Residents around Kootenay Lake rally to show how ferry strike is disrupting lives

Kootenay region residents who say reduced ferry service on Kootenay Lake has put their lives in turmoil rallied Friday with songs, placards and chants to encourage both sides in a labour dispute to reach an agreement.

Disruptions began on Labour Day when ferry workers with the  B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) limited runs between Balfour and Kootenay Bay in southeastern B.C. Negotiations with their employer, Western Pacific Marine, have reached a stalemate. 

The union has banned overtime during the dispute as members seek better wages and working conditions. Workers have been without a contract since March.

Gauri Taylor, who lives on the east shore of Kootenay Lake, is a member of the grassroots group that organized Friday's event, Our Ferry Matters. 

Taylor says her group has received lots of support — including from BCGEU officials who said they appreciate the show of solidarity from the community. 

"We're taking a stand and we just want to make sure everybody knows how important this ferry is to us and that we want the parties involved to come together and and bring us back our reliable service," she said.

Since the ferry is an essential route, the Labour Relations Board has ordered a minimum of three crossings on weekdays. But local businesses say they've suffered in the wake of the intermittent ferry service. Under normal circumstances, ferries would conduct 10 return trips across the lake each day during the winter.

Megan Rokeby-Thomas, the owner of Ladybug Coffee at the eastern terminus of the ferry route and another organizer with Friday's rally, says the impact on her business has been "devastating." 

"I've got five employees with me and I don't know how long we'll be able to keep them on if we don't get more traffic coming."

The group wants the provincial government to intervene in the labour negotiation. They say some members are heading to Victoria Monday to meet with their local representative to pitch their case. 

However, Michelle Mungall, MLA for Nelson-Creston and the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, told CBC News while she knows the ferry strike is extremely frustrating, the provincial government won't be able to get involved. 

"[Their] contract is very clear that the provincial government does not get involved at the bargaining table," Mungall said. "Unfortunately there's not really anything I can do."

In a statement, Western Pacific Marine said they hope to return to full service as soon as possible.