Chemainus Community Page

We are pleased to report that the work at Chemainus Terminal is now completed and the work for Penelakut is well underway and expected to be finished by September 13, 2024 as planned.

Please note: Parking will continue to be reduced at the Chemainus terminal to accommodate the temporary waiting room and washroom facilities.

As we noted in our earlier update, the work at Thetis is set to begin next week, September 16, and this work is anticipated to be wrapped up by the end of November.

Starting September 16 through to October 20, work will be taking place between sailings 7:00 am until 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday. This will have no impact on the service and we will work closely with the contractor to minimize noise levels for our neighbours during this time.

Beginning October 21 - early November, night work will be required to complete repair work on the timber trestle and vehicle ramp. This work has been scheduled overnight to reduce the impact on the service for the route and is expected to take place between 10:00pm and 5:00am.

In addition to the night work, and to ensure the timely completion of the project and minimal impacts to service, the final regularly scheduled sailing to Thetis Island will be cancelled on select days.

Cancelled Sailings October 21 - November 1, 2024:
Monday to Thursday: 10:30 pm departing Chemainus
Fridays: 10:50 pm departing Chemainus

Final Opportunity to Sail to Thetis Island:
Monday to Thursday: 8:55 pm departing Chemainus
Fridays: 9:05 pm departing Chemainus

Service to Penelakut on the above sailings and weekend schedules will remain unchanged.

We thank our customers and neighbours for their patience as we complete this necessary work, and looking forward to updating you on the successful completion of the work.

At the beginning of July, crews began work on the berth life extensions at the Chemainus terminal. This work was set to wrap up for the end of summer and is on target to be completed the first week of September.

Parking will continue to be reduced at the Chemainus terminal to accommodate the temporary waiting room and washroom facilities.

With the first of three berth projects for the route in the final stages, the teams are set to begin work at both Penelakut Island and Thetis Island terminals.

Penelakut Island: September 3 - September 13, 2024

Construction is planned to begin September 3^rd and is anticipated to be completed by September 13^th, 2024.

The majority of the work will be completed in between sailings from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday, and is not expected to impact crossing times.

To avoid interference with terminal operations, night work is required and will take place September 3 and 4 between the times of 11:00 pm – 5:00 am. The noise will be general construction noise and is expected to increase the normal levels of noise around the terminal.

We will work closely with the contractor to minimize noise for our neighbours.

Thetis Island - September 16 - mid November, 2024

Construction is planned to begin Monday, September 16, with the first phase anticipated to be completed mid-October and the project concluded by the end of November 2024.

Phase 1: Work will take place between sailings starting from 7:00 am until 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday, with no expected impact on sailing times. We will work closely with the contractor to minimize noise levels for our neighbours.

Phase 2: To reduce interference with terminal operations, night work will be required in October and November to complete repair work on the timber trestle and vehicle ramp. We will provide more information and inform neighbours in advance of this work as plans are confirmed.

We would like to thank our customers and neighbours for their patience and understanding as we complete this necessary work at the berths.

We've gathered a list of what we’ve heard as priorities from your Ferry Advisory Committee and community over the past two years. Now we need your help to:

• Review the list of feedback we’ve received from your community
• Prioritize the feedback we can action

Your feedback will be used by the Community Prioritization Panel (CPP) - a panel comprised of Ferry Advisory Committee Chairs from across the coast - to create a prioritized list of recommendations for the whole BC Ferries system.

The survey will be open until July 9.

Check back on this page for updates on the process and what we heard from your community.

On Tuesday, June 25, we hosted the Thetis Island, Penelakut Island and Chemainus Community Workshop to gather feedback on the priorities for our ferry services. Participants include members from the Ferry Advisory Committee and the broader community. The discussion was lively and informative, and several key priorities emerged as areas of focus.

Read the verbatim comments from the evening here.

The highest-ranking priorities were:

Communications during service disruptions: Improvement to service notices is desired including more timely and accurate notices, and notices that provide updates when service is restored. Better utilization of the digital boards at the terminal was discussed as a potential solution.

Procedures for loading/unloading foot passengers: Participants noted the need for consistent loading and unloading procedures for foot passengers, as well as safe and clearly marked pathways at all three terminals.

Refit planning: Participants noted a desire for a larger vessel to provide service during refits and for refits to occur between January and February to match with the slowest months for ferry travel. Participants also noted the desire for the berth work occurring at the three terminals support the introduction of a larger vessel on the route.

Thank you!

We would like to thank everyone who came out to our in person workshop, and the member of the Ferry Advisory Committee who joined us. If you were not able to make it, there is still an opportunity to provide your feedback through the online engagement open now until July 9: Take the survey.

Beginning in July 2024, we will begin work to extend the life of the berths on Route 20 as outlined below:

• Chemainus: mid-July until the end of August
• Penelakut: end of August until early September
• Thetis: beginning of September until the end of November

The majority of the work will be done during the day (7:00 am – 5:30 pm) between sailings, and has been planned to minimize sailing disruptions. Night work will be required throughout the project, and we will keep neighbours informed of the timing and anticipated impacts of the work beforehand. If any changes to sailing schedules are required, we will let customers know in advance via service notices, to ensure travel can be planned accordingly.

Parking is currently reduced at the Chemainus terminal to accommodate temporary waiting room and washroom facilities and we will need to reduce it by a few more spots for the duration of the work at the Chemainus terminal. We advise customers to consider taking alternative means of transportation to get to the terminal during this time. If you’re travelling as a foot passenger, options could include public transit, taxi service, or being dropped off by a friend or family member.

As an essential public service, it is our job to keep people moving safely and reliably, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete this necessary work.