The Wolfe Islander III will not be returning to service the week following Labour Day, according to representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, due to continuing delays with the completion of the wheelhouse on the ferry.

"The ministry does recognize that this is the third delay in the Wolfe Islander III return to service and we know that these delays are very difficult for residents and businesses," Brandy Duhaime, communications officer with the Ministry of Transportation Eastern Region, said. "We do apologize for the impact this delay will have on ferry users."

She could not give a specific date for a return to service but stated that the shuttle service and other mitigations will remain in place until the ferry is returned.

The ferry has been out of service since April.

"We are continuing to closely monitor the work of the dry dock contractor and will provide an update on the return to service when we know the ferry is ready to sail," Duhaime said in a news release.

"It’s most disturbing for sure that they’ve once again delayed it, but this time without even any suggested date of when it might be ready," Denis Doyle, mayor of the Township of Frontenac Islands, said. "It’s not just the Wolfe Island people that are suffering, it’s the Amherst Island (people) and the people who rely on taking the Glenora Ferry across the gap to Picton."

Doyle got the news at the same time this afternoon as the media did.

The feedback Doyle’s received from residents, visitors and businesses has him upset.

"It’s totally unacceptable where people are waiting two or three hours in line for a ferry to get off the island," Doyle said. "We’re all suffering, and what’s worse is they have no contingency plan if one of these ferries breaks down. We’d be stranded and have to declare an emergency."

Dry docking is a federal requirement to ensure that the ferries and other vessels are in safe working condition, Duhaime added in a release. Heddle Marine is the only dry dock in Ontario large enough to accommodate the Wolfe Islander III. The cyclical nature of the mandated dry docking means facilities are working at or beyond capacity with vessels of all kinds.

"We are working closely with Heddle Marine to have the wheelhouse complete and return the Wolfe Islander III to service as soon as possible," Duhaime said. "The wheelhouse on the Wolfe Islander III has not been replaced or significantly rehabilitated since the ferry was built in 1975. Some elements of the wheelhouse have been repaired a number of times and have reached the end of their useful life. The wheelhouse is very cramped and does not have appropriate room for modern navigational and other technologies we use today. We need to ensure the space is safe and efficient for the captains and crew who are responsible for the operation of the ferry. This important work requires many skilled trades."

In July, Transportation Canada completed some inspections, which identified more required but unplanned work that needed to be done to the protection of the propulsion unit.

Until the Wolfe Islander III returns to service, the Frontenac II will continue to provide service from Kingston to Dawson Point. The bus shuttle from Dawson Point to Marysville will also continue. The Quinte Loyalist will remain in service at Amherst Island. The 30-minute, single-vessel service will continue at MTO’s Glenora operation.

"We’ll be able to provide an update once the ferry is ready to sail," Duhaime said. "Once we know, you’ll know."

It could take as little as approximately 48 hours after that notification for all the ferries to be back on their regular routes.

— The Whig-Standard