Vancouver-Sunshine Coast electric ferry proposed

A plan is underway to introduce an electric passenger ferry with service from Downtown Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast.

Coun. Rebecca Bligh says she and two Park Board commissioners will present motions to push for the ferry service at Vancouver City Hall. She says it’s a collaborative effort with the mayors of Gibsons and Bowen Island and the Park Board.

Bligh says the Victoria-based electric ferry company, Greenline, approached the city with the project.

“Why I took some real interest in it is because we know that getting around our region really isn’t as easy as it should be, given our proximity to these beautiful islands,” said Bligh.

She says a passenger ferry service is a critical missing piece of infrastructure for the region.

“Bringing folks back into the downtown core is critical, and making that commute easier for people will allow that to happen more and more often. And for the benefit of, of course, tourism and local economy.”

Greenline says it has been working for two years with mayors, councillors, First Nations, and BC Hydro to gather all the pieces necessary for a passenger-only ferry service.

“After exhaustive investigation and more than a dozen meetings around the city, our team has set its sights on an excellent Vancouver landing site: the city-owned dock at Harbour Green Park,” said the company.

It says the harbour would remain unchanged as it installs a new dock segment for a charging facility for its boats.

“Greenline boats would arrive seven times per day, with four journeys from Gibsons and three from Bowen Island,” the company explained.

“Each Greenline boat would offload about the same number of passengers as a city bus, and most of these passengers would walk on paved pathways toward the downtown and transit.”

The company says, with fully electric vehicles, the soundscape of the area would be “largely unaffected.”

Bligh says the motions will likely be tabled with council by the end of the month.

—With files from Michelle Meiklejohn