Two Oak Bay resolutions on student ferry fees and food security endorsed at AVICC

At this year’s Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) conference, two resolutions brought forward by the District of Oak Bay were endorsed and will be moving forward. 

The AVICC is a conference held annually where Vancouver Island municipalities can advocate together for change from the provincial and federal governments. 

Resolutions that are endorsed at the AVICC conference move forward to the annual Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference. If endorsed by the UBCM, more pressure is put on the higher levels of government to make the proposed change a reality. 

The resolutions Oak Bay championed—with the support of communities such as the District of Saanich—were for student food security and for student ferry fees. 

The resolution addressing student affordability and food insecurity was calling on the Province to create a provincial Student Food Security Grant, equivalent to $1.50 per enrolled post-secondary student. The grant funding would then go to support campus food banks operated by student unions.

This resolution came about in response to sharply increased food bank usage by post-secondary students, which has been driven by inflation, rising living costs and the lack of stable operational funding for student-run food security programs. 

Oak Bay believes $1.50 per student to be a modest amount that shifts based on enrollment.

“It is heartbreaking to hear about the dramatic increase in food bank use at our student campuses,” said Oak Bay Councillor Carrie Smart, who drafted the resolution. 

“I am pleased to be able to support advocacy for sustainable access to student food banks, so that post-secondary students can focus on learning. Students shouldn’t have to choose between buying books or their next meal.”

According to the resolution, since 2020 inflation has risen by around 20%, creating a cost-of-living crisis that has particularly impacted students, and post-secondary food banks are seeing dramatically increased use.

Visits to the University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS) food bank have reportedly increased tenfold between 2020 and 2024.

The second of Oak Bay’s resolutions that was successfully endorsed calls on the province to establish a pilot project offering discounted rates for post-secondary students on BC Ferries.

This resolution calls for a $10 per day flat-rate ferry fare for post-secondary students travelling on BC Ferries voyages as foot passengers during non-peak hours. 

Currently, students pay full adult fares on BC Ferries despite limited incomes and rising cost-of-living pressures, which creates barriers to accessing education-related opportunities, employment and family connections.

Oak Bay asserts that this particularly impacts students travelling between Vancouver Island and the mainland. 

“For many, ferry routes serve as essential connections to family, and educational opportunities, yet the adult fare creates an affordability barrier,” said councillor Smart. 

“Students should have equitable access to travel, so that they can learn, explore, and thrive in communities across our great province. I am happy to support advocacy for an initiative that makes it easier for post-secondary students to access co-op employment, and traveling home to visit their family.”

As of this publication, a $10 rate is available to K–12 students and seniors, and Oak Bay believes this discount should be extended to all post-secondary students as well.