BC Ferries sailings from Tsawwassen to Victoria, Nanaimo sold out for Thursday
All daily ferry departures from Tsawwassen to Victoria and Nanaimo were sold out by early Thursday afternoon as a rush of travellers headed for Vancouver Island before the B.C. Day long weekend.
BC Ferries announced the remaining sailings from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay and Duke Point were full by 3:45 p.m., meaning only passengers with reservations were being given boarding passes.
The company suggested island-bound travellers who don't have a booking head to Horseshoe Bay and try to board a ferry to Departure Bay, but noted that "limited standby space" was available by mid-afternoon.
"I know there's some customers that are unhappy with the situation right now, but it is the busiest weekend of the year," spokesperson Deborah Marshall told CTV News.
Marshall also noted that BC Ferries had been warning travellers for days that they should consider travelling outside of peak periods this long weekend.
The company said Thursday afternoon, Friday afternoon and Saturday morning are generally the busiest travel times of the B.C. Day weekend.
But selling out every available departure before 4 p.m. – including six sailings to Victoria alone – is an extremely rare occurrence.
Marshall said the company attempted to arrange another sailing from the mainland to the island for Thursday night, but was unable to do so.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.