one-of-bc-ferries-busiest-vessels-taken-out-of-service-for-6-months
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One of BC Ferries busiest vessels taken out of service for 6 months

ByEmma Crawford

Posted September 7, 2024 1:24 pm. Last Updated September 7, 2024 1:30 pm. The Queen of New Westminster, one of BC Ferries’ busiest vessels, will be out of service for approximately six months, the company says. The vessel services the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay sailing — BC Ferries’ busiest route. Earlier this week, the company announced the 60-year-old vessel was being pulled due to mechanical vessels after one of its propellers was sheared off, leading to the cancellation of all the ship’s sailings for the rest of the month. “A preliminary visual inspection seems to indicate the fracture of the propeller shaft could be related to structural fatigue,” BC Ferries said. “The required repairs are anticipated to be significant and include work on both the port and starboard propeller systems before the vessel can be returned to service.” The affected parts need to replaced by specially manufactured systems. Return to service will be reliant on “global parts availability and manufacturing timelines.” “This situation highlights the clear need for resiliency in our fleet to meet customer expectations, and it’s why we will be seeking approval from the Ferry Commissioner to build and add a net new vessel to our major routes,” said BC Ferries president and CEO Nicolas Jimenez. “If we had a backup vessel available, this incident would have had minimal impact on service. It underscores the importance of our fleet renewal strategy to ensure we have the capacity and resilience to manage unexpected issues and vessel repairs.” Recovery of the 10,000-pound propeller, which was found half-submerged in the seabed, took two days. BC Ferries says it is still assessing the impact this will have on its sailing schedule. It says it is looking to see if it can add sailings by using other vessels and adjusting its refitting schedule. With files from Cole Schisler.

bc.-sets-up-a-panel-on-bear-deaths,-will-review-conservation-officer-training
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B.C. sets up a panel on bear deaths, will review conservation officer training

ByNews Staff

Posted September 9, 2024 3:13 pm. Last Updated September 9, 2024 7:37 pm. The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province. Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.” Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public. “So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview. He tells 1130 NewsRadio that this is a tremendous opportunity to advance the well-being and stewardship of bears in B.C. “It takes essential staff in addressing the calls that First Nations have made, conservation organizations and the public to address the number of bear deaths in their communities, enhance the care and handling of bears when they are (in) adverse conditions or relocated, and to deepen the public understanding of how we can support coexistence with bears,” he said. B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year. Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government. “We’ll be looking to bring together the bear rehab people, hunters, conservation organizations, first nations that are working with the COS,” he told 1130 NewsRadio. “We’re also going to lean on some of the World Meeting experts, not only from here, British Columbia, but across Canada, the United States, to give us advice on how we can advance our care and handling better policies and procedures, training…to improve the COS and hopefully reduce their deaths and improve the welfare of bears when they’re being handled right.” Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies. Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades. “This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.” Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.” “I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox. Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through. “I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.

gas-prices-drop-across-lower-mainland;-report-suggests-change-related-to-trans-mountain-pipeline
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Gas prices drop across Lower Mainland; report suggests change related to Trans Mountain Pipeline

ByEmma Crawford

Posted August 24, 2024 5:01 pm. Last Updated August 24, 2024 5:02 pm. Drivers around the Lower Mainland in the last few days may have noticed the price of gas has dropped. Many reported seeing a gas station in East Vancouver sitting at 158.9 Friday, and according to GasBuddy, a station in Richmond went as low as 157.9 as of Saturday. GasBuddy shows that around this time last year, the price was around 205.2. A report issued by the C.D. Howe Institute this month suggests that falling prices are related to the completion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMX) in May. More and more, the report says, supply being moved via rail has shifted to the pipeline — the less expensive option. The institute says that insufficient pipeline capacity prior to the completion of the TMX cost the average B.C. household over $1,000 per year. “B.C. gasoline consumption is generally around 1,100 litres per capita per year, and diesel consumption is around 900 litres per capita per year. Based on this, a rough calculation suggests that insufficient pipeline capacity costs the B.C. economy an average of around $500 per person per year. Since an average B.C. household consists of 2.4 people, the average household costs would be close to $1,200 per household per year,” the report says. “This is a remarkable burden, particularly given the recent inflationary issues in Canada.”

bc.-ended-fiscal-year-with-$5b-deficit,-as-wildfires,-lower-revenue-bite-into-budget
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B.C. ended fiscal year with $5B deficit, as wildfires, lower revenue bite into budget

ByNews Staff

Posted August 22, 2024 1:11 pm. Last Updated August 22, 2024 2:13 pm. British Columbia has ended the fiscal year with a deficit of about $5 billion, some $900 million lower than the most recent forecast, but higher than last year’s budget had called for. The last official look at the province’s finances before the October election says higher revenues from vehicle insurer ICBC were offset by lower revenues from natural resources. The final $5.035 billion deficit for the year ending March 31 is lower than the $5.9 billion forecast last quarter, but higher than the $4.2 billion originally predicted in the 2023 budget. A statement from the Finance Ministry says the public accounts show the province spent a record $1.1 billion on wildfire management, exceeding the budgeted amount by $401 million. It says increased spending on “priority services” including health, education and housing also contributed to the deficit exceeding the budget figure. Finance Minister Katrine Conroy says it’s the “wrong approach” to respond to fiscal challenges with deep cuts to services. She says the NDP refuses to “balance the books on the backs of people.” “With a slower world economy and a growing population, we cannot afford to have a deficit of services,” Conroy said in the statement. “People face challenges, we take action with smart targeted investments to ease people’s burdens and make sure services are there to support people in B.C., through the year and into the future.” The public accounts show B.C.’s economic growth was 1.6 per cent, which the ministry says outpaced the national average. “B.C. continues to have one of the best credit ratings and one of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios among provinces,” the provincial statement says. The deficit is forecast to increase to $7.9 billion in the current fiscal year.

surrey-langley-skytrain-extension-cost-increases-50-per-cent
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Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension cost increases 50 per cent

ByCharles Brockman

Posted August 15, 2024 4:11 pm. Last Updated August 15, 2024 4:14 pm. The B.C. government says the cost of building the Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension will cost $2 billion more than originally estimated and take longer to build. Citing “significant market challenges in British Columbia, across Canada, and around the world,” the province says the project will now cost almost $6 billion. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming tells OMNI News the government is managing cost escalation pressures seen worldwide. “Construction costs for public transit, heavy infrastructure around North America and across the world have increased coming out of the pandemic. We saw 40-year record-high inflation become embedded into the cost of materials and labor. Rates have gone up by about 20 per cent in just the last three years. So that meant that the price has gone from $4.1 billion to $5.996 billion,” said Fleming. He says the cost is not likely to escalate again after signing contracts and claims that the province has negotiated a good deal compared to projects in Alberta and Ontario. “They’re building in Calgary something called the Green Line. Their costs have escalated to about $500 million per kilometre for that line; the Surrey Langley SkyTrain will cost about $375 million per kilometre.” Approved in 2022, the extensions were originally set to be complete in 2028. As of an update Thursday, the province says the “anticipated in-service date” is now set for “late 2029.” The MLA for Surrey South and BC Conservatives party member Elenore Sturko took to social media to criticize the BC NDP and the new price tag. In a video, she says the increase is breaking news, but not shocking news. “This stuff does not make sense. This province is absolutely financially mismanaged,” said Sturko. Fleming says the payoff will be worth the time and money. “Around the eight stations that are going to be part of transit-oriented development are going to provide amazing economic benefits. About 20,000 jobs will be located near those eight stations — about 100,000 homes built…within 800 meters of those eight stations. So it’s a great project for the region.” The province says the SkyTrain expansion will extend the Expo Line 16 kilometres from King George Station in Surrey to 203 Street in the City of Langley, with eight stations and three transit exchanges. —With files from Charlene Ling