I cannot overstate the…

I cannot overstate the economic vitality and sustainability as well as health and safety through ambulance and police response, that Island communities with only a ferry service to the mainland depend on. Essential is not even an adequate description as it must sustain our health, safety and viability and without frequent trips for work, high schools, medical appointments and life saving treatment, we lose our population to illness, lack of service providers to maintain them in their own homes, etc. But also, for younger people to maintain work when working at home is not an option and for our large agricultural communities to continue yo be productive. Ferries that are year round, large enough for heavy equipment and frequent enough to allow for ongoing employment and life, is more than essential to us, it is life sustaining. We are not seasonal cottagers that MTO services, we are farmers, seniors, youth and working people who live in communities that have been established before Confederation. We on Wolfe Island also have a vital international ferry link to the USA, which contributes to tourism for all of Eastern Ontario and being trapped by lineups for 2 to 3 hours to move off hhe Island is a poor support for tourism. That is our current reality