Province promises better service, lower fares for Lower North Shore travel

The Quebec government will slash travel costs — including, in some cases, offering free plane tickets — for residents in two of the remotest regions in the province.

Transport Minister François Bonnardel announced recently that new, lower fares will go into effect Dec. 24 for passengers of the Bella Desgagnés.

The mix-cargo ship connects communities along the Lower North Shore and Anticosti Island with the rest of the province. 

Residents who board the ship with their vehicles will see ticket prices decrease by 30 to 85 per cent. The measure applies to vehicles measuring between 6 metres and 6.4 metres in length, roughly the size of a pick-up truck.

There will also be more reserved beds for residents who travel overnight. The standard cost for a four-person cabin will drop from $73 to $50. Plane tickets will be provided to passengers if a crossing is cancelled.

Increasingly unpredictable weather has to lead to frequent delays for the Bella Desgagnés, making it difficult for people to plan their trips, whether it be for personal travel or medical appointments.

"For the past five years, especially in the last year, I've had to call the STQ (provincial ferry service) every week," said Randy Jones, mayor of the Lower North Shore community of Gros-Mecatina, which is not connected to the provincial road network.   

Bonnardel said because weather conditions are "constantly evolving," the government wanted to move quickly to address what had been a long-standing demand of local officials.

"We heard the concerns of mayors on the Lower North Shore," Bonnardel said.

Free airplane tickets

In 2017, the Bella wasn't able to make 19 scheduled stops along the coast because of thick ice and heavy waves. This has happened eight times, so far, in 2018. 

Under the government's plan, when the ship cannot dock at all, residents will receive free air travel if their ticket was purchased more than 24 hours in advance.

"We can't just tell people 'The Captain has decided we can't dock, see you in a week'," said Bonnardel.

The ferry company will share its passenger manifests with local airline companies, but it will be up to the traveller to book their ticket.

"To see that they're going to take care of people if the boat can't come in to port, that makes a lot of sense to us," said John Pineault, mayor of the municipality of Anticosti Island.

He was also pleased to see a 45 per cent drop in shipping costs for snowmobiles and ATVs, which used to cost as much as a regular vehicle.

"Those are part of life here," Pineault said.

The new prices will be effective as of Dec. 24, the Bella's next scheduled downstream voyage from Rimouski to Blanc-Sablon.