LONG WAIT FOR NEW FERRY
Pelee Islander II overdue to start
The $40-million Pelee Islander II ferry, which arrived in June, continues to sit at the dock in Leamington with no indication when it may begin operations. Ontario’s transportation ministry owns the boat and at the time of its introduction said the new ferry should begin operation to the island in mid-September following training, preparation work and endorsement by Transport Canada. But nearly a month beyond that date, there are no answers when the ferry — which rolled into local waters with great fanfare — will actually start transporting passengers. “We were promised the new boat would start in September and here we are at a time of year when we really need it,” said Alex Bustard of Chatham, who own a cottage on the island which he visits every weekend. He noted the pheasant hunt began Wednesday on the island with several ferry cancellations this week due to high winds — a problem expected to be reduced once the new boat begins operating. “You ask people and everyone is being mum about it,” Bustard said. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with the boat. I just think it’s important that they be up front about this on what’s going on. You have $40 million of taxpayer money that has gone into this. “It’s much better to be open about everything, but it’s been dead silence. That’s when people start speculating.” Ministry of Transportation officials did not respond Wednesday to a request for an update on the new ferry’s status.
Owen Sound Transportation Company is the operator of the Pelee Island ferries — currently the Jiimaan and Pelee Islander. When asked Wednesday about the status of the Pelee Islander II, CEO Susan Schrempf indicated it was a question only the province’s transportation ministry could answer.
“I can’t say anything about because it’s not my call,” she said. “Anything dealing with when the ship goes into operation is a question for MTO.”
Pelee Island Mayor Rick Masse believes getting the ferry in operation has been slowed by “bureaucracy.”
“You have Transport Canada involved to allow them to sail it, but they contract the work out to a private company,” he said. “Then you have the provincial government and MTO. So you are going back and forth with the private company, federal government and provincial government, back to the private company, which can add to the confusion. “When people ask me, I just tell them it will happen when it happens. A big thing is they gave no drop-dead date.”
The most important thing is for the Pelee Islander II to operate safely whenever it gets the green light, Masse said.
“You want the boat to be safe and crew to do things safely,” he said. “That’s the biggest concern is that once in service it operate as intended and be a safe vessel.” The Pelee Islander II is supposed to replace the 58-year-old Pelee Islander, although the full process could take about two years. The Jiimaan, in operation since 1992, also needs to undergo repairs. The Pelee Islander II is designed to accommodate 399 people and 34 cars — or four tractor-trailers and 16 cars. It is roughly the same as the Jiimaan, although the older ship can’t accept tractor-trailers.