Police called to BC Ferries terminal after woman refuses to wear mask

BC Ferries vessel Spirit of Vancouver Island passes between Galiano Island and Mayne Island while travelling from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen, B.C., on Friday Aug. 26, 2011. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Victoria — A BC Ferries vessel sailing between Vancouver and Victoria was delayed Wednesday after police were called to the Tsawwassen Ferry terminal because a woman refused to wear a mask before boarding the ferry.

In a tweet, BC Ferries said that the Spirit of British Columbia was held in dock Wednesday morning for a “police emergency.”

Delta police later told CTV News that the ferry was held back because a woman refused to don a mask and caused a disturbance around 11 a.m.

Police say the woman was eventually escorted off the ferry without issue by officers and was taken to another location.

Earlier Wednesday, Delta police were called to the same ferry terminal after a man caused a disturbance around 7:20 a.m.

Police say that a man was denied boarding on a sailing before he was spotted running through traffic. He then entered the chilly waters near the ferry terminal.

Delta police quickly arrived and convinced the man to exit the water. Once he was out of the ocean, he tried to walk into traffic again, at which point he was taken into police custody under the mental health act and was taken to hospital.

On Tuesday evening, a sailing between Victoria and Vancouver was also delayed due to a police emergency, though details were not provided for that incident.

Meanwhile, service issues continue to plague the Queen of Alberni vessel, which sails between Tsawwassen and Duke Point in Nanaimo. Last week, passengers were left stranded for hours just off the Tsawwassen ferry terminal after the vessel was unable to dock due to a gear box malfunction.

This week, multiple sailings have been cancelled along the same route due to a similar gearbox issue with the ferry.

The cancellations are expected to continue until Sunday, Nov. 8. Sailings aboard other ferries on the Tsawwassen and Duke Point route will continue during that time.