Wolfe Island residents skeptical new ferry will end delays

After years of waiting, Wolfe Island residents are worried that their newferry won't solve the island's long-running transportation problems when it launches next month.

The communityhas struggledover the past few years with inconsistent ferry schedules that have impacted theirdaily commutes and their access to emergency services.

According to aFriday news release from Ontario'sMinistry of Transportation (MTO), theWolfe Islander IV electric ferry will be able totransport 50 per cent more vehicles than its predecessor when it begins operations on Aug. 17.

But the boat is set to operate every 80 minutes between Wolfe Island and Kingston, Ont. an extra 20 minutes compared to the current service.

"It's going to be a miracle if it works more than a couple of days," said Mike Bromley, alocal business owner who runs a sign-making shop and fish farm on Wolfe Island.

Difficultforbusinesses

Bromley has lived on the islandsince 2005 and said because of the ferry's lack of operational consistency, he's had to spend entire days gathering all theraw materials for his sign business.

Delayshave also left those visiting his fish farm trapped on the island unable to get home.

"Because people coming from the mainland can't get on the boat [at] a specific time, I can't hang around waiting for people to to fish," Bromley said.

"I don't, as a business owner, want to have that obligation to accept their money to come fish and then leave them stranded in the [ferry]line."

Jason Pyke, a grain farmer on the island, said the unpredictable ferry schedule has also hurt his business, limitinghis access to supplies and equipment.

Pyke said hehas issues delivering produce on the mainland because peoplemaking the deliveries don'twant to get trapped by the delays.

"All of our inputs in the spring through summer for growing our crops needto come by that ferry. All of our crop leaving the island goes by that ferry," he said.

"It just becomes very difficult to do business."

Sink it, sell it or scrap it

Frontenac Islands Mayor JudyGreenwood-Speers said she's opposedto the new 80-minute schedule, which she seesas a downgrade from the current one-hour service.

"This is detrimental. This is stepping back," she said, adding that the only viable solution isto offer dual service by running both the old and new ferries at the same time.

In 2016,a study done by theMTOrecommended adding dual-vessel ferry operations as the "bestalternative" to the existingtransportation issues, but the ministry didn't implement it.

"I'm angry because the Wolfe Islander III is right there,"Greenwood-Speers said.

She also criticized MTO's communication with the municipal government, calling it"extremely poor."

"If they can't do thejob, sink it, sell it or scrap it. But do not hinder us."

According to the ministry, work is underway on charging and docking infrastructure improvements that will enable theWolfe Islander IVto run on a more frequent schedule in the future.

CBC has asked the MTOwhen those improvements will be complete and whether there will be dual-ferry service but has not received a response.

Longer Wolfe Island ferry service could 'kill us,' mayor says

1 year ago

Duration 0:53

Frontenac Islands Mayor Judy Greenwood-Speers said when she was growing up, the ferry schedule was every 40 minutes and anything longer than 60 for a round trip is a "no-go."