BC Ferries says its ships and terminals will be smoke-free starting Jan. 22, 2018 and, as of Oct. 11, passengers will no longer be allowed to stay in their vehicles “on any closed deck on a vessel that is underway.”
For travellers on the Langdale-Horseshoe Bay route, which mainly uses the Queen of Surrey and Queen of Coquitlam, that means an end to catching up on your reading or grabbing 40 winks if your vehicle is parked on the lowest deck, or the two platform decks accessed by ramps from the lower deck.
Passengers will be allowed to stay in their vehicles if they’re on the upper car deck, and the company said in a release announcing the start of the new policy that “customers with special circumstances may make a request at the ticket booth to be placed on the upper vehicle deck.
BC Ferries said those special circumstances could include medical difficulties, challenges or special needs that make it difficult to leave a vehicle. However, they can’t guarantee they’ll always be able to honour requests to be loaded on an upper deck.
When it comes to pets, Ferries said it will allow them to be left in vehicles on the lower deck, but pet owners won’t be allowed to stay with them. Pets and owners will still be allowed to use the pet area, which is actually on the lower deck of the Queen of Surrey.
Darren Johnston, director of fleet operations, said the Surrey is the only ship in the fleet with its pet area on the lower deck. He said the company will make an exception to the new rule until the ferry goes in for its next refit, when they plan to relocate the pet area to the upper vehicle deck.
Ferries said restricting car deck access will bring its operations into line with rules under the Canada Shipping Act, and its move to a smoke-free environment on board and at the terminals is also being driven, in part, by government regulations.
Last year, the province amended regulations for no smoking buffer zones around any doorway, intake or open window to any public or work place from three metres to six metres. Due to the physical space available from doors on the outer decks of BC Ferries’ large vessels, and on the vehicle decks of smaller vessels, the new regulation means all vessels will need to become smoke-free environments.
President and CEO Mark Collins said this week that they expanded the policy to include all BC Ferries properties and operations to support the health and wellness of passengers and employees.
“BC Ferries made the decision to provide a smoke-free environment for the travelling public and our employees on board our ships and at our terminals,” said Collins. “This new policy supports the health and wellness of our customers and employees, as it helps control their exposure to second-hand smoke. We continue to focus on improving our customers’ experience, and providing the safest working environment for our crews.”
On most ships, smoking is already restricted to a couple of spots on the outer decks. At terminals, though, travellers have been allowed to smoke in most outdoor areas and in their vehicles.
While many passengers will be able to last the duration of a ferry trip without a smoke, BC Ferries employees who smoke would have to go a full shift.
BC Ferries said it’s launched “a comprehensive employee smoking cessation program” as part of the smoke-free initiative.
When asked for comment, Graeme Johnston, the provincial president of the BC Ferry and Marine Workers Union, told Coast Reporter that “BCF has not yet consulted with BCFMWU on the smoke-free policy.”
The company said the new policy will apply to marijuana, e-cigarettes and vaping as well as conventional tobacco products. It also says there will be no exemption for medical marijuana users. According to a list of frequently asked questions distributed by BC Ferries, “Medical marijuana users can either use edible products or manage their medical issues before or after they travel on our ferries.”
The company says it picked the Jan. 22 start date for the smoke-free policy to coincide with National Non-Smoking Week, which runs from Jan. 21 to Jan. 28, 2018.
