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Local businesses to host Save the Discovery Coast Ferry Fundraiser

The fight to Save the Discovery Coast Ferry is heating up.
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Local businesses are coming together with a dinner and Silent Auction to support the reinstatement of Route 40.

The fight to Save the Discovery Coast Ferry is heating up. Now that the summer months are upon us people all up and down the coast, as well as into the interior, are feeling the full impact of the reckless decision to cut Route 40.

Some accommodation businesses are reporting a 90 percent drop in bookings. This reduction in client numbers is going to have a huge impact on our valley. Not only will there be fewer tourists spending dollars, but the businesses that rely on tourists will also be spending less. This reduction in spending will not just be on goods and services either, but will also be in terms of investing in infrastructure and the future.

Make no mistake, all businesses and people in the valley will be impacted. A functional and tourist friendly ferry service is critical to the long-term health and success of tourism in the Bella Coola valley. The decision to cut Route 40 is the wrong decision for Bella Coola and the wrong decision for the wider province.

There is no question that at some point Route 40 will be reinstated. The opportunity to build a sustainable, thriving tourism corridor from Williams Lake to Port Hardy with Bella Coola in the middle cannot be ignored. The biggest question is how much damage will be caused in the meantime.

Please come join us at the Valley Inn, July 13th at 5pm, to learn more about what Save the Discovery Coast Ferry is doing to fight the closure of Route 40. Petrus Rykes, Chair, and Beat Steiner, Director will be on hand to describe the campaign and its goals, explain the work being done, and to answer questions.

Terry Dong of the Valley Inn has kindly agreed to make his restaurant space available and to provide dinner (appetizer and main course) to all guests that attend. For the cost of an awesome $25 dinner you can be part of the solution and learn how we together can do more.