GETTING FROM A, B, C

By Matt O’Grady

BY PLANE

REGIONAL: Long a favoured way of traveling from Vancouver’s harbour to downtown Victoria, the Sunshine Coast or the Islands, Harbour Air (harbourair.com) has recently reinstated more harbourto-harbour routes: from Vancouver to Kelowna and Seattle. Servicing many of B.C.’s more remote regions, such as Masset in Haida Gwaii, Pacific Coastal (pacificcoastal.com) has also launched seamless interline transfers with WestJet. For 35 years, Smithers-based Central Mountain Air (flycma.com) has connected people across B.C. and Alberta: if you’re trying to get from Terrace to Prince George, or Quesnel to Vancouver, it’s the quickest way.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL: Calgary-based discount airline Lynx Air (flylynx.com) launched last year, and offers direct flights from YVR to Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario. Porter Airlines, (flyporter.com), a boutique airline that’s long operated out of Toronto, has expanded its hallmark “luxury on a budget” service (free beer, wine and snacks; free wi-fi) to Vancouver. Through a Toronto hub, Canada Jetlines (jetlines.com) flies to Vancouver, Calgary and spots like Las Vegas. For those living closer to Abbotsford than YVR, West Jet-owned Swoop and Edmonton-based Flair (flyswoop.com, flyflair.com) make that airport an option for many destinations.

RIDE HAILING: Uber and Lyft have been operating in the Vancouver market for years, and several homegrown ride-hailing services now also serve smaller B.C. markets. Whistle (whistle.ca) serves the Sea-to-Sky corridor (from Whistler and Pemberton through to YVR) and the Tofino and Ucluelet areas. Victoria-based Lucky to Go (luckytogocanada.com) operates from Nanaimo to Prince George, Kelowna and points in between. Kabu (kabu.ca) runs in Kamloops and Kelowna (in addition to Vancouver and Victoria), with plans to expand. Under its driver and transportation umbrella, the B.C. government maintains an online list of approved ride-hailing companies.

CAR SHARING: While ride-hailing relies on somebody else driving you, car-sharing means you drive somebody else’s vehicle. Turo (turo.com/ca), available across Canada, is often billed as the Airbnb of cars: a matchmaking service that puts short-term vehicle leasers in touch with owners, with options in many far-flung B.C. locations. B.C.’s larger cities (Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna) have fleet-based car-share services like Evo, Modo and Zerocar. Some of these allow for one-way travel, and others (such as Modo) compete with rental companies for multi-day trips. Increasingly, cities are even securing car-share spaces in their downtown cores.

CARPOOLING: If you’re the kind of person who needs their own hands on the wheel, but would like to make some cash (and new acquaintances) on the way, the Poparide app (poparide.com) is for you. Post a trip with start and end points, which anyone needing a lift can search for a match, with payment through the app.

If your regional carpool program is registered and recognized with TransLink, you can take advantage of Park & Ride Carpool programs at transit hubs where carpool vehicles containing at least two people can access priority spaces to park in the lots. —Catherine Dunwoody, Right Sizing Spring 2020

In Northern B.C., BC Bus North (bcbus.ca) offers service between Prince Rupert, Prince George, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Valemount and points in between. On the Island, the VI Connector (viconnector.com) bus is a popular seasonal (now only in summer) way of getting around. IslandLink (islandlinkbus.com) offers van service between Nanaimo and Tofino, also serving Port Alberni and Ucluelet. The Sunshine Coast Connector (sunshinecoastconnector.ca) has daily service from Langdale Ferry to Powell River and points in between. In the Okanagan, Ebus (myebus.ca) has daily KamloopsSalmon Arm-Kelowna routes with service to communities such as Chase, Sorrento and Enderby. BC Transit connects the South Okanagan (for instance, between Kelowna and Penticton), using both a fixed schedule and on-demand stop requests (bctransit.com).

By Catherine Dunwoody

The Builder

AJIA Custom Prefab Homes

The Location

A recreational home built on Indian Arm inlet

The Challenges

“When it comes to out-of-the-way, off-grid places, logistics are the big thing,” says AJIA president Norman Morrison. This house sits on top of a rock face, so that meant barge and helicopter were the only options for bringing materials to the site. Coastal weather was another factor to consider, as helicopters cannot fly through fog, “and if you book one, you pay whether fog rolls in or not,” says Morrison. The home’s location did not have a reliable water supply, either—a potential concern for meeting fire regulations.

The Solutions

“Being properly prepared is crucial, so our barge was set up with packages weighing about 1,800 pounds [more than 800 kilograms] each, ready for the helicopter to take over without being overweight carrying it.” AJIA pre-builds home components offsite, so they can be assembled when they arrive. To address installation of mandatory sprinklers without a conventional water supply, the solution was to put in big water storage tanks. “In our history as a company, we’ve learned to make our list and check it twice,” says Morrison, avoiding any blind spots or unexpected building challenges.

The Result

“Our client is very happy in this beautiful spot for their dream home.”

The Builder

Discovery Dream Homes West

The Location

Powell Lake, near Powell River

The Challenges

A water-access-only-location means that “every timber, shingle and window plus concrete has to be barged in and offloaded at the waterfront,” says Danny Mauro, design and consulting associate for Discovery. That means concrete trucks are unable to access the area, so “we look at other suggestions like ICFs [Insulating Concrete Forms], where the blocks are set up and concrete is mixed on site,” says Jason Sharpe, senior design manager and project coordinator. Mauro adds that “some remote builds have no AC power, so generators are typically the only means to power tools and other equipment,” usually gas-powered generators, requiring a fuel supply. “Getting workers to and from sites can also be challenging.”

The Solutions

The Discovery team finds that log, timber frame or panelized homes make for a faster assembly, being constructed from pre-cut materials, which saves time on site. “We drive the loaded truck as close to the lake marina as we could, then unloaded individual skids on to a barge, then onto a smaller truck that goes to the site. A small crane truck transfers the skids,” says Mauro.

The Result

When clients choose a log-homestyle, Discovery is “able to save several weeks of framing time, as well as reducing trades to close the building in,” says Sharpe, as no drywall, mudding, taping or wall insulation are required. By working smart, the team will finish within the limited seasonal weather window. “I guess the bottom line is: No building project is impossible if you have the right tools and approach,” says Mauro.

The Builder

Pan-Abode

The Location

An accessory building on an island located in Howe Sound

The Challenges

“The island is a stone’s throw from the mainland, but there are no roads or bridges so it can only be reached by boat or barge,” says Pan-Abode president Rauvin Manhas. There was limited space on the building lot, which also came with extensive rules concerning design, setbacks, maximum height, plus the number and size of windows on the building. All materials had to be offloaded by hand, and moved via a small trailer pulled by a golf cart. “It was not possible to use heavy equipment during construction due to logistical restraints; all construction and assembly had to be done manually,” says Manhas.

The Solutions

Extra time was spent on design to ensure all regulatory requirements were met. A barge delivered heavy items like logs and beams, and because Pan-Abode logs are a maximum of about six metres (20 feet) long and 36 kilograms (about 80 pounds) each, that allowed for relatively easy handling during construction without needing heavy equipment.

The Result

“Our customer’s accessory building met all of the extensive permit requirements for West Vancouver,” the municipality with rules that applied to the island build, says Manhas. “The owner is very happy.”