The Regional District of Central Kootenay Board of Directors has submitted a resolution regarding inland ferry services for consideration at the 2025 Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments (AKBLG) annual general meeting.
Each year, regional districts can submit resolutions to the AKBLG meeting for consideration, discussion, and voting by membership.
This year’s meeting is scheduled for April 25–27 in Kimberley.
The narrowed list will be presented to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) and ultimately sent to the Legislative Assembly of BC for consideration by the provincial legislature.
The resolution put forward by the Board calls for the Province of BC to recognize that all ferry services within the province are necessary to the health, safety, and welfare of all residents and should be considered when predetermining minimum inland ferry service levels on a site-by-site basis.
It also asks that the UBCM work with the affected areas and the provincial government to find a solution to ensure that the rights of all British Columbia residents are protected equally on the coast and in the Interior.
During the February 20 Board meeting, directors discussed the ongoing ferry dispute, which has been impacting ferry operations on Kootenay Lake since the fall.
The original motion asked that the province “recognize that all ferry services within the province of BC are necessary to the health, safety, and welfare of all residents and should be deemed an essential service, and that the UBCM work with the affected areas and the provincial government to find a solution to ensure that the rights of all British Columbia residents are protected equally on the coast and in the Interior.”
Area I Director Andy Davidoff strongly supported the original motion, pointing out that under Section 25 of the Coastal Ferry Act, a provision states that if there is a conflict between the Labour Relations Code and the Coastal Ferry Act, the Coastal Ferry Act shall prevail.
However, for inland ferries, this protection does not exist.
“We don’t have that protection for inland ferries. And so this motion, I believe, requests that. The bottom line is that we need to address the anomaly. The anxiety, the tension, and the cost that’s being spent right now on this in our communities have got to end. And it can only end with legislation because the current Labour Relations Code does not allow this to happen. So this needs to stop,” said Davidoff.
However, Electoral Area J Director Henny Hanegraaf had concerns with the term “essential services” as written in the original motion.
She said including the term wouldn’t necessarily guarantee full service, noting that even under the Coastal Ferry Act, if workers were to go on strike or be locked out by the corporation, essential service levels would still have to be determined prior to job action, which is no different from the inland ferry dispute.
“It doesn’t guarantee business as usual any more than the Essential Services Act under the Labour Relations Board. So, I think that we’re trying to solve a problem, and I do recognize that it is a problem, but we’re not doing it in a way that is going to achieve the result you want. The Coastal Ferry Act does not guarantee business as usual in the event of a labour dispute, and we need to recognize that.”
While she understands what the resolution is trying to do, she doesn’t think it will be as effective as the Board hopes.
“I think there’s some confusion around what ‘essential services’ means. An essential service designation does not mean business as usual or full service, and that’s why essential service levels have to be determined before a strike or lockout action can happen in the event of a labour dispute.
And if you really extrapolate and say that the Coastal Ferry Act says that service will be provided, what you’re also saying then is that anyone covered by that Act would not have the right to strike, and that’s not the case either.
Hanegraaf said that unlike the last BC Ferries strike in 2003, which lasted five days, the Kootenay Lake ferry dispute has been long and painful for everyone involved, adding that she thinks the real issue is that the essential service levels are not adequate to meet the needs of the affected communities.
“We have essential services. The problem is with the level that has been determined by the Labour Relations Board. I also think we’re kind of out of our line on this. This is a labour relations issue and should be dealt with as such. That’s why we have a Labour Board in BC.”
After further discussion, directors approved an amended motion that eliminated the phrase “essential service”, instead resolving that the province “recognize that all ferry services within BC are necessary for the health, safety, and welfare of all residents and should be considered when predetermining minimum inland ferry service levels on a site-by-site basis, and that the UBCM work with the impacted areas and the provincial government.”
Something going on in your part of the Kootenays you think people should know about? Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
