Enjoy the latest climate news for Cortes & beyond for March, 2025
Continue reading Cortes Round-up: Spring is here and its time to …
Its not too late! The SRD is still accepting feedback about the proposed changes to the zoning bylaw. The conversation at the Climate Cafe last month was about how the proposed changes reflect our stated climate goals in the OCP and how we can be more resilient. SRD staff are considering amending their proposal as a result. Check out the latest at the Regional District’s website and send comments — it’s not too late!
BC Ferries currently deploys 11 vessels on its major routes that connect Vancouver Island with the Lower Mainland. Six of these are decades old and nearing the end of their effective service life. While the volume of traffic has significantly increased over the past three decades, there have not been any additions to the major routes carrying capacity since the Spirit Class vessels were introduced in 1993-94. Consequently, 60% of the vehicles using the ferry on a major route last summer had to wait for at least one sailing. In a bold move to bring this portion of its fleet into the 21st century, on Friday, December 13, BC Ferries applied to the BC Ferries Commissioner for permission to add 5 New Major Vessels (NMV).
Continue reading New Major Vessels For A 21st Century Ferry ServiceGlobal climate change caused by our fossil fuel emissions is forcing us to assess many aspects of our behaviour. Flying is a particularly sensitive example because we have become accustomed to hopping on an airplane and dashing off at 700 or 800 kilometres per hour to some foreign country for the taste of another culture, for a change of scenery, for a family gathering, for an exotic adventure, or for a routine business deal. Not only are we destroying the uniqueness of the place that we came to experience by homogenizing the entire planet—the source of Yogi Berra’s oxymoronic comment that, “Nobody goes there any more. It’s too crowded.”—but flying happens to be the single most polluting activity over which any single individual has control. This is because flying is a choice. So the subject of flying and its contribution to the 37.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2023, although uncomfortable, deserves some consideration.
Continue reading The Quadra Project – The Carbon Cost of FlyingAs some of you may have already heard, BC Ferries is going through changes. They range from a total revamp of the way they have been engaging with the public, to expenses that probably won’t effect fares until 2028.
Let’s start with finances. BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez recently informed the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce the cost to build ferries has risen 40% since 2020. Speaking as a customer, my immediate thought was this sounds like there is a fare hike coming.
Jeff Groot, BC Ferries Executive Director in charge of communications, responded “I think that’s a fair reaction. There’s a couple of things that we’re experiencing right now.”
Continue reading Planned price increases; dismantling FAC’s – Changes Coming To BC Ferries
