Former BC Ferries safety director details his concerns

The former director of safety for BC Ferries, Darin Bowland,claims the corporation prevented him from investigating the sinking of the Queen of the North earlier this year.

However, BC Ferries president David Hahn dismisses the allegations as baseless, and says no one tried to cover up anything.

Bowland left BC Ferries days after the sinking in March which claimed the lives of two passengers. He recentlydropped his wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the company for what he says are a variety of reasons.

But the master mariner has released a 22-page affidavit that was part of the dropped legal action, detailing his safety concerns, andhas spelled out why he feels he was forced from his job. None of the allegations were proven in court.

At a news conference, he said that after the ferry sank off Gil Island south of Prince Rupert, company lawyers tried to limit his attempts to do a wide-ranging investigation into the accident.

He says the lawyers "subtly suggested that perhaps I should not be focused on what we did wrong, but more, focusing on the opportunities for the future."

The former navy officer and cruise ship captain says that created an "ethical dilemma"for him that led to his resignation and subsequent lawsuit against BC Ferries.

Hundreds of safety deficiencies: Bowland

During the six weeks Bowland worked at BC Ferries, he says he identified 800 safety deficiencies that rangedfrom missing exit and safety signs to a lack of critical safety training.

Bowland claims BC Ferries ignored his calls for action to remedy the situation. In his affidavit, he calls the company's approach to safety an "accident waiting to happen."

He says the corporation's "dysfunctional"culture contributed to the sinking of the Queen of the North and the loss of two passengers.

"A sinking of this magnitude is not one single act. There's a multitude of errors that build up to a sinking like this."

No paper trail, says BC Ferries CEO

But Hahn, responding to Bowland's claims,says there are no records, documents or memosthat support theallegations.

"We did an internal investigation using an outside law firm, and I've been advised that none of the content in that affidavit has any merit."

Hahn says this was simply about money, noting Bowland had been seeking a significant amount of money from the corporation in his lawsuit, whichhe says was dropped because there's no proof to back up Bowland's claims.

But Bowland maintains money is not an issue, as he has dropped his lawsuit and has nothing to gain from continuing to question the corporation's safety record.