I think you're right. Air Canada and Petro Canada were great examples of how to privatize. Basically the government slowly privatized them over 10-20 years by at first partially privatizing them by selling shares, but insisting at first that the government keep at the majority shares.

I think this method could be used today. Canada Post is facing a massive infrastructure deficit and selling off some shares could be used to purchase more efficient equipment that wasn't built in the 1970's.

Hey! I read up the article on B.C. Ferries. I’m an employee there – but that doesn’t mean I’m knee-jerk about its habits.nnnThe ferries are making some headway in their changes, terminals now have a second ‘manager’ structure outside of the union system to look at business aspects like installing restaurants for new revenue sources.nnnThe thing about the ferry infrastructure though is it lends itself poorly to a competitive system. Each port still needs large ships for regular routes – and these require pooling of all port revenues as well as public funding in order to meet the cost of ship replacements/maintenance. No single terminal could get the monies for such a thing – even if they slashed wages dramatically and kept ticket prices at present rates.nnnI agree about the private/public monopolies bit. A private monopoly on that system would really put a squeeze on folks – effectively a tax on all movement in the lower mainland. At least as a public service the ferries place rates that are provincially regulated and hinged on wages, maintenance, and replacement costs without the added profit-motive. nnnAs private enterprises – there are still a host of transport regulations they’d have to comply with that would hinder profiteering and could thus raise dangers aboard ship. (dangerous goods traffiking.) Additionally, the ‘competition’ would be somewhat superficial – as each company would most likely hold a monopoly over their ports and people would be forced to take their services; if you were headed all the way North or all the way South then yes, you’d have two routes. Otherwise there is only one way to get to each. The ferries have enough costs as it is running their current terminals – new ones and new routes would likely cut revenues too low for any one port to function.nnnThe ferry’s current structure allows for private enterprise at their terminals, subject to the whims of the landholder like any other private expedition. That aspect is not mutually exclusive to public ownership.nnnThe ferries do have a lot of redundancies in paperwork and regulation – but these are being streamlined and automated as the ferries trim their fat without cutting their members loose. I came back to work at a terminal only two years later and there is certainly less filing and the like to do.n nHaving a single company with the same reg. compliance throughout the system also makes things more predictable for companies & small business.nnnAs for the high wages – they are a blessing. It’s true that labour payments would drop with privatization but with the raised risks for each business and less pooled money – I doubt it would translate into lower costs for customers. The high wages just help guarantee good middle-class jobs – the kind of money that finds its way into other peoples’ pockets anyways. If it weren’t for my re-hire with them, I doubt I’d be in the position to open a small business myself as I intend to.nnnAlso – given its importance to the public – I am quite certain that no number of the Marine unions can strike at the same time such that it would halt traffic.n