'They are tone deaf': B.C. cruise ship industry slams federal restart apathy, calls for immediate plan
A loud voice of discontent from the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) is now being echoed by numerous tourism and cruise ship organizations across the country.
On Monday, the GVHA had hoped the federal government would release new information about the reopening of U.S and Canadian marine and land borders, but the announcement only included information about how fully vaccinated Canadians can now return quarantine-free starting July 5.
"Disappointment, and not just from us as an organization, but also now 13 organizations, associations that have come together to say, 'We need a plan,'" said Ian Robertson, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.
Robertson says with no real clarity from the federal government on a restart plan for the cruise industry, the entire $4.3 billion sector is in peril.
"They are tone deaf to our request," Robertson told CTV News Vancouver Island.
"I don't think the Prime Minister should be tone deaf to a $4 billion industry."
On Tuesday, the GVHA announced a partnership with 13 other tourism organizations.
The group, which includes the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, the Business Council of BC and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, is calling on the Minister of Transport to immediately announce a restart plan for the cruise industry.
The group says if a clear signal is not made to major cruise operators soon, Canadian ports could be passed over during the 2022 season.
“This is about clarity, certainty, and confidence for the cruise industry, tourism operators, and the thousands of British Columbians who depend on this vital industry,” said Walt Judas, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of BC.
The newly formed group is calling on the federal government to at least reopen Canadian waters to cruise ships in the fall of 2021.
Ottawa has previously announced that cruising in Canadian waters would not resume until at least February of 2022.
LOOMING BILL
Concern comes on many fronts for B.C.'s cruise sector as it's also waiting on some contentious U.S. bills.
A U.S. senator has tabled three bills that would allow American cruise ships to permanently bypass Canada and other foreign ports.
Under the current U.S. Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886, American cruise lines must dock at a foreign port between two U.S. ports.
Legislation passed in May, called the "Alaska Tourism Restoration Act," allowed U.S. cruises to temporarily skip this requirement due to COVID-19, as countries like Canada continue to ban cruises from docking.
Utah senator Mike Lee says he's tabling the three bills to repeal or reform the "outdated" law.
"The PVSA is bad news," said Lee in a press release on June 10.
"This arcane law benefits Canada, Mexico, and other countries who receive increased maritime traffic, at the expense of American workers in our coastal cities, towns, and ports," he said.
CRUISE KICKSTART
In Florida, the U.S. cruise ship industry is showing signs of life after the devastating impacts of COVID-19.
A trial cruise pulled anchor in Miami on Sunday evening.
Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas left from Port Miami with about 600 employee volunteers to test COVID-19 health and safety measures before the company starts welcoming the paying public.
The company says all the volunteers are vaccinated and there were also representatives from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on board.
According to requirements outlined by the CDC, a trial cruise is one of two paths for a cruise ship to resume sailing.
A ship may either opt to perform a trial cruise or agree to set sail with almost all fully vaccinated passengers and crew – 95% for both groups.
Florida may not have to abide by those rules, however.
A legal case from the state challenged a CDC ruling in April, and a judge sided with the state.
This means that companies cannot require customers to prove they have been vaccinated to receive goods and services.
Still, most cruise ship operators, like Royal Caribbean, are strongly recommending passengers in Florida be vaccinated before getting on board.
While upcoming cruises leaving Florida will not require passengers to be vaccinated, scheduled Royal Caribbean trips between Seattle and Alaska with Royal Caribbean will demand customers have gotten the COVID-19 shot.
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.