Newest SeaBus officially christened

Esquimalt, British Columbia, July 24, 2009 - In a ceremony with links to maritime traditions and the earliest days of SeaBus, the MV Burrard Pacific Breeze was officially christened today at Victoria Shipyards in Esquimalt, BC.

Maureen Hayes, the longest-serving female employee of SeaBus, performed the honours. She was joined by North Vancouver MP Andrew Saxton, the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and Sheri Plewes, TransLink vice-president, Capital Management and Engineering. Also on hand were North Vancouver City Mayor Darrell Mussatto, Stan Sierpina, Vice-President, Customer Service, Coast Mountain Bus Co., and Malcolm Barker, Vice-President and General Manager of Victoria Shipyards.

Not only does Ms Hayes' SeaBus service date back to 1983, but her husband, Stephen Hayes, was one of the original SeaBus employees, and rode the vessel to Vancouver from Victoria prior to its beginning service in 1977.

“It is an honour to be celebrating this event, which is so important in the life of any ship,” says Ms Hayes. “This is for all my hard-working colleagues at SeaBus and the people at Victoria Shipyards who have made this happen.”

“The people of Metro Vancouver can be justifiably proud of the way their tax dollars are being invested here,” says Ms Plewes. “SeaBus has become not only a vital commuter link in its 32-year history, but it's generally the only transit mode where ridership actually increases in the summertime because tourists and locals alike love that trip. It's definitely one of the keys to the livability of the region.”

“Through the Gas Tax Fund, we are providing real financial support to British Columbia for projects like transit, green energy, and water treatment,” says MP Saxton. “This new SeaBus will cut commute times, ease traffic congestion and result in cleaner air, improving the quality of life for residents of Vancouver and North Vancouver.”

The Government of Canada contributed $5 million of the project's $25 million cost through the Gas Tax Fund. The federal Gas Tax Fund is a tripartite agreement between Canada, British Columbia and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) delivering infrastructure funding to local governments for capital projects that lead to cleaner air, cleaner water or reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

“This is yet another example of our government's commitment to improving public transportation in Metro Vancouver,” says Shirley Bond, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. The provincial government also contributed $5 million to the project cost as part of the $14 billion Provincial Transportation Plan announced in January 2008. “The introduction of the MV Burrard Pacific Breeze SeaBus will help meet the needs of growing North Shore communities, while supporting the Provincial Transit Plan to double transit ridership provincewide and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.”

"Building vessels on the southern tip of Vancouver Island has a long history and this is the 41st vessel built at Victoria Shipyards,” said Malcolm Barker. “We have an excellent working relationship with the TransLink and the Coast Mountain Bus Project Teams and continue to work together to construct the best vessel possible. Most important of all, I would like to thank all the engineers, purchasers, production, project and support staff, and last but not least, the workforce. Without everyone working together, we would not be here today."

At 33.5 metres long and almost 12 metres wide, the MV Burrard Pacific Breeze will carry up to 400 passengers and will go into service in time for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Burrard Pacific Breeze will go into service in December 2009, to allow time to train the crew on the new technology and configuration of the wheelhouse.

After the Games, the other two vessels – the Burrard Otter and Burrard Beaver – will take turns going into drydock for re-fits, to be brought into line with the MV Burrard Pacific Breeze's technology. In 2011, it is expected that all three will be available for service during peak periods, thereby increasing capacity by 50 per cent.

Victoria Shipyards is part of the Washington Marine Group and a subsidiary of Seaspan International. Using the Esquimalt Graving Dock, owned and operated by Public Works and Government Services of Canada, Victoria Shipyards can drydock and repair vessels up to 100,000 DWT. VicShip's work includes construction, conversion, maintenance and repair; recent new construction projects include an eight vessel series of Orca class training vessels for the Canadian Navy, and 24 – 47' Motor Life Boats for the Canadian Coast Guard.

For more information, please contact:

Chris Day
Press Secretary,
Office of Canada's Transport & Infrastructure Minister
613-991-0700

Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148

Dave Crebo
Ministry of Transportation
250-387-7787