Author: Adrianna Hilton
04/12/24
Vancouver Island is home to some of the most popular tourist attractions in British Colombia, from the surfing in Tofino and Sombrio beach to the architecture in Victoria and the ease of a day trip to the gulf islands. Vancouver Island provides no shortage of reasons to escape the mainland for a slower weekend or for an entire summer. However, it is also home to both British Colombia’s capital, Victoria, and around 864,000 people including myself that live here year-round. These numbers make it the most populated island in BC and the second most populated Island in the country as a whole. This status can sometimes cause the illusion that as an island we are more self-sufficient than we really are. This is still an island like all the others, and that means that as an island, we are reliant on the mainland for a great many resources. Like most of Canada, most of our food is outsourced and shipped in. This can be chalked up to the Canadian climate being less than ideal for farming, especially through the winter months. Similarly, we rely on the mainland for non-edible recourses as well. As an island with limited space but a rapidly growing population, we have an urgency to keep up with the demand for development. This means that most of our building and development materials are also brought in on boat. In order to be able to rely so strongly on the mainland for these resources, the island turns to BC Ferries to keep us connected to the rest of the province and with that, connected to our livelihood. As the one and only connector to the mainland –other than by plane- it is clear that an immense amount of responsibility falls onto the lap of the ferry terminal. BC Ferries is our main connection to our source of food, materials and most importantly: tourists.
Like most island cultures, tourism is responsible for a significant portion of Vancouver Island’s economy. For example, if you walk through downtown Sidney, a small beach town not 5 minutes from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, you will notice the entire town is catered to tourism. The streets are one-way, and the speed limit is 30 kilometres an hour to create a walkable environment, there are more gift shops and trinket shops than I can count on two hands, and a wide variety of boutiques, cafes, and art galleries that appeal to the island aesthetic. If you walk towards the water, there is a fish market on the pier and a whale watching company on the front lawn of Sidney’s most popular accommodation: The Peir Hotel. Each and every one of these businesses, every owner of a restaurant on the waterfront, every whale watching tour guide, road-side small business owner or summer street market vendor is patiently waiting for the inevitable overflow of tourists escaping to the island and the inevitable overflow of business that comes with that. The reason Sidney finds so much success in this strategy is because of it’s proximity to the ferry terminal which keeps it so well connected to the mainland. Sidney is one of the first things a person would see when they first arrive on the island, and one of the most convenient places to stop for food or rest. This correlation has been proven in studies where we see that Sidney marks one of the Island’s five main ferry gateways to the rest of the world, claiming its title as the busiest out of the five. The other four gateways can be found in Nanaimo’s Horseshoe Bay, Comox-Courtney, Port-Hardy and the Anacortes ferry based out of Sidney. However, given the ideal location of the Swartz-bay Tsawwassen route, Sidney has always been the most frequented out of the five, with Horseshoe Bay taking second place. Studies have shown that as researchers moved away from these four gateways (especially Swartz Bay and Horseshoe Bay) they found that the rate of tourism decreased significantly. This is a blatant, direct connection between our ferry terminals and a successful island economy. As mentioned, much like the ferry terminal supplies the island with its tourism, it also supplies the island with most of its food and construction materials. Delays and cancellations can create serious financial issues regarding the latter. Construction officials have stated that when materials don’t arrive in a timely manner projects are slowed down and budgets are exceeded. So, the question becomes what is causing all the delays?
The answer to that question is a loaded one; however, the blame can mostly be laid on extreme staffing shortages. BC ferries has reported an extreme staffing shortage across the company as a whole but recently they have also cited that they have minimal staff that is qualified and trained to work on the large variety of vessels within the company. Staff that is trained on the Spirit of Vancouver Island may not also be trained on the Coastal Celebration so, should the sailing be switched, they would not be able to work their shift. Over the years BC ferries have grown their fleet of 37 vessels and with that growth has come a lot of advancements in both technology and safety equipment. Since the company hasn’t trained all their staff on both the old and new vessels the current dilemma of delays and cancellations is only growing. In 2023 over 1000 cancellations due to crew shortages were reported just between Vancouver and Victoria, double what was reported in 2022. However, we can be hopeful for 2024 that these numbers will decrease as local news reports are showing BC ferries has been making the changes they promised after the nightmares of last summer and have adjusted their hiring policies as well as their wages. We can be hopeful to see these changes create a decrease in the sailing waits and cancellations heading into the summer.
Unfortunately, these staffing shortages are not the end of the ferry debacle; mechanical issues have been a theme with BC ferries for as long as most islanders can remember, and they only seem to be getting worse. Last summer, we saw the Coastal Renaissance -a vessel built in 2007 that travels between both Horseshoe Bay, and Swartz Bay and the mainland- break down and have to be towed across Georgia Strait. We only saw the coastal renaissance back up and running last month, almost a year after the incident. And while clearly, big predicaments such as that one do cause problems in the summer schedule, so do the minor mechanical challenges that always seem to be plaguing the fleet. Unfortunately, this year it would appear that we can only expect more. Reports have stated that there are 20 refits of new rotors scheduled for 2024, each of which can be expected to put each respective vessel out of commission for 30 to 90 days. Despite these troubling plans, BC ferries assures us in an interview with CBC that they expect a much smoother summer this year, yielding record breaking numbers of passengers and sailings. It’s only a question of how long that positive outlook will last.
Long-term solutions for these issues to provide an alternative to BC Ferries have been explored for many years by both provincial and federal governments. Unfortunately, given the safety limitations as well as considerations of cost and the environmental impact nothing feasible has been put forward. Despite no ideas sticking, many possible projects have been suggested over the years so let’s take a look at a few that were close enough to be considered by the provincial government: First, there have been suggestions for a floating bridge. And while the idea of driving directly from Nanaimo to the mainland is appealing, it isn’t entirely efficient. Government publications have shown that the bridge that would be necessary for the area would be the longest floating bridge built to-date and that the conditions on the Strait of Georgia would be far too stormy for such a bridge to even be considered safe. Heads have also been turned at the idea of a submerged water tunnel through the Strait of Georgia. This idea however, was also quickly shut down in a government archive when the budget and time-stamp necessary on a project like that was revealed. The documents citing a similar tunnel that was built in Japan in 1988 that cost 7$ billion USD and took over 25 years to build. Unfortunately, a similar response came to the suggestions for a floating tunnel when researchers found the earthquake risks to be -once again- far too great for such a tunnel to be deemed safe. And last but not least, some engineers have looked into the concept of a fixed link across the Strait of Georgia, however, the same government document discusses the impact that such a project would have on the ecosystems in the area. The waves created by storms and ships in the area would not only deteriorate the project itself but also would also create a risk of causing underwater landslides due to the soft ocean beds in the Georgia Strait. All this research leading us right back to BC Ferries.
In an attempt to meet the island’s growing reliance on BC Ferries report have shown that as of February all major vessels are up and running for summer 2024, and the staff at BC Ferries seem optimistic for another record-breaking summer. We can only hope that this year we are breaking records of smooth sailings rather than canceled ones. Unfortunately, that is out of our hands so as an islander myself, here are my recommendations for keeping things running smoothly this summer when it comes to planning what you can for your travels to and from the island. My first suggestion would be that, if possible, with the nature of your travels, consider walking on the boat and taking the bus or an uber on the other side. As a foot passenger you are not only contributing to a more environmentally minded island but you are also getting a ticket at a much cheaper price. On foot, you are also much more likely to get onto any boats that are up and running. Second, I would say it is important to know just how busy the Swartz-Bay Tsawwassen route gets, knowing this, I would suggest monitoring the status of the sailing you are hoping to catch online to see what the deck space availability and predicted wait times are. This is often helpful to know if you will need to find accommodation for an extra night or find somewhere to eat dinner during your wait. If you really want to stay on top of things, you can also check the “current conditions” or “service notice” section of the BC ferries website to stay up to date on any planned services or any known mechanical issues. However, it is important to know that these updates do not take into consideration any kind of emergencies or last minute issues. If you are more of a spontaneous traveler, you may find yourself with more difficulties when it comes to island travel however, there are still some measures you can take to minimize the likelihood of being caught at the ferry terminal. If you are hoping to drive onto the sailing with no booking to save the money for a reservation, I would suggest arriving 1-2 hours before the sailing you are hoping to catch, taking note that early morning and evening sailings are especially busy in the summer months. Luckily, at the terminal on both ends there are options for food, spaces to be outside and even some light shopping if you do happen to get stuck. And finally, as much as the struggles with the ferry terminal can often be frustrating and cause stress it is important to adopt the island mindset as much as possible. Understand that the staff are working hard to keep things moving smoothly and know that there are many things out of your control when it comes to travel. So, my final suggestion would be too control what you can and -if it is within your means- get a reservation or maybe, just maybe consider buying a boat.
Author: Adrianna Hilton