BC Ferries sees record-breaking number of vehicle passengers
BC Ferries says it transported a record-setting number of vehicles in its 2023 fiscal year, which ended on March 31.
A total of 9.4 million vehicles and 21.6 million passengers travelled aboard a BC Ferries vessel during fiscal 2023.
Those totals marked an increase of 11 per cent in vehicle traffic, and a 21 per cent increase in passenger traffic, compared to fiscal 2022.
BC Ferries notes that the lifting of travel restrictions in fiscal 2023 is a main reason why passenger totals increased significantly compared to the year before.
STAFFING CHALLENGES
During fiscal 2023, BC ferries said it cancelled 1.6 per cent of its sailings, up from 1.2 per cent in fiscal 2022, largely because of crew shortages.
"Like many companies facing staffing challenges, we are working hard to fill key positions to meet our commitment to our customers to deliver the service they rely on each and every day," said BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez in a statement Thursday.
"We know that even one cancellation is one too many for the millions of travellers who depend on the coastal ferry system," he said.
Total revenue for fiscal 2023 was $1.04 billion, according to BC Ferries, an increase of $77.4 million from the year before – or roughly eight per cent.
BC Ferries notes that this increase is also primarily due to the lifting of travel restrictions.
Overall, BC Ferries saw a net loss of $1.8 million in fiscal 2023. The year before, it saw a net increase of $34.1 million, but the company notes that the prior year's total includes a $102.3 million boost from the federal government through its "Safe Restart Agreement."
Without that major boost, the company would have seen a net loss of $68.2 million in fiscal 2022, according to BC Ferries.
The company's operating expenses also rose 14.2 per cent in fiscal 2023, up from $868 million in fiscal 2022 to $991.5 million in fiscal 2023.
BC Ferries says the increase in expenses is mainly due to operating more sailings – which increases labour costs and fuel consumption – as well as an increase in fuel prices and maintenance work.
"Despite high inflation and operating costs, we will continue to invest in our most valuable asset, our people, who are the backbone of BC Ferries," said Jimenez.
"I am constantly impressed by their commitment to provide the best possible customer experience for every passenger who travels with us."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.