Unforeseen problems concerning the main ferry to Pelee Island may trickle down to the island's economy.
The Pelee Islander II, the state-of-the-art vessel whose capacity greatly supersedes that of previous ferries to the island, may be out of commission longer than anticipated due to a technical problem found during a routine pre-season inspection.
That news did not make Pelee Island Mayor Cathy Miller very happy. She told WindsorNewsToday.ca that while the Pelee Islander II is in drydock, they will be forced to go with the older Pelee Islander I, which has a fraction of the capacity, to move people and commerce back and forth.
"Whether it's two weeks or a month, it's impactful. It keeps happening," said Miller. "And the reason it keeps happening is that the Pelee Islander I is not meant to still be servicing this island. We were meant to have two large vessels serving this island."
Miller said the snag will pose more of a challenge to the island's businesses, who are trying to prepare for the upcoming season.
"It has more of an impact on our small businesses that are getting ready for tourism season on the island," said Miller. "We have a very limited window for our small businesses to get work done on their businesses, to have services looked after by contractors, and so on and so forth."
Support for farmers on Pelee Island appears to be more pressing.
"The larger issue at the moment is ensuring that the farmers on the island are able to get any of their inputs to the island, that all of their things are not substantially delayed," said Miller. "We were fortunate enough to be able to work with OSTC [Owen Sound Transportation Company] and the MTO to get a few round-trip runs at the end of March."
For those wanting to travel back and forth from the island, the Pelee Islander I will travel between May 5 and May 18, though the mayor has warned that getting passage may not be as easy as it usually is.
Miller also said that travel from the island to Sandusky, Ohio, will be put on hold until the Pelee Islander II is back on the water.
---with files from Adelle Loiselle
