|
Post by Dane on Mar 9, 2011 16:13:21 GMT -8
www.theprovince.com/news/Ferries+contractors+responsible+missing+cotter+judge/4412428/story.html?cid=megadrop_storyB.C. Ferries' contractors not responsible for missing cotter pin: judge By Keith Fraser, The Province March 9, 2011 3:50 PM B.C. Ferries has lost a key argument in its lawsuit over the spectacular June 2005 crash of a ferry at the Horseshoe Bay terminal. In the wake of the crash, in which 28 smaller boats were crushed or damaged resulting in insurance payouts of more than $2 million, the ferry company sued its general contractor, Vancouver Drydock Ltd. and Prime Mover Controls Inc., a subcontractor, claiming breach of contract. The accident, in which the Queen of Oak Bay smashed into docks at Sewell’s Marina, happened shortly after the vessel had undergone a “mid-life” upgrade. An investigation revealed that the cause of the crash may have been a missing cotter pin in an engine nut that set off a chain reaction resulting in failure of control of the engines. In the first stage of the trial in B.C. Supreme Court, the trial judge was asked to answer two questions. The judge was asked whether the scope of the contract between B.C. Ferries and Vancouver Drydock included a survey for the presence of the cotter pin and engine nut at the centre of the engine failure. A second question was whether Prime Mover as the subcontractor was required to do the survey. In reasons for judgment released Wednesday, B.C. Supreme Court Madam Justice Susan Griffin said the answer to both questions was in the negative. The judge noted that the second stage of the trial was to deal with other issues that might arise. It was unclear what impact B.C. Ferries’ loss in the first stage means to its claim that the contractor and subcontractor were responsible for the crash. Deborah Marshall, a spokeswoman for B.C. Ferries, said the company was reviewing the decision and had no further comment at this time.
|
|
mrdot
Voyager
Mr. DOT
Posts: 1,252
|
Post by mrdot on Mar 9, 2011 20:23:20 GMT -8
::)perhaps we should be shifting our high priced helmsman onto the case of the missing cotter pin, rather than the shipshapeness of the washrooms? but then maybe forum members should not be messing in the water closets of the ferries! mrdot.
|
|
|
Post by EGfleet on Mar 10, 2011 13:10:17 GMT -8
If BC Ferries boss thinks cancelling tickets is OK, it's time for mutiny Hahn calls policy change that allowed corporation to realize $1.2 million from 16,000 tickets deemed worthless a case of consumer beware By Craig McInnes, Vancouver Sun? March 10, 2011 10:21 AM It's safe to say that David Hahn doesn't like assured loading tickets. Four months after he took over as CEO of BC Ferries in 2003, the corporation quietly announced it would no longer be issuing the premium tickets that allow holders to jump the queue on busy sailings.
Less than two weeks later, pressure from angry, and apparently influential, users forced BC Ferries to back down, something it has not often done since the strong-willed New Yorker took the helm of the reformed B.C. icon as part of its conversion into a quasi-private company.
As the angry response to the cancellation showed, ALTs are wildly popular with their users, but they are priced out of the range of most customers. Not only are they about twice the regular fare for a car and driver, they are only sold in lots of 10. On the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay run, buying 10 currently costs $1,250.
Still, people who can afford the premium have purchased them as insurance policies, paying the regular fare when the lines aren't too long and using the more expensive ALTs when they have to get on a busy ferry. Last April, BC Ferries changed its stance on accepting ALTs. It decided that it would enforce an existing two-year expiry date on the fares, with a six-month grace period for people to turn in their old tickets for credit toward a new book. People with tickets that had expired before Jan. 1, 2010, were given three months to turn in their old tickets or they would become worthless.
Rather than issue a release or take out any advertisements, BC Ferries sent emails to ticket holders who had registered their tickets and posted notices at terminals.
If anyone used an ALT after the change, they would have been handed a flyer detailing the new conditions. If you didn't notice the email or didn't get one and if you didn't take a ferry before July 1, you were out of luck.
A lot of people didn't notice, or if they did, they did nothing. As a consequence, BC Ferries realized the value of about $1.2 million by cancelling almost 16,000 tickets between July and December. Hahn aggressively defends the decision, arguing that the fares are like any other product on which BC Ferries has a right to set terms and conditions.
People who buy the fares, which are sold electronically, are sophisticated customers who have a responsibility to pay attention to those terms, he says. If they lost money, they have no one to blame but themselves. Without such rules, Hahn said Wednesday in an interview with CKNW host Bill Good, "it leads to mayhem."
It's easy to see why BC Ferries doesn't like ALTs, even though they command a healthy premium. People use them when the lines are longest. Unlike reservations, Ferries staff don't know until they show up how many ALTs they will have to accommodate. Then they have to be ushered past all the ordinary passengers who will have to wait longer as a consequence and may not be all that happy at the prospect.
So there is a good case for ending the sale of assured loading tickets for what most of us consider to be essentially part of a public transportation system.
I also can see a case for putting a time limit on what is essentially an insurance policy. But Hahn's assertion that ferry users who have lost hundreds of dollars worth of tickets either did or should have known what they were buying doesn't wash. BC Ferries effectively changed the terms of the tickets after they were sold. They didn't do enough to make people who had already purchased tickets, often years before, aware of the change.
When you are not expecting such a communication, notification by email is only sufficient in the narrowest legal sense. It is outrageous treatment of customers by a monopoly corporation, especially one that is still owned by British Columbians.
|
|
|
Post by EGfleet on Mar 10, 2011 13:11:46 GMT -8
Consumers' group eyes lawsuit And they call on gov't to force B.C. Ferries to make good on $1.2m in cancellations By Suzanne Fournier, The Province The Consumers Association of Canada is consulting a class-action lawyer and calling on the B.C. government to force B.C. Ferries to make good on the $1.2 million in prepaid ferry trips they have cancelled. CAC national president Bruce Cran said he has been deluged with consumer complaints about B.C. Ferries' decision to keep $1,190,927 paid in advance for 15,765 ferry rides with user cards that are now deemed worthless. "This requires very deep scrutiny by government," said Cran. "I'm calling on the new premier, Christy Clark, who until recently [as a CKNW talk-show host] understood consumers' issues with B.C. Ferries. "Not too many consumers agree with the huge executive salaries and bonuses at B.C. Ferries and many people have pointed out that the $1.8 million paid out in bonuses very closely matches the $1.2 million taken from consumers." Cran said the CAC, which fought and won in April 2009 a battle to get the B.C. government to prohibit companies from placing expiry dates on gift cards, "is consulting a class-action lawyer about the expiry of ferryusers' cards." B.C. Ferries president David Hahn pocketed $984,248 in salary and bonuses last year, and three more executives joined him in the $400,000plus club. Chief financial officer Rob Clarke was paid $479,940. In an interview with The Province, Hahn defended the cancellation of the prepaid trip cards as being similar "to an Air Canada airline pass, which has an expiry date. These are very sophisticated [ferry] travellers and it's up to them to be responsible and acquaint themselves with our new [expiry] policy." Ad agency director Michael Smit, however, pointed out that airlines "give the consumer value to be redeemed later, whereas in this case, consumers were marketed a product that did not have value expiration on the payment. "So this decision [by B.C. Ferries] to place expiry after the fact is grossly negligent, unethical and likely illegal." Colleen Kendall of Burnaby, who has an expired card, said: "Having worked in corporate community relations for over 20 years myself, I see this as being a classic example of a botched, corporate whitewash and ultimately, a cash grab from loyal ferry users." Kendall said those who lost money should join a classaction suit. Transportation Minister Shirley Bond said in an email late Wednesday that she asked "senior staff to review and report back to me on the policy" under which B.C. Ferries was retaining the $1.2-million value in prepaid user cards. "I am told B.C. Ferries has complied with the regulations" concerning business practices such as "airline tickets or telecommunications calling cards," said Bond. "I hope that B.C. Ferries will be as flexible and understanding as they can be when dealing with card holders." www.theprovince.com/business/Consumers+group+eyes+lawsuit/4414927/story.html
|
|
|
Post by Scott (Former Account) on Mar 10, 2011 13:34:31 GMT -8
What does the executive salaries have to do with the Coast Cards expiring? Sensationalism much?
|
|
Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,186
|
Post by Neil on Mar 10, 2011 14:42:19 GMT -8
What does the executive salaries have to do with the Coast Cards expiring? Sensationalism much? The fact that David Hahn is paid so much more than other heads of government operations seems to have really struck a sour chord with people, and it makes for very bad optics when compared with what seems to be a somewhat sleazy cash grab. Sensationalism? Perhaps, a bit, but this is a public relations battle that I don't think BC Ferries can win. Even if, strictly speaking, they don't break any consumer laws, when a company changes the terms of what is essentially a form of a contract after point of sale, they had better make bloody sure that every effort is made to apprise purchasers of the changes. I think BC Ferries is hard pressed to establish that they did so. People bought the ALTs assuming the terms were the same as they had been since 2003. Hahn's remark about how "sophisticated travellers" should know better is ridiculous. You don't have to be unsophisticated not to have seen a email- assuming that people even got them- or to have not travelled or used an ALT during the time BC Ferries was handing out notices at the terminals. The only solution is to refund people's money.
|
|
|
Post by Scott (Former Account) on Mar 10, 2011 16:05:39 GMT -8
The fact that David Hahn is paid so much more than other heads of government operations seems to have really struck a sour chord with people, and it makes for very bad optics when compared with what seems to be a somewhat sleazy cash grab. Sensationalism? Perhaps, a bit, but this is a public relations battle that I don't think BC Ferries can win. ... The only solution is to refund people's money. Tying the Coast Card issue with executive salaries is the typical anti-BC Ferries stance that is so prevalent in the media. They are not related. The facts are that there has been a two-year expiry on ALT's (Coast Cards) for many, many years. The change that has sparked this controversy is the move to a six-month grace period for credit towards the new set of 10 before being void. There is no chance of BCF refunding their expired amount. I can possibly see BCF giving a one time only credit towards a new set, but no refund.
The next time I buy some coupons from one of those canvassers who come door-to-door, I'll be sure to call the media when they expire in order to get the money back from those that I did not use...
|
|
Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,186
|
Post by Neil on Mar 10, 2011 17:22:17 GMT -8
Tying the Coast Card issue with executive salaries is the typical anti-BC Ferries stance that is so prevalent in the media. They are not related. I didn't say they were, but like it or not, it's human nature to take umbrage at what looks like a cash grab by a company who's top executives are thought to be very well, if not excessively, remunerated. And that's by no means just a media perception, although I'm somewhat ambivalent about it. The facts are that there has been a two-year expiry on ALT's (Coast Cards) for many, many years. The change that has sparked this controversy is the move to a six-month grace period for credit towards the new set of 10 before being void. I'm aware of what the change was. The issue for the people holding the tickets is partly the manner in which the change was communicated, and that may form the basis for any action, as well as the obstinacy of BC Ferries in refusing to acknowledge any shortcoming in how they handled this. There is no chance of BCF refunding their expired amount. I can possibly see BCF giving a one time only credit towards a new set, but no refund. Refund, credit, whatever. David Hahn's brusqueness will not carry him through this one. There is a perception here, rightly or wrong, of a monopolistic enterprise nonchalantly changing the groundrules and scoring a cool $1.2 million in the process, and that needs to be addressed. The next time I buy some coupons from one of those canvassers who come door-to-door, I'll be sure to call the media when they expire in order to get the money back from those that I did not use... ...and if the company in question improperly or without sufficient notice changes the timeframe for using those coupons, you'll be quite justified.
|
|
|
Post by Northern Exploration on Mar 11, 2011 9:36:00 GMT -8
Perhaps this card expiry could have been handled better from a customer/public relations perspective. When you have monopolies whether run by government/bureaucrats, private companies, or quasi in-betweens like this case, customer service is often spotty. A case could be also made that BCF should have learned from other mishandling of similar cards. I am under no allusion that if BCF was still a government entity, there wouldn't be the normal government screw ups. So no one should be naiive.
From a business perspective, anything that is prepaid, has its good and bad points. Good includes getting the income up front. Bad includes delivering the services later and the need to carry the potential costs forward on your books. So you can imagine if it is sizeable, it can make your books messy. So I fully understand BC Ferries adding an incentive for people to use their cards up and they by no means are alone.
Cards of all types have expiry policies. Your Starbucks or Tim's prepaid cards included. Buy someone a gift card and you had better ask about the policies and communicate that to the recipient. Credit card points expire. Aeroplan points expire. If you buy a First Class plane ticket, you have limits on its use. A bunch of businesses have mishandled their communications which in some way negates the purposes of these types of marketing tools.
Linking this to anyone's compensation is nonsensical. I also think it is partly politically motivated. As often the case the outcry can often far outweigh the actual situation. Should BCFerries do something to offset this broohaha, probably. Time to deal with it and move on.
|
|
|
Post by EGfleet on Mar 11, 2011 11:56:38 GMT -8
Doesn't look like this issue is going to go away any time soon...
Watchdog probes Ferries complaints Consumer group points out law makes it illegal to not honour gift cards By Suzanne Fournier, The Province March 11, 2011
An independent consumer watchdog agency is investigating B.C. Ferries' refusal to honour 15,765 prepaid ferry trips worth $1.2 million.
Consumer Protection B.C. vice-president Manjit Bains said Thursday that "inquiry" staff have been investigating B.C. Ferries' decision to keep the value of prepaid fare cards it declared expired, as of April 2010.
Bains pointed out that new B.C. legislation made it illegal in 2009 for retailers to refuse to honour prepaid gift cards and to keep customers' money without providing service.
"As we continued to look into the B.C. Ferries matter, we opened up a file which we have now passed onto our compliance staff," said Bains.
But B.C. Ferries president David Hahn insisted in an earlier interview with The Province that "we have a legal opinion that these are not gift certificates. We've been very firm and very aggressive in saying people could not use those [prepaid fare] cards after a certain date.
"It's the responsibility of the individuals who bought them to understand the terms and conditions of the fare cards."
Hahn called users of the assured loading tickets "sophisticated travellers who paid to cut in line."
Meanwhile, the Consumers Association of Canada says it has been flooded with more than 500 complaints on the issue and is investigating whether B.C. Ferries has kept even more ferry-riders' money by phasing out many other forms of prepaid fares.
"People have pulled up to the ferry toll booth and been told all kinds of prepaid fares are worthless, not just ALTs [assured loading tickets] but also vouchers, paper tickets and Coast Cards," said CAC president Bruce Cran.
"Everyone wants to join in a class-action lawsuit and it appears that there may be much more value taken from consumers than even the $1.2 million."
Cran said he also has heard from many B.C. civil servants "who were told it was policy to buy these prepaid books of 10 fares for government travel."
"Then the fares expired and they were told to just 'dump' them and forget it.
"The issue that our new premier Christy Clark must investigate is how many ways taxpayers' money has gone to B.C. Ferries to pay David Hahn's million- dollar salary."
Ferry rider Bhree Young said B.C. Ferries "abdicated their responsibility in not notifying voucher holders."
sfournier@theprovince.com
|
|
|
Post by Scott (Former Account) on Mar 11, 2011 13:21:20 GMT -8
Consumer group points out law makes it illegal to not honour gift cards Coast Cards are not gift cards. They are only used to hold ALT's, which is a service provided by BC Ferries. However, the Experience Card is a gift card. BC Ferries also has paper gift certificates.
|
|
Quatchi
Voyager
Engineering Officer - CCG
Posts: 930
|
Post by Quatchi on Mar 11, 2011 13:28:57 GMT -8
Correct em if I am wrong, but I recall seeing signs at the ticket booths saying that you must trade in your ALT's before X date or they would expire. Am I correct?
Cheers,
|
|
|
Post by Scott (Former Account) on Mar 11, 2011 13:35:53 GMT -8
Correct em if I am wrong, but I recall seeing signs at the ticket booths saying that you must trade in your ALT's before X date or they would expire. Am I correct? Cheers, Yes, you are correct.
|
|
|
Post by Dane on Mar 11, 2011 14:55:01 GMT -8
Cards of all types have expiry policies. Your Starbucks or Tim's prepaid cards included. Buy someone a gift card and you had better ask about the policies and communicate that to the recipient. Credit card points expire. Aeroplan points expire. If you buy a First Class plane ticket, you have limits on its use. In most Canadian jurisdictions gifts cards can never expire - this includes BC. But as has been said over and over these ALT's are not goft cards. I'm not one to defend BCFS but I am 100% with Scott. Reward points are a different thing all together, presumably because you have not directly "invested" in them so to speak.
|
|
Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,186
|
Post by Neil on Mar 11, 2011 15:28:19 GMT -8
Coast Cards are not gift cards. They are only used to hold ALT's, which is a service provided by BC Ferries. However, the Experience Card is a gift card. BC Ferries also has paper gift certificates. Have you gotten a legal opinion on that? Let's be clear on who is actually doing the relevant investigation into this question. It's not the media, it's not the NDP, and it's not someone who has a hate on for David Hahn's salary. Consumer Relations BC is the arm's-length provincial body which regulates consumer business practises. It's the body that nailed the payday loans companies for their usurious loans. The person quoted in the article above is Manjit Bains, their VP of Corporate Relations. There is a fairly extensive descriptions of gift cards and pre-paid cards on their site: www.consumerprotectionbc.ca/consumers-other-businesses-home/how-can-we-help/gift-cardsObviously they don't feel the ALT/gift card question is as cut and dried as Scott and Dane do. I don't know exactly what grounds Consumer Protection is looking into, but if you look at the BC Ferries website on their Coast Card/Experience Card page, you'll see, among other things... Customers are able to transfer ownership of ALTs to someone else and more than one ALT can be redeemed per sailing. and: Because your BC Ferries Experience Card and Coast Card are used like cash (my emphasis), you are responsible for all transactions...With regard to notice having been given; nobody's disputing that. The question is whether the notice was proper, or adequate.
|
|
|
Post by Dane on Mar 12, 2011 8:31:09 GMT -8
It is a pre-paid fare - I see where the "slippery slope" argument comes in leading to an investigation, however if it is found to be a gift certificate it could have some serious ramifications for other pre paid fare options which are not intended, particularly in the transit world.
|
|
|
Post by EGfleet on Mar 16, 2011 12:12:30 GMT -8
Class-action lawsuit targets B.C. Ferries 'grab' By Suzanne Fournier, Postmedia News March 16, 2011 A high-profile lawyer who has won key class-action lawsuits calls B.C. Ferries' "grab" of $1.2 million in prepaid fares "absolutely outrageous." James Poyner, who has negotiated millions of dollars in plaintiff settlements, plans to launch a class-action suit for ferry riders who paid for 15,765 trips that B.C. Ferries now refuses to provide or reimburse. "The ferry-riding public paid for fares, in advance, in good faith and B.C. Ferries now refuses to provide those trips or to reimburse people for unused cards and tickets that most people had no idea would expire," said Poyner. "The main issue in a successful class action suit is that of commonality and I have no difficulty saying there is a commonality among the thousands of people who lost money to B.C. Ferries." B.C. Ferries' spokeswoman Deborah Marshall confirmed Tuesday that money was "seized" not only from prepaid assured loading tickets but also from many vouchers and paper tickets that were phased out in 2009. Paper tickets made "forgery simple if a person was so inclined," said Marshall. www.timescolonist.com/news/Class+action+lawsuit+targets+Ferries+grab/4447464/story.html
|
|
|
Post by EGfleet on Mar 24, 2011 7:41:39 GMT -8
Judge rules in ferry crash suit By Jane Seyd, North Shore News March 23, 2011 Be the first to post a comment A B.C. Supreme Court justice has ruled two North Vancouver companies can't be held responsible for a missing cotter pin that was likely to blame for a ferry crash in 2005 that saw the Queen of Oak Bay smash into docks at Sewell's Marina in West Vancouver. Nobody was injured in the crash, but 28 boats were crushed or damaged after the ferry lost power in Horseshoe Bay and smashed into the marina. After insurance payouts, the accident ended up costing the ferry corporation more than $2 million. After the accident, B.C. Ferries sued two North Vancouver companies -- Vancouver Drydock Ltd. and Prime Mover Controls Inc. -- claiming their mistakes in working on the ship resulted in the dramatic crash. But in a decision on key contractual issues in the lawsuit, Justice Susan Griffin recently ruled against B.C. Ferries, saying neither company was contractually required to examine the linkage containing the crucial cotter pin. Griffin added the linkage containing the pin wasn't specified in any of the contracts and was never removed from the ship during work prior to the crash. Griffin said she accepted evidence of the companies that inspections didn't require them to look at every nut and pin on the ship. Employees of those companies testified they would look more generally at whether systems on the ship were working, but would only examine a part more closely if there was a problem. In court documents filed in the case, Prime Mover Controls argued B.C. Ferries has only itself to blame for the accident, saying engineers did not carry out proper on-board inspections of the engines during the month the ship was operating before the accident. The company also said the ferry corporation was using pins "that were inadequate and known to break under normal operating conditions." A report on the crash released by the Transportation Safety Board released two years after the accident blamed B.C. Ferries for inadequate supervision of many "safety-critical maintenance tasks" saying more independent cross-checking of work should have been done. jseyd@nsnews.com Read more: www.nsnews.com/news/Judge+rules+ferry+crash+suit/4489639/story.html#ixzz1HX31O9sJ
|
|
Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,186
|
Post by Neil on Apr 4, 2011 13:15:54 GMT -8
Another criminal, hooked in the shallower end of the gene pool. Arrest made aboard B.C. Ferries vesselApril 4, 2011 In the early morning hours on March 28, a B.C. Ferries staff member observed a suspicious male wearing dark clothing and a mask hanging around the Queen of Oak Bay. When confronted, the male was warned off by the staff member and ran away from the scene. On the same date during the Queen of Oak Bay's final sailing to Langdale, an alert B.C. Ferries staff member detected that a male had stowed himself away within the confines of the ship. The male wore dark clothing, possessed 'break-in' tools and had no reasonable explanation why he hid himself above the ceiling of the ship's washroom. “B.C. Ferries staff believed that the male was targeting the ATM terminals and effectively detained the male until Sunshine Coast RCMP members were able to board the vessel and execute an arrest,” said Sgt Russ Howard in a news release. A Sunshine Coast resident, Tyler Warren Craig, was formally charged with possession of break-in tools and mischief in relation to the incident. Following a bail hearing, Craig was later released with strict conditions until the charges are dealt with through court. “Sunshine Coast RCMP wish to remind the public that safety aboard B.C. Ferries vessels, and within their ferry terminals, is paramount,” added Howard. “If anyone detects any suspicious activity during their travel with B.C. Ferries, they are once again encouraged to contact the nearest Ferries staff member or the police.” — Submitted by SC RCMP www.coastreporter.net/article/20110404/SECHELT0101/304049998/-1/sechelt/arrest-made-aboard-bc-ferries-vessel_______________________________________________________ I love the line: The male wore dark clothing, possessed 'break-in' tools and had no reasonable explanation why he hid himself above the ceiling of the ship's washroom. You'd think that any intelligent person could come up with a perfectly plausible explanation for being found above the ceiling of a ferry's washroom. Like, "I'm a ferry fan, and I was just looking for a different angle to photograph the washroom." Or, "The toilet had such a powerful flush, I was blown clear off my seat to the roof. And that's not a mask I'm wearing- it's my underwear." Or maybe, "Oh, these tools I'm holding while I'm up here? Well, I'm a plumber with extreme sunlight sensitivity, so I only work at night. Didn't they tell you I'd been hired to fix the pipes?" Thank goodness for dumb crooks who can't think of the perfectly reasonable rationale.
|
|
Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886
|
Post by Mill Bay on Apr 5, 2011 14:24:31 GMT -8
________________ I love the line: The male wore dark clothing, possessed 'break-in' tools and had no reasonable explanation why he hid himself above the ceiling of the ship's washroom. You'd think that any intelligent person could come up with a perfectly plausible explanation for being found above the ceiling of a ferry's washroom. Like, "I'm a ferry fan, and I was just looking for a different angle to photograph the washroom." Or, "The toilet had such a powerful flush, I was blown clear off my seat to the roof. And that's not a mask I'm wearing- it's my underwear." Or maybe, "Oh, these tools I'm holding while I'm up here? Well, I'm a plumber with extreme sunlight sensitivity, so I only work at night. Didn't they tell you I'd been hired to fix the pipes?" Thank goodness for dumb crooks who can't think of the perfectly reasonable rationale. Very unusual... I wonder what would count as a reasonable explanation for hiding above the ceiling? It's funny you should say that, though, as there have been moments in the past of nameless individuals doing flash photography in the washrooms.
|
|
|
Post by lmtengs on Apr 5, 2011 18:41:21 GMT -8
Very unusual... I wonder what would count as a reasonable explanation for hiding above the ceiling? It's funny you should say that, though, as there have been moments in the past of nameless individuals doing flash photography in the washrooms. Um, uh, heheh, *cough cough* ME *cough cough* What are you talking about? That's absurd, nobody would take photos in bathrooms, except maybe, um.... uhhhhh...... me? ;D
|
|
Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,186
|
Post by Neil on Apr 7, 2011 11:03:29 GMT -8
More bus woes. www.straight.com/article-385773/vancouver/greyhound-cuts-ferry-sailingI think the reaction from Deborah Marshall in this story illustrates an ongoing problem in our province- that being that we've never had an integrated strategy for public transportation. We have BC Ferries getting into turf wars with taxi companies. We have Greyhound losing territory to transit services, and float plane companies in battles with property developers in Vancouver. Ferries, buses, taxis, planes, ports, airports, all have their own agendas, and the publicly owned operators all have their own financing arrangements and differing levels of subsidization. It's only been since the Canada Line opened that it was easy and relatively inexpensive to get from downtown to the airport. BC Ferries returns 80% of costs at the farebox, transit only 40. People have to shlep their own luggage off an on several carriers to get from Vancouver to Nanaimo. Islanders on the coast face soaring ferry increases, while people in the interior sail for free. It's like we're doing it all by the seat of our pants, without any intelligent notion as to how people should get from point a to b, and how much it should cost.
|
|
Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,886
|
Post by Mill Bay on Apr 7, 2011 16:05:56 GMT -8
Very unusual... I wonder what would count as a reasonable explanation for hiding above the ceiling? It's funny you should say that, though, as there have been moments in the past of nameless individuals doing flash photography in the washrooms. Um, uh, heheh, *cough cough* ME *cough cough* What are you talking about? That's absurd, nobody would take photos in bathrooms, except maybe, um.... uhhhhh...... me? ;D This was before your time. But maybe you might want to talk to your school counselor about that.
|
|
|
Post by lmtengs on Apr 7, 2011 20:55:42 GMT -8
Um, uh, heheh, *cough cough* ME *cough cough* What are you talking about? That's absurd, nobody would take photos in bathrooms, except maybe, um.... uhhhhh...... me? ;D This was before your time. But maybe you might want to talk to your school counselor about that. ...ferry bathrooms, Ern... You must've noticed my apparent obsession with taking a photo of a toilet in every ferry I ride for the first time... but yes, if that were the case, I'd strongly recommend whoever was taking said photos to get counselling...
|
|
|
Post by Scott on Apr 8, 2011 21:53:02 GMT -8
From CKNW: www.cknw.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocal/Story.aspx?ID=1399147Bill Good had the four leadership candidates from the NDP on for a debate this morning. They spent some time discussing BC Ferries. All four of them said they would return BC Ferries to crown corporation status and rejected Bill Good's opinion that BC Ferries was much better now than it was before it was privatized. They said they would make BC Ferries build it's new vessels in British Columbia and would make sure fares were more fairly set.
|
|