BC Ferries eligible for joint provincial-federal Safe Restart

The financially struggling BC Ferries will be eligible to receive funding through the joint federal and provincial Safe Restart Agreement.

Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the ferry service will be eligible for some of the $540-million financial package meant to spur recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wilkinson says the B.C. government will have to match the funds and it will determine how much BC Ferries and other transit providers will receive.

Provincial Transportation Minister Claire Trevena says the province is working closely with BC Ferries, BC Transit and TransLink to understand the challenges they're facing before allocating the money.

Trevena says the decisions will be based on considerations that put the public interest first, including restoring service to pre-pandemic levels and keeping fares affordable.

B.C. has earmarked up to $1 billion to match federal funds for public transit and local governments.