BC Ferries hires 850 new workers as it prepares for busy summer
BC Ferries saw no staff-related service disruptions over the Victoria Day long weekend, even as it carried a record number of vehicles, according to its president and CEO.
Crew-related delays and cancellations have plagued the ferry service for months as it coped with a shortage of workers.
President Mark Collins says BC Ferries has hired more than 850 new employees since January, including 500 people in the last six weeks, mostly to junior positions.
"We are still struggling to find licensed experienced officers," Collins said, noting the shortage of experienced mariners is a worldwide issue and has been for years.
Collins says the ferry service transported 108,000 vehicles from Thursday to Monday, setting a record for the Victoria Day long weekend and beating the previous record of 105,000 vehicles set in 2018.
"Vehicles are exceeding pre-pandemic [levels]," Collins told CFAX 1070 on Thursday, adding that passenger numbers were lower but "not far off" pre-pandemic levels.
Nearly 300,000 people travelled aboard a ferries vessel over the long weekend, when the company added 110 extra sailings to cope with the anticipated demand.
The ferries president said all signs indicate a busy travel summer for BC Ferries, noting August is the peak travel month for the company.
"We're pulling out all the stops to make sure we're ready for a big summer in British Columbia," Collins said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.