British Columbia Ministry of Transportation
Encyclopedia
The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is the British Columbia government ministry
responsible for transport
infrastructure
and law
in the Canadian province of British Columbia
. It is currently led by Blair Lekstrom
.
The ministry is responsible for the planning of transportation networks, providing transportation services and infrastructure, developing and implementing transportation policies, and administering many transportation-related acts and regulations. Its responsibilities include ports, airports, public transit, ferry services, roads and cycling networks. The ministry is also responsible for the British Columbia Railway Company (BCRC, a holding company for the properties of the former BC Rail), BC Transit
, and Drivebc
.
Coastal ferry services are not the direct responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation. Instead they are provided by BC Ferries
, a crown corporation whose fares and service levels are regulated by the British Columbia Ferry Commission.
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
responsible for transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
and law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in the Canadian province of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It is currently led by Blair Lekstrom
Blair Lekstrom
Blair Lekstrom is a Canadian politician, currently a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. He has represented the riding of Peace River South since the 2001 election....
.
The ministry is responsible for the planning of transportation networks, providing transportation services and infrastructure, developing and implementing transportation policies, and administering many transportation-related acts and regulations. Its responsibilities include ports, airports, public transit, ferry services, roads and cycling networks. The ministry is also responsible for the British Columbia Railway Company (BCRC, a holding company for the properties of the former BC Rail), BC Transit
BC Transit
BC Transit is a provincial crown agency responsible for coordinating the delivery of public transportation within British Columbia, Canada, outside of Greater Vancouver...
, and Drivebc
Drivebc
is a website and toll-free phone service which provides traffic, road, and weather conditions for British Columbia Canada’s provincial highways. The service, delivered by the provincial government’s Ministry of Transportation, helps motorists decide when to travel and which route to take...
.
Ferries
The Ministry of Transportation is responsible for the provision of inland ferry services on the province's rivers and lakes, although it generally contracts the operation of these services to private sector companies. The ferries provided by the ministry include:- Adams Lake Cable Ferry, across Adams LakeAdams LakeAdams Lake is a large, deep, coldwater lake. The southern end of the lake is approximately north of the town of Chase in the Shuswap Country region of British Columbia, Canada. The lake's upper reaches lie in the northern Monashee Mountains, while its lower end penetrates the Shuswap...
- Arrow Park Ferry, across the Arrow LakesArrow LakesThe Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Beachland is fairly rare, and is interspersed with rocky...
at Arrow Park - Barnston Island FerryBarnston Island FerryThe Barnston Island Ferry is a ferry across Parson's Channel on the south side of the Fraser River to Barnston Island in British Columbia, Canada....
, across an arm of the Fraser RiverFraser RiverThe Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
between Barnston Island and Port Kells - Big Bar FerryBig Bar FerryBig Bar Ferry is a cable ferry across the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada. It is located about north of the town of Lillooet and west of Clinton...
, across the Fraser River at Big Bar - Francois Lake Ferry, across Francois LakeFrancois LakeFrançois Lake is a lake located in British Columbia about 30 kilometers south of Burns Lake and 10 kilometers west of Fraser Lake. The lake is 110 kilometers long and is the second longest natural lake entirely within British Columbia after Babine Lake. Nadina River is the inflow of the lake at the...
from Francois LakeFrancois Lake, British ColumbiaFrançois Lake is an unincorporated settlement in the Nechako Country of the Central Interior of British Columbia. It is located midway along the north shore of the lake of the same name, which is to the south of the town of Burns Lake-References:...
to Southbank - Glade Cable Ferry, across the Kootenay RiverKootenay RiverThe Kootenay is a major river in southeastern British Columbia, Canada and the northern part of the U.S. states of Montana and Idaho. It is one of the uppermost major tributaries of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
- Harrop Ferry, across the Kootenay River
- Kootenay Lake FerryKootenay Lake FerryThe Kootenay Lake Ferry is a ferry across the Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It operates between Balfour, on the west side of the lake, and Kootenay Bay, on the east side. Two ferry vessels are used, the MV Osprey 2000 and the MV Balfour.The ferry operates under contract to the British...
, across Kootenay LakeKootenay LakeKootenay Lake is a lake located in British Columbia, Canada and is part of theKootenay River. The lake has been raised by the Corra Linn Dam and has a dike system at the southern end, which, along with industry in the 1950s-70s, has changed the ecosystem in and around the water...
between BalfourBalfour, British ColumbiaBalfour, also known as Balfour Bay, is an unincorporated community in British Columbia, located about northeast of the city of Nelson and located at the juncture of Kootenay Lake with its West Arm....
and Kootenay BayKootenay Bay, British ColumbiaKootenay Bay is an unincorporated community, ferry landing and former steamboat landing on the east side of Kootenay Lake, located on the bay of the same name. The ferry, operated by BC Ferries, crosses the lake to Balfour, and forms a link in BC Highway 6, which leads east from Balfour to nearby... - Little Fort FerryLittle Fort FerryThe Little Fort Ferry is a cable ferry across the North Thompson River in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated at Little Fort, about north of Kamloops....
, across the North Thompson River - Lytton FerryLytton FerryThe Lytton Ferry is a cable ferry across the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated about north of Lytton.Technically, the ferry is a reaction ferry, which is propelled by the current of the water. An overhead cable is suspended from towers anchored on either bank of the river,...
, across the Fraser River at LyttonLytton, British ColumbiaLytton in British Columbia, Canada, sits at the confluence of the Thompson River and Fraser River on the east side of the Fraser. The location has been inhabited by the Nlaka'pamux people for over 10,000 years, and is one of the earliest locations settled by non-natives in the Southern Interior of... - McLure FerryMcLure FerryThe McLure Ferry is a cable ferry across the North Thompson River in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated about north of Kamloops.Technically, the ferry is a reaction ferry, which is propelled by the current of the water. An overhead cable is suspended from towers anchored on either bank of...
, across the North Thompson River - Needles Cable Ferry, across the Arrow Lakes at Needles
- Upper Arrow Lakes Ferry, across the Arrow Lakes between Shelter BayShelter Bay, British ColumbiaShelter Bay is a ferry landing and unincorporated locality on Upper Arrow Lake in British Columbia, Canada.It serves as one terminus of the Upper Arrow Lakes Ferry, that crosses the lake to Galena Bay. This ferry connects British Columbia Highway 23 from Revelstoke to that highway's continuation...
and Galena BayGalena Bay, British ColumbiaGalena Bay is an unincorporated locality on the bay of the same name on Upper Arrow Lake in British Columbia, Canada.Galena Bay is the location of a terminal of the Upper Arrow Lakes Ferry. This linking Galena Bay to Shelter Bay, the link forming part of British Columbia Highway 23 from Nakusp to...
. - Usk FerryUsk FerryThe Usk Ferry is a cable ferry across the Skeena River in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated about north-east of Terrace at Usk.Technically, the ferry is a reaction ferry, which is propelled by the current of the water. An overhead cable is suspended from towers anchored on either bank of...
, across the Skeena RiverSkeena RiverThe Skeena River is the second longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada . The Skeena is an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan - whose names mean "inside the Skeena River" and "people of the Skeena River" respectively, and also during the...
at UskUsk, British ColumbiaUsk is a hamlet in British Columbia, Canada just off Highway 16 north-east of Terrace on the north bank of the Skeena River. Once famous for berry-growing, a flood in the 1930s destroyed most of the community. A few people still live there now. Access is by the Usk Ferry, a reaction ferry, or...
Coastal ferry services are not the direct responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation. Instead they are provided by BC Ferries
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. or BC Ferries is a de facto Crown Corporation that provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia...
, a crown corporation whose fares and service levels are regulated by the British Columbia Ferry Commission.