{"id":156752,"date":"2025-09-12T16:42:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T16:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interior-news.com\/2025\/09\/12\/letter-count-the-cost-before-building-ferries-in-canada\/"},"modified":"2025-09-12T16:42:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T16:42:00","slug":"letter-count-the-cost-before-building-ferries-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interior-news.com\/2025\/09\/12\/letter-count-the-cost-before-building-ferries-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"LETTER: Count the cost before building ferries in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

To the editor,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reading a recent story promoting the building of ferries in Canada<\/a> brought back for me a variety of fond and not-so-fond memories from the turn of the century when BC Ferries contracted for two fast ferries, ultimately nicknamed the PacifiCats. <\/p>\n

The PacifiCats were built in B.C. under the NDP government of the time. <\/p>\n

I remember well the excitement about the new technologies and experience that would be acquired by B.C. shipyard companies and workers.<\/p>\n

As an information systems contractor with BC Ferries at that time, I was privileged to be invited on one of the PacifiCat sea trials between Swartz Bay and Horseshoe Bay. <\/p>\n

The vessel was pre-loaded with huge water bags, and performed high speed figure-eights during the transit. The vessel was beautifully equipped, and I had nothing but admiration for it. I still have the monogrammed vest that BC Ferries gifted to me at the time.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, however, within a year or two of high operating costs, public backlash, and political posturing, the following Liberal government cancelled the PacifiCat program and put the vessels up for sale at a minute fraction of their cost.<\/p>\n

Before Canada jumps again into ferry-building (which I would not oppose in principle), I think any plan to do so should be considering not only its financial, technical and competitive feasibility, but also the sad history of the PacifiCats. <\/p>\n

So much promise, so much disappointment, and so much waste.<\/p>\n

John Bubb<\/strong><\/p>\n

Summerland<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

B.C.-built PacifiCat fast ferries came with high operating costs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":156753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","category-regional-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLETTER: Count the cost before building ferries in Canada - The Interior News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/interior-news.com\/2025\/09\/12\/letter-count-the-cost-before-building-ferries-in-canada\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LETTER: Count the cost before 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