A document from Ontario transportation officials outlines the pros and cons of pressing the new Wolfe Island ferry into service this spring before the expanded docks are ready.
Global News has obtained internal briefing notes from the Ontario transportation ministry (MTO) that were acquired through a Freedom of Information request which reveal the potential tradeoffs that island residents may face — including the possibility of 90-minute ferry service, instead of the 60-minute standard — if the spring 2023 launch timetable for the new Wolfe Islander IV moves ahead.
Frontenac Islands Mayor Judy Greenwood-Speers, who says she has seen the internal notes, met with the MTO this week and they informed her the 90-minute ferry service is just a possibility during the transition period. But she remains concerned.
“We haven’t waited this long, the government hasn’t invested this much money for an inferior service,” Greenwood-Speers said.
The European-built electric ferry arrived in local waters with much fanfare in October 2021, but has still not seen active service with passengers for the 20-minute ferry ride between Kingston and Wolfe Island.
MTO briefing notes referring to a ‘Decision Note – Wolfe Islander IV’ from Aug. 1, 2022 outline two key reasons for the ferry’s 17-month in-service delay: an ongoing shortage of seafarers to staff the ferry, and delays in completing the dock infrastructure to support the vessel.
“Ongoing staffing shortages in the marine sector have impacted the ability to train crew on the new vessel as there has not been sufficient staff to provide coverage while others receive training,” according to the internal notes.
Global News has tried to contact MTO officials for comment on the internal briefing notes, but there’s been no response.
Kingston and The Islands MPP Ted Hsu says he’s been having difficulty getting answers from the MTO about the new ferry service timeline and staffing concerns, adding he’s sympathetic to the islanders’ plight.
“Ever since I got elected it’s been a series of things that have been happening to the ferry service on Wolfe Island and on Howe Island,” Hsu said.
The MTO notes outlined spring and fall options to get the larger battery-powered ferry into service to replace the nearly 50-year-old Wolfe Islander III, yet both scenarios appear problematic as the island and mainland docks currently under construction to accommodate the larger ferry won’t be fully completed at the same time.
“Construction delays have pushed back the shore infrastructure completion at Marysville to 2023 and Kingston to 2024,” according to briefing notes, adding the timelines are estimates.
The option to bring the Wolfe Islander IV into service this spring, which the MTO has indicated that it plans to do, will involve trying to fit the vessel into the existing dock space.
The dock will require temporary improvements such as mooring bollards, corner brackets and fenders and notch vehicle ramps to ensure the larger, more powerful ferry can safely fit into it, the memo explains.
The document says it could also extend ferry service to 90 minutes to allow for manual mooring procedures, while the automated mooring system is still under construction, plus extra time for vehicle and pedestrian loading and unloading.
“Requirement to manually moor the new vessel could result in up to 90-minute service versus the current 60-minute service resulting in public criticism due to a reduction in service standards,” according to the internal assessment.
But the document says launching spring service, with its complications due to ongoing dock expansion work, at least “responds to public criticism” that the ferry is not yet in service.
It also indicates that launching the larger ferry before dock improvements are complete could also cause traffic jams in downtown Kingston as the existing dock doesn’t have enough linear space between the ramp and Ontario Street traffic light for the complete unloading process.
The current unloading time is five minutes, but the new vessel will require 10 minutes.
In addition, the notes say the new ferry does not have a dedicated pedestrian walkway, meaning pedestrians will have to be offloaded at the Kingston dock first before vehicles can disembark, which would add to the loading/unloading period.
The new Wolfe Island ferry has a capacity of 399 passengers and 75 vehicles, nearly double the size of the existing vessel.
Even if MTO officials proceed with the spring in-service option, the new ferry warranty will have expired before it transports a single passenger.
“The new Wolfe Islander IV has a 16-month warranty period that is set to expire February 2023,” the notes indicate.
The notes also point out that Transport Canada will require two weeks of sea time without passengers on the planned ferry route, plus an additional two weeks of crew training with passengers, in order to be certified.
The other option discussed in last summer’s briefing is to wait until Fall 2023 to launch the new ferry, though this scenario would involve berthing the Wolfe Islander IV in the secondary slip at the Kingston dock.
This carries is own share of problems including inviting more public criticism of the ferry’s delay, according to the notes, which is a common theme in the briefing.
“Secondary slip may not have an operational auto-mooring system until the project completion in 2025.”
This would require temporary on-shore power at an additional cost in order to meet the 60-minute service time.
The secondary slip, which is designed for the aging Wolfe Islander III, will not have an accessible pedestrian ramp which, in turn, will require more time to offload passengers before vehicles.
“The ministry is still planning for a 2023 in-service date for the new Wolfe Islander IV,” according to a March 1 statement to Global News from Aruna Aundhia, senior media relations advisor for the MTO.
Aundhia says an industry wide shortage of seafarers has resulted in staffing challenges for ferry services.
The statement confirms that both the new and old ferries will not be operating at the same time, as islanders said they were promised.
“As a result, operating both ferries simultaneously would not be possible. The ministry is reviewing its hiring and staff retention practices to ensure both service continuity and value for Ontario taxpayers.”
The new Wolfe Islander IV and the Amherst Islander II ferries were touted as an environmental game changer when Canada’s first fully electric non-cable ferries were announced in March 2018, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 7.4 million kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, which is the same as taking 1,357 cars off the road, compared to conventional diesel ferries, according to a MTO news release at the time.
— with files from Ayrn Strickland