BC Ferries cancels sailings as major vessel out of service between Victoria, Vancouver
The Coastal Celebration is hardly living up to its name.
The BC Ferries vessel is out of action for repairs to its propulsion system, meaning the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route is down one vessel, with eight cancelled sailings each day, until it's fixed.
The lost sailings mean very long lineups and multiple-sailing waits for those drivers without reservations.
By 10 a.m. Thursday, if a driver didn't have a reservation, the earliest ferry they could get on from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen was the 4 p.m. sailing.
By 11 a.m., the line of vehicles trying to get to the Lower Mainland snaked down Highway 17, well outside of the ferry terminal.
Seven-thousand travellers had made reservations on the Coastal Celebration over the coming week.
Those reservations are being moved to different times. Until those thousands of reservations get sorted, the BC Ferries online system won't allow new reservations.
The current chaos is just the latest for BC Ferries, which is currently enduring major staff shortages and routine cancellations due to mechanical issues. Those are issues that Premier David Eby says new BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez is tasked with fixing.
"This is a huge source of frustration for people who depend on the ferries for their livelihood, to see loved ones," Eby said. "It's a priority for our government to address these issues, that’s why we've made significant changes to the leadership."
The Coastal Celebration is expected to be back in action at the end of next week. Until then, BC Ferries has added two late-night sailings and warns travellers should brace for long waits.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation is the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
Judge raises threat of jail in hush money trial as he holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Court upholds Milwaukee police officer's firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry.
Video captures deadly wrong-way police chase on Highway 401 in Ontario
A new video has surfaced showing a vehicle being pursued by police in the wrong direction on Highway 401 moments prior to a fatal crash that killed four people, including an infant and their grandparents.
New cancer treatment approved, but not everyone thinks it's what's best for patients
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.