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Post by EGfleet on Mar 1, 2007 11:01:24 GMT -8
I remember the days of smokiing the the cabins on the boats and now wonder how that was ever okay! A lot less garbage can fires now... I remember that too! It seems unfathomable now that smoking was ever allowed in such a confined space, but I remember it vividly--particularly on the Jumbos. The Issaquahs of course bore the last reminders of smoking before their interiors were refurbished--the ceiling tiles were still stained with tobacco and smoke.
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Post by Barnacle on Mar 4, 2007 14:09:03 GMT -8
Times have changed, and not just on the ferries...
Early on in my career, I found myself armed with a spray bottle of cleaning substance and a handful of papaer towels. I took a passing shot at a "To Car Deck ------------>" sign on the Cathlamet and was rewarded with a runny, tea-coloured substance. I wiped off the sign and shot it again... same deal. About eight paper towels later, I gave up, nauseated... and the liquid had yet to become a lighter colour.
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Post by Hardy on Mar 4, 2007 18:41:52 GMT -8
Not only does she give us the ETA (with anticipatory log-tow delays) but she also loves to give traffic / road and weather reports too! It's this kind of fun that should set BCF apart from others. I would think that these kinds of fun interludes should be encouraged rather than frowned upon by BCFS. I ride transit a lot and sometimes the funny announcements that the "coach operator" (read driver) makes can surely lighten even the gloomiest of moods. Good on her!! ;D
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Post by Hardy on Mar 4, 2007 18:44:50 GMT -8
Airlines are smoke free so why not all areas of a ferry??? Aircraft is a closed vessel with no chance to "step outside" or "open a window". Therefore it is much easier to enforce a ban.
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Post by Retrovision on May 14, 2007 20:56:04 GMT -8
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Post by Mike C on May 15, 2007 18:45:04 GMT -8
Seriously, that's just plain good news.
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Post by Retrovision on May 15, 2007 19:03:35 GMT -8
I smell an election looming, and not just because of this.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,195
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Post by Neil on May 15, 2007 20:13:10 GMT -8
The connection being....?
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Post by Retrovision on May 15, 2007 20:30:50 GMT -8
the smell - I guess that I'm mocking how anyone would connect in any logical way the sinking of the QotN to the grounding of the EotN as News1130.com did. But seriously, can't you all smell it in the media, err, um, air? Or is that just me?
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,195
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Post by Neil on May 15, 2007 21:00:55 GMT -8
If CKWX did that, it is rather silly. Two ships with 'North' in their names. Ooooh, scary.
As for elections, our provincial ones are fixed now (just the dates, nyuk nyuk) and the next one is a long ways off. Federally, I don't think Stevie-Boy likes the polling numbers, so probably not there, either.
It always has bugged me how that little solarium area on the sun deck of the 'Alberni is infested with smokers- it's the only outside area out of the wind on that boat- it would be nice if that was non-smoking.
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Post by Retrovision on May 15, 2007 21:36:20 GMT -8
Smelling fire doesn't mean there is one, but isn't the race always on anyways? I remember when we all praised the BC SoCred, err, um, "Liberal" party for implementing the 'fixed' once every four years election provincially soon after they came into power; I fairly suddenly started to feel like I was in the U.S. when WAC's old party came to power in my province, especially with such a deceiving name and even moreso when their Hawaiian friends helped keep their leader's name untarnished on the heels of their victory over the then despised NDP. But I digress
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Post by Northern Exploration on May 16, 2007 4:33:33 GMT -8
Don't get me started on the smell eminating from the media . It would be easy enough to ban smoking on trips under a certain duration especially on the smaller ferries with more limited deck space. People do it all the time on airplanes. Last time I was on the ferry from HB to DB it was raining and the solariums were like being at a campfire. No matter where you went the smoke followed you.
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Post by Retrovision on Jun 15, 2007 17:04:13 GMT -8
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Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jun 18, 2007 21:01:06 GMT -8
Ok just a little info on the smoking and non smoking sections as I took the Queen of Saanich and SOBC this afternoon. First off on the Queen of Saanich the SMOKING AREA is on the upper passenger deck aft on either sides of the aft lounge. That is the only smoking area on the Queen of Saanich. All other areas are smoke free but I did see the odd person wondering around smoking in the non smoking areas. Read the signs and listen you dumbasses, lol!
On the SOBC the only non smoking areas are the forward end of the upper passenger deck around the bow of the ship. Either side from the forward outside doors to the aft outside doors all along there are smoking areas. The aft end of the main outside deck by the Sea West lounge is smoke free. The upper deck by the funnel outside area is smoke free. Only from the forward to aft doors on the main outside deck are smoking areas.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jun 18, 2007 21:08:08 GMT -8
The upper deck by the funnel outside area is smoke free. Not always....
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Post by Curtis on Jun 19, 2007 9:15:13 GMT -8
The upper deck by the funnel outside area is smoke free. Not always.... Good Point, Flugel.
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Post by WettCoast on Jun 27, 2007 21:28:10 GMT -8
A humourous look at the situation for smokers aboard BC Ferries... Cartoonist - I. Rice Date 27 June 2007 Northern Sentinel, Kitimat also featured in many other community papers around BC.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Jun 27, 2007 21:37:33 GMT -8
LOL!!!!!!!!! That is very true though. LOL Thanks for posting that Jim
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Post by Ferryman on Jun 27, 2007 21:57:50 GMT -8
Haha, thanks for posting that, Jim. That exact cartoon was posted in our local newspaper, the Squamish Cheif, just last Friday as well. You've saved me the effort of having to scan and post. Thanks again .
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Post by Curtis on Jun 30, 2007 12:25:30 GMT -8
That has got to be the best BCFS related Joke in Recent History. Makes me think that Smoking would probably be banned for good if BCFS was still BCFC under the Government
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Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 30, 2007 18:33:04 GMT -8
From the CanWest Province: ========================== www.canada.com:80/theprovince/news/editorial/story.html?id=64825c1b-ec6d-413a-92d1-9422f8c8a3a3It's a dog's life aboard B.C. Ferries for everyone but smoking addictsAlan Ferguson, Special to The Province Published: Thursday, August 30, 2007 Riding the ferry on a hot day this week, I ventured on to the outer decks, thinking to soak up a little late August sunshine. I found that the area had already been colonized by large numbers of people sucking greedily on cigarettes they held clenched between twitching fingers. The air was befouled with their noxious exhalations and I was soon driven back inside, along with several others similarly exposed to the hazard. But I am left to wonder in amazement that it remains the practice of B.C. Ferries to permit this foul habit on board its vessels. Since the corporation is an agency of the provincial government, I must assume that our supposedly health-conscious premier, Gordon Campbell, approves of this aberration. B.C. Ferries must be voluntarily providing the last mode of public transportation in the whole of Canada on which smoking is actively encouraged. It's been years since we banned cigarettes from airplanes, and even heavily addicted smokers manage eight or nine-hour flights to Europe without having a nervous breakdown. You'd think 40 minutes on a ferry would be a breeze. Speaking of breezes, I don't need anyone to point out that, since smoking is allowed only on the outer decks, the chemical poisons ought to be quickly dissipated in the air -- so why am I making such a fuss about it? But I was overwhelmed with the stench and reek of it all before the blasted ship ever left the dock -- a good half-hour after boarding. It was like having my nose held over a used ashtray. Like most former smokers, I have zero tolerance for the grey-faced addicts whose rasping lungs advertise the damage their owners have wilfully inflicted upon them. People will no doubt e-mail me with their absurd claims to "smokers' rights." Don't bother. I dismiss any such nonsense from people vulgar enough to deny me the right to unpolluted air. But it's the folks at B.C. Ferries I'm really mad at. How can they pretend to justify a policy that exposes their passengers to poisons ? I notice that they have spent a lot of money advertising the new Class-C vessels due to start arriving soon from Germany. It's odd, but the ads don't feature many smiling travellers with butts dangling from their lips. Perhaps it will be a surprise to next year's tourists to B.C. when they step on board the new "supersized, awesome" ferries to find themselves in the midst of a supersized, awesome smoking orgy. If smokers themselves cannot be made conscious of their unsociable behaviour, more drastic action will be required. I'm not going to insist that we tip them into the water -- where, incidentally, most of their smokers' detritus ends up. But I don't see why, if they must smoke, they shouldn't be confined to some dark place in the hold. After all, dogs travelling the ferries have to stay below -- and they smell a whole lot better than the smokers do. alan.f@telus.net © The Vancouver Province 2007 =================
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 1, 2008 11:24:30 GMT -8
With the non-smoking sections still unsuccessful in their implementation (at least on the C-Class sundecks), the question of legal sales/consumption of alcohol remains. Check out this news story from Chilliwack: =========================== tinyurl.com/2438xcBeer/wine on B.C. ferries? John Martin The Times Tuesday, January 01, 2008 Since Expo 86, B.C. has slowly emerged from the Victorian era and cast aside many antiquated liquor laws. Not too long ago, you couldn't have a drink on Sundays, bars had to close on election day and import draft ales were considered contraband. But while further reforms are forthcoming and others are in the discussion stages, there's one area no one dares mention--alcohol sales on B.C. Ferries. Limited, controlled alcohol sales on the major routes is not an absurd notion. Other jurisdictions manage to do so without incident. Providing an opportunity for travellers and visitors to sample some of the superb products from B.C.'s small brewers and wineries is not unreasonable. A small tasting area with strict controls in no way implies drunken carnage on the high seas. It is an absurd and reckless leap in logic to assume a modest tasting room would result in drunken motorists plunging into the Pacific Ocean and causing pile-ups on exit ramps. It reminds me of the previous federal election campaign when a Liberal strategist rejected Stephen Harper's proposal to give every family a hundred dollars, per child, per month, rather than set up a national day care centre. The strategist pompously declared parents couldn't be trusted and would spend the money on beer and popcorn. Of course the concept of serving alcohol on a ferry with a couple decks of cars below would be a tough sell. When rumours about this type of thing circulated a few years ago, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was quick to raise the hue and cry. MADD has long advocated people who have even one drink before driving should be treated like criminals. It's interesting though, that they were quite willing to cut themselves a whole lot of slack when it was determined their fundraising strategies were deceptive and highly questionable. Investigators found that less than 20 per cent of moneys raised were actually used for victim services and combating impaired driving. The rest went straight into the pockets of telemarketers and door-to-door canvassers. So it's unclear how legitimate a voice this group has in the area of social responsibility. But if you think this through rationally, it's a reasonable and responsible proposition. This isn't about a floating sports bar with cheap pitchers and shooter girls. Customers could be restricted to one visit to sample a selection of tastings and sales could be suspended well in advance of arrival time. And keep in mind that the majority of ferry patrons are passengers, not drivers. The route from the mainland to Vancouver Island is one of the wonders of the world. Why not complement the breath-taking scenery with a sampling of some of the finest craft ales and wines on the planet? B.C.'s small brewers are making world-class ales. Wineries throughout the province are setting the industry standard. Let's give first-time visitors and other ferry travellers the opportunity to sample these award-winning offerings. And, rest assured, there are some built-in, institutional safeguards for such a proposal. We are, after all, talking about B.C. Ferries, where it takes 45 minutes to get a grilled cheese sandwich. Over-service and over-consumption are highly unlikely to ever be issues aboard this Crown corporation. Bring on the tasting lounge. - John Martin is a criminologist at the University College of the Fraser Valley. He can be contacted at John.Martin@ucfv.ca. © Chilliwack Times 2008 =========================
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Post by Hardy on Jan 1, 2008 22:16:13 GMT -8
tinyurl.com/2438xcBeer/wine on B.C. ferries? John Martin The Times Tuesday, January 01, 2008 Over-service and over-consumption are highly unlikely to ever be issues aboard this Crown corporation. I wonder if anyone has explained to him that it is a private company now, at least in strictly legal terms. Seems The Province isn't the only paper that is a laughingstock and does not check even the most basic facts....
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Post by Mike C on Jan 2, 2008 13:34:44 GMT -8
Seems The Province isn't the only paper that is a laughingstock and does not check even the most basic facts.... Ohh, those newspapers aren't hard to come by, my friend.... Beware CanWest.... we're on to you....
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Post by Hardy on Jan 2, 2008 17:25:31 GMT -8
Yeah, I know - I just had to point it out for the sake of all of those that like to pick on The Province all the time. I suppose VanNet and BlackPress shouldn't be afforded too much other leeway either.
After all, it isn't too hard to check the veracity of many of these things.
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