Several business owners are gearing up to file a lawsuit against the federal government concerning a mishandled bridge renovation that has caused congestion of vessels in the city’s inner harbour and jeopardized numerous jobs.
The refurbishment of the LaSalle Causeway has resulted in construction delays, trapping several commercial vessels in the inner harbour and rendering the only drydock in eastern Ontario inaccessible from Lake Ontario.
Originally scheduled to reopen on May 1, the federally managed causeway will not meet the deadline due to negligence during the construction process, as stated by the president of St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, which deemed this delay unacceptable.
“My ship has run aground in government incompetence and red tape,” Jason Clark said. “Other commercial owners are in the same boat.”
Clark has engaged with government officials and proposed a solution for freeing the trapped vessels, but said progress from federal bureaucrats has been sluggish. He emphasized that the futures of multiple businesses hang in the balance, highlighting the significant economic contribution of the marine industry in Kingston, amounting to millions of dollars annually.
St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, which has operated the Canadian Empress along the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers for over four decades, generates substantial economic activity from Kingston to Quebec City.
While the Empress was slated to embark on its first voyage of the season on May 10, the company has cancelled its inaugural cruise due to the government’s failure to commit to a definitive reopening date for navigation. Clark expressed concern that further cancellations may ensue.
Get daily Kingston news
With the sole drydock in eastern Ontario inaccessible, all vessels in the area, including local ferries and those from New York state, lack access to repair facilities, Clark added.
The federal transport minister is legally obligated to halt the flawed repairs and partially reopen the causeway by May 1, the customary commencement of the navigation season, to release the trapped vessels and facilitate access to the drydock. Clark proposed a feasible solution to alleviate the situation. However, Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez and local Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen have yet to take any action, Clark lamented.
“It’s scandalous that the federal government and the local MP who are supposed to protect Kingston jobs are twiddling their thumbs while several businesses face bankruptcy,” Clark said. “We have no alternative but to take the federal government to court if they fail to act now.
Should the federal government fail to promptly reopen the waterway, St. Lawrence Cruise Lines has instructed its legal counsel to initiate proceedings in the Federal Court of Canada.
“There exists a practical and straightforward solution, and it’s incredulous that we must resort to litigation to compel the minister to fulfill his duties,” Clark remarked. “He is severely failing this community.”
Global News reached out to Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) for comment last week and received a response Monday.
In an email a spokesperson said the PSPC was not able to comment on “potential financial liabilities” relating to the causeway’s closure.
The spokesperson said while “PSPC is working diligently to develop a solution to fix and reopen the bridge as soon as possible,” a time frame on when the bridge would reopen to pedestrians, vehicles, and marine operations “remains unknown at this time.”
“Once known, it will be communicated in a future public notice,” the email reads in part.
“PSPC continues to work in close collaboration with the City of Kingston to minimize and mitigate traffic impacts to residents.”