Comments regarding:…

Comments regarding: Connecting the Southwest: A Draft Transportation Plan for
Southwestern Ontario

I recently had an opportunity to review Connecting the Southwest: A Draft Transportation Plan
for Southwestern Ontario and wanted to offer some comments regarding Action Item 11,
Provincial Ferry Services. I am a resident of Pelee Island and as such I depend upon the
ferry service operated by Owen Sound Transportation Company (“OSTC”). My comments
are:

1. I am pleased to read in the document that OSTC’s operations have been brought
under the Ministry of Transportation. This arrangement makes sense for Pelee Island.

2. I am concerned about what is meant by “streamlining of the delivery of ferry services.”
All of the users of the ferry services want these services to be delivered in as efficient a
manner as possible. However, if streamlining is a euphemism for cutbacks the
Province will not achieve its stated goals of “the reliable delivery of ferry services as
well as economic development by providing a more convenient experience for tourists,
encourage local employment and create better connected communities.”

3. I have always felt that the present ferry schedule was developed with little regard for
encouraging tourism, local employment, or the creation of better connected
communities. In my view, the ferry schedule should provide opportunities for day-trips
for tourists and for tradespeople to spend a full day on Pelee Island. At present, the
earliest ferry from Canada arrives at 11:30 AM, which certainly does not address the
needs of many visitors to Pelee Island. American visitors have no opportunity to visit
Pelee Island on a day-trip. There should be at least one opportunity per week for
American tourists to spend a full day on the Island during the summer months.

4. The current reservation system encourages some ferry customers (primarily part-time
residents and Island agricultural businesses) to game the system by making
reservations that they might or might not actually use. Frequently these reservations
are subsequently cancelled when the customer realizes that they in fact have no use
for them. In the meanwhile, potential tourists are turned away and Island residents
have difficulty scheduling appointments on the mainland because there are no sailings
available. OSTC has tried to address this problem by denying refunds for
cancellations within five days of sailing, but this has not been an effective solution. The
Ministry of Transportation should examine the policies of other jurisdictions (for
example, British Columbia) where a charge is made for a reservation (at the time of
booking) that is separate from the cost of passage. Reservations would be nonrefundable
and non-transferable. Travellers without reservations would be handled on
a first-come, first-served basis. The fare for passage could be adjusted downward to
make this change revenue neutral.

5. I am concerned that regular ferry service be maintained between Pelee Island and
Ohio. This service is important for both tourism and for the many American cottagers
who have seasonal residences on the Island. The anticipated retirement of MV Pelee
Islander jeopardizes this service. The remaining vessels in the ferry service fleet are
too large for the existing docking facilities at Sandusky, OH and are too large for the
number of customers that presently use the service. The Province should do whatever
is necessary to ensure that this ferry service is maintained, even if it requires a
partnership with a private ferry service operator with the Province providing docking
facilities at Pelee Island’s west dock.

6. I believe that an opportunity exists for the creation of a ferry service between Pelee
Island and Put-in-Bay, OH. This is a relatively short distance when compared to the
existing ferry connections. Tourism in both Pelee Island and Put-in-Bay would benefit
enormously from such a link as many tourists at each of these destinations would have
an interest in visiting the other island. Furthermore, since Put-in-Bay can be reached
by ferry from Ohio, this service would provide an alternative route for Ohioans to reach
Pelee Island and the rest of Ontario. The Pelee Islander might be an appropriate
vessel for this service. The Province should make it a priority to encourage the
development of a Pelee to Put-in-Bay ferry service by a private sector operator if it is
not willing to provide this service itself. The Ministry of Transportation should make the
west dock on Pelee Island available to whomever provides this service.