Category Archives: Transportation

Transportation

Vancouver Island transportation survey highlights key connectivity gaps for communities

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A lack of affordable, convenient, frequent and reliable options for travel between many Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast communities was the top obstacle identified in a recent regional transportation survey.

Over the summer, the B.C. government funded extensive community consultations to study passenger transportation gaps faced by Indigenous, small, rural and remote communities on Vancouver Island and parts of the coastal mainland, as well as B.C.’s north and its southern Interior.

Poor connections between coastal communities, like ferries linked to transit, insufficient public transportation options to airports or harbours, and a lack of safe, accessible or low-emission services were other roadblocks highlighted in the Island Coastal Inter-Community Transportation study.

Continue reading Vancouver Island transportation survey highlights key connectivity gaps for communities →
Transportation

BC Ferries forced to gear down vessel electrification ambitions

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

BC Ferries has officially changed course, scaling down its climate ambitions to electrify its Island Class fleet and ability to achieve provincial emissions targets. 

In 2021, the provincial ferry service got permission for the first phase of its Island Class Electrification Program (ICEP) — to convert the six Island Class diesel-electric hybrid ferries it has currently in operation to 100 per cent battery-electric operations by 2025. 

Continue reading BC Ferries forced to gear down vessel electrification ambitions →
Transportation

The carbon footprint of longer distance travel to and from Cortes Island

The Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI) just released a report on the carbon footprint made by longer distance trips to and from Cortes Island. 

Many of their findings are to be expected. Taking a plane off the island creates a great deal more emissions than driving a car, and people who carpool or take a bus are responsible for only a fraction of that vehicle’s pollution.  

One of the biggest contributors to our local footprint is the Cortes-Quadra ferry, which creates approximately 1 kg of carbon emissions for every walk-on and 12 kg for every car. 

Continue reading The carbon footprint of longer distance travel to and from Cortes Island →
Transportation

Abuse, weapons threats to BC Ferries staff put public meetings on hold

2 Comments

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

B.C. Ferries abruptly cancelled all public community meetings and shifted local ferry committee meetings online Wednesday to protect employees citing a spike in aggression that includes gun threats and acts of vandalism. 

Public notice about moving the Cortes Island and Quadra Island ferry advisory committee (FAC) meeting online, and the outright cancellation of a subsequent community town hall session happened within hours of the two events scheduled for mid-day and at 3:30 p.m. respectively. 

It’s not entirely clear if it was a single incident or a compilation of incidents at different events that caused the cancellations, said Diana Mumford, chair of the Southern Sunshine Coast Ferry Advisory Committee. 

Continue reading Abuse, weapons threats to BC Ferries staff put public meetings on hold →
Tourism, Transportation

BC Ferries frustrates tourists ​– ​but they’re still lining up to come here

Originally published on qathet Living

So far this summer, 18 guests have cancelled their accommodations at the Old Courthouse Inn, due to problems with BC Ferries.

“It would have been many more, but I talked a lot of them down,” explained Kelly Belanger, who has owned the Inn for 11 years, and says he has never seen a summer like this before ​– ​​featuring unpredictable ferry overloads and cancellations.

“Most guests just look at the chaos as it’s being reported on the news, and believe they won’t be able to get here, so they call to cancel. I tell them, ‘No, actually, ferries are usually reliable. Get there two hours before your sailing and you’ll probably get on.’

Continue reading BC Ferries frustrates tourists ​– ​but they’re still lining up to come here →