problems and solutions

While Victoria has been a cruise ship destination since the early 1990s, the unbridled growth of cruise tourism has altered the tourist-resident relationship as it brought overtourism to Victoria, as it has to many parts of the world. Overtourism has created significant, and increasingly undesirable, impacts to James Bay.

Victoria Cruise Ship Terminal is located in the residential neighbourhood of James Bay, which has long advocated for more responsible cruise ship practices to reduce negative environmental, social, and public health impacts of cruising on our port community. From 2001 onwards, residents identified substantial negative impacts, focused on traffic congestion and ship emissions. 

James Bay residents want quality of life, clean air and sea waters, no foreign garbage and a healthy safe community.  The impacts of the cruise industry in our neighbourhood include overtourism, air and ocean pollution, and the import of foreign garbage.

what does fair sailing propose?

Fair Sailing focuses on four priority areas of Overtourism, Air Pollution, Ocean Pollution, and Foreign Garbage. We outline current negative impacts and actions needed below.

priority area: actions needed:

Overtourism

Includes overcrowding, traffic congestion/surges, and noise

Air Pollution

Cruise ships running engines 24/7 contribute greenhouse gases and disperses emissions of sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, NOx and volatile organic compounds

Ocean Pollution

Cruise ships generate large amounts of ocean pollution from scrubbers, which are devices installed to remove exhaust gases such as sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide, as well as particulates, from the heavy bunker fuel that has traditionally been used as marine fuel

Foreign Garbage

Comprises solid and liquid wastes offloaded in Victoria from cruise ships, and transported to our local landfill and out of region/off-island

 

Do No Harm

  • Set ship and passenger limits

  • Schedule staggered arrivals & departures

  • Use smaller electric shuttle buses

  • Implement quiet hours/cruise free days

Stop Polluting the Air

  • Install shore power – without taxpayer subsidies

  • Mandate use of shore power or pay mandatory fee if not used

  • Use only lowest sulphur marine fuel oil

Stop Polluting the Ocean

  • Ban scrubber wash water discharges at Ogden Point and in the Port of Victoria immediately

  • Ban use of scrubbers in Canadian waters

No More Foreign Garbage

  • cease all landing of foreign cruise ship waste materials in Victoria

  • return all solid and liquid waste, including garbage, recyclables, organics, and hazardous materials to port-of-origin