The BC Ferry Coalition has two rallies planned for March. The clock is ticking down to the Defend Our Marine Highways Rally in Victoria from 11:30 am. to 1:30 pm. on Tuesday, March 11 on the lawn of the provincial legislature.  The rally is jointly sponsored by the BC Ferry Coalition and the BC Coastal Marine Alliance.

Organizer Jef Kheighley says, "The Defend Our Marine Highways Rally will take the “Tell the Premier: Stop the Cuts and Listen to the People” message to the Premier’s front lawn. That message is 1) put the BC Ferries service cuts and fare increases on hold and begin an honest process to find out what ferry impacted communities want and need from BC Ferries, and 2) repatriate BC Ferries to more direct governmental control and direction with substantially lower fares, better schedules and a clear mandate to act as a vital economic generator for all BC.  Those steps are critical to revitalizing ferry-impacted communities up and down our coasts".
The BC Ferry Coalition is organizing Sunshine Coasters and Bowen Islanders to hop on the bus to Victoria for the Tuesday, March 11th Defend Our Marine Highways Rally on the legislature lawn from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.  The Coalition bus will pick up walk-ons from the Sunshine Coast and Bowen Island in Horseshoe Bay at 7 am on March 11th.  It will travel to Victoria via Tsawwassen/Swartz Bay arriving at 11:30 am in time for the start of the Defend Our Marine Highways Rally.  The bus will depart Victoria at 1:45 pm and will arrive back in Horseshoe Bay in time for the 6:30 pm sailing back to Bowen Island and the 7:25 pm sailing back to Langdale. The cost for a bus seat from Horseshoe Bay to Victoria and back is $40, plus individual ferry passenger fares.  Because March 11th is a Tuesday, seniors with a Gold Card travel free.  There are still seats available: to reserve a seat please visit www.bcferrycoalition.com and follow the links to the bus registration form or call Ric at 604 741-8330.
The next rally will be on the Sunshine Coast. The Defend Our Marine Highways Rallies will be held on Saturday, March 15 from 12 noon to 1 pm.  Currently there are three locations on the Lower Sunshine Coast in Gibsons, Sechelt and Madeira Park.  The Coalition is encouraging other locations to organize rallies in their communities for the same time.