Latest news with #WolfeIsland
CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
Blown diesel generators the latest hitch for electric Wolfe Island ferry
Social Sharing A union official says blown generators are plaguing ferry service to Wolfe Island near Kingston, Ont., as what's supposed to be an electric vessel continues to run on diesel while waiting for its charging infrastructure to be set up. The problem came to a head this past weekend when mechanical issues again knocked the Wolfe Islander IV (WI4) out of service, stranding frustrated residents with no way to cross between the island and mainland for hours. "What's happening is we're running it on its backup power source," explained Lee MacLaren, a ferry captain and president of OPSEU Local 428, which represents crew members. "These generators are continually going down on us, and with the lack of spare parts and running it in a manner that it's not designed [for], we're putting a lot of stress on it." Unscheduled maintenance took the WI4 out of service last Thursday, with the old ferry brought in to carry passengers until the new boat returned Saturday morning. But just a few hours after the WI4 started ferrying passengers once again, Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) announced on social media that it had run into "mechanical issues" around 8:18 a.m. A second service outage was posted about at 3:13 p.m., again due to an unspecified mechanical issue, before the vessel was back in action shortly before 7 p.m. Internal note says generators cause outages CBC first started asking MTO about the maintenance issues on the morning of July 17, but did not receive a response to questions about the cause. The ministry also did not reply by deadline to a separate request for comment about the weekend disruptions and whether the diesel generators were to blame. A ferry service update sent out by email from MTO during the disruption Saturday afternoon said the ministry "recognizes the vital connection the ferry provides, and we thank you for your patience and understanding." As CBC previously reported, despite different Ontario governments using the WI4 as an example of the province leading by example in the fight against climate change, the ferry — which was designed to run on electricity — continues to burn diesel, with monthly fuel bills ranging from $150,000 to $200,000. The maintenance issues are just the latest in a series of headaches and delays for the new boat, which finally entered service last August before a gash was torn in its hull and it was towed away for repairs in early December. An internal MTO information note, obtained through freedom of information legislating, said some of that work on the boat focused on its generators in order to "mitigate wear on the units and prevent future outages." It also said modifications to the exhaust system had been completed to prevent the generators from overheating. MPP says residents are frustrated Kingston and the Islands MPP Ted Hsu visited the Kingston dock Saturday and said he found people upset by the outages. "They expect a ferry service that isn't being disrupted as often as this ferry is," he said in an interview Monday morning. Hsu said generator breakdowns are happening "often" because the boat is meant to be running on electricity stored in batteries, but their charging stations have yet to be installed on shore. In the meantime, the generators are "not supposed to be running all the time" and so keep blowing out, he said. Construction on the Kingston dock was initially supposed to be finished in 2023, but that deadline has since been pushed into 2026, with the possibility of work continuing into 2027. Hsu said he's been in contact with the ministry and is in the process of setting up a briefing to find ways to cut down on the disruptions in the meantime. One possibility he proposed is for spare parts to be stored on the ferry itself, so repairs can be made more quickly if a generator breaks down. Union calls outages a safety issue The Liberal MPP also said he wants to see if there's some sort of compromise where the chargers are set up before the dock is finished. "If the charging infrastructure is not completed soon, the generators will continue, probably, to to have problems," said Hsu. MacLaren, the union president, said if the ferry disruptions do continue, the ministry should be quicker to bring the older Wolfe Islander III into service to avoid situations like Saturday where the island's only lifeline is cut off. "Shutting down the ferry for the better part of a day is incredibly dangerous," he said. "Aside from getting to and from work ... there's a real safety concern with emergency response ... should someone need an ambulance or police service."
CBC
09-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ontario's electric ferries are still running on diesel, and costs are adding up
For years, different Ontario governments have used the electric ferries for Wolfe and Amherst islands as evidence the province is leading by example in the battle against climate change — but both vessels are still being powered by diesel fuel. The two boats have been serving their communities near the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River since last summer. However, charging infrastructure has yet to be fully installed. Mark Sibley, a member of local environmental group 350 Kingston, said he was elated in 2018 when the province first announced the ferries would be electric. He summed up his reaction to the ongoing use of diesel in one word: "Disappointed." "Let's get on with it," he said. "The time has passed that they should have been electrified." Invoices obtained by CBC through a freedom of information request provide a snapshot showing the boats have burned hundreds of thousands of litres of fuel, with monthly costs to taxpayers ranging between $150,000 and more than $200,000 for each ferry. While the Amherst Islander II (AI2) has experimented with intermittent charging, it may take until 2027 for the Wolfe Islander IV (WI4) to go fully electric as construction on its docks drags on, according to Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Invoices show fuel consumption, costs Receipts from MTO show that between mid-August when the WI4 started officially carrying passengers, and early December 2024 when it was damaged and taken out of service, the ferry consumed 463,655 litres of diesel fuel. Over that period, the bills added up to a total of $683,366. Only invoices for December 2024 were provided for the AI2, but they show the boat used 146,685 litres of fuel at a cost of $213,432 during that period. CBC also requested electric receipts, but according to the FOI response dated June 2, "no records exist pertaining to electricity costs." As of that point, the ministry had "not yet used shore-based electricity to power these vessels," it read. The Amherst Islander II is operated by Loyalist Township, which typically covers 10 per cent of the costs through user fees, while MTO picks up the rest of the tab. However, Deputy Mayor Nathan Townend said the ministry has been covering 100 per cent of the fuel costs since the AI2 arrived. He said residents are thankful for provincial investments including an air-conditioned terminal and washrooms built on the new dock to service the ferry. Townend said he hopes it will be fully electric "very shortly." "The purpose of these boats is to be electric boats, and to help Ontario meet its climate targets," he said. "We will get there." Sibley said he recognizes the ferries have faced obstacles, but he believes continuing to run Ontario's so-called electric boats on diesel signifies a failure to meet the challenge of climate change. "We're in a climate crisis that demands urgency," he said. "It's symptomatic of governments that are not moving with sufficient speed and scale." Like taking 1,375 cars off the road A March 2018 news release from MTO announced the province was "Fighting Climate Change with New, Clean Ferries," with Ontario ponying up $94 million and the Canadian government forking over more than $31 million. Residents will "soon be able to ride a ferry that is completely powered by electricity," read a quote attributed to then-minister of transportation Kathryn McGarry. Ontario's Marine Transportation Strategy, introduced by current Minister Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria roughly five years later, continued to highlight the boats as an example of Ontario "Greening Marine Transportation." "Those electric ferries are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 7.4 million kilograms of carbon dioxide per year compared to conventional diesel ferries, the equivalent of taking 1,357 cars off the road," it read. An MTO spokesperson said Sarkaria wasn't available for an interview about the continued use of diesel. In a statement sent by email, Julia Caslin wrote charging infrastructure for the AI2 is functional and being used intermittently, with testing ongoing before it can become fully operational in electric mode. Neither MTO nor staff with Loyalist Township specified how many times the ferry had so far run on electric power alone. The ministry said the WI4 is operating in hybrid mode, which uses diesel generators to charge the batteries that power the boat. That approach is expected to continue until charging infrastructure is completely installed on shore, with fall or winter 2025/26 targeted for the Wolfe Island side and 2026/27 for the Kingston dock, according to MTO. MPP says going electric could add speed Kingston and the Island MPP Ted Hsu recently met with ministry staff and said it's his understanding the WI4 won't be able to run full-speed until both charging stations are set up, meaning islanders will continue to wait longer than they otherwise might. "The hope is that we would go back to the original 60-minute schedule from the 80-minute schedule that we have now, once all of the electric charging and automatic mooring infrastructure is built and running," Hsu explained. The Liberal MPP said while the provincial government seems focused on building highways around Toronto, he's been pressuring officials to remember the ferries. He added he wants to see the boats succeed because he believes electric power — not fossil fuels — is the future. "It's cheaper to run and there should be less maintenance in the long run because it's electric, but ... in the meantime ... if it's $150,000-$200,000 a month, that's an extra cost that we're incurring."
CBC
08-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Alarms, more buoys among safety updates for Wolfe Island ferry after damage: MPP
Social Sharing Real-time course monitoring and navigational alarms that will sound sooner in strong winds are among the safety updates planned for the Wolfe Islander IV after the ferry was damaged, according to the region's MPP. Ted Hsu, who represents Kingston and the Islands, said he met with Ontario's Ministry of Transportation (MTO) late last month for a briefing about what was being done to prevent a repeat of the Dec. 4 incident that left the vessel out of service for months while it underwent repairs. The ministry has shared few details about what led to the incident in which the boat is believed to have struck bottom, tearing a roughly 30-centimetre gash in its hull and causing it to take on water. Documents obtained by CBC show the vessel had left its typical course when the damage occurred. Hsu said the ministry has made a number of changes, including conducting a new survey of the channel bottom and a plan to increase the number of buoys used to guide the boat between the island and Kingston from five to seven. "They're going to be all-weather, lit buoys, so the route is going to be marked a bit better," said the MPP. Changes are also coming to procedures aboard the ferry, he told CBC. Hsu said in the past former captains or crew members might go up to the bridge to visit with staff while the vessel was underway. That tradition can continue during the mid-point of a crossing, but only those actually on the job will be allowed on the bridge during departure and arrival, according to the MPP. "It's great that the community is is there, and there's a whole community of people who know the know the ferries, but they're putting in these new procedures to reduce the chance that there's another accident like this," he explained. In a post shared on social media Monday, the MPP wrote "enhanced training" including simulator exercises and drills for "more effective decision-making on the bridge" was also taking place. Hsu said he was told audible alarms have also been added to the electronic navigation system, which will sound earlier in "adverse conditions" such as strong winds. Historical weather data from Environment Canada shows winds of 40-45 km/h were blowing in Kingston around the time the ferry was damaged. That's led some residents to question whether the new ferry is a "fair-weather boat." "The Wolfe Islander IV has to serve the people of Kingston and Wolfe Island all year round in bad weather," said Hsu, who pointed out it also has a deeper draft than the previous ferry, meaning it's "less forgiving" if it goes off course. "I feel that MTO is doing whatever it can to make sure that it's an all-weather boat," he said. "Let's try these new procedures and and then make a judgment later as to whether it's an all-weather boat or a mostly fair-weather boat."
CTV News
05-07-2025
- CTV News
Toddler drowns in St. Lawrence River on Wolfe Island
An Ontario Provincial Police crest is pictured on an officer's uniform. (Supplied) A one-year-old girl drowned after being found unresponsive in the St. Lawrence River Friday morning, according to Ontario Provincial Police. Police say officers responded to Stoney Point Lane on Wolfe Island, south of Kingston at approximately 9:30 a.m. Family members and fire responders immediately initiated life-saving measures, OPP said in a news release. The toddler was transported to a regional trauma centre where she was later pronounced dead. 'The toddler's identity will not be released to safeguard the privacy of the grieving family,' police say. OPP Const. Joey Mason tells CTV News Ottawa the toddler was a young girl just months short of two-years-old. No foul play is suspected, he said. Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact OPP at 1-888-310-1122 and reference incident E250876060.
CTV News
28-06-2025
- CTV News
Body of missing person, 70, found under dock in St. Lawrence River, OPP investigating
An OPP cruiser is pictured in this undated photo. (Source: OPP Central Region) The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is investigating after the body of a missing 70-year-old person was found under a dock in the St. Lawrence River Saturday afternoon. Police say Leeds OPP received a call on Saturday at 12:30 a.m., reporting a missing per who was last seen at the ferry dock on Hitchcock Street on Wolfe Island. 'While officers were enroute to the location, the OPP received additional reports that a body had been located under the dock,' the OPP said in a news release Saturday. The body was identified as the missing person, according to police. To protect the privacy of their family, police will not give information about their identity. 'A postmortem examination will be conducted,' police added. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 and refer to incident E250840695.
