A look at Metro Vancouver's latest SeaBus, and more on the Indigenous artwork that covers the ferry
Metro Vancouver's latest public transportation vehicle was unveiled Thursday in a ceremony that included arcs of water shooting over the vessel as it completed its maiden voyage.
The Burrard Chinook, TransLink's new SeaBus, is now in service – one of a fleet of passenger ferries that shuttle commuters across the Burrard Inlet between Vancouver and the North Shore.
While its profile is similar to other vessels that make the crossing, the Chinook has an upgraded look.
The new SeaBus is wrapped in art designed by local Indigenous artists.
According to TransLink, both the Chinook's name and design were meant as a tribute to one of the most iconic species in the waters of the Pacific.
"The chinook salmon has played a central role in life on the West Coast for generations and is a critical part of the ecosystem in the Burrard Inlet and the Pacific Ocean," TransLink said in a statement Thursday.
The artists behind the vessel's unique look are Kelly Cannell, Siobhan Joseph and Angela George. The commissioned artists are from local First Nations – Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh – and worked collaboratively on the piece that wraps the entire SeaBus.
Earlier this year, Cannell said the themes she'd chosen were meant to bring awareness to the fragility of the coastal ecosystem.
"I am showcasing chinook salmon as a link of vital importance to the Pacific Northwest waters. Once abundant but now endangered, resident orcas are dependent on these salmon for their survival. Chinook salmon are also an essential food source for other wildlife throughout the Pacific Northwest Coast and are fundamental to the culture of First Nations peoples. Keeping these waters healthy and thriving is crucial for our territory," she said in a statement issued by TransLink back in June.
She said she included male and female salmon on each side, as in Coast Salish culture, salmon shown in pairs signify good luck, vitality and wealth.
Young smolt can be seen swimming the currents depicted on the ferry, and chinook tails can be seen beneath the waves.
"My imagery is purposely symmetrical to symbolize the sacred balance we need to sustain these waters," she told TransLink in her proposal for the project.
Joseph's vision, according to TransLink, came from the shape of the ferry itself. She said the passenger cabin could be seen as a longhouse, and the bridge has a resemblance to a canoe.
From this, she proposed a school of salmon on the lower part, with orcas and sea lions higher up.
"I also thought of a canoe design because the SeaBus is like a canoe that travels across the inlet with Indigenous people in the canoe," she said of her proposal.
And George had planned to include the backbone of the salmon, which returns "to our lands and waters to provide nourishment and enrichment in life and in death.
"This reciprocal relationship ensures that all living beings and our lands and waters continue to thrive and are sustained for all times."
Additionally, she envisioned other imagery that would tie back to the Indigenous history of the area.
"This design represents the double-headed serpent that dwelled in the Burrard Inlet, bringing great strength and resiliency to the people. The Chinook vessel has two engines and possesses great strength like the ancient serpent from these waters. The design also represents the ripple effect of everything we do and say echoing out into the universe."
Her proposal included mountain trails meant to suggest the knowledge and ancient wisdom of the spiritual people and hunters who travelled along those paths.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Former Air Canada employees among suspects identified in gold heist at Pearson Airport: police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
MPs summon ArriveCan contractor to the House to be admonished in rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
'Enormous sum of money': Actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against tabloid
British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, he said on Wednesday.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
U.K. plan to phase out smoking for good passes first hurdle
The British government's plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
A wobble reveals the most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy
Astronomers have spotted the most massive known stellar black hole in the Milky Way galaxy after detecting an unusual wobble in space.