainland.The Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) is complaining that consistent delays and cancellations are affecting its ability to bring in materials and workers that are delaying major projects and increasing costs..“The reality is that we really only have a two-day supply of really anything, whether it’s food, fuel, it all comes from the mainland. VICA President Rory Kulmala .“We need to have a reliable, regular service to ensure that materials get to the Island in a timely fashion,” VICA president Rory Kulmala told Victoria-based CHEK news. “The reality is that we really only have a two-day supply of really anything, whether it’s food, fuel, it all comes from the mainland. Having a reliable link to move the goods and materials that we need on the Island is critical to our economic vitality.”It comes after BC’s political parties took the NDP government to task in its Legislature on Wednesday, after the Crown corporation cancelled two sailings between Tsawwassen and Schwartz Bay near Victoria due to what it says were “staffing shortages.”It also came two days after it appointed four new vice-presidents reportedly earning almost half a million dollars per year, each.“You know they can somehow manage to find four more executives earning between $300,000 and $460,000 a year, but apparently they can’t just find people to operate the ship,” BC United leader Kevin Falcon told the question period.“It’s astonishing that after going through a terrible summer full of cancelled ferries, sailing waits at BC Ferries, the NDP response? ‘Let’s add four more vice presidents, that ought to fix the problem.'”.Company employees have complained about being sworn at, spit on and even having to avoid veering cars. On October 11 a 16-year old was arrested and charged with starting a fire in the washroom of the Spirit of Vancouver while it was sailing to Schwartz Bay..Earlier this month the NDP government announced it would begin penalizing the company — which is independently operated under a service contract with the province — with fines of up to $7,000 for missed sailings and delays. The fines were tied to a one-time grant of $500 million from the province aimed at limiting fare increases and improving service.Critics complained that barely covers the cost of the fuel that would otherwise be saved for not sailing at all. In any event, those won’t kick in until next April.Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said the measures are meant to “raise the accountability in the company,” but virtually all the opposition parties criticized it as either too little, or pointless.“You don’t fine the corporation,” said Falcon. “That’s them giving them money and then saying ‘give some of it back’ in these weak, puny fines that are meaningless to the corporation, but would be meaningful to the executive team.”In a subsequent interview with CHEK, Premier David Eby called the situation “wildly frustrating.”It comes after disgruntled residents crashed a rowdy public meeting in Gibson’s Landing — scene of the famous Beachcombers TV series — with one unidentified resident threatening “to take a gun” to company executives if changes weren’t made.Company employees have complained about being sworn at, spit on and even having to avoid veering cars. On October 11 a 16-year old was arrested and charged with starting a fire in the washroom of the Spirit of Vancouver while it was sailing to Schwartz Bay.
