Eastern Quebec ferry service suspended until Tuesday

Both ferries serving drivers in eastern Quebec are out of commission.

Starting Thursday, cars and trucks must take an 800-kilometre detour through Quebec City to cross the St. Lawrence River.

TheNM Trans-Saint-Laurent, which connects Rivire-du-Loup to Saint-Simon in the Charlevoix region, made its last trip Wednesday and willundergo repairs over the next eight weeks.

TheNM F.-A.-Gauthier, serving residents of the North Shore and the Gasp,has been out of commission since Dec. 17.

Replacement air service betweenMatane,BaieComeau, andSept-leswill remain in place until Tuesday, Jan.8,when a temporary ferry service will take over for the short-term.

Quebec Transport MinisterFranois Bonnardelhas criticized theSocit des traversiers du Qubec, the Crown corporation that runs the ferries, for not finding a solution that would keep at least one ferry operational at all times.

Interim Parti QubecoisLeader Pascal BerubtoldCBC's Quebec AMhe wants a permanent backup ferry to be available to make sure drivers can get across the St. Lawrence in eastern Quebec.

Berub says those maritime links are crucial for regional businesses and for residents and tourists, andthe current lack of ferry service is bad for the region's economy.

The stoppageis expected to disrupt commuters as well as businesses that rely on supplies trucked from one side of the St. Lawrence to the other.