Ferries

The largest and oldest shipyard in Canada says it didn't stand a chance in bidding against a Chinese company to build four new vessels for B.C. Ferries.  

It's the latest criticism levelled at the ferry operator following its decision to purchase the vessels from Chinese-state owned CMI Weihai Shipyards. That criticism and China's punishing new tariffs on Canadian agriculture products have renewed calls for the contract to be cancelled. 

"Unfortunately, the procurement criteria were heavily weighted toward the lowest price, effectively favouring Chinese shipyards," James Davies, CEO of Davie shipyard, wrote in a letter this month.

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We want to bring your attention to the Marine Atlantic RFP opportunity. For anyone interested, don't delay to request, sign and email the required confidentiality agreement to ler2025@ma.ca.

Marine Atlantic Inc. will be holding virtual meetings with interested parties and the deadline to register for a meeting is August 25^th, 2025.  The meetings will be held between August 27^th and September 3^rd, 2025. Proposals must be submitted electronically on or before September 12, 2025 at 4:00.

Please see more info on their website:

Notice of Request for Proposals: Ro-Pax Bareboat Charter Procurement

Description of Procurement

Marine Atlantic Inc. is conducting a request for proposals (“RFP”) process for a Ro-Pax vessel (the “Vessel”) on bareboat charter.

Important Info:

Proponents are advised that MAI has not engaged or appointed a broker or agent for the Ro-Pax Bareboat Charter Procurement.

Proponent Team Members are only permitted to join a single Proponent. 

The B.C. Ferries vessel Salish Heron dropped anchor Tuesday morning.

It wasn’t supposed to.

En route from Tsawwassen to Salt Spring, the five-year-old Salish-class boat suffered an “unexpected release” of one of its two anchors into the waters near the Triconmali Channel. An investigation into the cause, whether it was mechanical or human error, is ongoing.

Passengers reported “a massive shuddering of the vessel and a huge metallic screeching sound,” with one witness saying passengers on the outer deck quickly reported to staff they could see flames and smoke.

Claire Thomas, who was on the ferry, said there was a strong smell of smoke throughout the vessel and she moved to the rear to try to avoid it, adding “passengers were very scared.”

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BC Ferries should not be allowed to go through with its plans to build new ships in China, after China hit Canada with a fresh round of tariffs, says Canada’s Opposition leader.

Pierre Poilievre made the comments to CHEK News while visiting a construction company in Langford on Tuesday, saying public funds must not be spent with a state-owned shipyard at a time when China is actively trying to harm the country’s economy. Poilievre also called on the federal Liberal government to cancel a $1 billion loan to BC Ferries from the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

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BC Ferries recently awarded a contract to a Chinese state-owned shipyard to build 4 new major ferries, supported by a $1 billion federal loan. The deal — and the funding behind it — have sparked public debate. Do you support BC Ferries’ decision to give this contract to a company owned by the Chinese government?

Do you support BC Ferries’ decision to give this contract to a company owned by the Chinese government?

Take the Poll here

An Ontario company says it’s closer than ever to getting ferries into daily operation between St. Catharines and Toronto, and it says because of U.S. President Donald Trump, this one is going to be all-Canadian.

We’ve seen proposals for Lake Ontario ferries that seemed to come and go in the past but the Hoverlink Ontario company says this one is different, and that’s what’s going to make it work.

The horrible traffic between Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara is helping their cause.

The hovercraft could carry people across the lake in 30 minutes, instead of sitting on the QEW for hours at times. CHCH News reporter Al Sweeney has the story.

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The union representing B.C. ferry workers has joined the chorus of critics opposing a plan to build four new major vessels in a Chinese shipyard.

“What we’re looking to see is both a short-term solution, you know, build these first four ferries in Canada or at least a majority of them in Canada, and then moving to vessels five, six, seven, eight —those should be built in Canada, no question,” said Eric McNeely, president of the B.C. Ferry Marine Workers’ Union.

BC Ferries set off a political firestorm this spring when it announced that it would purchase its next four vessels from China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai) after a lengthy open bid process.

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Today's jaunt into the past takes us fishing in Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver in 1963.

Vernon historian and videographer Francois Arseneault has converted black and white footage of the TV show Tides & Trails to a 4K digital format.

“Tides & Trails aired on television across western Canada from 1963 to about 1970. These half-hour long programs were produced at CHAN-TV (now Global) in Vancouver,” Arseneault said.

In the mid 1980s, CHAN-TV was purging their library of 16mm film to make way for video tape. Film had become obsolete and space was limited.

About four years ago, the Dennet family gifted Arseneault the collection of surviving Tide & Trails episodes, some 80 reels along with just a few scattered pages of notes.

“It's unknown exactly how many episodes were produced, however, I recently sourced a missing reel in Indiana and am looking for any more surviving reels,” Arseneault said.

Though being just a weekly fishing, hunting conservation show typical of the era, it captured lifestyle, urban and rural environments and much more.

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BC Ferries is making waves with the BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union (BCFMWU) planning to homeport two ferries in Crofton along BC Ferries’ Route 6.

For years the MV Quinsam has transported passengers between Crofton and Vesuvius Bay on Salt Spring Island. The vessel is based on Salt Spring, but BC Ferries plans to replace it with two Island-class vessels, which would both be housed in Crofton. 

Most agree two vessels are necessary and would be a welcomed addition to the transit route, but some have concerns about the Vesuvius terminal being empty overnight.

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British Columbia's transport minister says he has raised concerns with B.C. Ferries about its decision to have a Chinese shipyard build four new ferries for its passenger fleet, amid an ongoing trade conflict between Canada and China.

Mike Farnworth said he's worried about procuring services from "any country that is actively harming Canada’s economy" with tariffs and protectionism.

Farnworth's remarks come hours after the announcement by B.C. Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez that China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards had won the contract.

Jimenez said he wasn't worried about geopolitical tensions between Canada and China, adding his primary focus was getting the province a good deal. He said CMI Weihai was selected because the company is a global leader in passenger-ferry construction and shipbuilding.

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The four major vessels B.C. Ferries hopes to have built and in service by 2029 will not be built in Canada.

No Canadian shipyards submitted proposals to build the vessels, Ed Hooper, B.C. Ferries’ executive director of shipbuilding, said in a statement. Because the project is still in the procurement stage, the company cannot speak in detail about which yards submitted bids, as it could compromise the competitive process, he said.

While no Canadian shipyards submitted bids, B.C. ­Ferries has had good dialogue with a number of them and there may yet be opportunities for them to contribute to the project, Hooper said. “The local industry has always played a critical role in maintaining our fleet, and that will continue.”

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The British Columbia Ferries commissioner has approved the purchase of four replacement vessels for the system's major routes, one fewer than B.C. Ferries had requested.

"We're disappointed and obviously at odds with this decision," said Nicolas Jimenez, president and CEO of B.C. Ferries. "While four vessels will still provide some much-needed benefits, we believe we're missing a critical opportunity to build a more resilient transportation network for the future at a lower price now."

The four approved vessels are diesel-battery hybrids to replace the aging Queens of Alberni, New Westminster, Coquitlam, and Cowichan.

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From the goods that stock our shelves and the visitors who sustain our tourism industry to the workers who keep our communities running, British Columbia depends on BC Ferries as a critical transportation link. Without reliable ferry service, our economy and quality of life suffer.

Today, we are at a crossroads. With a growing population, an aging fleet and increasing demand, the decisions made now will determine whether BC Ferries can provide the level of service that businesses, communities, and residents need. That’s why we, representing 17 industry-leading organizations in BC’s trade, tourism, and transportation sectors, are calling for an investment today in building five new major vessels that will protect our future.

BC Ferries transports tens of millions of passengers and vehicles each year. They are already struggling to meet rising demand because they’re running a system with the same capacity it had 30 years ago, and mechanical issues are becoming all too frequent as the largest vessels are being used beyond their intended lifespan. The British Columbia Trucking Association estimates that ferry cancellations, breakdowns, and delays already cost the commercial transport sector upwards of $100 million per year—costs that ultimately get passed on to consumers. If these issues worsen, it’s the people and businesses of our province that will bear the brunt.

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B.C. Ferries is embarking on what it describes as its “largest capital investment in the organization’s history.”

After facing problems with aging vessels in its fleet — breakdowns, delays and cancelations — the company has filed an application with the B.C. Ferries Commissioner to go ahead with building five new large vessels.

If approved, the vessels would be operational between 2029 and 2031, according to the company, serving routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island. B.C. Ferries would then retire four of its old vessels. Two more of these vessels are planned for later, bringing the total to seven by 2037.

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A key committee at city hall has approved the purchase of two new ferries to serve Toronto Island, and staff confirmed the price tag for the boats has jumped to $92 million. 

Councillors on the general government committee unanimously awarded the tender to build the two new vessels at a meeting Tuesday. The boats will replace aging ferries which currently serve the island park's 1.4 million annual visitors.

Staff told the committee that when the project first appeared in the city budget in 2020 the ferries were estimated to cost taxpayers $25 million. Coun. Paula Fletcher said the city needs to closely monitor the contract to ensure it doesn't escalate further.

"For such a large spend, we need to make sure there's no surprises at the end of the day," she said. "That all of the specifications that are there can be met within the budget, that the oversight is robust and that some other eyes other than the parks department are clearly on this construction."

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