FAQs
Why is this work happening?
BC Ferries is investing in the future of the essential service connecting Mayne Island to Vancouver Island, the other Southern Gulf Islands and the Lower Mainland by making improvements to extend the life of one of the berths at Village Bay Terminal, ensuring continued safe and reliable ferry service.
When is this work taking place?
The project is scheduled to take place from January to March 2026, during the route’s least busy period, and is expected to take approximately 16 weeks.
Will there be impacts to service?
During construction, Berth 1 will be closed for approximately eight weeks in January and –February. However, Berth 2 will remain open throughout the project to serve vessels at the terminal and and keep most ferry sailings running, including connections for Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen, which see the highest volumes of travel.
Some inter-island transfer routes may be adjusted or involve slightly longer travel times. A temporary schedule will be in place during this time.
Where can I find the temporary schedule?
Will commercial services and emergency services still be able to provide service to the island?
With Berth 2 still open, emergency and essential care services will not be impacted. We are working with commercial users, emergency services, and utility operators, to ensure reliable and timely access to essential care is maintained and ensure providers know the process in the case of an emergency.
Will dangerous goods sailings be impacted?
There will be no impact to dangerous goods sailings.
How will you keep the community informed?
We will provide regular updates on the plans and progress of the project. Our customers and the community can stay informed about any operational changes or potential impacts by visiting www.bcferriesprojects.ca/vb where we will provide the latest news and developments. To receive updates directly to your email, you can subscribe on the project page.
How will the project taking place at Otter Bay on Pender Island impact the Village Bay service?
Village Bay has a second berth which will allow service for vehicle and foot passengers to remain intact. However, there may be longer transfer times on some inter-island routes during the eight-week closure of Berth 1 at Village Bay and no stops during the anticipated five-day berth closure required as part of the Otter Bay project.
To learn more about the Otter Bay berth life extension project, which requires a full berth closure currently expected for five consecutive days in early 2026, visit www.bcferriesprojects.ca/ob.
Alternate service for foot passengers, such as water taxis, will be available during this time from Pender Island to Swartz Bay.
Why are the Otter Bay and Village Bay berth projects taking place at the same time? Why disrupt two berths in the Southern Gulf Islands simultaneously?
The berth life-extension projects at Village Bay and Otter Bay both involve critical infrastructure upgrades that need to be completed as soon as possible.
Scheduling on the Southern Gulf Islands is extremely complex, involving numerous inter-island and vessel transfers. We assessed completing the projects at separate times and determined the service impacts and potential customer inconvenience were greater than completing the upgrades simultaneously.
We have scheduled both to take place during the low season — after the busy December holiday travel period and before peak summer season begins. This means the essential work on the berths will get done during the period with the lowest travel volume, impacting the least number of passengers within a tighter time window so fewer days of the year are impacted.
It's important to note that Village Bay, where the berth closure is the longest, has a second berth that can be utilized throughout the project, keeping service largely intact. The sole Otter Bay berth will be closed for a much shorter period – five days – and alternate service plans have been developed for that period to ensure customers and essential goods and services keep moving. There will be some transfer inconvenience for Pender Island during the Village Bay closure, so having the Otter Bay closure simultaneously helps limit the overall number of days impacted. When Otter Bay is closed, there will be limited water taxi service to Pender Island, so the Village Bay project overlap doesn’t impact Otter Bay further.
While there will be short-term impacts on the routes, the temporary changes will result in long-term improvements that will ensure safe, reliable service for our customers into the future.
Will the Mayne Island community have input?
During the Village Bay project, we have carefully planned to keep impacts as minimal as possible, including prioritising connections between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen. Modifications to inter-island connections were required and will be in place during the project work.
We have met and will continue to engage with commercial users, as well as essential service providers such as Island Health and BC Hydro to ensure essential services remain connected to the island. Due to the complexity of these schedules, operational considerations and budget constraints, these decisions will not be open to community input.
The community will be updated regularly through emails to subscribers, screens in terminals, local print media, and social media. There is also an in-person community information session planned for fall 2025, as well as the opportunity to be part of the Project Feedback Group for the Village Bay and Otter Bay projects. Learn more about Project Feedback Groups: Let's Connect: South Coast | BC Ferries Projects