Requests to council for support of implementation of commuter seabus services

Routing

Victoria Waterbus INC. will be commencing commuter runs in the direction of rush hour from near Sooke Town Center (@28 mins*), Colwood (near Lehigh gravel pit, Aquatro or Albert Head-@12-14 mins*) and Esquimalt (W. Bay Marine Village, near fuel jetty or DND designated area-@6-8 mins*).

Victoria Waterbus INC. would like the major downtown arrival/departure dock to be Ship’s Point with moorage nearby. We are presently also investigating a partnership opportunity with Victoria Clipper Express.

The major targeted routes and estimated ticket fares of Victoria Waterbus LTD. are as follows. During rush hours travel will be in the direction of destination highs, day time will take into account the highest demand times both ways. Est. Travel Time does not include embarking, disembarking, docking or harbour speed limits.):

* The Clipper will probably be helping with commuter and daytime services. So some trips will end/begin at the Clipper docks.

Estimated Time Travel at 20kph-does not consider docking, embarking and disembarking, harbour speed regulations or other delays.

D) Supplementary Routes are from Anacortes Ferry Terminal and Oak Bay Marina to Ship’s Point, downtown. As travel around the southern island is not quite as time efficient the ridership is not quite as high so the trip demand is not quite as high.

From surveys completed in 2008, 2010 and 2012 first hand on the major commuter corridors, Victoria Waterbus INC. expects that its Westshore services will be accessed 3-5 days per week on an increasing basis by up to 92% of the commuters on The Island Highway, The Old Island Highway, Interurban and other routes. Two 300 person capacity vessels cannot provide enough capacity to accommodate even 25% of the riders who would become interested in using this service with 10 round trips of 300-+person capacity vessels per day.

Once enough vessels and trips are underway to make a substantial contribution to the Westshore routes and we initiate the peninsula runs we anticipate slightly lower ridership due to increased travel time around The Saanich Peninsula and southern Vancouver Island results based on the peninsula ridership assessments completed around the same times.

(The only way that we could hope to provide capacity for all the potential ridership throughout The CRD and on alternative routes is by developing a light rail system on an integrated community development basis over a 3-5 year timeline on a "line by line basis".)

Part A: In what ways do we request that The City of Victoria will support Victoria Waterbus INC. through sponsorship, partnership and support?

1. The PRIMARY way that the municipalities can help is to write an official municipal letter on letterhead stating the municipality’s support for the initiatives of Victoria Waterbus INC. and VanIsle Light Rail INC. This letter should outline how the municipality will actively support the initiation of Victoria Waterbus INC. and the development of The Vancouver Island Light Rail System under VanIsle Light Rail INC. This letter will be compiled with other letters of support from the municipalities in The CRD to be shown to potential sponsors, donors and investors to show unified support within the municipalities of The CRD. These will also be submitted to the provincial and federal governments in the coming 2-4 years to help us access public funding from these government levels for light rail development.
2. We request that the municipalities will help us to initiate operations by supporting and/or facilitating negotiations with tax incentives and other benefits.
3. We request that the municipalities will give Victoria Waterbus INC. and its corporate superstructure (The Corporation [Co-operation] of Vancouver Island Charitable and Community Services) Permissive Tax Exemption Status for its own property(ies), leased storefront and office facilities, other housing and community services and anything else that may be taxable by the municipality Please note the charitable purposes for The Waterbus' own operations as well as its corporate superstructure and partnering subsidiaries. Victoria Waterbus INC. is being incorporated as a "Contributing Community Company", whereby 60%-+ of its profits will be redirected back into charitable and community development activities. These organizations will chiefly include VanIsle Light Rail, Gap Foundations and The Corporation (as above).
4. We request that The City of Victoria will help us in our negotiations with Victoria Harbour Authority Society for charitable concession to docking at Ship’s Point and Moorage nearby as well as office facilities in the harbour.
5. We request that The City of Victoria will partner with us in promotions, corporate and community communications, business relations, hosting informational meetings and hosting a service usage and community feedback survey on their website.
6. We request that The City of Victoria will grant Tax Decrements to our donors, sponsors, community investors, community employees, land owners granting our community employees discount on their rent, community sponsors of food and other financially assigned donations of material, time and resources by residents of the municipality given towards Esquimalt Harbour Seabus LTD. and The Vancouver Island Light Rail Company LTD. At this time these tax decrements should be designated towards the development of alternative green mass transportation and the initiation of social, economic and environmental programs (Community Enhancements Projects and Programs) under the administrative structure of a partnering charity that are deemed needed and valuable contributions to the community at large.
7. We request that The City of Victoria will work with us in investigating the revitalization of (parts of) The Inner Harbour where a commercial dock can be placed for longterm moorage and pick up/drop off. This revitalization could turn into a longterm "Waterfront Restoration Project", and end in 5 year with a European-style sewage treatment strategy coming into place in which 4-5 smaller water treatment facilities could be strategically placed at sewage outfalls at a cost of about $15m USD for each water treatment shed (with primary, secondary and tertiary treatment equipment in each shed). In the commencement of this treatment process, a portion of the harbour will be reclaimed (dredged) and equipped with long term commercial docking. Environmental purification agencies, Transport Canada, Fisheries Canada and the provincial government may co-operate with private environmental foundations and provide a public/public/private (P3) sponsorship or partnership. HOWEVER, there are areas where there are heavy metal contaminants, other areas where there is major sewage and fuel contaminants and areas that have both. Extensive environmental surveys and tests must be completed of the target areas.

Part B: Community/Public Relations:

1. Host the initiation of community displays and community presentations in their facilities that are brought forth by Esquimalt Harbour Seabus LTD, The Vancouver Island Light Rail Company, Gap Foundations and The Corporation of Vancouver Island Charitable and Community Services.
2. Participate in an informational community campaign to inform the communities about the details, advantages and disadvantages (if any) of the development of Light Rail in this proposed integrated development process.
3. Officially poll the members of their respective communities for their feedback on the integrated community development of a light rail system (yes, no, undecided, not enough information).
4. Participate collectively/individually in a provincial, national and international fund and financing-raising campaign with a goal to raise enough money to commence Light Rail Developments in The CRD by 2018.

Part C: Pending on the successful implementation of Victoria Waterbus INC. and the procurement of a Light Rail Development contract within 12-24 months: The VILRC’s Integrated Community Developments; What can the municipalities do to help?

Some of the secondary ways in which the municipalities are encouraged to support the operations and developments of the above companies are as follows:

1. Transfer a portion of/most of the municipal road repair, commercial development, community development and maintenance, public services, social, environmental, fuel taxes and other budgets to the integrated community development of Light Rail services under The Vancouver Island Light Rail Company LTD. The requested time duration of the budgetary transfer is about 3-5 (until the entire system is developed) or or until the development. With municipal and community partnerships funding sources for LRT development include international investments, P3(public, public, public/private), community/corporate sponsors, donors, investors, grants, bursaries, social and job creation funding. Municipalities can have their public work funds transferred and road crews trained as crew chiefs and assistants for LR devel.
2. Apply to the federal and provincial governments in partnership with The Vancouver Island Light Rail Company, other municipalities in The CRD and all other individuals/entities that will be brought on board for all possible funds, grants, sponsorships and support that are publically available from the upper levels of government. The VILRC hopes that the municipalities will each launch a public petition for people to sign to substantiate provincial and federal governments to partner in funding light rail infrastructure development on Vancouver Island.
3. Co-sponsor the development of Light Rail within their respective municipal regions through offering tax decrements, promoting community work crew development and seeking to provide donor and sponsor benefits. (tax decrements, for example, should be offered to a sponsor/donor who will donate waterfront, office, warehouse or other work and promotions space for operations, rent subsidies for our workers, fuel sponsorship for our vessels, equipment for our crews, and so forth).
4. Approve and support the development of specific light rail corridors within their municipality that are consecutive to the light rail corridors in the adjoining municipalities and are promoted by The VILRC.

Thank you for your considerations and support in any way possible.

Sincerely, your servant in community John C. Turner, Founding CEO, Victoria Waterbus INC