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Topic

Route 55, Lasqueti Island

First posted June 11, 2026

Route 55 is the only scheduled marine connection between Lasqueti Island and Vancouver Island. It is the through-line for nearly every public issue on this site: medical access, emergency response, accessibility, contract administration, and the September 30, 2027 deadline that will shape the route’s regulatory status through 2028 and beyond.

Illustrated map of the Strait of Georgia showing ferry routes connecting Vancouver Island to Hornby, Denman, Lasqueti, Gabriola, and Thetis Islands. Route 55 between False Bay on Lasqueti and French Creek Harbour on Vancouver Island is shown as a passenger-only connection.
This map illustrates the passenger and vehicle ferry routes serving Hornby Island, Denman Island, Lasqueti Island, Gabriola Island, and Thetis Island. Geographic locations, distances, and landmasses are provided for contextual reference and are not drawn to scale.

At a glance

Route 55 in one box
Route False Bay (Lasqueti) to French Creek (Vancouver Island)
Vessel MV Centurion VII, registered 1985, Port of Vancouver
Operator Western Pacific Marine Ltd. (independent contractor)
Contracting party BC Ferry Services Inc.
Contract term April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2028
Regulatory status Unregulated route administered by BC Ferries
Contract reference TRA-2024-41105 (Amending Agreement, March 27, 2024)
Service capacity (Schedule A) Up to 60 passengers per sailing
Certified capacity (Transport Canada) 12, 50, or 59 by crew category
Annual frequency (Schedule A) 763 round trips per year

How service actually runs

Schedule shape. Tuesday sailings do not operate at any time of year. Wednesday sailings operate only during the ten-week peak season (last Wednesday of June to Labour Day). For the remaining roughly 42 weeks each year, the route has no scheduled service on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. The earliest sailing leaves False Bay at 8:00 a.m. and arrives at French Creek at approximately 9:00 a.m., a structural barrier to morning medical appointments that has not been formally reviewed against health system availability.

Weather and mechanical disruption. The vessel does not operate above 35 knots of wind or 2.5 metres of wave height. In calendar year 2025, the operator’s monthly trip reports record 19 service-day disruptions due to wind exceedance, totalling 52 cancelled one-way sailings, with a further 9 one-way sailings lost to mechanical issues. Each disrupted day creates cascading appointment effects for residents whose medical travel cannot be rescheduled within the same week.

Capacity by crew category. Transport Canada certifies the MV Centurion VII to carry three different passenger ceilings depending on crew configuration: Category A (Captain plus 1 crew member, 12 passengers), Category B (Captain plus 2 crew, 50 passengers), and Category C (Captain, Mate, and 1 crew member, 59 passengers). None of these reaches the 60 the contract specifies. The reduced ceilings under lower crew configurations are not disclosed in BC Ferries’ public service information. The choice of crew configuration on any given sailing is determined by the operator.

No vehicle deck and no accessibility provision. The vessel carries no personal vehicles and has no accommodation for mobility-impaired passengers. The 2021 Census records 498 permanent residents on Lasqueti with a median age of 54.8 years and 41 percent of residents aged 60 or older.

Terminal facilities. Under Schedule C of the contract, Western Pacific Marine is responsible at its own expense for establishing and maintaining the terminal facilities at both French Creek and False Bay. False Bay has no ticket booth and no on-site ticket agent.

Key documents

The source documents that define the Route 55 service. Each is available for direct download.

Operator contract (TRA-2024-41105). The full service contract between BC Ferries and Western Pacific Marine Ltd., comprising the original April 1, 2020 agreement and the March 27, 2024 Amending Agreement extending the term to March 31, 2028. Some financial figures are redacted under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Download PDF

Transport Canada Safety Inspection Certificate. Certificate No. 2026-00042-505, issued April 28, 2026, at Nanaimo, valid until April 27, 2027. Records the three certified operating categories (A, B, C) with their passenger ceilings and the dates of the last two hull bottom inspections (April 28, 2023 and May 13, 2020). Download PDF

Coastal Ferry Act (SBC 2003, c. 14). The provincial statute that establishes the BC Ferry Commissioner, designated and undesignated routes, and the regulatory framework under which Route 55 sits as an unregulated route. Available at bclaws.gov.bc.ca

Coastal Ferry Services Contract. The master contract between the Province of British Columbia and BC Ferry Services Inc. Article 9.03 governs the conversion mechanism between unregulated and regulated routes. Available at bcferries.com

The 2028 renewal window

The current operator contract expires March 31, 2028. Under Article 9.03 of the Coastal Ferry Services Contract, BC Ferries must give the Province six months’ notice before that date. The six-month mark falls on September 30, 2027.

September 30, 2027 is a fixed deadline. Any community position regarding the route’s regulatory future, whether toward regulated status, an improved unregulated contract, or maintenance of the current arrangement, must reach the Minister of Transportation and Transit before that date to be considered in the renewal determination. The community is not a formal party to the determination; influence depends on early, organized engagement.

The three options available at the 2028 renewal are analyzed in the May 14, 2026 submission to the LCA Ferry Committee (see Filings, below).

Filings

Correspondence record. New filings are added as documents are sent or received.

Submission to BC Ferries and Minister of Transportation and Transit, June 3, 2026

Five operational requests under the current service contract: adaptation of the Medical Assured Loading program to Route 55, a 90-day schedule review for medical access alignment, compliance with the 2024 Schedule G communication and engagement obligations, disclosure of vessel records and an independent vessel assessment, and a written BC Ferries commitment to attend future Schedule G community meetings. A written response was requested within 30 business days of receipt (by July 15, 2026). Status: awaiting response.

Full discussion: Route 55 and Medical Access: Why a Formal Submission Was Made.

Submission to LCA Ferry Committee, May 14, 2026

Balanced analysis of the three options available to the committee regarding Route 55’s regulatory status under Article 9.03 of the Coastal Ferry Services Contract: conversion to regulated status, continuation under an improved unregulated contract, and maintenance of the current arrangement. The document does not advocate for any of the three options. It identifies information gaps the committee would need to fill before deciding, and proposes a four-phase work plan back from the September 30, 2027 deadline. Includes the author’s spouse disclosure on page 1 (the committee chair is the author’s spouse). Download PDF

Who has authority for what

British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. (BC Ferries). Contracting party. Holds Schedule A capacity specification, inspection authority under section 1.1(f), and administers the Medical Assured Loading program network-wide. President and CEO: Nicolas Jimenez. Board Chair: Joy MacPhail. Marine Superintendent contact at 1300 Eleanor Road, Comox, BC V9M 4B3.

Western Pacific Marine Ltd. Operator under contract. Holds Schedule G obligations: semi-annual community meetings, the written engagement plan, published policies on cancellations, ticketing, and conditions of carriage. President: Graham Clarke. Address: 501 Denman Street, Vancouver, BC V6G 2W9. The vessel is owned by Western Pacific Marine; the contract is administered by BC Ferries.

Ministry of Transportation and Transit. Policy oversight of BC Ferries. Counterparty to the Coastal Ferry Services Contract. Minister: The Honourable Mike Farnworth.

Ministry of Health and Island Health. Responsible for the health care system that depends on Route 55 and for coordinating the health services that Lasqueti residents reach by ferry. Minister of Health: The Honourable Josie Osborne.

MLA Stephanie Higginson. Member for Ladysmith-Oceanside, Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Care Access. Lasqueti sits in her riding.

Lasqueti Community Association (LCA) Ferry Committee. Recognized community body for Route 55 matters. Chair: Shelley Garside. Contact: [email protected].

Lasqueti Last Resort Society (Judith Fisher Centre). Coordinates on-island health services, including the weekly visiting nurse clinic and Telehealth facility. President: Marilyn Darwin. Contact: [email protected].

BC Ferry Commissioner. Independent regulator established under the Coastal Ferry Act. Authority over regulated routes only. Route 55 is unregulated; the Commissioner has no current authority over it. If the route were converted to regulated status under Article 9.03, the Commissioner would acquire authority over the route’s average fare cap, financial reporting, and inspection of operations under section 46.

Help keep this current

Ferry service details, contract obligations, and regulatory positions evolve. If you spot an error, an outdated reference, or a new filing that should appear on this page, let me know.