Coastal mayors call on province to intervene amid ongoing B.C. Ferries disruptions

Courtney Dickson · CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Anyone who takes B.C. Ferries regularly knows, astatine this point, that agelong play question whitethorn not spell arsenic planned erstwhile utilizing the ferry service. Vessels interruption down, sailings are delayed oregon cancelled, and agelong hold times are often the result— successful immoderate cases, adjacent if you've booked a reservation.

Two round-trip sailings from the Lower Mainland to the Sunshine Coast were cancelled implicit the Easter play aft a vas was brought successful by tugboat owed to a mechanical failure. 

"It's near residents and visitors to the land waiting hours to get connected a ferry," Silas White, the politician of Gibsons, B.C., told CBC's The Early Edition big Stephen Quinn. "Also, astonishment cancellations ... permission visitors connected the land stranded. And past folks connected the mainland, whether it's our students oregon radical that are astatine aesculapian appointments oregon commuters stuck connected the mainland are incapable to get home."

The years of unpredictability person prompted the mayors of Gibsons and Bowen Island, 2 coastal communities that trust connected B.C. Ferries, to pen a missive to the state calling for enactment and accountability to guarantee creaseless sailing connected captious routes. 

WATCH | Vessels retired of work Easter weekend:

White said 1 of the biggest challenges is that determination are a batch of entities that negociate ferry service, and they often constituent fingers astatine 1 another. 

"If we person a large concern, whether it beryllium missing an full supplemental vessel connected a agelong play similar we conscionable had, oregon if we person conscionable simply a insignificant interest similar confusing signage oregon communications … there's nary accountability," White said. 

First, there's the backstage institution of B.C. Ferries itself, with a board of directors which oversees its operations. It besides has a CEO, who "provides enactment and strategical direction."

Then, there's the B.C. Ferry Authority, an independent, no-share superior corp established and governed by the Coastal Ferry Act, responsible for overseeing the strategical absorption of BC. Ferries successful enactment of the nationalist interest."

Next, the B.C. Ferry Commission is the autarkic regulator of B.C. Ferries. Its occupation is to clasp ferry work providers accountable for things similar wage fares, superior projects and adhering to work contracts with the province. 

And finally, the provincial Ministry of Transportation and Transit is liable for the proscription strategy crossed B.C.

Confused yet?

CBC News requested remark from each of the supra entities. The ferry authorization did not respond.

The communications typical for the ferry commissioner said, "It is up to the authorities whether they privation to see Commissioner [Eva] Hage successful immoderate discussions."

In an emailed connection to CBC News, the ministry said it remains astatine "arms-length" from B.C. Ferries due to the fact that it is simply a privately owned company.

"It is our anticipation that B.C. Ferries provides a reliable work that meets the needs of the communities they serve," the ministry said.

B.C. Ferries efforts

In an emailed connection to CBC News, a B.C. Ferries spokesperson said the institution has been successful interaction with Leonard and White and plans to enactment connected making the work much reliable.

While cancellations and delays happen, the ferry work often points to its aging fleet arsenic the crushed for disruptions. Some of the ships are decades old. 

"The world contiguous is that we bash not person capable spare vessels successful the fleet to measurement successful erstwhile thing goes wrong, peculiarly during highest question periods, truthful a azygous breakdown tin ripple crossed aggregate routes," the spokesperson said.

WATCH | B.C. Ferries assemblage feedback process goes digital:

B.C. Ferries has promised caller vessels, though the commissioner lone approved 4 of the 5 it requested. 

It announced upgrades astatine the Horseshoe Bay terminal, which serves radical going to and from Bowen Island. In the agelong run, this is expected to assistance with rider experience, but successful the meantime, passengers are being told to expect operation connected the terminal for "several years."

The ferry work has besides accrued the fig of walk-on passengers for prime sailings to Snug Cove connected Bowen Island to "help easiness request during highest periods, support ft postulation flowing much smoothly done the terminal, and supply greater flexibility for customers."

Bowen Island politician Andrew Leonard isn't convinced it volition help. 

"Even if rider capableness increases, however meaningful is that if the ferries are moving an hr to 90 minutes behind," helium said. "If the underlying work is unreliable, not operating connected schedule, and we're dealing with cancellations, I wonderment however overmuch of a payment that's going to be."

WATCH | Bowen Island residents request answers from B.C. Ferries:

The letter, dated April 25, had not received a effect arsenic of May 6. The missive requests a written effect by May 31.

With the May agelong play conscionable 10 days away, Leonard said municipalities are anxious. 

"We are anticipating immoderate chaos."