The island

Denman letter challenges B.C. Ferries oversight and vessel-loan plans

A letter signed by Sharon Small argues that the Baynes Sound Connector and B.C. Ferries’ proposed Chinese-built vessels raise questions about government oversight.[^1]

The Denman Firestarter · reporting 2025-11-13 · compiled 2026-10-01

Back issue. The Denman Firestarter did not exist on 2025-11-13. This edition was compiled on 2026-10-01 from the public record as it stood on 2025-11-13, and contains nothing dated after that day — no outcomes, no hindsight. It is a reconstruction of what was on the record at the time, not a document from the time. This edition.

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A letter in this week’s Islands Grapevine criticizes the provincial government’s approach to B.C. Ferries and urges federal review of loan guarantees for Chinese-built vessels.^[1]

Sharon Small, identified in the letter as a Denman Island resident, wrote that she had asked a federal committee to examine the 1999 Fast Ferries audit before approving the guarantees.^[1]

Small cited the Baynes Sound Connector, the cable ferry serving Denman, as an example of what she described as repeated failures. She wrote that it had the fleet’s highest mechanical breakdown rate and cost $5.9 million annually, rather than the projected $230,000.^[1]

Small also criticized the government’s oversight of B.C. Ferries and its handling of fares, service reporting and engagement. The letter is her account; the documents provided for this report contain no response from the government or B.C. Ferries.^[1]

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