Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2021

7 9 In northern Ontario, landing craft- style ferry Niska 1 continues to be an essential part of the transportation system, shipping goods from Moosonee to Moose Factory Island. The island is home to Moose Cree First Nation, which suffered a Covid-19 outbreak this spring. Fortunately, it was well controlled and ferry transportation services commenced as scheduled in early June. Lack of available vaccinations presented the largest obstacle for keeping ferry crews safe throughout 2020 and into early spring 2021, particularly for those living onboard the Pelee Island and Manitoulin Island ferries. “Fortunately, OSTC completed the 2020 season with no crew or passenger infections on any of its ferry services,” says Schrempf. “Crew were all safely vaccinated by mid-June 2021, adding another layer of protection.” OSTC does not anticipate being able to return to its pre-Covid ferry service offering before 2022. “If the demand for local travel in 2021 is an indicator for 2022, traffic numbers should begin to normalise and meet maximum ferry capacity,” says Schrempf. “The ferry service has seen a sharp rise in the number of tourists holidaying in recreational vehicles and motorhomes since the start of the pandemic. We expect this trend to continue if it’s not dampened by the high cost of fuel and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “We haven’t seen the typical weekend traffic surges because people are working remotely and have more flexible schedules, so ferry traffic has become more evenly distributed through the week. We do not expect to see weekend traffic surges return, except for holiday weekends.” Schrempf says OSTC also faces employment challenges. “Ferries are not competitive when trying to attract mariners and Canada has not done a great job of showcasing careers in the marine industry, so it’s now feeling the impact of 20 years of directing young people to university degrees rather than skilled trades,” she explains. “This will not be turned around overnight. Further, the marine sector and Canadian society have not done enough work to remove barriers that keep over 50 per cent of the available workforce out of the industry.” In future, OSTC plans to replace Chi- Cheemaun and possibly Pelee Islander on the Pelee Island service, but there will be challenges when it comes to making them environmentally friendly, says Schrempf. “If the onshore infrastructure is not available to support the newer environmentally favourable technologies, the ferries will continue to be dependent on fossil fuels and older technology. However, this is not a position we want to be in when we are designing ferries that need to operate for half a century.” CFR Chi-Cheemaun is currently providing a limited essential travel service rather than an experiential service in central Ontario