BC Ferries deals with staff shortages ahead of long weekend, adds sailings

It’s almost a staple of every long weekend — BC Ferries cancellations. But this time, the company says it’s come up with a contingency plan to deal with its ongoing staffing crunch.

“We are still experiencing some crew shortages… some of our staff have voluntarily made themselves available to work overtime and we also have some chief officers who are currently on educational leave… they’ve agreed to come back for the weekend as well,” said Deborah Marshall, executive director of Public Affairs with BC Ferries.

She acknowledges how frustrating it can be for travellers when sailings are cancelled.

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“Over the past month, we have cancelled about 1.2 per cent of our sailings, and while that number is quite low, we feel that any cancellation is one too many.

“We know that customers are depending on us to get to where they need to go, and we’ll be making every effort this weekend to make sure our services are uninterrupted.”

Marshall adds, so far, they’ve hired more than 100 licensed officers since the beginning of the year.

“Those are the critical positions that we really need. We’ve also hired about 500 other new employees to join us for the summer season,” explains Marshall who points out they are still hiring. “There is a worldwide shortage of professional mariners, that is the critical position that we are looking for.”

BC Ferries is adding 180 extra sailings for the long weekend and those will be primarily on the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay, Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay, and Departure Bay-Langdale routes.

Marshall says if you are heading to the terminal this weekend, leave early, know the conditions before leaving the house and consider booking a reservation — if there are any left.

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-With files from Greg Bowman