A Hullo Ferries vessel departs downtown Vancouver en route to Nanaimo, B.C., on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
September 02, 2025 - 5:31 PM
VANCOUVER — The company that runs the Hullo Ferries service between downtown Vancouver and Nanaimo says it has agreed to return to negotiations with the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers' Union.
The Vancouver Island Ferry Company says its operations will continue free of disruptions and all scheduled sailings will proceed as scheduled, as the company and more than 80 workers hash out a collective agreement.
The company declared an impasse in negotiations last week, which began in February, but it says the two sides met Tuesday afternoon and agreed to restart the contract talks.
The ferry workers voted to unionize last September but have yet to secure a collective agreement with the operator of the private foot-passenger ferry service.
Hullo Ferries CEO Ryan Dermody said in a statement over the weekend that the employer's most recent proposal includes competitive compensation and enhanced benefits, which he said is a "strong step toward a shared goal."
Eric McNeely with the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers' Union says the union has been advocating for better wages, schedules, work-life balance and job stability.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2025
News from © The Canadian Press, 2025