Deer Island ferry announcement anticipated soon

With increasing pressure for the provincial government to drop its plan to reduce the Deer Island ferry service to only one vessel for a four and one-half month period each year, the area's representative in the New Brunswick legislative assembly maintains that an announcement will be made soon that the proposal has been scrapped in favor of other cost-saving measures. The plan that was announced last March calls for only one ferry, the Deer Island Princess II, to run from January 1 to May 15 every year, and the number of trips would be cut to one every hour.

Rick Doucet, MLA for Charlotte-The Isles, says a number of other options to reduce costs for the ferry service will be discussed shortly with provincial cabinet members, with the Department of Transportation set on reducing the ferry service's budget by $300,000. "I am confident that the options do not impact the ferry schedule at all," he emphasizes, and he expects an announcement will be made in September. The local MLA declines to discuss the options, but he says they will be aimed bringing a long-term resolution to the cost issues.

"I understand the anxiety of the people of Deer Island," says Doucet. "But it's an easy thing to throw money" to cover the costs of the ferry service. He says that, with the economic recession, the government has to look at cutting costs, and the cost to operate the Deer Island ferry service "has been ballooning at an alarming rate." The service cost $2.5 million last year and is projected to cost $2.9 million this coming year. "We have to run a more efficient service," Doucet says. He stresses, though, that the government wants to maintain a safe and reliable service.

Members of the West Isles Local Service District presented Doucet with 90 reasons for why the ferry service is needed, and he gives credit to the members for providing the information so that he can discuss with government officials what the islanders need. "My task is to find how to build in efficiencies" so that $300,000 can be cut in the budget for the ferry service.

Although Doucet says he has not seen the petition signed by 600 island residents opposing the reduction in service, he applauds them for submitting it. He adds that the petition would have helped him in arguing for maintaining the same level of service, but instead it was given to the provincial leader of the opposition, David Alward. "Had I received it in May, I would have delivered it to the House and signed it," Doucet says. "It's unfortunate that people are playing politics with this."

As for efforts to keep Deer Island residents informed, he says that members of the local service district have been kept updated and that people have voiced their concerns. Although there have been calls for a public meeting on the issue, Doucet questions what such a meeting would accomplish. When the expected announcement about the ferry service is made, he believes a newsletter or release will be sent out to the residents of the island.

Ferry privatization plan

Concerning plans to privatize the Deer Island ferry service, Doucet says a request for proposals issued by the provincial government in 2006 was for a contractor to design and operate a new 24-car ferry, as part of the Fundy Islands Ferry Services Project. The government, though, "had to go back to the drawing board," since only one proposal was submitted, and it was incomplete. In the spring of 2008, the government decided to build the ferry and then find an operator.

Islanders have been concerned about the plan for privatizing the ferry operation, fearing the loss of any local public control, the possibility of tolls being introduced and the possible impact on the crew. They are also concerned that there has not been any public consultation about the proposal.

Doucet says it's still "a solid option" for the government to issue a request for proposals for an operator for the ferry service in 2011. The MLA says the advantages of a private operator with a long-term contract include a business' ability to be more capable to meet issues on a daily basis and to build its own efficiencies. The performance-based contract, he says, will require that the operator maintain the ferry schedule at set times. There would be options for penalties if the contract is violated. He says the charging of tolls for the ferry "would not be an option," noting that the provincial ferry services are an extension of the province's highway system, and there are no tolls on the highways.