Border security threatens Ontario ferry

A man who runs a ferry that's operated between Canada and the United States for more than a century is worried that new security rules may scuttle the service.

The Horne Ferry shuttles about 80,000 passengers, mostly tourists, every season. It operates between Wolfe Island, Ont., and Cape Vincent, N.Y., between May and October.

Starting this year, Transport Canada wants a regular police patrol of the dock. But the small municipality on Wolfe Island doesn't have its own force.

"It boils down to whether the small municipality or the small business in the area is going to have to look after that," said the ferry's owner, Bruce Horne.

The fee for the ferry crossing is $10 for a car and driver, $1 a passenger, and $2 for pedestrians. Horne said he can't raise rates much higher and the cost of policing would add about $124,000 to the cost of running the business.

Horne said the Ontario Provincial Police should assume the responsibility and the cost. Police only visit Wolfe Island when called.

This week, OPP officials are scheduled to meet with Transport Canada to talk about what would be involved in regular patrols of the dock. Customs officials already screen passengers on both sides of the crossing.

The ferry will stop running if the family business is forced to hire its own full-time security officer, Horne said.