Tiny Towns in Southeast B.C. Fear Isolation Due to Ferry Strike

A growing sense of panic is enveloping the small communities around Kootenay Lake in southeastern British Columbia. Local residents are increasingly worried that an ongoing labor dispute affecting the ferry service may cut them off from their neighbors and jobs. According to Melinda Foot, who owns the Procter General Store, the situation is becoming critical.

The communities of Harrop, Procter, and Glade are facing a potential reduction in their cable ferry services following a recent ruling by the B.C. Labour Relations Board. This ruling allows a strike, which already has limited ferry sailings on the main routes across Kootenay Lake, to expand further.

For many residents, the ferry crossing, which spans only a few hundred meters, is their lifeline. The alternative would mean a lengthy drive of several hours. There are serious concerns that some residents might be completely cut off. “Everybody’s panicked here,” Foot stated. “It’s a five-minute crossing that takes us over to all the rest of our communities, like Nelson and Balfour. The ferry is our only exit. We don’t have alternative routes, not even any logging roads.”

The strike, which began on November 3, involves members of the B.C. General Employees’ Union, who are advocating for higher wages, better scheduling, and more extensive benefits for auxiliary workers, represented by Western Pacific Marine.

The Labour Relations Board's recent decision, made on a Friday, permits the ferry service to be reduced. They approved a new schedule that limits the Harrop ferry to eight round trips daily and the Glade ferry to 16 round trips daily, effective immediately. Previously, the Harrop ferry operated on a 24-hour, on-demand basis, while the Glade ferry had extended hours from 5 a.m. to 2:20 a.m.

While Western Pacific Marine has announced that ferry operations remain unchanged until January 2, they are yet to provide a detailed schedule for the remainder of January. This uncertainty has left many residents on edge. Foot expressed frustration, stating, "They keep telling us there will be a schedule of eight crossings, but they won’t clarify what that schedule is. People are worried about losing their jobs, and there are attempts to operate under precarious conditions in the dark."

With a population of about 600 in the Harrop-Procter area and around 300 in Glade, the impact of service reductions is expected to be significant. The Labour Relations Board, in its decision, acknowledged that while changes to the ferry service would indeed affect residents and potentially their livelihoods, they still believed the transport adjustments were necessary to prevent severe health and safety risks.

In the ruling, Labour Board associate chair Andres Barker remarked that the changes would likely bring some economic strain and the inconvenience of needing to plan transportation ahead of time, rather than the previous flexibility. However, he expressed confidence that these limited services could maintain essential health and welfare protections for the residents in these communities.

ferry, strike, community