Kingston cruise companies fear losing thousands of passengers while awaiting bridge repair

Cruise boat operators in Kingston, Ont., say they're already losing passengers and are poised to lose tens of thousands more if the federal government sticks to its timeline for fixing the LaSalle Causeway.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) estimates the causeway — damaged at the end of March and closed to all traffic since — won't be fixed until July.

Now more than a month since the unexpected closure, companies have described the department having a "lack of urgency" in finding a solution.

"It's extraordinarily frustrating," said Eric Ferguson, general manager with Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises. 

"We believe that the federal government can take action on some of these things faster ... They need to do it in a matter of weeks, not months."

Three cruise ships are among the vessels marooned on the wrong side of the bridge.

The companies, along with thousands of others who rely on the century-old crossing, have been waiting for information on when it will reopen. 

A statement shared by PSPC late Friday afternoon wasn't what they wanted to hear.

The department said repairs are expected to take eight to 10 weeks, adding that timeline could change if any "unforeseen issues" are uncovered.

While that work is underway, the government said it's "exploring" other options to allow pedestrian, cyclist, vehicle and marine traffic to resume.

The cruise operators had proposed solutions to free their boats, including temporarily removing a concrete span to let them through. Ferguson said PSPC's line about weighing other options could give the impression the marine problem might be solved sooner, but that's not the case.

"You might read it and think that the federal government is planning to act fast for boats," he said.

"They're not. Their plan is to move slow. That's not acceptable."

According to what cruise boat companies have been told, taking out part of the crossing would take 12 to 14 weeks — even longer than the current timeline for fixing the bridge.

Survival at risk from 'lack of urgency'

St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, which has already been forced to cancel two trips on The Canadian Empress, said last month it was prepared to take the federal government to court over its "bungled bridge overhaul."

The company hired its crew for the season in March and will continue paying and training them, but they're essentially "hanging in the wind," said marketing co-ordinator Daniel Beals.

After weathering pandemic closures, "we don't want the reason we don't survive to be a lack of urgency from the federal government," he added.

Tourism Kingston CEO Megan Knott described the cruises as an anchor attraction for the city.

"If you think about 150 people on a cruise per day, that's about $40,000 in economic impact for one cruise. You have multiple cruises a day, over multiple months a year," she told CBC, just over two weeks into the causeway closure.

"It's really important that we figure out how to bring those boats back."

PSPC trying to 'accelerate' opening: minister

Canada's minister of Public Services and Procurement said he recognizes how important the waterway is for the community and local businesses, but stressed the need to ensure the causeway is safe.

"Every possible way to accelerate the opening of the bridge ... is considered and we will put into place," Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters following question period on Monday.

Ferguson, from Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises, questioned why PSPC waited so long to share how long the closure would be.

He said the government should offer companies funding to replace lost revenue, so they can continue to employ staff and called for PSPC to speed up its search for a fix, including paying for cranes to lift smaller boats over the causeway.

All the while, his company is booking up the Island Queen — their one boat on the right side of the bridge — as a way to absorb a tidal wave of cancellations while they await a solution.

"Right now those calls are coming every few days. Soon those calls will be every hour," said Ferguson. "The impacts have already begun. The federal government is causing those impacts."