For Immediate Release
24-09
April 19, 2024

New Community Prioritization Panel marks a return to engagement

VICTORIA — Starting next month, engagement will restart with Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) members and coastal communities to begin to tackle ideas and requests from ferry users up and down the coast.

“While it was important to take necessary time to review our safety and security protocols following a serious incident last fall, we have been eager to get back to face-to-face engagement. I’m encouraged we can now put our focus back where it needs to be – on important discussions with people in the communities we serve,” said Lindsay Mathews, Vice-President of Public Affairs and Marketing. “For the rest of this year, we’re looking forward to prioritizing everything we’ve heard from communities, ensuring that people can see and feel actions being taken in an order that best aligns with the public interest across the broader ferry system.”

Virtual FAC meetings will take place in May and in-person community meetings will be taking place throughout June and July. BC Ferries is also creating a new Community Prioritization Panel (CPP) that will help prioritize the ideas that have come forward from FACs and communities over the past few years.

All FAC chairs have been invited to participate in the CPP and the panel will deliver a final public report by Oct. 31. This report will help guide how BC Ferries reviews and makes decisions on changes needed to improve service and experience for customers, and also help inform long-term decisions that align with the ongoing Charting the Course vision process.

In order to create a safe and respectful environment for all, BC Ferries has and will continue to implement improvements to its responsiveness to feedback and overall engagement approach, as well as other changes based on recommendations made in its safety review:

• Establishing safety and security policies for public events that align with WorkSafe BC requirements.
• Rolled out a new mandatory respectful workplace policy and training across the company, including training in Prevention of Violence in the Workplace for all BC Ferries representatives who will take part in community events.
• Updating the Terms of Reference and Code of Conduct to ensure the correct foundations are in place to support a mutually respectful and productive relationship with FACs.
• Establishing new processes for public events, including the request for participants to RSVP ahead of time, new sign-in requirements, and a new Code of Conduct that will apply to all public events. 
• Establishing plans and templates to support safety and security assessments in advance of FAC and community meetings.

Once community meeting dates are confirmed, they will be shared on BC Ferries community pages at https://www.bcferriesprojects.ca/in-your-community.

Learn more:

View the safety and security review report and its recommendations: https://www.bcferries.com/our-company/freedom-of-information/24-037

Updated FAC Terms of Reference and New BC Ferries/FAC Code of Conduct for community engagement: https://www.bcferries.com/in-the-community/ferry-advisory-committees