Beacon Wharf in Sidney could become the hub for a variety of passenger-only vessels that would greatly increase the places people could sail close to Vancouver Island, says Mayor Steve Price.
Located at the foot of Beacon Avenue, the wharf offers potential for foot passengers seeking both fast and more leisurely trips to Vancouver, trips to Ganges and throughout the Gulf Islands and moorage for private boats not able to use the privately owned Port Sidney Marina, he said.
“This would be a huge economic generator for the whole Island,” Price said.
A Sidney stop for Riverside Marine’s passenger ferry this summer between Victoria and Vancouver is just one of many uses that a renovated harbour could accommodate.
Sidney officials continue their discussions with privately run Island Ferry Services “for a fast cat from Sidney to downtown Vancouver as a commuter service,” Price said.
At a recent Island Ferry presentation, Sidney officials were told the commuter run could get people to downtown Vancouver in 90 minutes, compared to the 3 1⁄2- hour Riverside trip expected to cost about $80.
Island Ferry’s charge would be closer to $40 one way, Price said.
He said he would also like to see a passenger-only service from Sidney that connects with all the Gulf Islands, with Beacon Wharf as the hub.
Sidney’s many independent stores, book shops, restaurants, hotels and services already make the town a destination, and it’s also the headquarters for Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, he said. “Who else has that?” Port Sidney Marina, described on its website as “a sophisticated oasis in the heart of Sidney,” has more than 300 slips, but Price stressed the need for a public dock that anyone with a boat can use.
“We definitely want to get our own public dock back down there so that people can pull in with their own recreational boats and shop in Sidney and go back to Sidney Spit. Because we lost that when Port Sidney went in,” Price said.
A renovation of Beacon Wharf will be needed within a decade, he said, so the town needs to ascertain who is on board in time to work with a consultant soon to be hired for a new harbour vision.
“What we need to know is see if there’s any uptake from these marine companies for the Vancouver service and if there is, then we can incorporate that into [the] new design process.”
10 Jan 2016 Times Colonist KATHERINE DEDYNA kdedyna@timescolonist.com
