The 200 or so people who live in Gardiner, north of Cochrane, want a solution to service disruptions to the Gardiner Ferry.
One of the last cable ferries in the country and most northerly in Ontario is their lifeline,crossing the Abitibi River as part of Hwy. 579.
Timiskaming-Cochrane MPP John Vanthof says it’s also used by people who own camps in the area, as well as Hydro and the ONTC. They’ve had to deal with recent breakdowns.
“Caught people by surprise, stranded people,” Vanthof remarks, “and what really frustrated the users was the detour that was suggested, in their words, impassable.”
Vanthof says he’ll ask the transportation ministry for an update on the ferry’s condition and its maintenance schedule.
“One of the issues that users brought forward is there are periods of the year when the ferry isn’t used, when the ice bridge is there, so that would be a good time to do scheduled maintenance.”
Vanthof met this week with Gardiner residents.
