Don't EVER tell me that a letter to the proper person will not produce results. A pebble, no matter how small, when dropped into the water will still produce a ripple. A voice, no mater how soft, still makes a sound.
Here is the letter FROM the Minister.
rlburelle@shaw.ca
217733 – BC Ferries
Dear Lynn:
Thank you for your e-mail of June 11, 2013, regarding BC Ferries.
I agree that families living in our island and coastal communities need affordable, efficient ferry service and I appreciate the opportunity to review your comments. As you are likely aware, the ministry recently undertook a public consultation and engagement process on coastal ferry services, and I hope you were able to participate. The purpose of this process was to seek feedback on specific issues associated with the current and future challenges – such as increasing fuel costs and low ridership – that are facing our coastal ferry system.
Over the eight weeks, senior ministry staff hosted 40 public consultation meetings in 30 communities. More than 2,000 people attended the public meetings and almost 2,000 feedback forms and written submissions were received. The high level of participation reflects the importance of the coastal ferry system to the people of B.C.
The engagement process was part of our response to BC Ferry Commissioner Gordon Macatee’s review of the Coastal Ferry Act (CFA). Commissioner Macatee released a report with his recommendations last year. The review indicated that ferry users, the operator and the Province all need to contribute to ensure the sustainability of the coastal ferry system.
The government has made amendments to the CFA to reduce pressure on fares and, in addition, is increasing its funding over four years by $79.5 million. This year, the federal and provincial funding will be more than $200 million. While the Commissioner is responsible for setting the final price caps, the amended legislation and additional funding are intended to enable the price cap increases to decline over time.
I have taken the liberty of sharing a copy of your correspondence with the ministry staff involved in the consultation and engagement process, so that they are aware of your feedback. The issues facing our coastal ferry service are complex, and the ministry will need to take some time to review the information received from the process, along with financial, policy and technical considerations. A copy of the report summarizing the input the ministry received from British Columbians can be found at: http://www.coastalferriesengagement.ca/.
I want to assure you the provincial government remains committed to finding solutions to best balance the needs of ferry users with the interests of B.C. taxpayers and the ferry operator. As the newly appointed Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, I look forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure we have a coastal ferry system that is sustainable in the long term.
Thank you again for taking the time to write.
Sincerely,
Todd Stone
Minister
Copy to: Kirk Handrahan, Executive Director
Marine Branch
Tuesday 20 August 2013
Saturday 3 August 2013
Had A Great Two Weeks
Our so and his fiancée were here for two weeks. It was nice having them here. Nice is such a benign overused word. It was so much more than nice to have them here. It was amazing!
It has been three years since we saw them last. Way to much time gone by before seeing our kids. How many of us stop to smell the roses? How many of us take work home with us? Not very many of us leave work completely behind us when we get in the car to go home. If we had a bad day, or battled traffic, or didn't finish a task we had planned to have done that day.
If we had a bad day or a good day, we bring it home and talk about it with our spouse. If we don't talk about it, then we are crabby, and irritable and just want to veg and watch tv. I personally think we are doing it wrong. Work is something we go to for 8 to 10 hours, and if there is a challenge at work, sort it out and if you can't, then write it down and deal with it the next day. Leave it at work, take the ride home to relax and refocus your mind. You are on your way to the safest place on earth, your home, your sanctuary, your haven. The place where you love and are loved, where your family is, where you can embrace peace and comfort. Instead, we allow work to invade our safe, loving, haven.
Okay, back to my son and our future daughter-in-law. We had so much fun with them. We went tubing, we went up Mount Washington and fed the Whiskey Jacks. We went camping at Sproat Lake and we went to Tofino, and they went zip lining, and they went to Tree Go, and we went camping in Strathcona Park, saw Lady Falls, Lupin Falls, and finally Myra Falls. We stopped and smelled the flowers. We stopped and played again, had fun, laughed, and relaxed.
Ray and I, well, Ray has been so busy working and fixing the house, and I have been emotionally, and as much physically as I can, supporting him. We had not stopped to play or relax for a while. Then our son came, and we played hard, but it was good! It was physically demanding, and we were tired at night, and we fell asleep with a smile on our faces.
I guess my point in all of this is to remind us all to stop. Leave work at the office, on the job site, or where ever your work is, leave it there. Relax on your way home so you can walk through the door with a smile on your face happy to see your family at home. Then, go play! Release the tension of the day by laughing with your wife/husband/kids. Go do something you all love. Go to sleep with a smile on your face. Keep life exciting and filled with love and laughter.
Take care
Love ya
Me
It has been three years since we saw them last. Way to much time gone by before seeing our kids. How many of us stop to smell the roses? How many of us take work home with us? Not very many of us leave work completely behind us when we get in the car to go home. If we had a bad day, or battled traffic, or didn't finish a task we had planned to have done that day.
If we had a bad day or a good day, we bring it home and talk about it with our spouse. If we don't talk about it, then we are crabby, and irritable and just want to veg and watch tv. I personally think we are doing it wrong. Work is something we go to for 8 to 10 hours, and if there is a challenge at work, sort it out and if you can't, then write it down and deal with it the next day. Leave it at work, take the ride home to relax and refocus your mind. You are on your way to the safest place on earth, your home, your sanctuary, your haven. The place where you love and are loved, where your family is, where you can embrace peace and comfort. Instead, we allow work to invade our safe, loving, haven.
Okay, back to my son and our future daughter-in-law. We had so much fun with them. We went tubing, we went up Mount Washington and fed the Whiskey Jacks. We went camping at Sproat Lake and we went to Tofino, and they went zip lining, and they went to Tree Go, and we went camping in Strathcona Park, saw Lady Falls, Lupin Falls, and finally Myra Falls. We stopped and smelled the flowers. We stopped and played again, had fun, laughed, and relaxed.
Ray and I, well, Ray has been so busy working and fixing the house, and I have been emotionally, and as much physically as I can, supporting him. We had not stopped to play or relax for a while. Then our son came, and we played hard, but it was good! It was physically demanding, and we were tired at night, and we fell asleep with a smile on our faces.
I guess my point in all of this is to remind us all to stop. Leave work at the office, on the job site, or where ever your work is, leave it there. Relax on your way home so you can walk through the door with a smile on your face happy to see your family at home. Then, go play! Release the tension of the day by laughing with your wife/husband/kids. Go do something you all love. Go to sleep with a smile on your face. Keep life exciting and filled with love and laughter.
Take care
Love ya
Me
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