And if you're wondering what happened to those three Fast Cats.

In January 2024 someone tried to get someone to buy them by putting them up on Facebook Marketplace (yep!) for $15 Million for all three. (98% off original price lol). They were, and likely still are, sitting tied up in Alexandria, Egypt. They were last owned by the Egyptian Government.

At least one of them was essentially unchanged inside since the 1990s. (a Nanaimo Bar for $1.5!)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fastcat-ferries-facebook-marketplace-1.7080937

They still show up on vessel trackers so perhaps they're not scrapped yet!

Pacificat Explorer is IMO: 9146429
Pacificat Discovery is IMO: 9146431
Pacificat Voyager is IMO: 9146443

If you want to find out the owner, you can pay $CAD 15 for 24hr of vesselfinder access here: https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9146429

As tempting as it is, I think I'll get a couple icedCaps instead. :)

#BCPoli #BCNDP #FastFerry #Shipbuilding

The small Island Class vessels (2019-2021) were built in Romania by Dutch firm Damen Shipbuilding: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island-class_ferry

The slightly larger Salish Class vessels (2016-2020) were built in Poland by Remontowa SA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salish-class_ferry

Now these large "NWS” vessels will be built by Weihai which built boats for Marine Atlantic ferry, Corsica Linea, and Brittany Ferries: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-bc-ferries-to-buy-new-vessels-from-china/

It's hard to argue from a business decision that China is not one of the top manufacturers of high quality vessels.

But building big ships will always be political.

#BCPoli #BCNDP #FastFerry #Shipbuilding

On the new BC Ferries being built in China.

Do we all remember the last time the BC NDP went down the road of “building a shipbuilding industry to build ferries”?

It has its own Wiki, of course.

"In addition to major delays and cost overruns, the ferries never fully met their original specifications, and only operated briefly in a reduced capacity, before being auctioned off at a substantial loss by the subsequently elected BC Liberal Party government.”

No, I'm not thrilled that China, an authoritarian state, is going to be building these ferries. But no BC or Canadian firms bid on the contract. And right now, the expertise in ship building is in China and Europe (the Island and Salish class vessels were built in Europe).

I don't blame the NDP for not repeating the same mistake 30 years later.

And the ferries will still be refit and maintained for their full service life within BC.

#BCPoli #BCNDP #FastFerry #Shipbuilding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_ferry_scandal

@CppGuy @bebadefabo We are also losing 1-4 public health care staff weekly now & it's from multiple #covid infections but #BCgovernment & #media are ok with underreported covid related disabilities & deaths it seems.

#FireBonnieHenry #SocialMurder #BCpoli #BCNDP #BCNewDeathParty #Murder #CDNpoli #DisabledLivesMatter #CovidSafety

@thegreenpagesBC

Did #BC just flood the #PeaceValley to use #SiteC Dam power for LNG and an Bell/Grok AI data cluster?

Is this the start of US corporations drinking our water for memes of Will Smith eating spaghetti?

This is disturbing behaviour from our province. #BCNDP have clearly forgotten that they are on a razor’s edge and can be voted out easily.

Eby continues to embrace #LNG extraction in the wake of #TMX, #SiteC, #FairyCreek and now Elon’s #AI Data Centers will be drinking our water?

This #BCNDP is clearly no better than destructive #Conservatives, if they continue down this path they’ve lost my vote.

Trump is not an excuse to openly rape our Province for profit, #Eby is completely out of line and no different than #Horgan.

#bcpoli #cdnpoli

@SonofaGeorge

I have not seen what is in Bill 14, so I cannot comment, but I assume it is written in the same language.

When government has a clear and obvious solution to an issue they choose to highlight, yet they do anything but that clear and obvious solution, there is probably a reason. Usually what they are doing instead of doing the right thing is the reason.

#bcpoli #bcndp #Bill15 #Bill14

Local news reporting on new #cancer treatment but not reporting on lack of #masking at cancer clinics & not reporting on people getting sicker after going to #oncology appointments at cancer clinics.

So fucked up.

#BCpoli #BCNDP #BCNewDeathParty #BCHealth #BCMedical #PublicHealth #FireBonnieHenry #covid #MaskUpSaveLives #WearAMask #CovidIsAirborne #SocialMurder #medical #health

STOP BILL 15 PETITION

https://bcgreens.ca/petitions/stop-bill-15/

#bcpoli #BCNDP #canada #politics

When #parents won't #MaskUp - they teach their #children to not be safe with their #health too. They also teach their kids to not care about others in the community. I'm blown away by how many parents are OK with exposing themselves & their kids to several preventable, airborne illnesses, including covid. They're risking death & disabilities on themselves & their kids.

Our #PublicHealth system is already overburdened & understaffed. We have many former health care workers with long covid & they never returned to work. We are nowhere near prepared to deal with many future cases of long covid & the 2ndary illnesses & disabilities that more people will suffer from - because they aren't being #CovidSafe.

Our government & mainstream media has stopped reporting facts on covid & on long covid. They want the public to forget about it. Which means dismissing the lives of disabled people like me & many others, who are still being covid safe.

#BCpoli #CDNpoli #medical #Healthcare #FireBonnieHenry #BCNewDeathParty #BCNDP #Eugenics #PeopleWithDisabilities #CovidIsNotOver #CovidCautious #MaskUpSaveLives #WearAMask #CovidIsAirborne #MeaslesIsAirborne #PutAMaskOn #ChildWelfare #ParentalResponsibility #ChildrensRights #DisabledRights #DisabledLivesMatter

@nicktsergas #BCNDP #DavidEby is a #neoliberal. His support of eugenist, #BonnieHenry on #covid safety failures, is why I'm not surprised that he is being an #AntiScience #chump with this issue too.

#health #biohazard #cull #BCpoli

@Dianora
It's why I don't give free passes to #BCNDP & their supporters. They're major ecociders, big on #eugenics & they want to keep protecting privileged #StatusQuo crap. They're #neoliberals by their own party choices to keep shifting to the right & putting corporate greed/backroom bucks above greater public interests.They aren't learning much from huge federal loss with #NDP & their own narrow provincial win. Pitiful & dangerous.

@AlisonCreekside

#BCpoli #CDNpoli

#Ecocide should be put on #law books as #CrimesAgainstHumanity. Criminalizing activists is what both provincial & federal governments across #Canads are trying to do - taking us closer to #fascism - like USA.
I'm in BC & #BCNDP is doing really messed up #neoliberal shit. We need to #BanCorporateLobbyists & have more #PublicTransparency & #PublicAccountability. Any government that isn't OK with full #transparency & #accountability is one that cannot be trusted.

#BCpoli #CDNpoli #Corruption

@chris #BoycottBill5 #EndFossilFuels #StopEcocide #BCClimateInaction #ClimateChange #BCNDP #CorporateGreed #GreedKills

95-Metre ‘Mega-Banner’ Urges #Carney to Pick a Path, Choose Renewables and #ClimateAction

Ahead of next week’s Speech from the Throne, four national climate groups mounted a 95-metre fabric installation in Ottawa’s Major’s Hill Park on Wednesday, urging Prime Minister #MarkCarney to “pick a path” between new oil and gas #pipelines and climate action.

On the same day, Faith and Climate Action held a “pray-in” at #RoyalBank of #Canada headquarters in Toronto, protesting bank financing for new #fossilfuel infrastructure like the proposed #PrinceRupert Gas Transmission #PRGT project in #BritishColumbia which is expected to receive #BCgovernment approval within days.

The “mega-banner” in #Ottawa “took over 20 hours to construct, dozens of volunteers, sheer grit, and caffeine-fuelled delusion,” wrote Emily Lowan, fossil fuel supply campaigns lead at Climate Action Network-Canada (CAN-Rac), in an email to supporters. “It may even break records as the largest banner in Canadian #climate movement history!”

https://www.theenergymix.com/95-metre-mega-banner-urges-carney-to-pick-a-path-choose-renewables-and-climate-action

#BCpoli #CDNpoli #EndFossilFuels #StopEcocide #environmental #CorporateGreed #GreedKills #BanCorporateLobbyists #BCNDP #BCNewDeathParty #neoliberals #BoycottBill5

*2 DAYS LEFT*
From The Discourse, Cowichan area based independent media. Please take the #survey if you care about access to #wilderness areas. Mosaic is one of the worst ecocide corporations in BC & they're responsible for much #deforestation on #VanIsle & surrounding islands.

Mosaic published a survey earlier this month to gather public input on responsible recreation. The company says it will use the survey results to guide the company’s “commitment to responsible #ForestStewardship — balancing public recreation with #environmental protection.”

If you’d like to let Mosaic know what you think about opening up the gates to the private land it manages, the survey is open until May 23.

https://www.mosaicforests.com/news-views/mosaic-seeks-public-input-on-responsible-recreation

The Discourse published an article by reporter Rowan Flood covering the ongoing battle between outdoor recreation groups and Mosaic Forest Management. Mosaic manages huge swaths of land on #VancouverIsland and tightly controls access to what one outdoor enthusiast called the most impressive and “jaw-dropping” parts of the Island. I was completely floored to learn that nearly 600,000 hectares of #unceded land on the Island is privately owned and is managed by a single company.

https://thediscourse.ca/nanaimo/vancouver-island-outdoor-enthusiasts-want-authorities-to-open-the-gates

#BCForestryReform #BCpoli #BCNDP #BCNewDeathParty #CorporateGreed #GreedKills #PublicAccess #CDNpoli #PublicInput #BanCorporateLobbyists #StopDeforestation #StopEcocide #ProtectForests #PacificNorthwest #PNW #PublicTransparency

I want to remind everyone that you have every right to speak up & stand up against any #medical staff who is violating #HippocraticOath. It is our duty to speak up & stand up against any #eugenics enabling BS. Don't fucking keep complaining if you're unwilling to push back against eugenics enablers.

PUSH BACK. SPEAK OUT. WE NEED MORE #COURAGE & LESS #COWARDICE!

#PatientRights #PeopleWithDisabilities #BCpoli #FireBonnieHenry #BCNDP #BCNewDeathParty

I don't care if you're a #BCNDP supporter/loyalist. You probably wouldn't be if their shitass political decisions harmed you, your family & loved ones directly. I'm #AntiGovernment because of the harms governments have caused me & my loved ones. I don't trust politicians because they've proven to be pathological #hypocrite #liars. Only fools would try to tell me to support any #political party that's OK killing me & my loved ones.

Shove it where the sun don't shine -> all #colonial #bootlickers

I hate the #BCNDP for their #eugenics enabling BS.
I hate them for dumping #CleanBC & trying to circumvent due process & due diligence & avoid #PublicTransparency on #ecocide projects.

They're fucking #neoliberals & don't deserve support. Leaning more right wing, every day.

#Whitewashing & #greenwashing PR only works on folks not committed to #AntiColonialism & #AntiCapitalism.

#ElectoralReform #BCpoli #BanCorporateLobbyists #StopCorruption #BCNewDeathParty #FireBonnieHenry #ClimateActionNow

How do we get rid of #eugenics monster #BonnieHenry ??? She's killing & disabling people & getting paid for failing to do #science based #PublicHealth #MedicalSafety.
I am beyond angry. The #BCNDP are responsible for hiring that heartless, #capitalist eugenist.

#PeopleWithDisabilities aren't disposable!
Stop normalizing eugenics crap on us. EVERYONE eventually becomes disabled too. You should care about disabled people!
You're gonna be one of us too.

#BCpoli #FireBonnieHenry #BCmedical #Covid

From #DogwoodBC ->

The #BCgovernment doesn’t think people care about #ClimateChange any more. But the next drought or heat dome is coming, and they’ll see just how much we care then. The time to solve a disaster is before it starts, not when you’re in the middle of it.

As of right now, B.C. has no climate plan. They’ve dismantled #CleanBC - an already meek attempt to protect British Columbians from the worst possible outcomes, with nothing to replace it. And what’s worse, they’re charging ahead with plans to approve another fracked gas pipeline: the #PrinceRupert Gas Transmission pipeline.

#FrackedGas is methane, a greenhouse gas that accelerates global heating. #PRGT would not only add to the carbon emissions responsible for more wildfires, it would also increase fracking operations in northern B.C. which doctors and scientists alike have shown make people in surrounding communities sick.

Approving PRGT is reckless. Dangerous. And completely out of step with what this moment demands. We don’t need more #FossilFuels — we need real climate action. Right now.

Send a letter to #Climate Minister Tamara Davidson. Demand a stop to the PRGT pipeline.

https://www.dogwoodbc.ca/petitions/prgt-cabinet-ministers/?tfa_2201=Dogwood_News&mkt_tok=Nzc0LVNITy0yMjgAAAGaeCxd1SCCL-56j97Ejxly4v3P3OGFdM2QHmoC5SYoN1A3mKq4xo_okrEwXgcqj5aAfD5TI0p78Y7k_rJ1CBEIszERRTF9-euyb5i3tFAVvTY

#BCpoli #CDNpoli #BCNDP #BanCorporateLobbyists #CorporateGreed #GreedKills #StopEcocide #PNW #DemandClimateAction #BritishColumbia #environmental