The Province of Vancouver Island

[jetty1965]

PEI got the bridge. Its a very nice bridge.

I am sure the Legislature would have to move because Vancouver Island has not been known to vote for any free enterprise party. NDP or bust for them. The operation of the ferries is privatized , have been for several years. Although supplemented somewhat. Service has been going down steadily ever since. Doesn't help that the CAO makes more money than the prime minister.

http://globalnews.ca/news/916736/bc-fer ... nder-fire/

[occasional thoughts]

LoneWolf: just for the record, all continents (mainlands) are ultimately islands.

Jetty: B.C. Ferries is not privatized, nobody bought it; it is under a supposed arm's-length board/corporation, however. It has been going "downhill" only because it is trying to act as a more-private operation, matching use or ridership to costs. I would think that centre-right voters would support that.

It is cheap, nevertheless, to attack B.C. Ferries which is and/or should be a part of the highway system, said highway system we do not pay for directly whatsoever. Let's toll all the roads and bridges including our own pretty structure over Okanagan Lake before we take cheap shots at the ferry system.

Vancouver Island residents and visitors are already treated as 2nd class citizens; inland ferries (look at the beautiful semi-new one operating on Kootenay Lake) before you go too far.

[SmokeOnTheWater]

Yeah and if it happened, they'd no doubt expect us to build them a gazillion dollar bridge, just like Newfoundland got.

You gotta wonder how many generations it will take before we see the worth in that investment.

People who choose to live on rocks separated from the mainland, should be willing to accept all that goes with it.

Newfoundland has a bridge ? From where to where ?

[Donald G]

The bridge was built so that Newfoundllanders can tell people to "stay here you're too and I'll come where you're at"or "stay where you're at and I'll come where you're too". One is used when taking the bridge toward Nfld and t'other is used when leaving.

[flamingfingers]

I have NO IDEA why this hairbrained idea took off from except in the mind of a doddering old fart who must be as old as Don...oops.. dirt. He's a staunch Conservative who is anchored in decades past with a patriacal view and no tolerance for anything progressive. Looks to me that he is being set up to try and split the vote here - good luck, old man - you may get 'some' to vote for you but fer sure not this greyhead!

Posted from Vancouver island.

[GordonH]

Only fixed link on east coast is Confederation Bridge, between PEI & New Brunswick.

nothing between Newfoundland & Labrador

[jetty1965]

LoneWolf: just for the record, all continents (mainlands) are ultimately islands.

Jetty: B.C. Ferries is not privatized, nobody bought it; it is under a supposed arm's-length board/corporation, however. It has been going "downhill" only because it is trying to act as a more-private operation, matching use or ridership to costs. I would think that centre-right voters would support that.

It is cheap, nevertheless, to attack B.C. Ferries which is and/or should be a part of the highway system, said highway system we do not pay for directly whatsoever. Let's toll all the roads and bridges including our own pretty structure over Okanagan Lake before we take cheap shots at the ferry system.

Vancouver Island residents and visitors are already treated as 2nd class citizens; inland ferries (look at the beautiful semi-new one operating on Kootenay Lake) before you go too far.

Don't get me wrong was not taking a cheap shot. I was raised on Vancouver Island, Having still family on the Island i do still ride the ferries a fair bit. I am also in the know about the maintenance as I have friends that work on the ferries. So yes it has gone down hill. Its way too expensive as well. Food used to be better too. So yes you are right it is still owned by the Gov, but its run privately now. Operations wise. Subsidized by the provincial and federal gov. It used to be a crown corporation.

the inland ferries are part of the ministry of transportation, not BC Ferries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BC_Ferries

[LoneWolf_53]

Only fixed link on east coast is Confederation Bridge, between PEI & New Brunswick.

nothing between Newfoundland & Labrador

Sorry my bad, but I'm sure everyone knew exactly what I meant as it's the only bridge ever built in Canada that carried such a price tag, and I'm sure continues to cost billions in maintenance.

[jetty1965]

The Confederation Bridge to PEI is around 16Km long. To Serve 149 000 people. It cost 1 billion dollars and does have a toll.

http://www.confederationbridge.com/toll ... -fees.html

You would need a 60 km bridge to link VI and the mainland or several smaller bridges. All in a Earthquake prone area. VI's population is around 800 000.

[occasional thoughts]

Does anyone remember when Dr. Pat McGeer (he's almost as old as B.C. and he may not be "late") proposed construction of a bridge to Vancouver Island. He was a provincial Liberal MLA and maybe leader at the time but, before we start ointing "left-wing nut bar" fingers, remember he and his caucus all eventually joined Social Credit and the Bennett team, precursors to our present day administration.

[LoneWolf_53]

The Confederation Bridge to PEI is around 16Km long. To Serve 149 000 people. It cost 1 billion dollars and does have a toll.

http://www.confederationbridge.com/toll ... -fees.html

You would need a 60 km bridge to link VI and the mainland or several smaller bridges. All in a Earthquake prone area. VI's population is around 800 000.

Yes and if it was built today it would be 10 billion dollars, and all to serve a place no bigger than Kelowna.

I can't count high enough to calculate what a bridge to the white hair capital of Canada would cost.

[sooperphreek]

The Confederation Bridge to PEI is around 16Km long. To Serve 149 000 people. It cost 1 billion dollars and does have a toll.

http://www.confederationbridge.com/toll ... -fees.html

You would need a 60 km bridge to link VI and the mainland or several smaller bridges. All in a Earthquake prone area. VI's population is around 800 000.

i love when people bring up "earquake zone" as a reason to not build a bridge. and yet the greeks built a magnificent bridge just before their olympics that survived an earthquake while being built and passed with flying colors. so its all about the building and engineering. if the greeks could do it and other earthquake prone countries could build things im sure we can do so here.

[occasional thoughts]

I love it when ignorant people say misinformed things. I believe Canada had a constitutional requirement to link all of our original provinces, which is the case for PEI notwithstanding its population, and would not be the case for Vancouver Island or Pelee Island or any other island not a province.

[sooperphreek]

its misinformed to hemorrhage monies on a ferry system to the island any longer. build a bridge already. at least the money poured into the bridge would be a tactile tangible representation of that money and in the long run would be an investment. and it would be yet another thing in bc to generate money. even without tolls. tourists would flock here to take that bridge to the island and see such an engineering feat.

[jetty1965]

i love when people bring up "earquake zone" as a reason to not build a bridge. and yet the greeks built a magnificent bridge just before their olympics that survived an earthquake while being built and passed with flying colors. so its all about the building and engineering. if the greeks could do it and other earthquake prone countries could build things im sure we can do so here.

I stated only facts not opinion. Being in an Earthquake zone is a factor, not the entire reason to not build a bridge.

are you speaking of the Rio–Antirrio Bridge? Its only 3km long which is way smaller than the confederation bridge and way way smaller than a bridge to Van Is would have to be. The Port Mann bridge is 2km long, both the Port Mann and the Rio–Antirrio Bridge are cable bridges while the Confederation bridge is a Beam Bridge.

The longest bridge over open water is Jiaozhou Bay bridge in China, 42km long, in a protected bay. A direct link to Van island would have to be a continuation of hwy 1 at Horseshoe bay to nanaimo 60km long. A series of bridges crossing over several gulf islands and the sunshine coast would be more do-able and can be done in stages.

Really getting off topic as the thread is supposed to be about the province of Van Island, which can be done with or without a bridge. Should it be done. I don't see a reason other than political. Like I said in a previous post the Island consistently votes NDP regardless of what the rest of the province is voting. Would I like Van Island to be its own province? No.