Province won't provide specifics on schedule for new Wolfe Island ferry
MTO hopes to offer service as close to current 60-minute round trip as possible
By now, Wolfe Islanders are accustomed to waiting for the ferry.
It's been more than a year since the bigger, electric Wolfe Islander IV was supposed to be in service.
But even when the new vessel starts ferrying passengers, it's not clear what its schedule will look like, meaning there might be even more waiting in the future.
Islanders say anything longer than the current 60-minute standard for a round trip will have devastating effects for residents and businesses. The mayor for Frontenac Islands calls it a "no-go" and an "economic killer."
Residents haven't waited this long only to get inferior service, said Judy Greenwood-Speers.
"The wait time is killing us and that's existing right now," Greenwood-Speers said.
Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) stopped short of a commitment to hourly trips, however.
In a statement to CBC, a ministry spokesperson said scheduling adjustments may be needed during dock construction and even after it's complete, as equipment becomes available and crews and passengers adapt to the new setup.
Once the ferry is operating, MTO will carry out studies looking at how much time is needed for docking, loading and unloading.
"The ministry's goal is to provide safe and reliable service as close to the current 60 minute (round-trip) schedule as possible," the statement reads.
90-minute service mentioned in memo
The possibility of a 90-minute schedule was raised in an MTO document from last August titled "Decision Note — Wolfe Islander IV In-Service Timing," as first reported by Global News.
A copy of the memo was obtained by CBC under freedom-of-information laws, along with internal ministry emails discussing the reaction to it.
An ongoing shortage of trained crew coupled with construction delays are blamed for keeping the new ferry from service, according to the memo.
Manually mooring the vessel was raised as one way to get it into service sooner, but the document warns a "con" of that plan is it could stretch the schedule up to 90 minutes.
Listed on the "pro" side is the fact it would "respond to public criticism" about the new ferry not being ready.
In an email sent on March 3, MTO's head of marine services for the eastern region wrote that until Wolfe Islander IV is operational, the ministry won't be able to provide timing "with the certainty the public would want."
"We currently have 60 minute service, it may require 90 minute service or 80 minute service or 70 minute service," while work on the docks continues, Jason Buick wrote.
Carl Gallimore, MTO's head of marine operations, responded to the same email thread a few minutes later, describing 90-minute service as an "internal worst-case supposition," not a decision.
"There may (likely will) be an increase in overall round trip time" with the new ferry during dock construction, he wrote, adding the ministry may soon have some idea of just how long it will be.
"Doing the rough math, a 90 minute round trip with the bigger ferry would carry as many or more vehicles as 1.5 trips on the smaller ferry doing a 60 minute round trip," Gallimore wrote. "This knowledge won't make folks waiting in line any happier."
Longer wait would be 'devastating'
Four months after those emails were sent, MTO still did not provide any specifics when asked what the schedule will look like once construction is complete.
Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney first said the Wolfe Islander IV would be ready for service in spring 2022. The target then moved to this spring. Now the goal is this summer.
Today, the ferry is docked at Marysville, a village on Wolfe Island. Work there is expected to finish this year, while the timeline for construction on the Kingston dock extends into 2025.
Hugh Christopher Brown can catch a glimpse of the new ferry from the front door of Hotel Wolfe Island, which he co-owns.
A bigger, electric vessel should be a good thing for islanders and a boost to local business, he said, but if a round trip is longer than an hour it will be "devastating" for commuters.
"Anything beyond 60 is going to ... have an effect that won't be good," said Brown.
Construction at the dock has kept the old ferry operating out of Dawson's Point, about five kilometres away, leaving the village living on a "continuous gasp for air," he said.
Brown added the ministry needs to be clear with the community.
"We all have to hold on tight, but the only way to hold on tight is really to have communication to know what's going on."
Fast and frequent service needed
Jason Pyke grew up on the island and has been farming there for most of his life. Service disruptions and longer wait times will cause him problems, especially during harvest.
Pyke said Wolfe Islander IV appears to be slower-moving than the current ferry. He also fears it will take longer to load and unload, meaning he's expecting a lengthy wait between trips.
"It just it defeats the purpose," he said. "It just boggles my mind to think that we can spend this much money and not keep hourly service."
In its statement to CBC, MTO said the new ferry will provide almost 50 per cent more capacity. The ministry said it recognizes the ferry is a "critical mode of transportation" for residents.
Greenwood-Speers said the ability to carry more passengers only helps if they're able to get timely service. Longer waits between ferries will quickly add up as that time is doubled for anyone who misses their trip, she added.
The mayor grew up on the island and said the ferry schedule was every 40 minutes when she was a kid.
Both she and Pyke suggest running both the new and old ferries at the same time will ensure daily activities including school, work and doctors appointments are possible.
"Fast and frequent is what we need," said Greenwood-Speers. "We don't need anything longer."
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