Sept 17 - BC Ferries moves forward with its largest investment

Good morning !

Today we have stories on the roll out of new BC Ferries vessels, the need for affordable housing, and an exciting update on Southern Resident killer whales in L Pod.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌧️ 14 / 12

Tomorrow: ⛅ 17 / 11

Thursday: ☁️ 15 / 11

7-day forecast

NEWS

BC Ferries opens bidding to build 7 new vessels

BC Ferries issued a Request for Proposal yesterday, open to shipyards pre-qualified through the Request for Expression of Interest issued last year. Contracts for the first five ships are expected to be awarded next spring.

BC Ferries designed the ships to replace the aging Queen vessels, collaborating with ship design firm LMG Marin. If approved by Ferry Commissioner Eva Hage, the ships could be some of the largest double-ended ferries in the world. 

The company plans to order the first five ships, launching between 2029 and 2031, with the additional two vessels slated to join the fleet in 2037. BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez says the phased rollout will help the company gather insights from the first few builds as it expands the fleet. The company has called the project its “largest capital investment ever,” though estimated costs have not been released.

Designs for the new ships show a capacity of 360 vehicles and 2,100 passengers, a significant increase in size compared to the retiring vessels, which accommodate 250-300 vehicles and 1,200-1,500 passengers. 

The company also said it will revamp two existing ships—the Queen of Surrey and the Queen of Oak Bay—to extend the lifespan of both vessels. Contractors in local shipyards will do that work

Ed Hooper, shipbuilding director at BC Ferries, says the new ships will improve reliability for customers. Reliability has been an issue for the company over the last couple of years—cancellations have occurred due to staffing problems and mechanical issues, most recently due to a dropped propeller and fuel spill from the Queen of New Westminster, one of the ships set to be replaced.

“[The ships] will move more people and vehicles, more efficiently, helping us maintain current schedules and contributing to reduced wait times,” Hooper said in a release. “Importantly, the addition of another ship to the fleet will bring the total to 12 vessels on BC Ferries’ major routes, helping us keep pace with customer demand and projected population growth along the coast.”

Demand for the ferries continues to increase—this summer, BC Ferries had a record season with 8M+ passengers and 3M+ vehicles transported between June 1 and Aug. 31. 

“Our customers have been clear—they expect reliable service and affordable fares, and this approach directly addresses both,” Jimenez said.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Paving on Blanshard: from Pandora to Caledonia until Sept. 27. (6am-8pm) 

BC Transit stops selling DayPASS, 10-Ride tickets, and monthly passes as of Oct. 1. [Details]

Dangerous drinks: UVic says multiple students have reported that their drinks were tampered with or spiked at off-campus events.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

More affordable, affordable housing needed, says group

Advocate group Housing Central says the CRD needs 1,100 affordable units built each year for the next 10 years to address an urgent need from a population segment that’s not being addressed.

“These are rental homes affordable to households with less than $50K a year in income,” Jill Atkey, CEO of the BC Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA) tells Capital Daily.

The BC government says nearly 80K new homes “have been delivered or are underway for people in BC, including more than 3,600 homes in Victoria.”

Atkey says that’s a good start but those are homes the government has committed to build over the next several years. Not only have many not yet been delivered, Atkey says, but they aren’t being built for the people in most need.

She says the province and municipal governments are targeting a broad range of incomes for affordable homes—from shelter rates of $13K/year salaries up to household incomes of $125K. She says the market rental supply gap is huge for households who don’t come close to that $125K annually. 

But that’s not a money maker, she says.

“The cost of building is such that to build housing for incomes of less than $50,000 a year, there requires a government intervention, and that's what we're calling for.”

Atkey applauds the province for providing “truly historic levels of investment into affordable housing,” but she says “the job is not done.”

She also said the CRD-owned Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC) is doing a good job developing and managing affordable housing to meet the community’s needs.

It recently opened 97 units in James Bay, 40 homes on Quadra, and 18 more on Gladstone.

“I think they're doing quite well at putting forward projects and having those projects funded,” she says. “Could we be doing more collectively? Absolutely. And I think most renters in British Columbia would agree.”

The BCNPHA, Aboriginal Housing Management Association, and the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC are partners in Housing Central, which yesterday called for BC to build 12,500 affordable rental units each year for the next decade. The group said that would cost $2.29B each year.

“Capital subsidies are required—so a direct investment into the building, and then, in some cases, ongoing operating subsidies to keep those homes affordable,” Atkey says.

SPONSORED BY CLIMATE DISASTER PROJECT

New play highlights hope during disasters

Eyes of the Beast: Climate Disaster Survivor Stories is about ordinary people surviving extraordinary times, creating community amidst catastrophe. 

Working with interview transcripts from hundreds of British Columbians who have lived through extreme heat, floods, and fire, this powerful show offers what The Tyee describes as “healing, hope and a bold vision for the future.”

A talkback follows each performance so audiences can reflect on these stories and share their own experiences of climate disaster. Vancouver Island political leaders will also be present to reflect on how we can help communities impacted by those disasters (including Sonia Furstenau, Dean Murdock, Lana Popham, George Abbott, Gwen O’Mahony, Stephen Andrew, and others).

Eyes of the Beast runs September 16-21 at UVic’s Phoenix Theatre.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🦌 Elk nuzzling noses on a trail in Sayward. [Facebook photo]

📈 Join over 2000 subscribers getting the latest insights on our region's pressing economic issues like housing, healthcare, and more from South Island Prosperity Partnership’s weekly newsletter.*

🤝 Now hiring: Nursing Opportunities at Amica on the Gorge.

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

New Southern Resident killer whale calf born
The new addition to L Pod appears to be very young, with fetal folds still visible, and is believed to be around four days old. This brings the known population of Southern Resident killer whales to 75. The calf, L128, and mother, L90, were observed swimming alone, away from the rest of the pod. The Center for Whale Research will continue to monitor the orcas, with the hope of getting a detailed measurement of health.

BC leaders want feds, province to take ‘immediate action’ on mental-health crisis
Mayors, police, and community leaders used the stage of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) to announce they’ve written the prime minister and premier imploring them to work on three issues: mandatory care for people with severe mental-health and addiction; better policing at BC ports to stop the flow of illicit drugs; and meaningful bail reform. Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer said the current “revolving door of justice” is not working. [Globe and Mail / CP]

Chemainus woman’s experience a reminder: don’t touch bats
Unless you want a series of needles to thwart rabies. That’s what Melanye Walker faced, after scooping a dead bat out of a pond on her farm. The rabies vaccination prevents the onset of the disease in humans if taken before symptoms—fever, drooling, weakness, difficulty swallowing, muscle spasms—appear. Walker got her 10 shots in the arms, legs, and buttocks, without which rabies can be fatal. Then she was told the bat had rabies, resulting in further rounds of treatment.  [Times Colonist]

Island projects for Indigenous women and girls receive $1M from province
Nine organizations on the Island will each receive up to $30K for community-driven healing projects, with a focus on addressing gender-based violence. Peers Victoria Resources Society in Esquimalt will receive $29K for its work in supporting sex workers. Projects in Nanaimo, Cowichan Valley, Courtenay, Campbell River, Lantzville and Ahousaht are also set to receive funding

SPONSORED BY TELUS

Keeping the lines of communication open

At TELUS, we are proud of the work we do on the frontlines to maintain network infrastructures and run emergency generators at cell sites, ensuring that British Columbians are connected to reliable networks when and where they are needed the most.

🗓️ Things to do

🎭 From Alaska: This award-winning Francophone play premieres at the Belfry Theatre tonight, running until Oct. 13. 7:30pm [Info]

🎸 Bands! Bands! Bands!: See local acts Sharon, Diamond Day, Chilko in the Rosemary, and Sweet Delirium at Victoria Event Centre tonight. 7:30pm. [Info]

🌍 Mama Put African Food Pop-up: Enjoy delicious food and an electrifying game of Ludo at the Philippine Bayanihan Community Centre on Sat. 11am-8pm. [Info]

Looking for something to do this weekend? Subscribe to This Week In Vic to get the full list of what’s on this week.

👀 In Case You Missed It

Monday’s headlines: UVic prof studies ancient puberty; Vic’s Terry Fox run a good one; Oak Bay decides against rental housing at Carnarvon Park; And more. [Sept. 16]

Paetkau pens another Vic-centric murder mystery. [Capital Daily]

Pair of earthquakes rattle ocean floor. [Van Sun / CP]

77-second shopping spree for Peninsula Co-op contest winner. [Video via Peninsula News Review]

Gliding in a hazy oceanside sky in this waterfront photo by Colin Smith. 

Rifflandia photos: See a weekend full of concert coverage from Rocktographers.

Hear the debut singles from new Victoria artist ti-loup at Bandcamp.

That’s it!

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