FERRY FRUSTRATION
Bain wants answers on when Englishtown ferry returning to service
MLA for Victoria-The Lakes wants to know when Englishtown ferry will return to service.
The PC MLA for Victoria-The Lakes is pushing for more specifics on when the Englishtown ferry will go back into service.
Keith Bain raised the issue in the legislature during question period Tuesday, as the timeframe for the project has dragged on far longer than originally outlined.
In January, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal pulled the Torquil MacLean out of the water so that slips could be replaced on both sides of St. Anns Channel. The upgrades to the Torquil MacLean’s launching and landing points in Englishtown and Jersey Cove were originally expected to stretch through until April 1.
“Well, April has come and gone, and so have the months of May, June, July, and August. Now we’re past Labour Day, and still no ferry,” Bain said in the house. “This delay is causing worry in the surrounding communities, and rumours are starting to swirl about when and if the ferry is finally going to resume service. My question to the minister is, will the minister update this House on the status of the project and when these communities should expect to see their ferry operational?
Lloyd Hines, minister for Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal replied that the Englishtown project was affected by weather “and the challenges that that represents when dealing particularly with ice scour in the area. That actually resulted in a significant redesign during the project when it was under way. Recently, Transport Canada has okayed the operation of that facility, and there is some fine
tuning going on. We are expecting that ferry will be open to the public shortly.”
Bain stressed that having the ferry out of service for nine months has inconvenienced residents and businesses and has caused emergency providers possible delays when responding to emergency calls.
In an interview, Bain noted there are rumours circulating in the community that they may not see the ferry return to service until next year.
“That’s what I was trying to do, get some of those rumours cleared up,” he said. “I can’t see them not opening it after spending all the money they’ve spent on it but how long is it going to take to make any corrections that have to be made?”
He also asked if the federal minister has signed off on it, why hasn’t it gone back into operation.
Bain noted the impact on several businesses including campgrounds on either side of the ferry, Kluskap Ridge RV and Campground and Joyful Journeys RV Campark Resort.
To offset some of the inconvenience experienced this year by those wanting to use the ferry, Bain suggested to Hines removing the fees for at least six months after it returns to operation, but said Hines failed to provide an adequate answer.
“I can certainly understand the frustration that particularly the local people are feeling with the loss of that vital service, which when you consider, represents quite a bargain for the users to be able to cut off that trip through Tarbotvale and get to your destination much closer,” Hines replied. “There are costs associated with providing that, the same as there is in any of the other highway structures. We’ll be looking forward to getting that back in service shortly.”
While the ferry was out of service, a retrofit and general maintenance to the boat was also completed. The final cost of the project is estimated to be $3.2 million.