Long waits and delays at B.C. Ferries on Canada Day long weekend

Sold-out sailings and long waits kicked off the Canada Day long weekend at B.C. Ferries terminals in Metro Vancouver.

Heavy traffic began early on Friday morning, with B.C. Ferries reporting high demand at the Tsawwassen terminal.

“It’s been a very busy day at Tsawwassen,” said B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall. “We had been seeing multiple sailing waits for customers travelling without a reservation.”

The lineups built up as the day went on, reaching five and six sailing waits by midday. By 2:30 p.m., sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island were fully booked, meaning standby passengers had to wait until Saturday to try their luck.

The Canada Day long weekend is traditionally one of the busiest days for ferry travel, second only to the August long weekend.