Latest news with #FogoIsland


CBC
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
No go to Fogo: Island residents board ferry protesting 'cowardly' government decision
Residents of a rural Newfoundland community have taken over the Astron W ferry in a bid to prevent the Newfoundland and Labrador government from relocating it elsewhere in the province. The sole ferry in service, the MV Veteran, is coming out of service due to mechanical problems "until further notice" after it arrives in Port Farewell, according to the provincial website 511. Mayor Andrew Shea said shortly after the town office closed Thursday he received a message saying the Astron W was leaving the Fogo-Change Islands service. "That's all we were told. And she was leaving at 3 a.m., so our office would be closed and the boat would be gone. You know, it's like sneaking away in the night," Shea told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning on Friday. The community faced a similar situation last year and the tourism industry was hit hard as a result of a "poor ferry service," he added. He said it prompted some residents to act quickly. "The people of Fogo Island decided 'Well, we're going to tie this boat on for a while,'" said Shea. He said as of Friday morning the Astron W is tied on, "And we're here until I don't know when." "We're hoping to maintain the crowd 24 hours, around the clock. As long as we've got to," he said. Thursday night Shea said they divided the protestors into groups so some would stay on the vessel overnight. He said the crew and captain were told if they need to make an emergency trip, the protesters would stay on. "Everything is going well with us. We're just there and we're not satisfied with what's happening and the way we've been treated," said Shea. Shea said no one from the provincial government called or told them how long the boat would be gone for. He's also frustrated that the message came in after the office closed so people would have only found out after the vessel was already gone. "This is a cowardly way to do things," he said. CBC News has asked the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for comment. 'Tolerated enough' Shea said he thinks the Astron W was set to head to Bell Island, as they've been having ferry service disruption. But he said if Fogo Island loses this vessel, they will be in the same troubled situation. Shea hopes the government will now communicate to the community what the situation is with the vessel. "We've tolerated enough with this ferry service and with the lack of communication between the government." PC MHA Jim McKenna, who represents Fogo Island, condemned the government's "complete breakdown in communication" with ferry users and community leaders in a statement released on Friday afternoon. He told CBC News in a later interview that he supports the protest aboard the Astron W, and that having the vessel stay with Fogo Island is the "solution." Small business owners like Sandy Crawford, who manages the Bangbelly Bistro on Fogo Island, say they need a consistent ferry service. "If this doesn't work out, it's going to be detrimental," Crawford said from the protest. Jarrod Oglan of the Fogo Island Ferry Committee said that's becoming a problem. "We had businesses last year that saw a decline of almost 50 per cent of their business because of the fact that the ferries had to be bounced around," he said. "People here are just kind of fed up with it at this point." 'Magic wand' CBC News spoke with Transportation Minister Elvis Loveless, before the Veteran was taken out of service. Loveless said his department has been "trying to juggle" available assets, and he respects the right to protest. "I understand the frustration. Believe me, it's frustrating for me as well to have to make such a decision because it's not an easy one," he told CBC News While Shea is upset with the situation, Loveless said the mayor of Wabana is also upset, as the Astron W would have gone to them. Loveless said the decision to "temporarily" reassign the Astron W was made late on Thursday and there is a communication process in place. "But in terms of the time that this was made yesterday, it was a late decision and we needed to get the Astron on the water and back to Bell Island. But unfortunately it's not," he said. Loveless called Shea's comments "unfortunate." "We have the right to make that decision," said Loveless. "I don't want to get into a back and forth with the mayor." He said his department is looking to issue an expression of interest for another swing vessel. "I wish I had a magical wand that I could have one in our possession tomorrow," Loveless said.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fogo Island ferry protest over, but more work to be done say organizers
Protesters aboard the Astron W ferry have finally disembarked as of 7:00 a.m. this morning. "The Astron is doing load and go all day until both side of traffic is cleared up," protestor Jessica Payne told the CBC, adding she still doesn't know when the other ferry, the Veteran, will return to the run. The protest started late Thursday night after residents received a notice the Astron W would be leaving the Fogo-Change Island service. The vessel was going to go to Bell Island, where there was only one working vessel. Yesterday evening, the province's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure made an update stating that the Astron W will remain on the Fogo Island route. The route's other ferry, the MV Veteran, is still experiencing mechanical issues and has technicians deployed to fix the situation, said department spokesperson Maria Browne. Chair of the Fogo Island Ferry Committee, Jarrod Oglan, says some protesters probably stayed on board after the update "just in case this was some kind of weird ploy to get everybody to go home." "I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people were just mistrusting of the way the department was handling things and wanted to make sure that the vessel was actually going to be making the runs," he said. Oglan says they were updated around 11:00 p.m. Friday night that repairs to Beaumont-Hamel Ferry were completed and could return to servicing Bell Island - Portugal Cove. He says after that point, protesters fizzled out because the Astron W was no longer needed on Bell Island. "I'm sure maybe some people decided to stick around just in case this was some kind of weird ploy to get everybody to go home," said Oglan. Oglan says the Astron W is now functioning on a load and go basis, and clearing traffic that accumulated while the Veteran was down and dealing with mechanical issues. Better communication needed During the protest yesterday, Oglan said he acted as a channel of communication between the protesters and the provincial government. Oglan says communication from government desperately needs to improve, and residents need to be given a "proper heads up" when changes are made to the ferry system. And while he doesn't feel like blocking the ferry was necessary, he said he supports residents voicing their opinion. "The traveling public was just fed up with what was happening and they took it upon themselves to go ahead and prevent the Astron from departing," said Oglan. Oglan says he doesn't want the government giving them anymore last minute updates when changes are made to the ferries, and he would like to see explanations about why vessels are moving sooner. "I'm hoping that we've learned from this that if we can get information out, people are understanding," he said. He hopes that going forward, the transportation and infrastructure minister will be more open to communicating with the committee. "The government at this point seems to be doing just a lot of Band-Aid fixes for a much larger issue at play," said Oglan. "They're using the boats as kind of like chess pieces in some political game that is messing with the lives of both the people on Bell Island and Fogo Island." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bell Island mayor calls for accountability amid ferry fiasco
The rural Newfoundland ferry saga continues on Bell Island's side of the tug-of-war for the Astron W vessel. The Beaumont Hamel ferry — used for the Bell Island to Portugal Cove run — has been out of service for five days due to mechanical issues, leaving the island with only the Flanders. The MV Flanders was operating on a load and go basis as of Friday. Wabana Mayor Philip Tobin has been calling for a third ferry, the relatively new Astron W, for some time. That vessel is now in limbo as Fogo Island protestors remain on board, demanding the Astron W stays with them. Fogo Island's regular ferry, the Veteran, went out of service shortly after. The situation leaves both small islands in a precarious state that the Wabana mayor says is both troubling and concerning. "The MV Flanders is 35 years old and with that comes constant mechanical issues and constant downtime issues, which affect the everyday livelihoods of the people on Bell Island," Tobin told CBC on Friday. Summertime is also Bell Island's peak season for tourism and business, according to Tobin. The ferry plays an essential part in the region's economy. "We have hundreds of people on a daily basis traveling to [St. John's] just for work, for medical appointments, etcetera, right? And they're not able to get to work," said Tobin. "It's just not acceptable what's going on." Tobin said it's time for the province to take accountability for the faltering ferry system and the tension it's creating between two rural communities. In an interview on Friday, before Fogo Island's Veteran went out of service, Transportation Minister Elvis Loveless said the department decided to temporarily move the Astron W to Bell Island for that reason. "We try to do what we can to accommodate them because we know … it's in peak time that people are traveling," said Loveless. However, he added, there are a number of "unknowns," including when the Beaumont Hamel will be back on the water. Meanwhile, PC transportation critic Jim McKenna says it's a matter of government neglect. "Scheduled maintenance and regulatory inspections are poorly planned. The Liberals have not made sure that there is an appropriately sized swing vessel," he wrote in a statement on Friday. CBC News has asked the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for additional comment. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
No go to Fogo: Island residents board ferry protesting 'cowardly' government decision
Residents of a rural Newfoundland community have taken over the Astron W ferry in a bid to prevent the Newfoundland and Labrador government from relocating it elsewhere in the province. The sole ferry in service, the MV Veteran, is coming out of service due to mechanical problems "until further notice" after it arrives in Port Farewell, according to the provincial website 511. Mayor Andrew Shea said shortly after the town office closed Thursday he received a message saying the Astron W was leaving the Fogo-Change Islands service. "That's all we were told. And she was leaving at 3 a.m., so our office would be closed and the boat would be gone. You know, it's like sneaking away in the night," Shea told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning on Friday. The community faced a similar situation last year and the tourism industry was hit hard as a result of a "poor ferry service," he added. He said it prompted some residents to act quickly. "The people of Fogo Island decided 'Well, we're going to tie this boat on for a while,'" said Shea. He said as of Friday morning the Astron W is tied on, "And we're here until I don't know when." "We're hoping to maintain the crowd 24 hours, around the clock. As long as we've got to," he said. Thursday night Shea said they divided the protestors into groups so some would stay on the vessel overnight. He said the crew and captain were told if they need to make an emergency trip, the protesters would stay on. "Everything is going well with us. We're just there and we're not satisfied with what's happening and the way we've been treated," said Shea. Shea said no one from the provincial government called or told them how long the boat would be gone for. He's also frustrated that the message came in after the office closed so people would have only found out after the vessel was already gone. "This is a cowardly way to do things," he said. CBC News has asked the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure for comment. Shea said he thinks the Astron W was set to head to Bell Island, as they've been having ferry service disruption. But he said if Fogo Island loses this vessel, they will be in the same troubled situation. Shea hopes the government will now communicate to the community what the situation is with the vessel. "We've tolerated enough with this ferry service and with the lack of communication between the government." PC MHA Jim McKenna, who represents Fogo Island, condemned the government's "complete breakdown in communication" with ferry users and community leaders in a statement released on Friday afternoon. He told CBC News in a later interview that he supports the protest aboard the Astron W, and that having the vessel stay with Fogo Island is the "solution." Small business owners like Sandy Crawford, who owns Bangbelly Bistro on Fogo Island, say they need a consistent ferry service. "If this doesn't work out, it's going to be detrimental," Crawford said from the protest. Jarrod Oglan of the Fogo Island Ferry Committee said that's becoming a problem. "We had businesses last year that saw a decline of almost 50 per cent of their business because of the fact that the ferries had to be bounced around," he said. "People here are just kind of fed up with it at this point." CBC News spoke with Transportation Minister Elvis Loveless, before the Veteran was taken out of service. Loveless said his department has been "trying to juggle" available assets, and he respects the right to protest. "I understand the frustration. Believe me, it's frustrating for me as well to have to make such a decision because it's not an easy one," he told CBC News While Shea is upset with the situation, Loveless said the mayor of Wabana is also upset, as the Astron W would have gone to them. Loveless said the decision to "temporarily" reassign the Astron W was made late on Thursday and there is a communication process in place. "But in terms of the time that this was made yesterday, it was a late decision and we needed to get the Astron on the water and back to Bell Island. But unfortunately it's not," he said. Loveless called Shea's comments "unfortunate." "We have the right to make that decision," said Loveless. "I don't want to get into a back and forth with the mayor." He said his department is looking to issue an expression of interest for another swing vessel. "I wish I had a magical wand that I could have one in our possession tomorrow," Loveless said. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page