The Swartz Bay ferry terminal is a major transportation facility at

Swartz Bay Swartz Bay, located on the north end of the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island, is primarily known for being the location of one of BC Ferries' main terminals, the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. Swartz Bay was named after John Aaron Swart, purchas ...

in North Saanich,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. It is located north of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

. The terminal is part of the

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry ...

system, as well as part of Highway 17.

History

In 1889, former British Columbia Premier

Amor De Cosmos Amor De Cosmos (born William Alexander Smith; August 20, 1825 – July 4, 1897) was a Canadian journalist, publisher and politician. He served as the second premier of British Columbia. Early life Amor De Cosmos was born William Alexander Smit ...

, was the first person known to publicly suggest Swartz Bay as a feasible ferry terminal for connections to the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Canadia ...

. In 1959, the search for a new ferry terminal north of Victoria involved consideration of the existing

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...

ferry facilities at Sidney. Insufficiently sheltered waters and added travel time, leading to higher fuel costs, precluded Sidney from being selected. A small private ferry dock operated by the Gulf Islands Ferry Company already existed at Swartz Bay when the choice was made to locate the B.C. Ferry Corporation terminal there. As a result of the decision, a paved extension of the Patricia Bay Highway to reach the terminal was undertaken. The first scheduled sailing from the terminal, described as a "mudhole" due to the continuing construction, occurred on June 15, 1960. On September 1, 1961, the company that built and used the smaller original dock at Swartz Bay was bought out by B.C. Ferries. In the

SENĆOŦEN Saanich (also Sənčáθən, written as in Saanich orthography and pronounced ) is the language of the First Nations Saanich people in the Pacific Northwest region of northwestern North America. Saanich is a Coast Salishan language in the North ...

language spoken by Indigenous W̱SÁNEĆ people of the area, the bay's name is ŚJEL¸KES.

Accidents and incidents

A fire, caused by a

cutting torch Principle of burn cutting Oxy-fuel welding (commonly called oxyacetylene welding, oxy welding, or gas welding in the United States) and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol, diesel, ...

, led to $500,000 worth of damage to the terminal in December 1981. It destroyed part of the passenger walkway and a wingwall, prior to being contained by terminal staff, firefighters and the approaching ''

Queen of Nanaimo MV ''Queen of Nanaimo'' is a passenger vessel that was operated by BC Ferries from the time it entered service in 1964 until 2017. ''Queen of Nanaimo'' was used to ferry passengers and vehicles from mainland British Columbia, Canada to the island ...

'', which utilized its hoses to help keep the blaze at bay. Residents have expressed noise concerns over the years, and the matter has been raised in the Legislative Assembly. Concerns have also been expressed ranging from terminal expansion to the shooting of pigeons by ferry staff. On September 14, 2000, the ferry ''

Spirit of Vancouver Island ''Spirit of Vancouver Island'' is an , part of the BC Ferries fleet. Along with , it is the largest in the BC Ferries fleet. The ship was completed in 1994 and serves the Swartz Bay – Tsawwassen route. In 2018, ''Spirit of Vancouver Island'' beg ...

'' struck a pleasure craft just off Swartz Bay, killing two individuals. On May 20, 2011, a truck waiting in line drove up the upper ramp of the terminal's first berth and then through several guard barriers and safety netting at an increased speed. The truck then proceeded to drive off the end of the berth at a high speed and into the water. Later the same day, divers located the truck and deceased driver in the water off the end of the berth, identifying him later that week.

Ferry facilities and connections

Currently, there are five ferry berths at the Swartz Bay ferry terminal. Completed in 2006, the Swartz Bay Berth 2 project involved the replacement of the old marine structures and counter-weighted ramp lift system with a $25 million state-of-the-art floating berth. The terminal provides BC Ferries service to the

Tsawwassen ferry terminal Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, as part of the BC Ferries system and of Highway 17, is a major transportation facility in Delta, British Columbia, positioned less than from the 49th parallel along the Canada–United States border. It is located a ...

on the mainland, as well as all the major southern

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands are a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia," the original term used by George Vancouver in his ...

. In the mid-1990s, a major terminal renovation was undertaken. The Seaspan Ferries Corporation also has a terminal here. The terminal includes an administration building, and various kiosks run by local artisans and other vendors mainly in the warmer months. There is also a cafeteria and coffee shop in the main building. File:CoastalCelebrationSwartzBay.jpg,

MV Coastal Celebration MV ''Coastal Celebration'' is the third and final ship to be delivered to BC Ferries. The class comprises some of the largest double-ended ferries in the world. The vessel completed construction in 2008 and entered service the same year. Unlike he ...

docked at Swartz Bay terminal in May 2014 File:Ship "Seaspan Reliant" in Swartz Bay BC Ferries Terminal, British Columbia, Canada 01.jpg, "Seaspan Reliant" at the Swartz Bay ferry terminal on 13 July 2018 File:Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal view2 2018.jpg, Parking area File:Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal Lands End Café 2018.jpg, Lands End Café The terminal is served by several

Victoria Regional Transit System Victoria Regional Transit System provides public transportation in the Greater Victoria region of British Columbia, Canada. Its operations are governed by the Victoria Regional Transit Commission in association with BC Transit. There were more ...

public transit routes, with Route 70 providing express bus service to and from downtown Victoria in about an hour. Short and long-term pay parking is run by a private operator under contract to BC Ferries. The terminal is located about 10 minutes from

Victoria International Airport Victoria International Airport serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is north northwest of Victoria on the Saanich Peninsula, with the bulk of the airport (including the passenger terminal) in North Saanich, and a small portion of the ...

via Highway 17. The

Lochside Regional Trail The Lochside Regional Trail is a trail that runs from the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The trail is a popular route both for commuting and recreation. It is frequented by people walking, running, cycling, s ...

also runs south from Swartz Bay to Victoria. Swartz Bay is the only major southern terminal in the BC Ferries system without a traffic signal at its entrance or exit.

Notes

References

{{Commons category, Swartz Bay ferry terminal BC Ferries Transport in the Capital Regional District Ferry terminals in British Columbia