Long Island residents push for causeway

Residents of an island off Newfoundland's northeast coast want the provincial government to build a causeway rather than retool its ferry service.

Barbara Colbourne, a member of the Long Island Causeway Committee, said a recent meeting with Newfoundland and Labrador Transportation Minister John Hickey showed the province is leaning towards combining ferry service with Little Bay Islands.

"It's not the most rational option for Long Island. It's doesn't take into account the human factor— in fact, it's inhumane," said Colbourne, who said a combined ferry service will set back transportation services to a standard from three decades ago.

"Right now, we have a five-minute trip— just a five-minute ferry trip— that's going to turn into a 30-minute ferry trip if we have to go with one ferry for both islands… which is what the department is recommending," she said.

"We're going to go from 11 trips that we have daily here now down to four, maybe."

A report by the BMT Fleet Technology consulting firm recommended that the provincial government move quickly to modernize the fleet that services islands such as Long Island and Fogo Island, as well as remote coastal communities.

The report, made public earlier this month, also noted that the population of many rural communities is declining rapidly. It recommended cutting the size of the fleet on Newfoundland from 14 to 12 vessels, although it did not spell out which ferry services could be combined.