Ontario bought a pair of ferries for $94M. More than 2 years later they're still not in service

A pair of electric ferries, purchased by the province for roughly $94 million, have yet to begin full service more than two years after arriving in the waters around Kingston, Ont.

In fact, the Amherst Islander II (AI2) has yet to transport its first passenger.

The Wolfe Islander IV (WI4), meanwhile, has welcomed aboard just 2,614 passengers to date, according to figures obtained by CBC through a freedom of information request.

That's a tiny fraction of the total number of passengers who regularly use the route. A provincial media release from 2018 announcing Ontario's plans to build the new vessels stated the ferries carry approximately 900,000 and 300,000 passengers a year to and from Wolfe Island and Amherst Island respectively. 

It said the AI2 was expected to enter service by early 2020, with the WI4 starting up in 2021.

In September 2021, Ontario's then-transport minister Caroline Mulroney provided a different timeline. In a post on social media she announced the ferries had arrived in Canada, adding the plan was to have them up and running the following spring.

That deadline has come and gone, and residents who rely on both vessels as a vital link with the mainland still don't know when they'll enter service.

59 trips to date

In November, the Ministry of Transportation said the WI4 was in the "final stages" of crew training with some passengers aboard as part of the vessel's "soft launch." Work to update docks to accommodate the new ferries continues.

Data provided by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) shows the WI4 completed 59 trips between Aug. 15 and Dec. 30, 2023.

Its maiden voyage caught many by surprise, offering a glimpse of the new vessel's fancy interior and creating a sense of excitement.

That emotion has since soured into frustration, according to Township of Frontenac Islands Mayor Judy Greenwood-Speers, who said it's "disappointing" the trips haven't continued.

She summed up the new ferry's accomplishments so far with one word: "insufficient."

Asked why the ferry hasn't continued to carry passengers, the MTO said it's encountered "additional concerns" from the municipality and "paused" operating the WI4 while it looks into them, noting the issues will determine the timeline for the new ferry to return to service.

A spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of the Environment said its understanding was that Wolfe Island residents believe there are water quality issues that may have been caused by construction on the new ferry docks and the operation of the vessel itself.

The Environment Ministry said further information would need to be provided by MTO and Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).

In an email, a spokesperson for DFO said it hasn't requested any change to the ferry's operation, though MTO had reported a "sediment issue" at the dock last month and was investigating.

MTO did not immediately respond to requests for more details.

"MTO has been very closed-mouth as to what their current issues are," said Greenwood-Speers. "If there are more issues that are surrounding that boat, then they need to come clean on it."

Ramp wrecked by 'newer mate'

Meanwhile, residents of Amherst Island are still waiting for training to begin aboard their new ferry, and an incident involving the WI4 hasn't helped.

An email from Kevin O'Shea, who's listed in Ontario's online directory as MTO's head of marine engineering services, explains why.

The messages sent Aug. 21, 2023, and obtained by CBC through a separate FOI request, state that on the Thursday before, a "newer mate" was at the helm as the ferry was leaving Wolfe Island.

They "inadvertently" turned the steering control in the wrong direction, causing the ferry ramp to bang into a terminal fender and bending it so it would no longer sit flat, the email reads.

"There were no reported injuries other than the pride of the Mate and Captain and no other part of the vessel made contact with the shore," O'Shea wrote.

Photos included as part of the FOI response show the ramp buckled where it connects to the dock, instead of lying flat.

O'Shea wrote that staff believed the ramp must be removed in order to be fixed, but noted the work wasn't expected to take very long.

"We anticipate a few days for repair then install later next week," his email reads.

In the meantime, MTO staff turned to the Amherst Islander II, commandeering its ramp for the WI4 so training could continue on the bigger ferry.

Despite the suggestion that fixing the ramp should only take a matter of days, the ministry told CBC that work is still underway six months later.

"Our ministry continues to work with our contractor to ensure repair work is prioritized," MTO stated in an email sent this week.

Amherst Islanders feel ferry was 'used for parts'

The ministry previously told CBC the absence of the ramp hadn't impacted the launch date for the AI2, which is owned by the ministry but operated by Loyalist Township.

Deputy Mayor Nathan Townend agreed the loss of the ramp hasn't impeded AI2 much, only because it's taken so long for training to begin. However, he agreed it was "problematic" from a public relations standpoint.

"It appeared to our residents as though our boat was basically being used for parts," he said. "Which at face value is ... kind of true."

Townend said the community anticipates it will get its ramp back "very shortly" and Amherst Islanders should expect an update on when training will begin sometime this week.

He said his constituents are disappointed their new ferry isn't yet in service, but added their biggest source of frustration seems to be with a lack of communication from the ministry.

For that reason, he wasn't willing to provide a date for when the AI2 will be operational beyond saying sometime in 2024.

Over on Wolfe Island, Greenwood-Speers said the ministry indicated to her at the beginning of the year that WI4 might be operational in April, though she doesn't have much faith in that prediction.

"At this point in time they haven't hit ... a date a week, a month or even a year," she said.

With the typically busy tourist season on the horizon, Greenwood-Speers said it's essential Wolfe Island has a ferry that can deliver passengers to the village of Marysville where most of its shops and restaurants are located.

That's where the WI4 is currently moored and immobile, blocking access to the dock.

Greenwood-Speers said if the new ferry still isn't carrying passengers by the summer, she'd like to see it hauled out of the way to make room for a vessel that can.