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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.