Vancouver Island businesses frustrated with ferry chaos as transport minister awaits overhaul

Vancouver Island tourism operators are feeling the impact of a chaotic summer travel season at B.C. Ferries.

The company has been plagued with cancellations and long waits this summer after the Coastal Celebration, one of its biggest vessels, was taken to dry dock twice for repairs.

There have also been challenges with staffing shortages, and on Tuesday morning, the B.C. Ferries website displayed a nine-sailing wait for customers sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, although the service said later in the afternoon that the waits were actually one- to two-sailings.

Brian Cant, president of travel social enterprise 4VI, told CBC's All Points West that they're hearing frustration from visitors and locals alike, especially in the face of closures on Highway 4 as well.

That key connector between Nanaimo, Port Alberni, and Tofino was closed for several weeks earlier this summer because of a wildfire.

High winds then forced its closure again on Wednesday.

Cant said while most Islanders know where to get up-to-date information on the ferries and highways, it's new for some visitors. His company has been working on outreach programs, hanging up posters with QR codes that direct visitors to the DriveBC website.

"You can never over-communicate when it comes to people and their travel requirements and their travel decisions. And that's something that we learned very, very acutely during the pandemic and it's something that's continued on," Cant said.

"I think under normal circumstances [B.C. Ferries does] an excellent job. But along with Highway 4 being closed and [Wednesday] morning's situation with that, it is a challenge. We've been having calls daily for the last several weeks about how to manage communication to visitors and to people travelling to and from the island."

Cant said the highway closures and ferry chaos are affecting local businesses, too, which have already had to survive a tough few years with the pandemic significantly impacting tourism and travel to the island.

"It's the feeling that 'it was COVID, and now it's this, and when does it end?' And our ability, as a regional tourism representative, is to understand their concerns and help work through those concerns with various levels of government," he said.

"But, you know, there is no easy simple solution to this."

Transport minister awaiting 'complete overhaul'

Transport minister Rob Fleming told reporters Wednesday that the technical issues at B.C. Ferries will be corrected soon. 

"What happened [Tuesday], they have assured our ministry, will be fixed within a week and won't be happening again," Fleming said at an unrelated press conference.

"Technology and a complete overhaul is one of the strategic goals of the new CEO and it can't come fast enough."

Fleming said the Coastal Celebration is "desperately needed" to keep travel running smoothly over the upcoming B.C. Day long weekend. B.C. Ferries announced Wednesday that they expect the vessel to be back in commission by Friday.

B.C. United MLA Trevor Halford, however, criticized the provincial government's handling of the independently managed but provincially owned corporation.

"This is a government that just gave B.C. Ferries half a billion dollars last spring," he said.

"From what we see right now from the minister's comments, there seems to be a lack of accountability with
that money."