Change Islands residents take ferry frustrations to Confederation Building

About a dozen people from Change Islands gathered in front of Newfoundland and Labrador's legislature Monday to bring attention to what they're calling an unfair scheduling change. 

The town is normally serviced by the MV Veteran, which is currently undergoing upgrades and is expected to be out of commission for about two months. 

In the interim the Department of Transportation and Works replaced it with the Kamutik W — a much larger ship that takes longer to load and unload.  

As a means of dealing with those logistics, the department changed the ferry schedule by cutting two trips per week.

However no trips to neighbouring Fogo Island were cut, meaning the Kamutik W now passes by Change Islands twice a week instead of stopping for its scheduled route, as usual. 

Change Islands Mayor Paula Flood said the situation is unfair and unnecessary.

"They made up the schedule. They asked for our opinion, we told them that it wasn't conducive to our needs, and they still put the schedule up," Flood said. 

She said with the exception of grocery shopping, residents of her town depend on the ferry for every service. 

"In order for us to get our medical services, chemo treatments, all the things that our residents need, we have to travel," she said. 

"We want the same schedule we've had for years and years and years. We cannot take the cuts."

Dennis Flood, town councillor and chair of the Change Islands transportation committee, said the schedule change is baffling. 

"The current vessel passes Change Islands while we're sitting on the dock," he said.

"It's on the same route. It just makes no sense."

Dennis hopes the demonstration at Confederation Building will compel Minister John Abbott to reconsider the decision.