Eastern P.E.I. business owners say ferry shutdown is devastating

Business owners in eastern P.E.I. say it's devastating to have ferry service between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia cancelled until at least mid-July.

Northumberland Ferries announced Monday MV Confederation ran into mechanical problems that would take it out of service for three to four weeks.

A second ferry, MV Saaremaa 1, is now in drydock in Quebec and isn't scheduled to arrive until early July.

Trish Carter of Galla Design Studio in Belle Riversays the closure is debilitating for small businesses who rely on the traffic from the ferry.

She said she feels like she's being kicked again.

"We went through the ferry last summer. We went through Fiona and now we're dealing with this," Carter said.

"We're talking two weeks ago and we're like, 'This is our summer. This is going to be a great summer. Nothing else can happen.' And we're so wrong. So it's a kick. It hurts."

'We're missing our customers right now'

Last July,MV Holiday Island caught fire. Nobody was seriously injured, but the ship was determined to be beyond repair and scrapped.

That left just one ferry, the Confederation.

Northumberland Ferries was able to secure the Saaremaa 1 as a backup ship last August. But Donny Easterbrook, chef at the Wood Islands Whistle Stop, said he's nervous.

He said businesses owners and all people in eastern P.E.I. want the Confederation fixed as soon as possible.

"We're missing our customers right now. We don't have too many coming in," Easterbrooksaid.

"We're looking at alternative ways to bring in more traffic, more local traffic, and get the people here to enjoy our food."

Museum says itrelies on ferry traffic

Gloria Shaw, manager of the Wood Islands Lighthouse Museum, said her heart sank after she heard the ferry service was being shut down for so long.

"A lot of tourists come here right off the boat," Shaw said.

"We also get people coming down, they come early if they're going to cross on the boat to come here first. And we get people sometimes if the boat is delayed ... So we do depend a lot on the travel off the boat."

Treena MacLeod, owner of Treena's Takeout on the wharf in Wood Islands, has seen her fair share of challenges since starting her business two years ago, including COVID-19 and post-tropical storm Fiona.

"It's my first foray into being a business owner. So they've been interesting [times] for sure," said MacLeod, standing in front of her business with the Confederation looming large over the roof.

Ferry a 'second thought'

"It's peak tourism season. Next week is Canada Day and the weekend after that, I think, is Cavendish Beach Music Festival weekend. So I mean we are kind of in the peak tourism season. The whole community is going to take a bit of a hit, for sure. It's tough."

All customers with reservations on sailings up to July 10 will be contacted to arrange a refund or re-book for alternate dates.

Carter said she's already seen a drop in business and she's worried about what the next three to four weeks are going to be like.

"If this were the bridge, the bridge would probably be up faster," she said.

"But it feels like to a lot of us down here that the ferry is a second thought."