Tancook Island residents upset after ferry's passenger capacity cut in half

Residents of two small islands off the coast of Nova Scotia say a drastic reduction in passenger capacity to their ferry service is threatening their way of life.

The William G. Ernst ferry has been crossing between Chester and Big and Little Tancook islands since it was built in 1982. Adults rely on the ferry to get to work, children use it to attend school, seniors depend on it to get to doctors’ appointments and the ferry also carries tourists out to the scenic islands.

“Our ferry here is our only link to the mainland. It’s our highway,” says Little Tancook resident Martin Hiltz.

“It’s a critical aspect of their lives each and every day and it’s nothing to fool around with,” says NDP MLA Denise Peterson-Rafuse.

However, the provincially-owned and operated ferry failed Transport Canada inspections last month. As a result, passenger capacity was cut by more than half – from 95 down to 45 people.

The Nova Scotia government has responded by adding more crossings, but Hiltz says passengers are getting left behind.

“In the past two weeks we’ve had people left on the docks. It’s quite consistent, actually,” he says.

Inspectors are concerned that if there was a breach to a specific compartment, in the middle of the hull, the ferry could sink. The same design would have passed inspection prior to 2012.

“I said the government wasted too much money on the Bluenose when they should have put it in the Tancook ferry,” says Big Tancook resident Faye Cross.

John Majchrowicz, the manager of marine services for the province of Nova Scotia, says the ferry is a safe vessel and its track record of more than 30 years of service speaks for itself.

He also says the province plans to appeal the Transport Canada ruling that reduces passenger capacity. However, the appeal process takes three months and the ferry’s next dry-dock isn’t scheduled until May.

Meanwhile, the ferry is operating on a short-term safety inspection certificate that expires in November. Many Tancook residents say that simply isn’t good enough.

“That’s what we all need to keep the islands alive, to keep tourism moving,” says Hiltz.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jayson Baxter