Passenger ferry between downtown Vancouver, Bowen Island and Sunshine Coast inching closer to reality

The dream of a ferry linking downtown, Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast could move closer to reality.

A foot-passenger-only ferry connecting downtown Vancouver, Bowen Island and Gibsons is closer to becoming a reality.

The Vancouver Park Board will vote on endorsing changes to the Harbour Green Dock Monday night, and if passed, the motion would allow city staff to begin negotiating with the ferry company that proposed the project.

CIRQL Ferries Incorporated has pitched an all-electric service that would charge at the dock, located on the Coal Harbour waterfront. The design would include a public viewing platform and dock for short-term recreational moorage.

If the concept comes to fruition, CIRQL Ferries Incorporated would cover the cost of design, construction and implementation of the ferry infrastructure, while the city would receive a share of the revenue.

The current Harbour Green Dock was built in 2003 to provide a pedestrian promenade on the water and daytime moorage for pleasure watercrafts, but it has required lengthy periods of closure for maintenance over the years, according to the park board. The dock was closed for significant repairs from 2018 to 2023, and periodically in 2024 and 2025.

“In the absence of this project, the park board would continue to incur increasing costs to maintain and replace the existing public dock infrastructure over time. The proposed approach provides an opportunity to renew the public dock infrastructure at no cost to the city,” the report to commissioners reads.

It is unclear when the ferry service would be up and running, as if the motion passes the city will have to reach an agreement with the company to allocate responsibility for construction and maintenance, and plan out the revenue model and operating hours.

If negotiations are successful, the project would then move into the detailed design phase and regulatory approvals would need to be obtained.

“The proposed replacement of Harbour Green Dock with an electric passenger ferry service facility represents an opportunity to enhance regional connectivity while supporting low-emission transportation, improved public access and renewed recreational boat moorage on the waterfront via investment from the proponent,” the park board report reads.