P.E.I. MLA fears for future of Northumberland ferry service

The MLA representing the Wood Islands area, home base of the ferries running between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, is wondering whether the federal government is paying any attention to what's going on with the service.

Darlene Compton said there is confusion within the provincial government about who to talk to in Ottawa aboutthe ferries.She told Island Morningon Wednesday she would be writing to federal Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who was appointed to that role last year, to request a meeting.

"With the new minister, is the ferry even on his radar? That's the question that I have," said Compton, adding she hears daily complaints about the unreliability of the service.

"The big concern is what does the future look like for Northumberland Ferries and the ferry crossings between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia."

Island Morning11:05MLA concerned over ongoing issues with P.E.I.'s ferry service

It's been a rough few years for the ferries that run between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia.Darlene Compton, the MLA for Belfast-Murray River, tells us what she's hearing from Islanders about the service's reliability challenges.

It has been a difficult few years for the service.

In July 2022, theMV Holiday Island, which was launched in 1970, caught fire with a load of passengers on board. There were no serious injuries, but the ferry was beyond repair and scrapped.

A temporary replacement was found before the end of August, the MV Saaremaa, but that vessel is not designed for the rough weather in the Northumberland Strait, and high winds regularly pull it out of service.

The MV Confederation, launched in 1993, is also aging and has lost service time due to the need for repairs. At one point last summer it was off the water for two weeks because a replacement part had to be specially made.

Islanders were expecting a more appropriate temporary replacement for the Holiday Island this summer. The federal government purchased the MV Fanafjord last fall for $38.6 million, but its arrival in Canada has been delayed until this fall at the earliest.

A permanent replacement for Holiday Island was announced in 2017, five years before it burned. That new, purpose-built ferry is not due to be ready until at least 2028.

'Stuck in Wood Islands'

Weather has been an issue for the Saaremaa this week in particular, and Compton said she heard complaints from families trying to get their children back to the mainland for the new university semester.

"Sitting there at the ferry waiting to hear whether the service was going to actually cross, and it was cancelled," she said.

"So they're stuck in Wood Islands at seven o'clock at night and they still have to get their child to Dalhousie or wherever."

People will only put up with these frustrations for so long, said Compton, and that jeopardizes the future of the service.

"If the ferry service is not reliable, people are not going to use it," she said.

"There are going to be fewer crossings. Fewer crossings, does that lead down the road to totally getting rid of the service?"

Closure of the service, she said, would isolate the eastern end of the Island, and leave the province with only the Confederation Bridge connecting it to the mainland.