The SeaBus is Vancouver’s only official ferry service, but what most people might not realize is that for thousands of years, boats were the primary mode of transportation in the area. The indigenous inhabitants relied on watercraft for hunting, trade, and transit, as did the first European settlers, their descendants, and recent immigrants — but, as paved roads gradually replaced trails, and horse-drawn carriages yielded to gas-powered cars, cities like ours had a choice to make. Some, like Sydney, Australia, opted to protect their ferries from going the way of the dinosaurs, while in Vancouver, most routes were sacrificed at the altar of the almighty automobile. As the population continues to increase, however, some are looking back to the water for solutions.The Western Standard's Jarryd Jäger dives into the issue in this documentary.
