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Multi-sailing waits on BC Ferries as travellers turn Canada Day into 4-day weekend

Multi-sailing waits on BC Ferries as travellers turn Canada Day into 4-day weekend

CTV News5 days ago
The BC Ferries vessel Spirit of Vancouver Island leaves Tsawwassen, B.C., bound for Swartz Bay, on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)
For the second day in a row, travellers heading from the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island were met with multi-sailing waits at the Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay ferry terminals Saturday.
Shortly before 10 a.m., the next five sailings from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay were at full vehicle capacity, according to BC Ferries' website.
The next sailing on the route with space available was the 3 p.m. departure, which had just eight per cent of its vehicle space available.
Trips to Nanaimo were somewhat less in demand, with a three-sailing wait on the Tsawwassen to Duke Point route and a two-sailing wait between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay.
Similar waits were seen Friday afternoon, with many workers taking Monday off to create a four-day weekend with Canada Day falling on a Tuesday.
Some employers have even opted to give workers a paid day off on Monday rather than force them to take vacation time or work a single day between the weekend and the holiday.
As it does for all long weekends, BC Ferries advises travellers to book sailings in advance to guarantee their spot on their preferred vessel.
Those with flexible travel schedules should consider booking off-peak trips in the early morning or late evening hours, and travelling as a foot passenger is also recommended for those looking to avoid multi-sailing waits.
The ferry service says Thursday, Friday and Saturday were expected to be the busiest days for travel from the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island this weekend, while Monday and Tuesday are expected to be the busiest days in the opposite direction.
With files from The Canadian Press
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Using 'go' to cheer on sports teams is now OK, says Quebec language watchdog
Using 'go' to cheer on sports teams is now OK, says Quebec language watchdog

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Using 'go' to cheer on sports teams is now OK, says Quebec language watchdog

Quebec's language watchdog has changed its tune on whether it's acceptable to use the word "go" to cheer on sports teams. In a new guideline posted in its online dictionary, the Office québécois de la langue française says that while "allez" is the preferred term, it's now "partially legitimized" to use the English word to show encouragement. The flip-flop comes after the office took a hard line with Montreal's transit agency, pressing it for months in 2024 to scrub the word "go" from the electronic signs on more than 1,000 city buses. The watchdog confirmed it had changed its position after The Canadian Press obtained a series of emails through access to information legislation, revealing it gave the transit agency a green light to use "go" in June. The reversal followed a public outcry on the eve of the Montreal Canadiens' first playoff home game in April, when the Montreal Gazette reported how the transit agency had replaced "Go! Canadiens Go!" with "Allez! Canadiens Allez!" to stay on the watchdog's good side. The revelations prompted French-language Minister Jean-François Roberge to intervene, declaring that the expression "Go Habs Go" is part of Quebec culture, and that any future complaints about the slogan would be dismissed. That statement verged on political interference and placed the watchdog in a difficult position, according to one expert. "The office had to respond to a political order," said Benoît Melançon, emeritus professor of French literature at Université de Montréal. "The minister said, 'You will accept this,' so the office had to find a way to accept it." The transit agency says it hasn't decided whether it will put the word "go" back on its bus displays. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the agency is now "beginning its reflection on the subject." 'Go' is a 'partially legitimized' word: OQLF In an April statement, Dominique Malack, the president of the language office, agreed that the slogan "Go Habs Go" is anchored in Quebec's history. Still, she went on to say that the word "go" is an Anglicism, and that public bodies have an obligation to use "exemplary" French, which includes using only French words in their signage. Emails released to The Canadian Press show the transit agency asked the watchdog in May, following the uproar, for authorization to start using "go" again. A month later, on June 6, the language office directed transit officials to its new entry for the word "allez" in its online dictionary of terminology, a reference guide for the proper use of French in Quebec. The page notes how the Anglicism "go" has been used in Quebec since at least the 1980s and is "well-established" in common parlance. "It is considered to be partially legitimized," the entry says. When asked by The Canadian Press to comment on the newly released email correspondence, the watchdog confirmed it had updated its position. "The office now considers that a public body can use the interjection go in a context of encouragement without this compromising the duty of exemplarity incumbent upon it under the Charter of the French Language," spokesperson Gilles Payer told The Canadian Press in an email. Payer confirmed the entry was newly published on May 30. "The media coverage of the case concerning the use of the borrowed word 'go' in a sports context led the office to officially assess the acceptability" of the word, he said. Melançon, the French literature professor, said the new rationale — especially the term "partially legitimized" — suggests the office was uneasy with the change. "This must have given rise to some pretty intense internal debates," he said. "'Do we take into account what the minister is telling us or do we not take it into account? If we don't take it into account, what are the consequences? If we do, how do we justify changing our minds?''' At least one transit agency official felt dubious about the original complaint, which related to a bus displaying the words "Go! CF Mtl Go!" in support of Montreal's professional soccer club. She called the issue a "grey zone" in a June 2024 email to colleagues. "We've been using the word 'go' for years without a problem," she wrote. "Are we going to change everything because of one complaint?" But by later that month, the agency had decided to scrap the word, which involved manually updating the display on each of more than 1,000 buses over a period of months. The agency has said no further change will be made before the buses undergo regular maintenance in the fall. The language office has received at least two other complaints about the word "go" in the last five years, according to a response to a separate access-to-information request. In 2023, someone complained about the slogan "Go Habs Go" appearing on an outdoor billboard. That complaint was dismissed because the expression is a trademark. A similar complaint in 2021 targeted the hashtag .GoHabsGo that appears in oversized letters outside the Bell Centre in Montreal, the home arena of the Canadiens. The person who filed the complaint suggested that to comply with Quebec's language rules, the expression "Allez les Habitants allez" should appear alongside the English slogan, in larger letters. "And yes, I'm serious, if the law applies, then apply it!:)" the person wrote. According to the language watchdog, that complaint was resolved following an intervention, though it provided no details. A spokesperson for the hockey team declined to comment.

"Go Habs Go: Quebec language watchdog now says it's OK to use 'go' to support sports teams
"Go Habs Go: Quebec language watchdog now says it's OK to use 'go' to support sports teams

National Post

timean hour ago

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"Go Habs Go: Quebec language watchdog now says it's OK to use 'go' to support sports teams

MONTREAL — Quebec's language watchdog has changed its tune on whether it's acceptable to use the word 'go' to cheer on sports teams. Article content In a new guideline posted in its online dictionary, the Office quebecois de la langue francaise says that while 'allez' is the preferred term, it's now 'partially legitimized' to use the English word to show encouragement. Article content The flip-flop comes after the office took a hard line with Montreal's transit agency, pressing it for months in 2024 to scrub the word 'go' from the electronic signs on more than 1,000 city buses. Article content The watchdog confirmed it had changed its position after The Canadian Press obtained a series of emails through access to information legislation, revealing it gave the transit agency a green light to use 'go' in June. Article content The reversal followed a public outcry on the eve of the Montreal Canadiens' first playoff home game in April, when the Montreal Gazette reported how the transit agency had replaced 'Go! Canadiens Go!' with 'Allez! Canadiens Allez!' to stay on the watchdog's good side. Article content The revelations prompted French-language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge to intervene, declaring that the expression 'Go Habs Go' is part of Quebec culture, and that any future complaints about the slogan would be dismissed. Article content That statement verged on political interference and placed the watchdog in a difficult position, according to one expert. Article content 'The office had to respond to a political order,' said Benoit Melancon, emeritus professor of French literature at Universite de Montreal. 'The minister said, 'You will accept this,' so the office had to find a way to accept it.' Article content Article content The transit agency says it hasn't decided whether it will put the word 'go' back on its bus displays. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the agency is now 'beginning its reflection on the subject.' Article content In an April statement, Dominique Malack, the president of the language office, agreed that the slogan 'Go Habs Go' is anchored in Quebec's history. Still, she went on to say that the word 'go' is an anglicism, and that public bodies have an obligation to use 'exemplary' French, which includes using only French words in their signage. Article content Emails released to The Canadian Press show the transit agency asked the watchdog in May, following the uproar, for authorization to start using 'go' again. A month later, on June 6, the language office directed transit officials to its new entry for the word 'allez' in its online dictionary of terminology, a reference guide for the proper use of French in Quebec. Article content The page notes how the anglicism 'go' has been used in Quebec since at least the 1980s and is 'well-established' in common parlance. 'It is considered to be partially legitimized,' the entry says.

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