Citizens ask Washington court to restore the long-serving Sidney-Anacortes ferry service
Published 1:30 am Monday, March 16, 2026
Submitted by Duncan Chalmers.
The ferry advocacy group Restore Our Ferries in Washington state has filed a complaint in the Washington State Superior Court against the Washington Department of Ferries seeking an order to restore the Anacortes, Washington to Sidney, British Columbia ferry service. That route was the only international connection between Vancouver Island and the Puget Sound cities.
On April 26, 1922, the predecessor of today’s Washington Ferry Service began the first passenger and vehicle international service on the route to and from Anacortes, Washington, and Sidney, British Columbia, across Rosario and Haro Straits. That service continued for almost a century until it was abandoned in January 2020 by the Division of Ferries of the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The Anacortes-Sidney service was the only truck- and vehicle-carrying ferry service connecting Vancouver Island, British Columbia (an island of 12,400 square miles with a population of 865,000) with the population centers of Washington state on Puget Sound. For six years, there has been no ferry service on the route. While the Washington State Transportation Commission is empowered under state law to manage the ferry system, it is not empowered to abandon routes without receiving legislative approval.
Restoring the ferry service is vital for maintaining the reliability and resilience of the region’s transportation network, particularly for communities heavily dependent on ferry services, and for the economic, social, tourism and international security interests of the people of both Washington state and the Province of British Columbia. International exchange is especially necessary during this time of growing nationalistic conflict across the border.
The Economic Development Council of San Juan County partnered in 2020 with the Town of Friday Harbor, the City of Anacortes, the Port of Anacortes and the Chamber of Anacortes on a study regarding the economic impacts of the Anacortes-Sidney ferry run:
“Based on available data, two economic impact scenarios were considered – a conservative, low-impact scenario showing regional income derived from the Sidney ferry run of $20 million (USD) per year, and 143 jobs supported; and a high-impact scenario, showing regional income from the run of up to $54 million (USD) per year and 393 jobs supported.”
According to Washington state public records, the Ferries paid $351,734 CDN (reported by WA State as $275,666 USD) in rent and property taxes in 2025 for the unused Sidney ferry terminal. Washington State Ferries has paid a similar amount for each of the unused years since 2020.
Contact your state representative or provincial MPP to request restoration of the ferry route starting this summer. Email RestoreOurFerries@Protonmail.com to learn more and advocate for restoration of the ferry. For more information: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586069335829.
Washington State Ferries, a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation, operates the largest ferry system in the United States. In June 2025, WSF operated 18 vessels in regularly scheduled service, transporting nearly 19.4 million passengers (FY 2025 WSDOT Ferries Division Performance Report).
