Glenora and Wolfe Island ferry workers held an information picket on Oct. 14 on both sides of the Glenora Ferry seeking an end to service disruptions and cancellations caused by chronic understaffing.

The OPSEU Local 428 union claims that their ferry workers are vastly underpaid compared to other ship workers on the Great Lakes (as low as on third as much). They stated that this is due to decades long wage suppression by Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and, most recently, by Bill 124, which generally limits yearly salary increases to 1 per cent for most of Ontario's public sector workforce, which is a primary reason for the service’s attraction and retention issues, along with rising cost of living.

OPSEU Local 428 President and Captain of the Glenora Ferry Service Jody Pringle spoke about these issues, including the MTO’s use of an out-of-province temporary agency to service Wolfe Island:

Pringle also stressed that ferry service positions come with an exceptionally high degree of personal responsibility and liability due to Transport Canada passenger safety mandates.

In response, MTO stated that “there is an industry-wide shortage of seafarers which has resulted in staffing challenges for ferry services in general. The ministry is reviewing its hiring and staff retention practices to ensure both service continuity and value for Ontario taxpayers.”

Listen to the full story below: