Deer Island ferry service to be run by private operator

By the spring of 2009, ferry operations to and from Deer Island will be privatized as part of the Fundy Islands Ferry Services Project. New Brunswick Transportation Minister Denis Landry announced on February 21 that operation of the Deer Island ferry service will be included in the request for proposals (RFP) to design and build new ferries for Grand Manan Island and White Head Island and operate those services for 15 to 20 years.

Dana Conley, chairman of the Deer Island Local Service District, is pleased with the decision. "If it means more reliable service on more dependable equipment and no cut in hours of service, how could you be against privatization?" he asks.

Deer Island residents have been frustrated with the service in recent years, with both ferries for the island experiencing problems. The Deer Island Princess II suffered a series of electrical and mechanical problems in 2004 and 2005, causing it to be off its run several times, including for five weeks during the winter of 2005. The John E. Rigby was also off its run at times because of a series of mishaps, including running aground and hitting the shore. Then MLA Eric Allaby had called either for a fixed link to the mainland or for the province to turn the service over to another operator.
"The Deer Island Princess II and the John E. Rigby sail in difficult conditions and operate in a complex regulatory environment," Landry said in making the privatization announcement. "A private operator will provide focused management and will help the service to operate in accordance with the Canada Shipping Act. It will also be more efficient to have all of our coastal-water ferries managed by the same operator."

Three companies, Coastal Transport Ltd., NFL Holdings Ltd. and Kent Lines Ltd., responded to the department's request for qualifications to build the new ferries and operate the service, and a request for proposals will be issued to the three firms in the next several weeks.

The Department of Transportation will require the new operator to consider all Deer Island ferry personnel for employment. "These 23 employees know the vessels and the waters better than anyone else. We fully expect the private operator will want to take advantage of that expertise when it assumes responsibility for the service in spring 2009," Landry points out, adding that the department will make every effort to reassign those employees who are not successful in obtaining employment with the new operator.

The Deer Island ferry service operates 16 hours a day between Deer Island and Letete on Route 172. Two ferries serve the island, the 24-car Deer Island Princess II and the 18-car John E. Rigby.