Demonstrators battle with BC Ferries over terminal expansion on Denman Island

A group of demonstrators on Denman Island, B.C., have been blocking work on a BC Ferries terminal expansion on the northern Gulf Island.

The demonstrators say they are pushing back against BC Ferries' plans to cut down more than 140 trees to make room for the project, which includes building a new parking lot and re-aligning a nearby road.

"Our attempt right now is to save the trees, put the whole thing on delay," said demonstrator Deborah McCall.

"[We have] teams overnight, so we're here 24/7, and when we need a lot of numbers hopefully we'll have a lot of numbers," she said.

On Monday, demonstrators used their bodies to block heavy equipment and workers from making progress on the project.

"Things got a bit tense. We held back the truck with heavy equipment which we believe they’ve then uploaded somewhere on the island, but not here, so work couldn’t continue," she said.

BC FERRIES RESPONDS

BC Ferries says it conducted community consultation on the project in 2017 and 2018, which identified public safety concerns related to the Denman Island ferry terminal, which connects the island to nearby Hornby Island.

Those safety concerns included long lineups and a lack of parking.

BC Ferries says it needs to expand its parking lot so that traffic backups don't stretch down a two-lane residential road that currently leads to the ferry terminal.

The company also says it has heard Denman Island residents want a larger ferry to operate on the route to increase vehicle capacity. However, BC Ferries says adding a larger ferry to the route without having designated pickup and drop-off lanes and a larger parking lot will increase safety risks.

"It’s unfortunate that the community is unable to reach consensus on this project and that one group’s views is creating further delays," said BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall in a statement Tuesday.

A BC Ferries vessel leaves the Denman Island terminal in an undated file image. (CTV News)

'APPARENT DIVIDE'

Demonstrators claim that BC Ferries' plans proposed back in 2017 did not include cutting down the roughly 140 trees.

They also believe that BC Ferries asked for public input without adequately considering it.

"There’s been a multitude of suggestions by people in the community of really good options on how to mitigate these lineups. BC Ferries is not listening," said demonstrator C. Urquhart.

On Tuesday, the demonstrators said they agree that something needs to be done to alleviate traffic snarls during the peak summer season.

But, they also say that the peak season only lasts a few weeks and that other, less destructive alternatives could help lessen the load.

The Denman Island ferry terminal is shown. (CTV News)"There’s been so many other suggestions – holding the traffic at Buckley Bay, reservation system, bigger ferry," said McCall.

BC Ferries says the Denman Island ferry terminal expansion was scheduled to start "years ago," but that it was delayed because of the pandemic.

With work now stalled by demonstrators, BC Ferris says it will "communicate next steps shortly."

"We are currently considering project timelines, cost and the impending nesting season, in conjunction with the community’s apparent divide on the future of the Denman East project," said Marshall.

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