Accidents happen. But at B.C. Ferries, accidents have been happening lately at a rate that makes me nervous.
We have a fleet of ancient, rusty boats. Two years ago on the Langdale run, an engine burst into flames because a 20-year-old copper fuel line broke. In that case the carbon dioxide fire suppression system malfunctioned due to design flaws, breaking six hoses and blowing open a hatch, although it still managed to smother the fire.
That near-disaster spurred B.C. Ferries to replace copper fuel lines and old fittings throughout the fleet, at a cost that was never revealed. B.C. Ferries also ordered several new boats and began a series of costly re-fits to upgrade the old boats.
But those re-fits themselves have raised safety concerns. Replacing lifeboats on the Queen of Coquitlam with inflatable evacuation chutes leading from the deck to life rafts afloat below, was touted as a step forward in safety. But according to Transport Canada, the chutes are not safe for young children and disabled people, who thus require seats in a rescue boat - yet the Queen of Coquitlam often sailed with more babies and disabled people than its two small remaining rescue boats could accommodate. This came to light last year when Transport Canada stepped in and imposed a limit of 10 babies and disabled people per sailing. In last month's accident at Horseshoe Bay, it appears that the brake failure may have actually been caused by the recent $35 million refit of the Queen of Oak Bay. Apparently, a tiny, vital cotter pin went missing in the course of the engine refit and its loss was not noticed until the nut it had held in place worked loose, sending the Oak Bay careening into Horseshoe Bay with no way of stopping.
Since then there have been two more minor malfunctions that disrupted ferry service. In all these cases, there have been no deaths or injuries. Quick-thinking and well-trained ferry captains and crews can take much of the credit for that.
Obviously the ferry fleet is showing its age, and we can probably expect more malfunctions as the years go by - perhaps incidents where even the best of crews cannot prevent injuries or deaths. There is no quick or easy fix to this problem.However, I think the B.C. government needs to resume responsibility for the ferries, not to pass off its legacy of ferry problems to a pseudo-private corporation. The time for blaming all ferry woes on the NDP's fast ferry boondoggle is over. Yes, the fast cats were a horribly expensive example of mismanagement that delayed for years the much-needed replacement of the fleet. But the statute of limitations for blaming the "previous government" expired, I would argue, after this spring's election when Gordon Campbell became his own "previous government."
The safety and performance problems of B.C. Ferries potentially affect the majority of people in B.C. The buck should stop in the premier's office, not be passed off to ferries CEO David Hahn.
