POT AND THE FERRY

The Transportation Safety Board last week raised some disturbing
concerns about regular cannabis use by crew members aboard the Queen
of the North. As part of the board's ongoing investigation into the
sinking of the QN, it released Oct. 17 a "board concern" outlining
its findings, and urging BC Ferries to figure out as soon as possible
whether drug use is a problem on other vessels in the northern fleet.

According to the two-page report, the revelations about regular
cannabis use came to light during the board's extensive interviews
with crew members. It seems that some workers were using the drug
between shifts, both on and off board the QN. While none of them said
that any employees had used drugs while working, the safety board
points to studies which have shown that cannabis use can affect
performance, memory, attention and coordination for up to 24 hours
after the initial high. By that time, a worker who had smoked up
while off duty could very well be back on their shift; another
concern is that all workers on the vessel could be called upon in
the event of an emergency, whether on duty or not.

Apparently, BC Ferries has a "no tolerance" policy for alcohol and
drugs, which means that employees can be terminated if they
contravene the policy. The northern vessels are unique in the fleet
in that employees must live aboard them for days at a time, and BC
Ferries' policy is that crew members are not allowed to consume or
even to have in their possession alcohol or other mood-altering
substances for the entire period of time while they are on the ship.
But evidently, this policy was either not communicated clearly or not
enforced.

We are still waiting for the safety board's full investigation into
the March 2006 sinking. In this most recent update the board says
that there is absolutely no evidence any of the QN's bridge crew was
impaired at the time of the collision and sinking. (Although we will
never know for sure because no drug or alcohol tests were conducted
in the aftermath of the tragedy.)

What seems obvious to regular passengers on the BC Ferries system
here in the north is that the same substance abuse problem found on
the Queen of the North is extremely likely to exist on the Queen of
Prince Rupert and the Northern Adventure, which ply the same waters,
under the same conditions, with the same crew members. The union and
BC Ferries must work together, and take immediate action to ensure
that northern passengers are as safe as possible by implementing a
program of mandatory drug and alcohol testing. A week after the
safety board released its concern, it's still not clear how BC
Ferries and the union intend to deal with this crucial safety issue.
Does this have anything to do with the fact that the drug use concern
was confined to a northern ship, and that the busy summer season
with its boatloads of tourists is now over?