Bowen Island, B.C. – Bowen Island Municipal Council has given first reading to a proposed Ferry Impact Fee and Reserve Fund Bylaw – a first-of-its-kind measure in British Columbia – to recover municipal costs associated with services the Municipality provides to support ferry operations on the small island of 4200 residents.
The proposed bylaw would establish an annual fee of $150,000, based on documented municipal operating costs, and create a dedicated reserve fund. The fee provides a transparent mechanism to recover a portion of the ongoing costs the Municipality incurs in delivering services that support the safe and efficient operation of ferry services on its roads and public spaces.
Unlike most ferry terminals in British Columbia, Bowen Island does not have a self-contained terminal where vehicle queuing occurs on provincially controlled lands. Ferry queuing, traffic management, and pedestrian circulation occur largely on municipal roads and public spaces. The Municipality provides ferry marshalling, traffic control, pedestrian safety measures, enforcement, and infrastructure maintenance – services that are essential to the orderly functioning of a route carrying approximately 1.3 million passengers per year.
“The services this fee recovers – traffic marshalling, pedestrian safety, congestion management – make Bowen’s ferry operations safer and more efficient for passengers, residents, and the operator alike,” said Mayor Andrew Leonard. “We are not imposing a burden on ferry service. We are recovering the cost of municipal services that support it.”
No ongoing funding arrangement with BC Ferries is currently in place. A one-time contribution of $50,000 toward marshalling costs was provided in 2025 but was not renewed.
If adopted, the annual fee would be deposited into the Ferry Service Impact & Infrastructure Reserve Fund to partially offset existing operating costs and accumulate funds toward future ferry-related infrastructure needs. Any expenditures from the reserve would require future Council approval.
“Bowen Island has stepped up to make this ferry route work,” said Mayor Leonard. “But the municipal services required to support ferry operations on our roads and public spaces need a fair, sustainable, and accountable funding mechanism – and that is what this bylaw provides.”
The proposed bylaw is expected to receive subsequent readings and adoption later this spring.