BC Ferries struggles with online community engagement, but is returning to in-person meetings

A new report from BC Ferries’ public engagement activities has found that the corporation has had mixed results in strengthening its public engagement process.

The report, recently presented to the British Columbia Ferries Commissioner focused on the year that ended on March 31, 2024.

Progress has been made in Indigenous relations, according to the report, while engagement with ferry-dependent communities has deteriorated, the commissioner noted.

In September 2023, BC Ferries announced it was moving community meetings from in-person to online due to rising aggressive, threatening and abusive behaviour.

This came as the company continued to deal with crew shortages and sailing cancellations.

On Sept. 20, during a meeting Diana Mumford was chairing for the Southern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee, a member of the public uttered a threat to the effect that if BC Ferries didn’t make changes the individual would “take a gun to everyone” according to BC Ferries.

“It’s unfortunate, because … I think it shows the level of frustration of our community,” Mumford told Global News at the time.

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According to the report to the commissioner, BC Ferries intends to return to in-person meetings for spring and summer.

“The Commissioners have heard from the FAC (Ferry Advisory Committee) chairs that there were high levels of frustration among FAC members due to the lack of communication from the Corporation following the cessation of in-person meetings in September,” the report states.

“In addition, FAC members felt that they were not consulted nor were they involved in the development of new security measures in their communities.”

For the following fiscal year, the commissioner is “strongly recommending” BC Ferries outline the steps it will take to make customers ” feel respected, heard and valued” and that those steps be developed in consultation with communities, FACs, First Nations and other stakeholders.

In addition, BC Ferries should demonstrate to the B.C. Ferries Commissioner how it intends to monitor whether the steps taken lead to an enhanced public engagement process, to clearly define and communicate what role the FACs will have in the enhanced public engagement plan and ensure that all communication is shared online in a comprehensive and timely manner.

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