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- Nov 27 - BC Ferries riding some rough financial waters
Nov 27 - BC Ferries riding some rough financial waters
How not to get to your sailboat
Capital Daily Team
November 27, 2024
Good morning !
Our top two stories don’t exactly fall out of the Surprise! Surprise! category, but we think they’re very important just the same.
The first deals with fare hikes at BC Ferries—not yet. Not now. The second is about how much needs to be done to protect whales in the shipping lanes.
— Mark
How would you describe your overall experience when travelling on BC Ferries? |
Today’s approx. read time: 5 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
Fares could be 30% higher in 2028, says BC Ferries CEO
BC Ferries is predicting fares to be one-third more expensive by 2028. Photo: Capital Daily
BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez addressed the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce yesterday, providing a sort of state-of-the-union.
The union is looking more expensive.
With a shopping list of inventory requirements long enough to make even Santa blush, Jimenez predicts the ferry company likely will have to increase fares by 30% by 2028—and that’s just to maintain its current level of service.
The company is planning to replace 15 vessels by 2030 and last time we checked, these ships don’t grow on trees.
The ship list includes four all-electric, island-class types currently being built in Romania. The vessels will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They’ll also vastly expand the company’s expenditures column. Jimenez says the ferries cost 40% more to build now than they did in 2020 when BC Ferries was first kicking their tires.
To boot, many of the company’s 27 terminals need upgrades, part of the reason BC Ferries’ capital costs are expected to increase by 10-15% annually.
Jimenez said the company has a grip on its staff shortages and he defended its recent move to dismantle local advisory committees.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
No trespassing and it could get loud: Canadian Forces on the demolition range near Rocky Point. [Tomorrow to Dec. 6]
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
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NEWS
More measures needed to avert whale-ship collisions, says international study
A still from BBC’s ‘Planet Earth’ of a humpback breaching in BC waters. Photo: Fredi Devas / BBC
A worldwide study conducted by dozens of marine experts—including some from BC—concludes that only 10% of the waters travelled by whales offer some form of protection from those whales being hit by a ship.
“The biggest, I guess, shock for me from this study was how little surface areas covered by these high-risk areas actually have any form of protection, whether it be mandatory or voluntary measures,” Chloe Robinson, one of the study’s authors and the director of Whale Initiative at the environmental guardian group Ocean Wise tells Capital Daily.
The study—which marine biologists call the most comprehensive of its kind—found that only 7% of the highest-risk areas for whale-ship contact have any measures such as speed reductions in place to protect the whales, whether those measures be mandatory or voluntary.
Worldwide, thousands of whales are struck and killed by ships each year. The study says it happens a lot on the Island’s west coast, at the Swiftsure Bank. It’s a busy area for humpbacks especially, but also for fin and blue whales.
Many potential collisions have been averted through measures such as the Ocean Wise-developed Whale Report Alert System (WRAS), a citizen science tool that encourages anyone spotting a whale to alert shipmasters in real-time, providing the opportunity for ships to slow down or to navigate away to avoid a collision.
The Port of Vancouver’s ECHO—Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation—program also has saved cetacean lives, focusing on three threat categories: vessel collision, underwater noise, and environmental contaminants.
The port, project, and partners installed underwater listening stations in the Georgia Strait to better monitor whale movement.
But more can be done and Robinson is among those calling on the federal government to bring in mandatory measures, such as expanded slowdown zones and requirements for ships to use the WRAS, which is voluntary.
“We need to now implement management in these areas, and it needs to be something that's more permanent and something that is more regulated and mandatory than the existing measures,” Robinson said.
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⭐️ Capital Picks
🧑🎄 The Santa Claus Parade is on Saturday. [Starts at 5pm]
🏒 🇨🇳 Help an U-13 hockey team play in China. [Victoria Admirals]
🎁 Every child remembers that one special toy. You can help today, it's just a click away! Click here to give Christmas to local kids.*
🐔 Chicken not-so-little: A large northern goshawk was found stuck in a chicken coop at Gordon’s Beach. The little guy managed to fly off with no damage to the coop or the chickens. [Facebook]
*Sponsored Listing
🗞️ In Other News
Man rescued from near Oak Bay Marina after rough rafting decision
A resident called police just before 1am yesterday after a man fell off a makeshift raft and began calling out for help. The man managed to make it to his sailboat to which he clung until rescuers pulled him from the cold waters. They brought him to the Jube with non-life-threatening injuries. He says he didn’t have a small boat to use to get to his sailboat so he MacGyvered a make-do raft out of branches. [CHEK]
‘Multiple’ people rescued in overnight operation in Jordan River
Search-and-rescue workers took to foot Sunday night to rescue hikers at Wye Lake on the Kludahk Trail after fog in the area prevented a helicopter rescue. They spent the night on the snowy trails before heading back down the mountain with the hikers in the morning. The same night, there was a rescue mission in Strathcona Park to retrieve an injured snowboarder.
Saanich councillor researches crimes against sea cucumbers
Teale Phelps Bondaroff co-founded OceanAsia, a volunteer-run ocean conservation organization that researches and investigates marine crimes, including the shark fin industry and illegal shipping routes. It’s the leading researcher in crimes against sea cucumbers, from disruptions in growth to overfishing. Phelps Bondaroff says sea cucumbers are integral to marine ecosystems and deserve protection. [The Martlet]
Victoria flying disc-locating company finds deal
The recent Startup TNT Investment Summit recognized Victoria's MeepMeep, which builds weather-resilient locator devices for disc golf. They stick to the Frisbee, can be controlled by an app, and emit an alarm to help players track down where exactly in the trees they flung the darn thing. [Vic Tech Journal]
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Christmas market at Patio Gardens
Shop local this Christmas! Join the festive fun at Patio Gardens, 6536 West Saanich Road, on Dec. 7, from 10am to 4pm. Shop at more than 80 local vendors offering unique gifts, crafts, and holiday treasures. Enjoy live music, delicious food, and cozy fire pits. Don’t be a Grinch—be there!
🗓️ Things to do
🎭 This Much I Know by Jonathan Spector: Several inter-twined stories weave in and out of this multi-layered play exploring themes related to self-acceptance. Theatre Inconnu. Tonight-Dec. 14. [Info]
🍺 🎨 Merridale Holiday Pints & Paint Night: Paint a mug with a design of your own creation at Merridale Cider. Tonight. 6-8pm. [Info]
☃️ Winter Wonderland in Cook Street Village: Carollers, kids’ scavenger hunt, Village-wide deals, craft vendors, silent auction, and Saint Nick. Cook Street Village. Fri. 4-8pm. [Info]
🎶 UJAM Club Night: What's the story?: An opportunity for musicians and singers to stretch, grow, and enjoy each other's skills at Hermann’s. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]
💐The Butchart Gardens: Magic of Christmas Dinner and Dance: Feast on a sumptuous buffet dinner, then stroll through the gardens and take in the magnificent lights. The Butchart Gardens. Fri. 6pm-11:30pm. [Info]
🛍️ UVic Artisan Market: Celebrate creativity with this showcase of handmade crafts from talented local and student artisans in the Student Union Building. Tomorrow. 12-6pm. [Info]
🏘️ Why Arthur Erickson Matters: A centenary celebration of a Vancouver Island and global legacy. Keynote address by Trevor Boddy, writer and architecture critic. Wentworth Villa. Tonight. 7pm. [Info]
👀 In Case You Missed It
Monday’s headlines: Citizen’s Counselling service looking for donations; Weekend rescue in waters below Johnson Street Bridge; Esquimalt baker is a TV show finalist; And more. [Nov. 26]
Victoria’s living wage rises 5%, to $26+. [Capital Daily]
Bird flu: no word how BC teen caught it and no new cases. [Yahoo! / CP]
1884 Douglas Street photograph. [Facebook photo]
Bird’s nest fungi cover a branch in North Qualicum. [Facebook photo]
Hear Victoria artist Kele Fleming’s new track “Turing Test”. [YouTube]
That’s it!
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