Residents stranded, store shelves empty after B.C. Ferries halts service to Haida Gwaii due to staff shortages
CBC
B.C. Ferries has halted service between Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii after a number of employees tested positive for COVID-19, preventing passengers and goods from getting between the mainland and the archipelago off B.C.'s North Coast.
Sailings on the Northern Adventure between Prince Rupert and Skidegate in Haida Gwaii have been cancelled from Sunday to early Friday, April 29.
Sailings from Bella Bella on the Central Coast and Port Hardy on the northeastern tip of Vancouver Island have also been affected.
B.C. Ferries said it plans to make cargo runs from Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii, which is home to more than 4,000 people, to transport essential supplies on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
The corporation said it is also working to charter the following flights between Prince Rupert and Skidegate for passengers on a first-come, first-serve basis on Wednesday:
"Every attempt will be made to prioritize passengers who were previously booked for medical-related travel," a statement read.
John Camp and his wife are in Prince Rupert and trying to get home to Masset, a fishing village in Haida Gwaii. Camp's wife suffered a serious ankle injury on Easter Sunday and required a medical evacuation to Prince George, B.C.
After she underwent surgery, they tried to get on a ferry Sunday night, but the sailing was cancelled. They have been staying at a Prince Rupert hotel ever since.
Camp said he's been generally happy with B.C. Ferries' service but he questions why it wasn't better prepared for the possibility of COVID-related staff shortages.
"It's really hitting us hard because it seems like the corporation really didn't have any backup plan and from our perspective they still don't have a plan on how they're going to deal with with this situation," he said.
Camp said they are still not sure how they will get home, but they have booked a seaplane for Friday morning. If they take the flight, they're unclear on when their vehicle, which is carrying equipment needed for her recovery, will make it home.
They've incurred about $2,000 in expenses so far, Camp said.
B.C. Ferries said affected passengers should keep their receipts and contact customer relations to be considered for compensation.
Maureen Bailey, who lives in the village of Port Clements on Haida Gwaii, said the cancelled sailings on Sunday and Monday have led to empty store shelves with groceries stranded in Prince Rupert.
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