In The News

IN THE NEWS: Used Hercules military transports to be sold to Coulson Aviation, turned into waterbombers

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns called the announcement a major win for Vancouver Island as Canada faces growing demands on its wildfire response resources.

“This is a really big day for the Alberni Valley, for Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and Canada, because we are going to add 10 new huge pieces of equipment that are going to be able to fight forest fires in our country and around the world,” said Johns.

“And no better company than Coulson Aviation that has the experience, the knowledge, the expertise, and the reputation to be able to convert these CC-130Hs, which they’ve done in the past, and use them.”

IN THE NEWS: North Cowichan supporting campaign to secure fair federal funding for BC Ferries

North Cowichan’s mayor is the latest municipal leader to support a campaign led by a Vancouver Island MP calling for fair and stable federal operational funding for BC Ferries.

Rob Douglas said he wrote to Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson to express council’s support for Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns’ Fair Federal Ferry Funding campaign.

IN THE NEWS: Parksville joins call for federal support of BC Ferries

Parksville council has endorsed a motion by MP Gord Johns which calls for fair federal support for BC Ferries.

Johns’ M-35 Federal Operational Support for BC Ferries calls for equal funding with East Coast interprovincial ferry systems, which received $291 in federal operational support per passenger in 2024/2025, compared to $1.63 in federal support for BC Ferries passengers.

“He’s getting bipartisan support from federal Conservative MPs on this. He’s getting a lot of traction,” said Coun. Sean Wood, who brought the motion to council on July 20.

IN THE NEWS: North Cowichan mayor calls on federal government to better fund BC Ferries

North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas is calling on the federal government to provide long-term and fair funding for BC Ferries, lending his support to a motion introduced in Parliament by Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns.

Douglas sent an open letter to Canada’s Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, urging Ottawa to treat BC Ferries as essential transportation infrastructure and provide funding comparable to what is offered to federally supported ferry services in Atlantic Canada.

“Our ferry system here with our coastal communities, we view it as an extension of the highway system,” Douglas said. “Gord Johns, the Member of Parliament for Courtenay-Alberni, has led this campaign. He’s brought forward a motion in the House of Commons.“

IN THE NEWS: Qualicum Beach mayor credits Johns for securing federal funding for Ravensong upgrades

Westbroek said Johns spent years advocating for the project, working through changes in federal infrastructure ministers and a lengthy approval process.

“His persistence, collaboration and attention to this project were instrumental in getting it across the finish line,” Westbroek said.

He added Johns views Ravensong as more than a recreation facility, noting the pool provides seniors with a safe and accessible place to exercise, recover from injuries, maintain mobility and stay socially connected.

IN THE NEWS: Island MP Johns calls for less red tape on disability programs

Nearly 400 people attended a series of Disability Tax Credit workshops hosted by Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns across the riding earlier this month, highlighting a growing need for help navigating federal disability programs.

“People are struggling with the cost of living, and too many Canadians living with disabilities are missing out on supports they may be entitled to simply because the system is too complicated,” Johns said. “These workshops are about making sure people have the information they need.”

IN THE NEWS: Qualicum Beach council backs call for fair federal funding for BC Ferries

Qualicum Beach council will send a letter supporting Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns’s campaign urging the federal government to provide long-term operational funding for BC Ferries comparable to ferry services in Eastern Canada.

Council unanimously approved the motion during its regular meeting on July 15, after Coun. Scott Harrison proposed the town endorse the MP’s advocacy efforts.

Johns is calling on Ottawa to modernize the 1977 federal agreement governing BC Ferries and provide stable, long-term operational funding. He argues that without additional federal support, British Columbians could face fare increases of at least 30 per cent by 2028, service reductions, or both.

IN THE NEWS: Premiers must protect health care, says NDP

As Canada’s Premiers gathered in Charlottetown today for their summer meeting at the Council of the Federation, NDP Member of Parliament and federal NDP critic for Health Gord Johns addressed a Canadian Health Coalition rally with a message on how to save Canada’s public healthcare system.

“Medicare was built on a simple promise. When you’re sick or injured, you get the care you need based on your health, not on the size of your bank account,” Johns said.

“But today, that promise is under threat. And instead of standing up for Medicare, the Prime Minister is standing by and watching it be dismantled,” said Johns, who is the federal MP for Courtenay-Alberni on Vancouver Island.

IN THE NEWS: Local MP launches campaign for stable BC Ferries funding

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns is leading the Fair Federal Ferry Funding campaign, which includes an electronic petition that he plans to submit to the House of Commons. Johns said he hopes to gather signatures from residents of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Johns said federal operational support for BC Ferries is significantly lower than funding provided to ferry services in Atlantic Canada. He has previously raised the issue in the House of Commons.

“According to an analysis by the Library of Parliament, BC Ferries received approximately a-dollar-sixty-three in federal operational support per passenger in 2024-25, compared to that of 291-dollars for federally supported east coast ferry systems,” Johns said in the House of Commons in May.

IN THE NEWS: Courtenay-Alberni MP says former ferry in Fanny Bay shows the problem with boats selling for $1

The region’s Member of Parliament for Courtenay-Alberni, Gord Johns, says the issue highlights a common problem with derelict vessels when they’re sold for $1.

“People are trading vessels that are ferries at this point, where clearly they’re trading and selling them to people who don’t have the means to maintain them or dispose of them properly and there’s no accountability,” he noted.

Johns says there is a solution in Bill C-244, which is now before parliament.

“It would make sure that sellers are going to make sure that those prospective buyers have the resources and capacity to take care of those vessels and that’s one step but we also need to make sure there’s money in the abandonned and wrecked vessels program.”

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