Meeting focuses on ferry service

LEWISPORTE -

Department of Transportation and Works Minister Tom Hedderson was in Lewisporte on April 15 to observe the storage shed infrastructure at the Lewisporte wharf and to continue a commitment to the Town of Lewisporte.

"I had made a commitment to council members early in the new year, when Town officials came in to meet with me, very much concerned about what their future was after the announcement of the pilot project," said Minister Hedderson. "Obviously it was early in the game and I wanted sometime to see how the pilot project went.

"Between then and the last meeting, I went up on the north coast (of Labrador) because they are the ones now that will continue to be served from Lewisporte. So I visited various communities and held a public meeting in search of feedback."

Minister Hedderson said the feedback on Lewisporte, as their port of choice, was positive.

"There didn't seem to be complaints about Lewisporte as the port, so that was good news for the council," he said. "I basically wanted to keep the lines of communication open and report on progress or lack of.

"The first thing that I addressed was our marine base in Lewisporte and it's not only about our traffic of freight and passengers to Labrador, but we winter our ferries there, we do some of the dockside maintenance there and some of our equipment is stored there in the off-season.

"That's not going to change. Now, I can't say forever and a day because there might come a time when there are no ferries, but we aren't moving anywhere. We will always need Lewisporte."

After recommendations from Occupational Health and Safety, Minster Hedderson said changes must be implemented at the storage shed.

"We have problems with our freight shed and I reported to the council and other officials that were present that we have done a preliminary analysis," the Minister said. "Occupational Health and Safety had come in and said that the electrical system wasn't up to grade and they really weren't comfortable with people working in and around it. So we moved the employees to the terminal and they will be working from there until further notice."

Minister Hedderson indicated the short-term investment will be to bring the electrical system up to code, in time for the 2010 shipping season.

"The proposed upgrades will not impact the existing - or play a role in determining the future - coastal operations," said Lewisporte Mayor Brian Peckford. "The importance of the marine infrastructure, and proposed upgrades, to the future economic viability of this region was certainly stressed to Minister Hedderson, regardless of the role we will play in the provision of the coastal service."

Mayor Peckford said unfortunately council had to discuss dockside maintenance, or lack thereof, of provincial ferries in Lewisporte. However, council was assured that they would once again meet with top-level bureaucrats to deal with the issue.

"This time though we want specific answers, not the previous response of what is convenient will be done in Lewisporte," said Mayor Peckford. "It is our opinion that if it can be done cheaper at a government owned facility at Lewisporte, the convenience for the taxpayers of this province is saving money.

"We feel we can prove many examples of where currently this is not happening. Dockside maintenance not only benefits the Town of Lewisporte, but the entire Central region, a message we will take to the Confederation Building."

Mayor Peckford said although the spirit of consultation, cooperation and respect was lacking in the initial stages of the Lab and X-ray protests held in 2009, he commends Minister Hedderson for taking a different and welcomed approach to dealing with communities who are directly impacted.

"With regards to the future, I am confident the Minister will continue to recognize the tremendous role we have played traditionally as well as how Lewisporte is so well positioned and capable of providing this service for many years to come," said Mayor Peckford. "We are confident Lewisporte District MHA Wade Verge and the Minister will continue to represent and consider the interests of the residents of the Lewisporte area and we certainly look forward to a favourable decision in about a month. The port of Lewisporte is now, as it always was and always will be, open for marine shipment."

So, this year it's business as usual, as the Department of Transportation and Works tracks freight and passenger numbers throughout the upcoming season.

"Hopefully there will be as much freight going out as usual because we are predicting with the Trans Labrador Highway opening there are going to be changes," said Minister Hedderson. "However, as we are right now our primary port is Lewisporte. I am very hopeful that we can unfold this in a controlled fashion so that no one is left out in the cold, in the sense of not knowing what is coming.

"I think the people of Lewisporte can be assured that we are doing everything that we can to make sure that due consideration is given to Lewisporte and to the whole area."