Island Dairy Farmers Support MP's Call for Ferry Subsidies
Dairy farmers on Vancouver Island have joined Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns in seeking a larger federal contribution to BC Ferries. They say transport expenses are putting pressure on farm operations and could threaten their viability if fares rise after the current pricing arrangement expires.
Ridley Wikkerink, the second-generation owner of Wedgwood Holsteins in Cobble Hill, told CHEK News that ferry transport has become a substantial component of his costs. The 60-year-old farm covers 121 hectares, and Wikkerink said its present business model is not sustainable because of transportation expenses.
Wikkerink estimated that his farm spends about C$150,000 annually on ferry charges. Beyond fuel used on the farm, the operation must pay to move supplies, including feed and equipment, to Vancouver Island. Wikkerink also operates a trucking company that transports cattle from the Island to the mainland.
BC Ferries has said fares could increase by 30% in 2028, when the existing fare structure ends. Wikkerink said transport costs are a particularly significant issue on Vancouver Island compared with other parts of Canada. He said farms such as his could be left in a precarious position if assistance does not arrive soon.
Johns has been pressing the federal government to raise its support for BC Ferries to a level comparable with assistance provided to ferries in Atlantic Canada. In the House of Commons in June, he said the federal contribution to BC Ferries was C$38m for operating costs, or about C$6 per person. Marine Atlantic, by comparison, receives C$125 per person, according to Johns.
Johns also cited a difference in the shares of operating costs covered by the federal government. He said Ottawa contributes 3% in British Columbia, while the federal share in Atlantic Canada is 43%; British Columbia contributes 24% of BC Ferries' operating costs, he said. Johns has introduced a motion seeking parity and wants the issue addressed in the federal budget scheduled to be presented on November 5. The federal government did not respond to CHEK News's request for comment before its deadline.
Wikkerink said he hoped the country would apply a consistent approach to ferry costs across regions. He said that higher public support could affect whether farms such as Wedgwood Holsteins can continue operating under the existing transport costs.
