Coho ferry returns to Victoria as U.S. border reopens
The Coho ferry made a triumphant return Monday morning, arriving in Victoria from Port Angeles, Wash., to a regal welcome that included an escort from a fire boat to celebrate its first trip in nearly 20 months.
With the United States opening its land and sea borders Monday to fully vaccinated Canadians for non-essential travel, trips south on the Coho were full of snowbirds who’ve waited anxiously for nearly two years for some winter fun in the sun.
The first seven Coho sailings from Victoria to Port Angeles were already booked last week, many of the vehicles headed for California, Arizona or Mexico.
The Canadian border has been open to Americans for non essential travel since August, but the requirement of a PCR covid test for those entering Canada has proven a costly deterrent for many — and the Coho was much less full when arriving in Victoria than it was when leaving the city headed south.
Ryan Burles is the CEO of the Black Ball Ferry Line, which operates the Coho. He said Monday he was excited to see the ferry back in service and was grateful for the outpouring of support for the service.
“Same-day travel is dead, and frankly even one night stays are pretty close to dead too. It isn’t just the cost, it’s the logistics,” said Burles, who noted the ferries from Port Angeles were only about 15 per cent full.
The local tourism industry is campaigning to see the requirement of a PCR test replaced by the cheaper, faster antigen test or scrapped altogether.
“Having the very invasive and expensive PCR test is a real deterrent to travel to and from Canada,” said Paul Nursey with Destination Greater Victoria.
The federal government indicated last Friday it’s re-examining the PCR test requirement, but until it’s removed, short border trips north will be relatively slow.
But just a few hours into the American border’s reopening, longer journeys by Canadians south were already popular.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.