Electric Passenger Ferry Harbour Green Dock

Statement Watch

I have them up on my screen and I'm sharing. Perfect. Rich. Excellent. Good morning, everybody. My name is Megan Pate. I'm the Associate Director of Integrated Projects and Engineering Services. I'd just like to note that we do have two representatives from Circle Ferries who's involved in this project here with us as speakers today. So very pleased to be able to provide you an update on this opportunity to establish electric passenger ferry service adjacent to Harbor Green Park and Coal Harbor. The city received a proposal from Circle Ferries, which is in alignment with Council's March 2025 motion. Today I'm going to provide you an overview of the proposal, the city's review of this proposal, as well as outline a proposed approach and next steps if Council supports proceeding and authorizing staff to negotiate an agreement enabling use of city land for this service. SO ON THE SCREEN HERE IS YOUR MOTION FROM MARCH 2025 TO EXPLORE THE FUSIBILITY OF AN ELECTRIC FERRY SERVICE, CONSULT WITH THE LOCAL NATIONS AND REPORT BACK WITH RECOMMENDATIONS. PARK BOARD HAD A VERY SIMILAR MOTION IN FEBRUARY 2025 ASKING STAFF TO REPORT BACK ON OPPORTUNITIES TO CHANGE THE USE OF HARBOR GREEN DOCK AND WORK WITH PARTNERS INCLUDING US. TO GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSAL THAT WE RECEIVED FROM CIRCLE. IT'S HERE ON THE SLIDE. WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE PROPONENT OVER THE LAST YEAR TO REVIEW THE FEASIBILITY OF THIS INITIATIVE. SEVERAL LANDING LOCATIONS FOR THE SERVICE WERE CONSIDERED AND ACCOMMODATING A FERRY SERVICE AT HARBOR GREEN WAS FOUND TO BE THE MOST FEASIBLE OPTION. This concept would be supported by various marine and land-based infrastructure that I'll show you on a subsequent slide. The land-based infrastructure specifically does include a large electrical service, of course, with an electric ferry, this is important, and it would be trenched through Harbor Green Park, which is care, custody, and management of the park board. So if this work proceeds, we would continue to work with our park board colleagues to facilitate this work while minimizing impact to the park and the seawall. The Harbor Green dock infrastructure is proposed to be reconfigured and largely replaced with a new dock. And it could make potential reuse with some gangways, but primarily a new facility. The proposal does include a viewing platform and a recreational boat moorage, which I'll show you in a couple slides. And this is in alignment with the Cole Harder ODP that requires these public amenities. The proposed service itself would connect Vancouver to Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast at Gibson's, and the target service commencement is in 2028. THIS SLIDE HERE SUMMARIZES THE WORK COMPLETED TO DATE GOING BACK TO LAST YEAR WHEN WE STARTED THE DISCUSSIONS WITH CIRCLE. SO THROUGHOUT 2025 CIRCLE HAD A CONSULTANT TEAM LOOKING AT THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY AND THIS PRODUCED THE PREFERRED ARRANGEMENT FOR THE DOC SITE ITSELF. THERE IS CONTINUED COORDINATION WITH VC HYDRO AND US AS WELL AND THAT WILL CONTINUE IF THIS PROJECT PROCEEDS. Circle Ferries has engaged with Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation, and TTsleil-Waututh Nation around their proposal and potential opportunities to have involvement or representation, and they've also performed market research to confirm that there is ridership interest.

and plan to continue public engagement. Similarly, city staff have notified the local nations, and we are also planning public notifications for residents, businesses, and key interest holders, for example, the Vancouver Rowing Club, who is close to this site, if this project proceeds. last week on monday april 13th the park board did endorse this concept for changes to harbor green dock and to enable this ferry service they indicated support for us to negotiate an agreement with circle ferries and they approved the transfer of the dock ownership including operation and maintenance to engineering services contingent on an executed agreement so that we could proceed They also did request a share of the revenue that the city receives as part of this service, and that's something that we will work with them on. So this brings us all to today, where we are seeking council authorization to negotiate and enter into a licensing and operating agreement with Circle. So to give you a bit more detail on the project location itself, so this figure shows an aerial view of the existing dock, as well as the boundary of the city lot that we're proposing to have this service land in. The proposed location of the reconfigured dock would be in that blue box. So in this image, you can see the adjacent Harbor Green Park, the float plane terminal, as well as the edge of the convention center. Placing the dock on the eastern edge of this water lot does mean that it is closer to the rapid transit that is in this area. And then as I mentioned on the last slide, the existing dock that you can see in the image there will be removed and reconfigured as part of this proposal. Over time, the existing facility has experienced significant wear due to site conditions and usage beyond its original design capacity. And this has meant that ongoing maintenance has been required and that the dock has been closed for quite some time. A KEY BENEFIT OF THIS PROPOSAL IS THE DELIVERY OF A RENEWED DOCK WITH MAINTAINED PUBLIC AMENITIES AT NO COST TO THE CITY. Okay, so on this slide, we do have a digital rendering showing the proposed concept. This is subject to further refinement and detailed design, but it does show the key elements of the proposal. In the orange there is the charge barge. So this is where passengers would wait to get onto the ferry, and it also has large batteries that would then charge the electric vessels. You can see the ferry departing there in the bottom left of the screen. One of the benefits of having the vessels dock for a long time in charge is that passengers would be able to actually go on the vessels early, use washrooms and amenities on board, and this would take some pressure off of the amenities in the adjacent area. In green there up on the screen, you can now see the public access areas of the new dock. So there is an elevated viewing platform there in that circular shape, as well as a new dock for public moorage. And the good news is, is that with the new design, we can make sure that all of the gangways and areas are accessible to the public. So on to our proposed approach.

So the Circle Ferries proposal under the city's procurement policy is considered an unsolicited proposal. Recognizing that this does align with the city's corporate and policy goals as well as your motion, Engineering Services is supporting this pursuit as an initiative under a permitted single supplier sole source. And this means that once an agreement has been negotiated and finalized with Circle, we would do a notice of intent to contract with them. And this notice of intent to contract would notify the market that we intend to have a contract, and this would provide an opportunity for others to lodge complaints or concerns in response to this. Any responses that we would receive from the market in response to this would be presented to Council for review along with the final decision on whether to proceed with a sole source. SO STAFF ARE SEEKING A COUNCIL AUTHORIZATION TODAY TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE THIS AGREEMENT. THIS SLIDE HERE HIGHLIGHTS THE KEY COMMERCIAL AND OPERATIONAL TERMS THAT ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS AGREEMENT. IT'S NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST AND THE FINAL TERMS WOULD BE SUBJECT TO THE OUTCOME OF NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES, BUT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE KEY PIECES. So this service will be at no direct cost to the city, with the city's contributions being in kind. So that includes providing Circle Ferries with access to the licensed operational area. We are proposing an initial term of 10 years for this service, with the potential for future extension. We would do the review and permitting ancillary infrastructure upgrades. So this could look at wayfinding or perhaps loading zones to support this service on adjacent streets. And then we would also like to explore opportunities for the city to provide operational support for the publicly accessible infrastructure. So this could mean continuing our bylaw enforcement that we do now for Harper Green. On the Circle Ferry side, they are going to be responsible for designing, constructing, and delivering all infrastructure, including the public areas, per permits and regulatory requirements. They would operate and maintain all infrastructure. And then they would also be sharing some revenue with us. So their proposal includes $1 per passenger. And with 1,000 passengers estimated per day, this would equate to over $300,000 a year. Of course, they would indemnify us and obtain all appropriate insurance policies, and they will continue to engage with the local nations. So with that, we have recommendations here for your consideration. And I'll leave it at that. Thanks.

Statement Watch

I'm not arrested. Okay, that's okay. Please go ahead. Great, thank you. So my name is Calum Campbell. I'm co-founder and CEO of Circle Ferries, and thank you for having me here today. Last year, through motions with the Park Board and the City Council, we were offered an opportunity to work with city staff to explore whether Harbour Green could support an all-electric, passenger-only ferry service connecting downtown Vancouver to nearby coastal communities. And we fully leaned into that opportunity, bringing our own resource to the table. We've engaged with leading Vancouver-based marine engineers, naval architects, and BC Hydro to assess the technical feasibility of reconfiguring the dock. We've also worked closely with city staff to understand the history of the site, as well as the financial and public benefits of reconfiguring the dock. We've also worked closely with staff and a local naval architecture firm to bring all of this together in a design that balances sustainability, public benefits, and a viable operation. What we're bringing now is a design that allows a ferry landing, but just importantly, improves public access to the dock. It's safer. It's more accessible. It adds a new viewing platform connected to the seawall and helps revitalize the space for the public. And more broadly, this decision helps to create a more connected city, while offering real benefits to local residents. Through an all-electric, passenger-only ferry service, we'll introduce new connections from Coal Harbor to Gibsons and Bowen Island, building on the transportation network that Vancouver has developed for decades, and extending it over the water. These are individual communities coming together, shaping their own future, and I'm really excited about how these pieces are coming together. Deployment is desirable, viable, and within reach. We're really proud of the work we've done with city staff to get to this point, and we appreciate the opportunity to be here. We're excited about this ferry service, tailor-made for Vancouver. It's going to offer new transportation options for coastal residents.

Statement Watch

Thank you. All right, speaker number three is Darren Piera. Yeah, please go ahead. I'm Aaron Council. I'm a resident of New Westminster. Okay. I'm speaking. I am the co-founder of Circle Ferries, just to clarify that. We've been working on this for the past four years on Circle Ferries and four years ago this was essentially just a vision with toner ink on printing paper and we keep getting closer to making this an operational reality. The motion that you passed last year, which was unanimously voted yes, and big thank you to that, has brought us closer, and it's brought us closer to bringing, to working with city staff and First Nations and communities who've all bought into the vision and realized this is a big need, especially for communities who are outlying. They really need this service. Revitalizing Harbor Green is going to help them, It's also going to give Vancouver the chance to also stand shoulder to shoulder with other cities around the world who have embraced this technology. Zero emissions is here. We used to run from coal ships to diesel ships to now electric ships. And trust me, my first ship was a steamship. So I fully understand the transition to zero emissions. And Transport Canada is also pushing for a zero emission 2050. It's been a really long road climbing a mountain, but we keep getting closer. And I do hope that you do envision what we're going to do and hopefully vote yes for this. We're very excited, and I really thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker number four is Louise Mercier. Speaker four is not on the line. Okay. Speaker number five is Nathan Davidovich. Nathan? Thank you, Chair and members. I spoke at the Parks Board on April 13th. You know, the report doesn't even give you the minutes. I just send you the minutes. You know, I mean, that report by the city staff here is not complete. And it doesn't address, you know, BC Ferries. 2050 plan to implement passenger-only ferries on various routes. We want public transit. We do not want private transit. That's why we have next Tuesday, the 28th of April, we have the launch of a new group called Public Transit Alliance of BC. And we have the Parliamentary Secretary for Transit, George Anderson, the main speaker.

Statement Watch

Yes, hello. I am a resident of Vancouver. And I'm here to voice my support for the Circle Ferry, the electric service ferry to run from Coal Harbour and will serve Bowen Island and Gibsons. This was brought to my attention by the advocacy of Councillor Bligh. I think it's great that it's electric. It means a lower carbon footprint and a quieter engine than a fuel-based boat. I think Vancouver needs more ways in and out of the city especially if we want Vancouver to continue to be the hub of this region. Gibsons and Bowen Island could certainly use another ferry option, and frankly, I'm very excited about this, and I see nothing but benefits, and give my wholehearted support for this service, which I hope will be a viable enterprise. Thank you for your time.

Statement Watch

He does not agree with the Minister of Transportation, who does not seem to support public transit. So that's the position of city council. They should support BC Ferries' report of public transit on ferries and building passenger-only ferries owned by the BC government. And, I mean... To add insult, on February the 2nd, we have the city manager and assistant city manager signing off to cancel the bus stops on Pender and Turlow and Pender and Butte, which would access this particular dock. So how are we going to have accessibility when the bus stops have been canceled already? You know, and I mean, this is whole, you know, I mean, I've written so many things to the Parks Board about this, you know, proposal, you know, and you have, and I spoke to city council on April 13, 2022, on the RAF bylaw number 13323, that does not allow private companies to use the city docks, you know, and I mean, Councillor Kirby Young spoke about it back four years ago, and Councillor Wiebe also opposed that. And here we are, the city staff, doing completely opposite what, you know, the city council asked in 2022. You know, it's just amazing. You know, and as I said, you know, I mean, this RAF is one, as was mentioned, is one possibility, but the CBUS terminal is the best one. And we can expand the CBUS terminal. We can get a new terminal to do it. So, anyhow, thanks very much for your help.