BC Ferries cancels several sailings due to wind, warns more at risk of same fate
With a wind warning in effect for Metro Vancouver, BC Ferries has cancelled several sailings between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island that were scheduled for Friday.
The first cancellations were announced Thursday night, with the ferry operator saying the Queen of New Westminster wouldn't be operating its sailings departing Tsawwassen at noon and Swartz Bay at 2 p.m.
Friday afternoon, more cancellations were announced, with sailings departing Tsawwassen at 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. taken off the schedule, along with the 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. departures from Swartz Bay.
Two sailings between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay were also cancelled Friday, with the Queen of Coquitlam no longer making its 3:45 p.m. trip from Metro Vancouver to the Island, nor its return voyage scheduled for 5:55 p.m.
BC Ferries says adverse weather conditions are behind the cancellations.
“We will continue to monitor the weather forecast and will provide further updates as soon as more information is available. The safety of our passengers and crew is of primary importance to us,” reads a statement issued on the BC Ferries website Thursday.
Shortly after 6 a.m. Friday, Environment Canada issued a wind warning for coastal B.C., just hours after doing the same for Metro Vancouver.
“Strong northerly winds of 70 gusting to 90 km/h have developed over the southern sections of Howe Sound. Winds will ease later this morning,” the federal agency wrote.
BC Ferries said the following sailings were at risk of being cancelled Friday:
Between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay
10:40 am departing Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver)
10:40 am departing Departure Bay (Nanaimo)
1:00 pm departing Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver)
1:00 pm departing Departure Bay (Nanaimo)
3:20 pm departing Departure Bay (Nanaimo)
3:45 pm departing Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver)
5:55 pm departing Departure Bay (Nanaimo)
Between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay11:00 am departing Tsawwassen (Vancouver
11:00 am departing Swartz Bay (Victoria)
1:00 pm departing Tsawwassen (Vancouver)
1:00 pm departing Swartz Bay (Victoria)
3:00 pm departing Tsawwassen (Vancouver)
3:00 pm departing Swartz Bay (Victoria)
5:00 pm departing Tsawwassen (Vancouver)
5:00 pm departing Swartz Bay (Victoria)
Between Tsawwassen and Duke Point:
10:15 am departing Tsawwassen (Vancouver)
12:45 pm departing Duke Point (Nanaimo)
3:15 pm departing Tsawwassen (Vancouver)
3:15 pm departing Duke Point (Nanaimo)
5:45 pm departing Tsawwassen (Vancouver)
5:45 pm departing Duke Point (Nanaimo)
Travellers are advised to follow @BCFerries on Twitter for the most up-to-date information on sailings and cancellations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada makes amendments to foreign homebuyers ban – here's what they look like
Months after Canada's ban on foreign homebuyers took effect on Jan. 1, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has made several amendments to the legislation allowing non-Canadians to purchase residential properties in certain circumstances.

'Leave this with me': Alberta premier heard on call with COVID-19 protester
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, in a leaked cellphone call, commiserated with a COVID-19 protester about his trial while divulging to him there was an internal dispute over how Crown prosecutors were handling COVID-19 cases.
What is the grocery rebate in federal budget 2023? Key questions, answered
To help offset rising living expenses, the Government of Canada has introduced a one-time grocery rebate for low- and modest-income Canadians. Here is what we know about the rebate.
RCMP arrest 5 while executing search warrant at Wet'suwet'en protest camp
RCMP officers executed a search warrant at a protest camp on Wet'suwet'en traditional territory near the under-construction Coastal GasLink pipeline Wednesday.
'Compostable' food packaging may contain hazardous 'forever chemicals': Canadian study
As Canada phases out single-use plastics, more restaurants are opting to use 'compostable' takeout containers. But a new study suggests some of these supposedly eco-friendly containers may pose hazards to our health and the environment.
Could Usain Bolt outrun a 900-pound dinosaur? Physics professor poses the question
A new academic paper pits legendary sprinter Usain Bolt against a 900-pound dinosaur to see who could run a 100-metre distance the fastest.
Recalled in Canada: Change tables over entrapment hazard, hoodies due to risk of choking
Health Canada has issued two recalls, one for change tables over an entrapment hazard and another for bamboo nursing hoodies due to a risk of choking.
Many Canadians like to tell 'white lies' about home-cooked meals: survey
Have you ever had to lie about the quality of a home-cooked meal to protect someone's feelings? According to a new survey by Research Co. you’re not the only one.
Spending to increase economic capacity is fiscally responsible, Freeland says in post-budget defence
Defending her latest federal budget, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said spending that increases economic capacity is fiscally responsible.