In response to the independent BC Ferry Commissioners review, the BC government introduced amendments to the Costal Ferry Act. Amendments to the Act give the commissioner more flexibility to determine the amount of revenue needed to sustain operations and support ongoing investment. The commissioner will also be given additional responsibility to oversee the costs of providing the ferry service.

In addition to legislative changes:

• The government will increase its financial contribution to BC Ferries by $79.5 million to reduce the pressure for higher fares;
• BC Ferries will need to find efficiencies to reduce operating costs;
• There will be significant adjustments to service levels, and discussions with communities about trade-offs among service adjustments, fare increases and potential community contributions; and
• Government will seek public input to develop strategies to support a vision for connecting coastal communities.

Future investments will look at: providing greater interoperability of ferries between routes; reducing operating costs by implementing new technologies (such as LNG-fuelled and cable ferries); and allowing for alternative methods to connect coastal communities, such as passenger-only ferries and other service improvements.

Premier  Christy Clark is inviting British Columbians to help develop the BC Liberal platform. Specifically, she is asking for input in the areas of education, skills and training, mental health and addiction, public and private wages, open government and an elected Senate. The Premier has also indicated that an internal party committee will look at the possibility of changing the name of the party.

Last month, BC's unemployment rate dropped to 6.2% from 7% in March, and the economy gained 19,700 jobs - 16,700 of which are full time positions.

Regionally, Vancouver Island and Coast gained 4,600 jobs, the Lower Mainland-Southwest gained 15,000, and Cariboo gained 500 positions.

Statistics Canada indicates that the jobs numbers in BC have been outperforming the national average and are the third best in the country, behind Saskatchewan and Alberta. Since February 2011, BC has added 57,900 jobs to the economy.

This weekly report produced for the BC Chamber of Commerce by Fleishman-Hillard.  While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information included in this publication as of the date of issue, events and government policies are subject to frequent change.  Therefore, the BC Chamber of Commerce and Fleishman-Hillard cannot assume any responsibility for actions taken solely or principally on the basis on the information contained herein.