It’s been almost two years since the Queen of the North sank to the bottom of the waters off of Gil Island, on that night the BC Ferries vessel en route from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy ran into a rock off of the island leading to its sinking within an hour of the incident.
101 survivors were rescued on that night due mainly to the efforts of the community of Hartley Bay; tragically two other passengers were declared deceased after no sign of them turned up following the incident.
Next Wednesday, March 12 the almost two years of investigation by the Transportation Safety Board will come to an end, as the long awaited and much anticipated final report will be issued at a press conference in Vancouver.
101 survivors were rescued on that night due mainly to the efforts of the community of Hartley Bay; tragically two other passengers were declared deceased after no sign of them turned up following the incident.
Next Wednesday, March 12 the almost two years of investigation by the Transportation Safety Board will come to an end, as the long awaited and much anticipated final report will be issued at a press conference in Vancouver.
Their website contains a rather comprehensive chronology of their investigation into the incident, including the various releases put out during the course of the last two years.
While the TSB has held its notes close to their chest over the last couple of years, an interesting announcement from BC Ferries today seems to presage some of the possible recommendations of that board.
BC Ferries announced today that they were implementing a new mandatory drug and alcohol testing policy, this after embarrassing revelations during the investigation process, that crew members regularly smoked dope between shifts and while they were off of the ill fated ship.
The new policy which was delivered to employees on February 6th, will provide for three circumstances for drug and alcohol testing. Those include reasonable cause, post-significant event, or random testing for employees returning to work after demonstrated abuse or dependency.
While many will suggest that it’s a bit of common sense for an industry that holds the lives of so many in their hands on a daily basis, there has always been a bit of hesitancy over the line between personal rights and the perceived good of the whole in these issues.
The move by BC Ferries seems to have finally broken free of that concern and come down in favour of the good of the travelling public.
What remains to be seen with next Wednesday’s Transportation Safety Board report will be what other important changes to the culture of employment and safety standards on the Ferries will be recommended.
While the TSB has held its notes close to their chest over the last couple of years, an interesting announcement from BC Ferries today seems to presage some of the possible recommendations of that board.
BC Ferries announced today that they were implementing a new mandatory drug and alcohol testing policy, this after embarrassing revelations during the investigation process, that crew members regularly smoked dope between shifts and while they were off of the ill fated ship.
The new policy which was delivered to employees on February 6th, will provide for three circumstances for drug and alcohol testing. Those include reasonable cause, post-significant event, or random testing for employees returning to work after demonstrated abuse or dependency.
While many will suggest that it’s a bit of common sense for an industry that holds the lives of so many in their hands on a daily basis, there has always been a bit of hesitancy over the line between personal rights and the perceived good of the whole in these issues.
The move by BC Ferries seems to have finally broken free of that concern and come down in favour of the good of the travelling public.
What remains to be seen with next Wednesday’s Transportation Safety Board report will be what other important changes to the culture of employment and safety standards on the Ferries will be recommended.
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