The Peninsula Princess ferry sits in the water in Summerville. (Photo: tourismnewbrunswick.ca)
The Kennebecasis Island ferry service could end for the season a few weeks earlier than scheduled.
It comes as thousands of unionized CUPE New Brunswick employees prepare for possible strike action.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Jill Green said if a strike happens, the Kennebecasis Island ferry will have to be shut down.
“There are a number of employees that work within the ferry system that are deemed essential employees, but it’s not our full complement,” Green said in an interview Tuesday.
Green said the Kennebecasis Island ferry, which is the only public transportation link to the island, typically shuts down for the season on Nov. 11.
The minister said a strike would also have impacts on the province’s other ferries, but she is not ready to say what those might be.
“What we’re trying to do is look at what the detour lengths are and the number of people or percentage of ridership that would be impacted and we’re trying to reduce that as much as we possibly can,” said Green.
More than 22,000 public-sector workers represented by CUPE New Brunswick were in a legal strike position as of early last week.
But the union said all 10 locals that are without contracts agreed not to withdraw services until at least this Friday, Oct. 22, amid rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
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