BC Ferries has launched a new engagement process for coastal communities to provide feedback.
Large systems like BC Ferries need to have feedback from the people who depend on their system.
Especially when there are few people at the top of the company who don’t actually have to use the system themselves for day-to-day life.
It’s entirely too easy to look at the system through the romantic tourism lens – and forget the people for whom the ferry is just another way to get to work, school, and medical appointments.
The new engagement tool has too much potential for glossing over what people want to communicate with BC Ferries. People need to be able to express their thoughts on ferry service in person with people in BC Ferries who can actuate change. As uncomfortable as it can be to have those discussions in a public forum, those need to happen. Not just in surveys, online thought-bubbles, or at an Open House with sticky Post-It Notes.
We need actual meetings, with actual members of the public able to have the floor. We have seen great work done by BC Ferries over the decades because staff was able to hear from those living the experience of their decision making.
That needs to be in place going forward.
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