Ferry service between Vancouver and Victoria is suffering disruptions, former mayor Larry Campbell is grappling with the Downtown Eastside crisis, and Victoria’s longest-running blues festival has been cancelled due to financial difficulties.
Disruptions continue on the Vancouver–Victoria ferry route
The popular ferry route between Vancouver and Victoria in the Canadian province of British Columbia has again experienced service disruptions, causing inconvenience for passengers and raising questions about the reliability of this key transport link. The situation, reported by CTV News, has become almost routine for locals and tourists who regularly use BC Ferries.
Ferry service between the mainland and Vancouver Island is a vital transportation artery connecting the provincial capital, Victoria, with the largest city, Vancouver. The route between the Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay terminals is considered one of the busiest. However, passengers have increasingly faced cancellations and delays. The piece mentions an incident involving the vessel Spirit of Vancouver Island, which departed Tsawwassen for Swartz Bay on September 9, 2024. Although that particular sailing appears to have occurred, the wider context points to ongoing systemic problems. It is important to understand that BC Ferries is the main ferry operator in the region, and its fleet — including large ships such as Spirit of Vancouver Island — operates under heavy demand, making it vulnerable to technical failures and weather- or schedule-related delays.
Repeated ferry disruptions have serious consequences. They not only frustrate passengers forced to change plans but also negatively affect tourism, businesses and the daily lives of island residents, for whom the ferry is often essential for work, school or medical appointments. The situation raises questions about the condition of the province’s ferry fleet, the adequacy of investment in renewals and the reliability of logistics. For now, BC Ferries must balance the need for maintenance of aging vessels with maintaining regular service — a difficult task given high passenger volumes. Without substantial investment in infrastructure and new vessels, these disruptions are likely to continue, posing long-term risks to British Columbia’s transport connectivity and economy.
Former Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell: “The Eastside is all of Canada”
Appointed six months ago as the provincial government’s special adviser on the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver, Larry Campbell said he will need another six months to complete his work. The former mayor and senator, who began his career as the province’s chief coroner, described his initial immersion in the crisis neighbourhood as “depressing and traumatic.” However, as he said at a press conference, despair has gradually been replaced by hope as he has seen new construction and a certain “liveliness” in the area. Nevertheless, the scale of human suffering shocked him.
Campbell said he was struck by the “normality” with which people step over others lying on the sidewalk without calling for help. He said that such behavior was previously unthinkable — passersby almost always tried to help. He links part of the problem to the arrival of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs on the black market, causing widespread brain damage among users not previously seen. The adviser admitted he significantly underestimated the complexity of the system: the number of involved government and non-profit organizations turned out to be much greater than he expected. While he sees remarkable coordination on the streets, at higher levels there is fragmentation and duplication of roles. Significant funding, he believes, should be directed to concrete actions rather than maintaining bureaucratic apparatus.
Housing remains the key issue. Campbell said some single-room occupancy buildings are in such poor condition that they are “unlivable,” and none of these buildings are safe for women, especially Indigenous women. He stressed that the Downtown Eastside crisis is not a local Vancouver problem. “The Eastside is Canada. There is an Eastside in every community,” he said, pointing out that housing, addiction and mental health issues are urgent across the country. The main question, in his view, is: “How can we help these people? How can we house them?”
Provincial housing minister Christine Boyle announced an extension of Campbell’s contract so he can continue work on the Downtown Eastside’s “systemic challenges.” The adviser expressed hope that his final report to government will lead to “concrete action,” not become another document that “gathers dust on a shelf.” He wants accountability and real collaboration between levels of government and ministries to achieve tangible change. For his first six months, Campbell was reportedly paid CAD 92,000 plus CAD 10,000 for expenses, and his next contract term will carry the same compensation, according to a CBC report. His continued work will show whether the long-standing crisis in one of the country’s most troubled urban neighbourhoods can be turned around.
Harbour Blues ’n Roots Festival in Victoria cancelled due to financial difficulties
Music fans in British Columbia received an unpleasant surprise: one of the region’s oldest and most beloved summer events — the Harbour Blues ’n Roots Festival in Victoria — will not take place in 2026. This decision, driven by a difficult financial situation, brings to a pause more than 30 years of the event’s history, which began as the Vancouver Island Blues Bash and became an integral part of the region’s cultural landscape.
As Daily Hive Vancouver reports, the festival’s organizer, the non-profit Victoria Jazz Society (VJS), announced the “tough decision” to cancel the upcoming event. The reasons include the loss of key corporate sponsors and rising costs for logistics, vendor services and labour following the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded in 1981 with a mission to promote live jazz, blues and world music, VJS emphasizes that similar financial pressures affect many festivals across British Columbia. The festival, first held in 1994 and renamed in 2022 to reflect a wider range of genres, must now take a break.
In its statement, the society explained that the hiatus is necessary to reassess the festival’s format and find new sponsors and funding sources so the event can return in a more sustainable form. Fans’ reactions on social media were full of disappointment and nostalgia: “That’s a real blow,” “Thanks for all the great times,” they wrote. Some even suggested organizing public fundraising, but VJS responded that crowdfunding is being considered for 2027, while the current priority is attracting multi-year sponsors and stable government or private funding. The organization noted that providing free-to-the-public performances is part of its mandate to reduce financial barriers and attract new audiences, which makes the festival’s sustainability especially important.
This cancellation is part of a worrying trend for cultural events in the region. Just months earlier, the famous Honda Celebration of Light fireworks festival in Vancouver was officially cancelled for 2026. And in early March, the Car Free Vancouver Society initially announced the cancellation of its Car Free Days; after a wave of public outcry and support, the decision was reversed and the events were rescheduled for September. These cases highlight the fragility of the festival ecosystem, which depends on sponsorship, stable budgets and public interest. For the Harbour Blues ’n Roots Festival, the pause is not merely a break but a strategic step to find a new balance between accessibility, quality and financial viability so it can preserve its unique atmosphere for future generations.
