Trying to fit a new ferry into an older dock is going to be a tricky operation for the Ministry of Transportation as it moves to get the Wolfe Islander IV into service this spring.
According to internal documents from the MTO obtained by Global News, the existing ferry dock will have to be jury-rigged to handle the big boat and the warranty on that boat has already expired before it transports a single passenger.
Jon Kelly, a Wolfe Island cottager says his initial inquiry to the MTO about why the new ferry wasn’t running in 2022 as promised led to him filing a Freedom of Information request.
“I got a response that’s really a non-response,” said Kelly of his initial request.
The documents he received revealed that the ongoing delays to the dock construction meant that the new ferry’s warranty has actually run out before it’s even taken one trip from Kingston to Marysville.
“Not impressed — supposed to be going forward but we’re going backwards, and I think we’ve got a government in Toronto that really doesn’t care,” said island resident Des Pitts.
“I feel like it’s a bit of a shell game because we now don’t have ambulance service,” added Bill Coffin, also a resident.
The dock on Wolfe Island is expected to be complete late this year but the downtown Kingston dock still won’t be ready until 2025.
Frontenac Islands Mayor Judy Greenwood-Speers said she couldn’t get a clear reason from the MTO why the mainland dock is taking so long to complete.
“Not very specific, you know they’d like to attribute some to Covid and that but as I pointed out, Marysville kept going,” she said.
In a statement to Global Kingston on Thursday, the MTO highlighted the alternative plan that will come into place when the new ferry comes into service.
“The ferry will be using the existing dock which is being modified to accommodate the new vessel during the interim period while construction continues on the new dock.”
But, of course, that incomplete dock is the reason the ferry service might be 90 minutes once the new boat arrives, the single biggest concern for islanders.
“You should be aiming towards a 50-minute trip instead of an hour and a half,” she said.
For the man that filed the Freedom of Information request, he’s concerned less frequent service could move from temporary to permanent.
“If you set up a 90-minute turnaround, three years later is the ministry going to come up with the money to reduce it to a 60-minute turnaround? Seems highly unlikely to me.”
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