When in November, BC Ferries announced the intention to cut the two early-morning ferries on Saturdays and Sundays, many islanders who work shifts faced the prospect of not being able to get to work at all during weekends. Now that the cancellation of the 6:30a.m. sailing has been swapped for the cancellation of the 7:30a.m. sailing, some shift workers are in the clear. Others are not, and are forced to either come up with creative solutions or face hard choices about where they live and work.
Kerry Watts says that her husband Jared Thoburn’s four days on, and six days off schedule made moving to Bowen an attractive option for their young family.
“He’ll work intensely, but then be back on island for a nice stretch of time with the family,” says Watts. “It’s because he’s not a nine-to-five commuter that we moved to Bowen, but I don’t think BC Ferries ever considered that perspective, and we’re not the only ones who have set up our lives like this.”
Watts says that her husband will likely be able to make the new schedule work for him, but for a while the family was worried that he’d have to spend more time in town to be on time for early morning shifts, and also, during the long gaps between the early morning and night shifts.
“All of this uncertainty is hard, but it hasn’t changed our minds about living on Bowen,” say Watts. “If there comes a time when Jared forced to spend longer and longer periods of time in the city, we might have to reconsider that, though.”
For Leona Bentley, who is a part-time unit coordinator at St. Paul’s Hospital, the new schedule leaves her running late to her weekend shifts.
“Because we live on Bowen, I work part time. It would be too expensive for both my husband and I to commute on a full-time basis,” says Bentley. “So of the two days I do work each week, it’s likely that at least three times per month those days will fall on weekends. I have worked it out with my bosses that I can come in a bit late on Sundays, but I really don’t feel comfortable asking to be late on Saturday mornings as well.”
Bentley says she will probably end up spending Friday nights at her mother’s house in Cloverdale, but she’s also looking into the option of sharing a water taxi to Horseshoe Bay with other weekend commuters who need to be in early.
“It works for me, because I now have a car in Horseshoe Bay, but if people are relying on public transit, there are no buses at that hour.”
Bentley says she is determined to find a way to keep her job and stay on Bowen.
“We moved here in 2005 because this is where we wanted to raise our kids, and they are really happy here. For us, this is the vision. I am also really happy with my work situation, so as frustrated as I am, I will keep pushing to make this work.”
For other people with irregular work schedules who haven’t committed to Bowen, changing ferry schedules and rising fares are proving to be a deterrent to island life.
Realtor Dee Elliott says she recently saw a deal collapse because of the change in schedules and the uncertainty caused by BC Ferries.
“The husband was a pilot,” says Elliott. “And the deal, for the family to buy a house on Bowen was just about to close, and then they pulled out, saying that the new schedule would force the Dad to spend yet another night away from his kids and the family was just not prepared to do that.”
Elliott says she’s also heard from other shift workers, such as police, who are moving off the island because of the new schedule.
