B.C. Ferries says travel between Gabriola and Nanaimo will be disrupted until early next week due to staffing shortages resulting from a requirement that crew members be vaccinated against COVID-19.
To make up for cancelled sailings, complimentary water taxis will shuttle passengers needing to travel between Gabriola and Nanaimo from 5:15 a.m. to 7:35 a.m. (8:10 a.m. on weekends), and from 7 p.m. to the last trip from Nanaimo at 11 p.m.
The company says the Nanaimo Harbour-Gabriola run is the only one of its routes to be affected by crew shortages due to the vaccine requirement. To comply with Transport Canada regulations, all on-board employees were required to provide proof of having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 15.
Reduced sailings of the MV Quinsam are expected to continue until at least Nov. 23.
B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said vessels require a specific number of crew on board to ensure the safety of passengers in the unlikely event of an emergency and to comply with Transport Canada regulations.
Marshall said the corporation is working with the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union to reach out to onboard employees who have yet to report their vaccination status and encourage them to comply as soon as possible.
B.C. Ferries estimates only 1.6 per cent of its employees remain unvaccinated.
Steven Earle, chair of Gabriola’s ferry advisory committee, said many Gabriola residents rely on early-morning ferries to get to work on Vancouver Island, while contractors and delivery drivers also need early ferry access to Gabriola. “It’s also an issue in the evenings for those on a later shift, or for people that have needs in Nanaimo. And it’s a health issue because it limits off-Gabriola ambulance trips,” he said.
Earle said B.C. Ferries is doing its best to fill the crew gaps and he expects the disruption will be temporary, although he wonders why the corporation didn’t prepare earlier for the possibility of a crew shortage.
“They knew this was coming for weeks and they seem to have been left scrambling late last week to make sure everything was in place — turns out it wasn’t.”
Marshall said the corporation is generally pleased with the rollout of the mandatory vaccination policy, and is reviewing the small number of cases of unvaccinated employees seeking accommodations.
The B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers Union was not available for comment Friday, but has said as many as 600 of its members have yet to state their vaccination status, or their status is currently under review by B.C. Ferries.
