B.C. Ferries has had to issue one-year travel bans to certain passengers this month.
The ferry corporation noted in a press release today, Oct. 31, that it has issued “multiple” travel bans in the past two weeks, adding that it has a “zero tolerance policy” for abuse of employees.
B.C. Ferries mentioned three incidents specifically, the most recent of which occurred Oct. 22 when a passenger allegedly assaulted an employee on the Coastal Celebration on the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route.
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According to the press release, a passenger threatened use of a firearm to an employee at the Horseshoe Bay terminal in West Vancouver on Oct. 17. Two days earlier, at the Langdale terminal in Gibsons, a passenger “aggressively drove his motor vehicle toward an employee.”
The B.C. Ferries press release notes its staff have the right to a workplace that is respectful and free from harassment and violence. By law, the ferry corporation is allowed to refuse passage on its vessels.
“We are committed to providing our employees and passengers a safe and respectful environment,” said Mark Collins, B.C. Ferries president and CEO, in the release. “The vast majority of our passengers treat our employees courteously. Abusive conduct or comments, or behaviours that put our employees or the public at risk, are not tolerated. These behaviours result in a denial of service, travel ban and the involvement of police agencies.”
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