Latest ferry cancellations prompt Bowen Island mayor to call for reliable service
VANCOUVER – Hundreds of people were stranded on Bowen Island when BC Ferries unexpectedly cancelled half a day’s worth of sailings between Snug Cove and Horseshoe Bay Saturday afternoon.
To help stranded travellers on the small island, BC Ferries offered water taxis that were able to fit 40 or 12 people at a time, but the taxis were not able to bring over any vehicles, leaving many travellers trapped and forced to stay overnight.
Bowen Island Mayor Andrew Leonard said the community and municipal staff rallied together to help.
“It was a scramble to manage traffic in the Snug Cove area. It was a scramble to deal with the excess of vehicles that were on the island and it was a scramble to ultimately help people find accommodations as they were stranded here overnight,” Leonard said.
Since the small community doesn’t have any hotels, he said locals opened up their homes and offered their extra rooms, AirBNB hosts also stepped up and a local summer camp opened up to accommodate 35 people.
“Bowen Islanders are rather wonderful. I think they all pulled together and figured out where to put people, and some people slept in their car I gathered," said Wendy Winslow, a West Vancouver resident.
People on Bowen Island depend on the ferry to take them to school, work or appointments in Metro Vancouver.
Bowen Island residents are used to cancellations, but never on a scale like Saturday’s.
“It hasn't been this bad, but it's always been a bit of an issue. It’s definitely worse recently,” said Max Paulux, a life-long Bowen Island resident.
The mayor said it is calling on the province, BC Ferries and Metro Vanouver to come up with solutions to prevent something like this from happening again.
“Our message is pretty clear, particularly with the province and Premier Eby talking about the ferry system like it's British Columbia's marine highway system. It feels like this link between Bowen Island and the mainland is starting to crumble. We have issues of transit security and reliability at a time when we're experiencing unprecedented resident growth and unprecedented tourist growth,” he said.
He said he is worried about these major cancellations becoming a safety issue, putting residents and visitors “in harm’s way” because Bowen Island doesn’t have the infrastructure to deal with these unexpected challenges.
BC Ferries said staffing shortages are to blame for Saturday’s cancellations.
“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” BC Ferries wrote in an email to CTV News. “We require a specific number of crew members on board the vessel to ensure the safety of our passengers in the unlikely event of an emergency and to comply with Transport Canada regulations. The decision to cancel a sailing in these circumstances is made when we have exhausted all options to find replacement crew.”
The corporation said its largest recruitment campaign is underway to fill as many vacancies as possible, adding there is a world-wide shortage of mariners.
It has introduced incentives and better allowances, increased its training budget and boosted its cadet training program.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
NEW 'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.