Mayor blames poor communication for Bell Island ferry woes

The mayor of Wabana says the government's lack ofcommunication and preparation was to blame for leavingresidents on Bell Island stranded last week.

• Bell Island ferry service to resume Saturday afternoon
• Bell Island ferry repairs aren't expected to be finished until Friday

Gary Gosine says the town nearly called a state of emergency, after ferry service between Bell Island and Portugal Cove-St. Philip's was at a standstill for several days.

"Our biggest problem, which costs nothing to fix, is the lack and breakdown of communication," said Gosine.

They didn't think it was going to happen, they weren't prepared.- Gary Gosine

The MV Beaumont Hamel was out of commission for a refit, but was brought back into service Saturday.

The MV Flanders was the only ferry servicing the runwhen mechanicalproblemsknocked it out of commission.

An emergency load-and-go helicopter service was brought in by the province to transport people last week.The helicopter was only able to accommodate three to four people per trip, andwasunable to fly when winds were too high.

Meanwhile, a resident facing a medical emergency Friday nighthad to be airlifted off Bell Island. A Cormorant from 103 Squadron in Gander was dispatched to transport the person to hospital in St. John's.

'Caught with their pants down'

While the MV Flanders is expected back this week and traffic is moving on one ferry Monday morning, Gosine said the province was unprepared to have the only functioning ferry out of commission.

"The government should have been better prepared for this, and I think it was a lack of people in management not being prepared themselves," he said.

• New Bell Island ferry MV Legionnaire launched in Romania

"They got caught, for a Newfoundland saying, they got caught with their pants down on this one."

Now that a ferry service has resumed,Gosine saidstore shelves are finally restocked and gas tanks are once again full.

Gosine said he wants to get the community together to discuss the problem, and possible solutions, to bring to the province.

"They didn't think it was going to happen, they weren't prepared, so we want to have our own local meeting first and then a group will sit down with the [province] to be better prepared if it ever does happen again."

Gosinesays he'saiming to have that meeting with provincial officials in the coming weeks.