B.C. to restore ferry service on Central Coast to boost aboriginal tourism
VANCOUVER — The British Columbia government will restore summer ferry service between Bella Coola and Port Hardy, after it cut a similar route in 2014, restricting access to aboriginal tourism sites and drawing protests from local First Nations.
Premier Christy Clark announced on Tuesday that the province and BC Ferries are looking for a vessel to provide a seasonal service between the two Central Coast communities, with sailings beginning in summer 2018.
“By introducing the right ferry service, using the right vessel, we can take advantage of the increasing numbers of international visitors who come here to experience one of the world’s jewels — the Great Bear Rainforest,” she said in a statement.
She told reporters at a news conference that the new service would be a “very different” one from the route that was cancelled in 2014 as a cost-cutting measure. She said the ship from the previous route was the wrong size, was often 70 per cent empty and was set to be retired, while two of the sailings each week took 20 hours and only one was direct.