New $22 Million SeaBus Ferry Vessel Begins Service in Vancouver, but Where’s the Democracy?

“TransLink’s”??? newest SeaBus, the Burrard Otter II, Vancouver and will go into service today.

The 395 passenger capacity vessel will replace the original, 1976-built Burrard Otter. Meanwhile, sister ship Burrard Beaver, built during the same year as the first Otter, is slated for a lifespan renewal refit for use as the SeaBus fleet’s spare vessel.

Plans were in place several years ago to introduce 10-minute frequency SeaBus service using three vessels, an increase from the existing maximum frequency of 15 minutes with two vessels, but this was postponed due to TransLink’s financial issues.

The Burrard Otter II joins the 2009-built Pacific Breeze as the complete, all-new SeaBus fleet to replace the aging vessels. The newest vessel cost $22-million, with the federal government’s gas tax funding $20-million and TransLink providing the remaining $2-million.

The present SeaBus is a passenger-only Public Transit (Publically Owned and Financed)-ferry service IN Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

 It crosses Burrard Inlet to connect the cities of Vancouver and North Vancouver. Owned by TransLink and operated by the Coast Mountain Bus Company, the Taxpaying Public the SeaBus forms an important part of the region's integrated Public Transportation system.

The “SeaBus” fleet has, up until now, consisted of three vessels. This essential publically owned and financed, service operates between approximately 6:00 am and 1:00 am from Monday to Saturday, and between 8:00 am and 11:30 pm on Sundays and holidays. During the daytime, from Monday to Saturday, two of the three ferries are in service, with the two ferries departing simultaneously from opposite terminals and passing each other halfway. The 1.75-nautical-mile  crossing takes 10–12 minutes in each direction with a cruising speed of 21.3 km/h, with a 3-5 minute turnaround and, therefore, operates on a 15 minute turn-around schedule.

At these times, over 50 crossings are made a day. During the evenings and on Sundays, service is reduced to a 30-minute schedule, with only one ferry operating.

The SeaBus is capable of operating on a 12-minute turnaround (down to 10 minutes with simultaneous loading and unloading). At the higher speeds, (similar to the ill-fated “Fast Ferries”) the wake created disturbs other users of the Burrard Inlet. However, during overloads they do sometimes operate at the higher speeds.

The SeaBus ferries operate with four crew members on board (captain and first mate on the bridge and two attendants on the passenger level) and engineers, who stay ashore, most of the time, but do regular checks of the engines; and are available to come aboard at any time. Of course, by unanimous Public demand and now therefore by Canadian law, Seabus crewmembers Must Be Trained And Certified to deal with marine emergencies, and will give directions to passengers in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Publically/ Taxpayer Owned Assets = $5.7 billion Plus the Expo Line, Millennium Line and West Coast Express infrastructure which all owned by the Taxpaying Public IN the Province of BC.

History of the SeaBus Ferry

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Passengers boarding a North Vancouver Ferry at the Vancouver dock  

North Vancouver Ferry No. 2

 North Vancouver Ferry No. 3

The first regular service between the City of North Vancouver and Vancouver began in 1900 with the craft North Vancouver. Three years later, the North Vancouver Ferry and Power Company was created, took over, and built a new craft called St. George. These two ferries were later renamed North Vancouver Ferry No. 1 and North Vancouver Ferry No. 2. The City of North Vancouver took over the service in 1908 to provide a more reliable ferry connection with Downtown Vancouver. Soon thereafter, another craft, the North Vancouver Ferry No. 3 was built. In 1936, the No. 2 was retired and used as a logging camp on the west coast of Vancouver Island until it was destroyed by fire.

In 1938, the Lions Gate Bridge was completed (at Taxpayer Expense) and took away much business from the ferries. However, there was an increased demand with the onset of World War II because of the shipbuilding boom in North Vancouver. This growth in business spurred the creation of a new ferry, the North Vancouver Ferry No. 5, in 1941. The Crosline was also leased from Washington to meet demands. According to Capt. James Barr, 1943 was the busiest year that (Publically owned-Taxpayer Financed) North Vancouver Ferries had, ferrying over 7 million passengers across the Burrard Inlet.

The North Vancouver No. 5 was built in Coal Harbour by Boeing Shipyards in 1941. She ran faithfully with her Union Diesel until 1958 when she was tied up at the foot of Lonsdale Ave along with North Vancouver Ferry No 4. Capt. Jesse Oliver Kinnie, a North Vancouver Ferry employee looked into the possibility of purchasing North Vancouver Ferry No. 4 and running it on the same route as she had run all her life. She had a higher height clearance on the car deck than Ferry No 5 and was faster. The numbers did not add up and the plan was abandoned. Number 4 ferry also ran on a Union Diesel.

The ferries were in major decline by the 1950s. In 1948 the No. 3 was taken off of regular service and was sold in 1953. The cost of operating the ferries was too high-or the GOVERNMENT so claimed- and in 1958 and the last sailing took place on August 30 by the No. 4 ferry. The No. 4 was later sold to be used in Prince Rupert. Later, No. 4 returned to Vancouver and was tied up on the Vancouver side of Burrard Inlet. She was in desperate need of a refit and had to be kept afloat with pumps to keep the water out of her hull-more Taxpayer Expense. When the power failed and the pumps stopped she went to the bottom anway. The No. 5 was(illegally)converted into the Seven Seas Restaurant-a private enterprise- at the foot of Lonsdale in North Vancouver. It remained there until 2002 when the City of North Vancouver and the federal courts had it demolished after a long standing dispute-who other than the Taxpayer-would be responsible if it sank and concern that the hull was in danger of imminent collapse. In dry dock it proved to be quite sound, but at that point the decision had already been made to scrap it and a piece of heritage was lost.

There were plans in the 1960s to build a tunnel under Burrard Inlet, which would have connected to the proposed freeways on the Vancouver side. After the freeway plans in Vancouver were cancelled, the tunnel proposal was also abandoned, and the money originally slated for that project was instead redirected to re-establishing a passenger ferry service between Vancouver and the North Shore. The ferry proposal was included in a 1975 report by the Greater Vancouver Regional District and the current SeaBus ferries began operating the Waterfront Station-Lonsdale Quay route on June 17, 1977, initially as part of the Transportation Division of Publically/Taxpayer owned, BC Hydro, a Crown Corporation.

For the first few years of service, very inefficient, and impractical,  automated fare machines (the first in Vancouverites Public transit system) at the two SeaBus terminals photocopied the rider's coins onto a cash-register-style receipt, which could become very long if fares were paid in small-denomination coins such as pennies.

Translink (Publically Owned)assets $5.7 billion plus Expo Line, Millennium Line and West Coast Express infrastructure which are owned by the taxpayers of the Province of BC.

TransLink is required to use federal gas tax program revenues to purchase new bus, trains and ferries – it cannot be dedicated towards its operational budget, even though approximately $120-million goes unspent each year. In addition, the federal gas tax cannot be used to pay for the cost of an entire project: the federal gas tax can be used to cover 90 per cent while the remaining 10 per cent comes from the transportation authority’s capital Budget-- Taxpayers of British Columbia.

Current Gasoline Prices CANADA

Average:

$1.11/litre, Regular Gasoline                                               

Higest:

$132.9/litre, Regular Gasoline

Northwest Territories

Lowest Province

98.6 cents/litre, Regular Gasoline

Alberta

Vancouver Gas Prices - 118.9 cents/litre Canadian

Bellingham, WA Gas Prices - 92.9 ¢/litre Canadian

The following chart shows the relationship between TransLink and “its” subsidiaries/operating companies???

Mayor’s Council-Translink Board of Directors

South Coast British Columbia

Transit ATHORITY (TransLink)

Coast Mountain Bus Company        British Columbia Rapid Transit Company Ltd. (SkyTrain)

Transit Police                         AirCare

West Coast Express Ltd.

No Wonder, Translink Salary Increases Upset Taxpayers

TransLink’s latest salary disclosure documents indicates that the number of TransLink staff earning $100,000 or more in 2012 grew by 14.6 per cent. This includes 58 members of the Transit Police.

The Salaries Of The Four Top Executives At Translink. According To The Canadian Taxpayers Federation:

•          CEO Ian Jarvis went from $382,954 in 2011 to $394,730 in 2012. Add in pension contributions and benefits, And He Totalled $438,700.

•    COO Doug Kelsey went from $329,936 to $336,729. With pension and benefits, The Total Was $377,054.

•    CFO Cathy Mclay went from $285,481 to $294,877. With pension and benefits, She Made $330,753.

•    Executive Vp Bob Paddon Went From $244,699 To $273,889. With pension and benefits, his total was $307,857.

Note: while salaries where increased TransLink has Reduced Costs. over a three-year period They Have Reduced The Number Of Executive Positions From TWENTY TWO To Nine; and according to transit police spokeswoman Ann Drennan, the base salary of a transit officer in 2012 was $80,748. Any Line Officer Who Last Year Made $100,000 Would Have Earned Overtime; For Policing Events Such As The Celebration Of Light, Playoffs, And Concerts-AT ADDED TAXPAYER EXPENSE-we already have a police force.

Since 2001, the president of the United States of the Americas has earned a $400,000 annual salary, along with a $50,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account, and $19,000 for entertainment. The most recent raise in salary was approved by Congress and President Bill Clinton in 1999 and went into effect in 2001.

Barack Obama - President US - Born: USA, Hawaii 1961 - Married - Children: 2

Born: USA, Hawaii 1961 - Married - Children: 2 Annual: USD 395,000.00

Monthly: USD 32,916.00

Weekly: USD 7,900.00

Daily: USD 1,580.00]
©Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.