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Lake Erie ferry promoters undeterred by Lake Ontario failure
January 19, 2006

CLEVELAND (AP) _ Promoters of Lake Erie ferry service between Cleveland and Port Stanley, Ontario, are undeterred by the failure of a Lake Ontario ferry between Rochester, N.Y., and Toronto.

Rochester's new mayor, Robert Duffy, rejected a $11.5 million loan request to bankroll the Lake Ontario ferry service this year.

Rochester's decision to halt its ferry service won't affect Cleveland, said Rose Ann DeLeon of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, which is pushing the local effort to start Lake Erie service by next year.

The uncertain future of the harbor at Port Stanley has contributed to delays. The municipality is trying to buy the property from the Canadian federal government.

Ownership must be settled before Royal Wagenborg, the Dutch company negotiating to operate the service, signs a contract.

Unlike Rochester, Cleveland's ferry would carry commercial traffic, as well as passengers.

A proposal for a Lake Erie ferry between Port Burwell, Ontario, and a port northeast of Cleveland also awaits news from Canada. Grand River Mayor Chris Conley said progress was overshadowed by upcoming Canadian national elections.

Newsday

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See also: Rochester-Toronto ferry up in the air

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Ferry proposals hinge on funding
FERRY: Port Stanley Burwell’s closest competitor
Jeff Helsdon - Staff Writer
January 20, 2006

One ferry, two ferry, three or four?

Just how many, if any ferries at all, will be traversing Lake Erie in the future is the question of the year. Port Burwell was the latest addition to the list of possible sites with a proposal from Seaport Management for both a passenger and freight ferry.

The term for moving freight short distances across water is short sea shipping. Officially Canada has a policy to promote short sea shipping, as does the United States. While the American destinations are receiving funding, such is not the case in Canada.

Marc Fortin, director seaway and domestic shipping policy with Transport Canada, said funding is available to look at business cases, completing studies and promoting short sea shipping opportunities. There is not, however, any money for infrastructure development such as harbour upgrades. He said Canada has commercialized the operation of its ports and does not subsidize any associated costs.

Most of the current proposals depend on still-to-be-sourced government funding.

Whether or not Port Burwell’s proposal advances is dependent on if the federal government gets involved, according to Bayham Mayor Lynn Acre. The Port Burwell proposal calls for a crossing to Fairport Harbour, Ohio, which is just east of Cleveland.

It will involve two types of boats, a fast ferry for passengers, cars and small vans and a slower vehicle to carry transport trucks. Danish company Mols Linien, which operates ferries in Europe, is a partner in the venture.

Acre said a cross-Erie ferry will cut several hours off a trip south. She sees the establishment of a ferry port in Port Burwell as a boon not only to the village and rest of Bayham, but also area towns such as Tillsonburg.

Port Burwell is facing some competition in its quest to be the next Canadian ferry port, though.

While Acre said federal support was vital, she also said speed of the development will be critical in deciding which proposal succeeds.

“The first one with the ship in the water is going to be the one that will win,” she said. “Mols-Linien has a boat already built and ready to sail.”

The municipality has sent out letters to the federal and provincial governments about the proposal. The next step is to set up meetings to explain the proposal further and start the process to find funding.

To the west of Port Burwell, and its closest competitor, is the Port Stanley ferry proposal. It calls for a high-speed ferry to transport both transport trucks and passengers between Port Stanley and Cleveland. Dutch ferry operator Royal Wagenborg Group is partnering on the initiative. The boat would hold 75 transport trucks, 300 cars, or any combination thereof.

Although only a few residents have been opposed to the proposal, Central Elgin Mayor David Rock said they were a vocal minority.

He said a bigger issue is the ownership of the harbour. Negotiations have been ongoing with Transport Canada for some time and a deal is getting close. Rock hopes to see Central Elgin run the harbour as a corporation.

“We’re a population of a little more than 12,000 and we can’t afford to be in the harbour business and put it on the backs of the taxpayers,” he said. “We need a business plan to operate so it won’t cost the taxpayers.”

The goal is to see the Port Stanley proposal to be operational in 2007.

Asked about the Port Burwell proposal, Rock wished the municipality the best as neighbours. When he was interviewed, he said he hadn’t given a lot of thought to the other proposals.

“I would suspect if they were ever able to get a deal, they would be a few years out (behind),” he said.

The proposal that looks closest to getting off the ground is the Nanticoke freight ferry. This proposal calls for a fast ferry that will hold 120 to 160 transport truck trailers – but no tractors (cabs) – to be transported between Nanticoke and Erie, Pennsylvania. The boat would be a high-speed all-weather boat with ice-breaking capabilities. Likely, a used boat would be purchased from Scandinavia.

The already-existing dock at Stelco would be utilized for the proposal. A secured marshalling yard where the trucks could be cleared by customs still needs to be built.

Steve Miazga, general manager of planning and economic development for Haldimand, said the proposal addresses border problems and the issue of drivers being limited in the amount of time they can drive.

“It’s a more efficient way of moving goods,” he said.

It’s estimated when the ferry is operating it will divert three to four percent of the traffic from Niagara border crossings, or as many as 200,000 trucks per year.

Miazga said the hope is to see the ferry operating by this fall. The big obstacle is the removal of a maritime tax presently in place in the United States.

Haldimand is partnering with Stelco, the Hamilton Port Authority, Seaway Marine Inc. of St. Catharines and the Western Erie Port Authority on the venture.

A few miles west in Port Dover, Norfolk and Erie are working on a high-speed passenger vehicle ferry proposal. The boat would hold 250 people and 50 cars.

Norfolk’s general manager of community services Bill Hett didn’t have a timeline as to when the service might be operational. Norfolk is currently waiting for funding from the U.S. Congress and the last business case from Erie before making any final decisions.

Norfolk Mayor Rita Kalmbach recently told the Simcoe Reformer the ferry service is unlikely to go ahead. She pegged upgrade costs for the Port Dover Harbour at $10 to $15 million. The county has not been able to secure any provincial or federal funding to aid with ferry development.

More immediate is a proposal driven by the Erie convention centre for a passenger-only 54-foot boat that would hold 50 people.

“The intent was if they were running a major convention, people could come for shopping and lunch across the lake,” Hett said, adding that service would run only during conventions and good weather. It could be operational this year.

Asked if there was room for another ferry service in Port Burwell or Port Stanley, Hett said, “I don’t believe there would be room for all of them to operate efficiently.”

While interest is high in establishing a cross-Erie ferry service, the City of Rochester recently announced it was pulling the plug on the Rochester to Toronto run due to huge losses.

The Tillsonburg News

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Viability doubtful for ferry projects
January 20. 2006

It's one of those grand plans that makes perfect sense on paper. When you assess the time for tractor-trailers crossing bridges into the U.S. or Canada to transport products, crossing Lake Erie by ferry should save money.

And what Northeast Ohioan wouldn't want to eliminate some travel time to visit Toronto for the day or weekend? You could enjoy a cruise across Lake Erie, too.

So Grand River Village Mayor Chris Conley asks, "Why not?" He's excited about the possibility of a ferry landing near the village in Lake County. He's gained support recently from county leaders and from several colleagues in the Lake County Mayors and Managers Association.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, R-Concord Township, has thrown his clout behind a ferry plan for the Cleveland-Cuyahoga Port Authority. It received a $7 million federal grant to kickstart the project to design a terminal.

Both locations, however, have significant drawbacks which leave their long-term viability in doubt.

Tourism alone won't make a ferry profitable. So how much cargo must pass through a ferry landing to sustain its operation over 10 years, 20 years or longer?

It's likely several ferries would be required to move enough goods to generate the money to sustain the business. Ferries costs $60 million each.

Also, how would docks be maintained on both sides of Lake Erie? Who pays for it?

Additionally, if the ferry lands in Cleveland from Port Stanley, Ontario, why would Cleveland want dozens of of commercial trucks on city streets?

A ferry would travel about 31/2 hours on this route.
There also are political hurdles with Port Stanley as the government calls on the local municipality to take over the port. These negotiations have been delayed by federal elections slated for this month. Canadians could see a new government take power.

And if the ferry lands in Painesville Township from Port Burwell, Ontario, where's the long-term market for the goods?

A ferry would travel more than 2 hours on this route.
Some also would argue the backer of the ferry plan in Lake County, Kent Kristensen of Chagrin Falls, does not have the experience or the financial support to make it a successful venture.

If a ferry operation started and later failed, taxpayers likely would be left paying the outstanding bills.
Until one of these plans sails in calmer water, this looks more like a financial Titanic, not a mighty vessel with a clear direction.

The News-Herald

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Public meetings on proposed Port Burwell ferry
First session set for 7 p.m. Wednesday
By David Irvine
February 7, 2006

STRAFFORDVILLE -- Bayham council has moved quickly since September when it first issued a request for a proposed international ferry service between Port Burwell harbour and Fairport, Ohio , to the Jarvis-based Seaport Management Corporation.

The recent federal election slowed any progress and the ferry remains in the planning stages, but now with a newly elected Conservative government, Bayham council is moving ahead with four public meetings.

“The election certainly held things up,” said Bayham clerk Lynda Millard, “but council isn’t really moving ahead on the project at this point, we are just gathering public information.”

Council continues to report that the support from the community is strong, and the change in government should not affect the project. The ferry, Millard agreed, is a great idea that anybody, regardless of their political party, can get behind.

The public will hear information on the proposal details, the status of the project, and have an opportunity to ask questions of council.
The meetings will be held Feb. 8 at the Bayham Community Centre in Straffordville, Feb. 9 at the Port Burwell/Bayham Royal Canadian Legion, Feb. 10 at the Vienna Community Centre, and Feb. 13 at the Eden and Area Community Centre. All meetings are scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Bayham municipal office may be reached at 519-866-5521 for any additional information.

St Thomas Times-Journal

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Ferry plan meets with strong show of support
Some residents upset by prospect of increased traffic
Jeff Helsdon - Staff Writer
February 13, 2006

The majority of residents at a meeting on the ferry service proposed for Port Burwell were in favour of the concept.

A request for a show of hands from those in support of the venture found most residents at the meeting in Port Burwell Legion were. The meeting was the second of four on the ferry proposal scheduled in the municipality. It drew about 90 people, which was more than the 30 to 40 who turned out in Straffordville the night before.

Resistance to the proposal came from residents along Chatham Street, the street traffic accessing the ferry must use. One lady, who was upset when she learned the boardwalk and fishing opportunities along the west pier would be lost if the ferry terminal was built, left the meeting crying in frustration.

But even some Chatham Street residents conceded by the end of the meeting they wouldn’t have a problem with a ferry if something could be done to avoid having the traffic on their street.

The meeting started with an outline of the proposal jointly presented by Mayor Lynn Acre and Seaport Management CAO Ken Kristensen.

“We’ve been losing businesses, there’s the possibility of the school closing and now I hear the rumour of closing the post office,” Acre said. “It’s time to do something about it.”

She said past dredging efforts have quickly filled in and were not a good use of taxpayers’ money. Acre said the municipality needs to do more to retain existing businesses and be more proactive in attracting new ones.

Acting as a border crossing would give Port Burwell a boost, both Acre and Kristensen said. It would create new jobs, be an economic development catalyst and improve the standard of living in Port Burwell.

The ferry would bring direct marine-related investment to Port Burwell of $150 million. Direct employment creation would be 170 jobs and indirect jobs would total around 300.

A timeline for construction was outlined as follows:

• February 2006: government negotiations
• March 2006: first funding (from government)
• April 2006: harbour dredged
• June 2006: second funding
• July 2006: terminal construction begins
• April 2007: ferry in service.
  

“Ultimately, our goal is to have service in place by 2007,” Acre said. “It might seem impossible but if you don’t have a target, you can’t aim for it.”

The mayor said the ferry service might even save Ford’s Talbotville plant. Once the ferry service is established, the municipality will push for an outer harbour marina.

Kristensen said a lot of things are making 2007 the crucial date for the service. The United States government is looking to establish a new border crossing and it will cost at least $1 billion for another bridge. A decision on that is expected in 2007.

“We’re trying to put ourselves on the radar screen for both sides of the border and say take a look at us,” Kristensen said.

The first phase of the ferry will be a high-speed passenger service with a RoPax that will take transport trucks and cars. Danish ferry company Mols-Linien will be providing the boats.

Acre said the proposal isn’t a sure thing, but the municipality wants to try to make it happen. The mayor said the municipality isn’t looking to fund the ferry development through municipal funds and drive up property taxes, but wants to partner with the federal government, province and private companies.

Many of the early questions from the floor came from Chatham Street residents, who didn’t like the prospect of increased traffic which could reach more than 800 trucks per day.

“I lived on Chatham Street when they had two coal companies down there and it wasn’t pretty,” one lady said.

Another Port Burwell resident, who used to live in Sydney, Nova Scotia where the ferry leaves for Newfoundland, said it helped boost business. People arrive two to three hours before the boat leaves and spend money in the village.

“There’s a lot of benefits from the ferry but there was a lot of changes for the small villages,” he said.

More questions about the traffic and roads brought a remark from one resident, “It won’t be a quiet, retired village anymore,” she said. Kristensen admitted it probably wouldn’t be.

The sentiments of the majority of the crowd came through loud and clear in the applause after Dave Spicer’s remarks. “These are problems that have to be dealt with but I don’t want to live in a community without a school or post office,” he said.

“If we don’t do something, we’ll look like an old western town with sagebrush blowing up the street,” another resident added to a second round of applause.

Tony Csinos asked if Bayham council had budgeted money for the project. He gave the example of Norfolk, saying it was initially to cost $50,000 to $60,000 to investigate the ferry proposal, but it ended up costing $200,000. And now Norfolk council is leaning toward not having a ferry service if it will need to invest millions of municipal dollars.
Acre said no money had been budgeted yet.

There was one last comment from the audience as the people went out the door, “Go for it.”

The Tillsonburg News

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It's all about jobs
Various Veins
By Ross Andrews
February 15, 2006

If you saw Guy Goodwin's TV report of the public meeting in Straffordville you may think the ferry service between Port Burwell and Fairport Harbour, Ohio is a go.

It is not, and judging from the information presented, or more to the point information not presented, it will never happen.

At the close of the meeting, Goodwin asked for a straw vote. How many were in favour of a ferry service? Of course most people, with the possible exception of the residents of Chatham Street in Port Burwell, are in favour of anything that brings employment. Hands went up all over the hall.

The question not asked was "How many believe it is an economically viable proposition?"

Recently the mayor of Rochester, New York, shut down a ferry service to Toronto, Ontario.

Rochester borrowed $9.4 million just to shut down the operation. The city is selling the ferry to try to recoup some of the money.

To operate between American ports, a ferry must have been built in The United States and fly the American flag. Rochester's ferry was built in Australia and flies a foreign flag. You can see how this narrows the market.

Once the tidying up is finished, Rochester will still have a $40 million dollar debt to pay off.

Can the Municipality of Bayham put itself in such a vulnerable position?

Drawings were displayed at the public meeting that show extensive construction to the west of the harbour mouth, and off-shore mooring to the east with a shuttle service to shore. To put things in perspective, in 1966, Con Bridge of Toronto repaired 370 feet of harbour wall in Port Burwell. The contract was for $67,000.

Put that in today's dollars.

Dredging to keep the harbour navigable is more than enough to bankrupt the municipality. The information sheet distributed at the meeting shows an estimated cost of up to $250 thousand for a channel eight feet deep and 100 feet wide. In brackets are the words "one-time."

Some years ago Port Burwell was able to use government grants to buy and operate a dredge. The council promised that no local tax dollars would be used. Operating grants stipulated that only people who were unemployed could be hired to operate the dredge.

After watching the amateurs pump water but very little else, Underwater Gas hired one of their own captains to operate the equipment. In two weeks the job was done.

Three months later the harbour was again filled with Bayham soil.

That ended the only productive dredging in many years.

Among the benefits the project may include, the word may is underlined in the document, is the establishment of a deep sea port.

For perspective again, consider that last year Port Stanley, which has been a deep water port, could not afford to clear the channel. Trucks had to transport tonnes of wheat to Goderich to meet the vessel that had been dispatched to Stanley.

The representative of Seaport Management Corporation spoke of a year-round service to accommodate trucking. Questioned about ice-breaking, he said the proposed vessel is not an ice breaker, but has some capability to resist ice. Help would be needed from American and Canadian Coast Guards. No estimate of costs for such service were offered.

More perspective. Maybe global warming will make things different, but one local resident can brag he is the only driver to deliver fuel by truck south of Port Burwell, not once but many times. He was supplying the crane that placed the great stone breakwall east of the harbour.

He drove his tanker on 10 solid feet of ice. There was no water under it.

There is another selling point for a ferry terminal that does not hold water. Canada and the United States is developing plans for a new border crossing point. Seaport Management Corporation proposes incorporating the new crossing with the ferry terminal.

The government planning includes a new bridge, the location is not yet identified. Can we expect the Office of the Privy Council to recommend a crossing that may be closed due to ice for part of the year?

Faced with questions about the viability of a car and passenger ferry as a first stage, the consultant shifted to talk of a truck ferry.

His company has not discussed the possible use of such a ferry with Verspeeten Cartage, the largest potential customer in the area.

Port Burwell has a new housing subdivision coming near the ballpark, and a second one in the proposal stages.The municipality would be wise to concentrate on the provision of paved streets for Burwell. It is affordable and new residents will add job opportunities for the area.

And jobs is what it's all about.

The Tillsonburg News

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Business group backs ferry project
FERRY: Group to provide positive participation
By Stephan Kleiser - Staff Writer
March 13, 2006

The newly-formed Port Burwell Business Development Association has come out in favour of efforts to bring a ferry to the municipality.

Bayham council last week received a letter from Port Burwell Business Development Association saying its members are “in favour of and in full support of the continued pursuit of the proposed ferry proposal into the town of Port Burwell.

“Further, that the members of the Port Burwell Business Association will provide positive participation to further the acquisition of a ferry service into our community.”

The resolution was passed unanimously by all members present at the meeting and president Ian Almond said they fully support the far-reaching and important proposed addition to their community.

Bayham council was somewhat surprised at the letter as several councillors weren’t even aware of the existence of the new group.

Almond told the News the business development association has been forming up over the fall and winter months and this was their first resolution.

“We had a similar group in the community several years ago but it went by the wayside.

“So then last year some of us decided we should form a new group. We have such a beautiful community with a lot of potential here and we feel we should do anything we can to promote it and bring new developments here,” Almond said.

“We keep looking at the potential of this area and we formed this organization to promote the area.”

At present, and Almond said it is still early, they have 18 members, and are still trying to get the word out. He said anyone interested in joining them can contact him at 874-1800.

“We are looking for more people who are interested in actively promoting and developing our community.”

Port Burwell Business Development Association meets the first Monday of each month. The meetings are held in different locations and for more information contact Almond.

The Tillsonburg News

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Ferry service floundering?
FERRY: Acre’s optimism shared by Grand River mayor
By Jeff Helsdon - Staff Writer
May 17, 2006

Municipal councils on both sides of the border are pushing for a Port Burwell-Fairport Harbor ferry service, despite opposition from some.

Seaport Management Corp. is proposing to run a ferry between Port Burwell and Fairport Harbor, which is east of Cleveland. The plan calls for a commercial service for transport trucks as well as a fast ferry for smaller vehicles.

Seaport chairman Kent Kristensen said his proposal will cost $225 million, of which $75 million will need to come from public money from both sides of the border. Kristensen said he has interested parties for the $150- million private investment, but no signed agreements.

“That is contingent on the public investment,” he said. “The private investment won’t happen until the public infrastructure is in place.”

But Raymond Sines, a commissioner with Lake County, doesn’t think it will happen. Commissioners are elected officials, similar to county councillors in Ontario.
“I know of no government sources available – zero,” Sines said. “All we have is one guy that will bring all this money into the county. He’s saying the government has to spend this money first and it will happen. It’s just not going to happen.”

The commissioner has talked to people at the state and federal level.

“No one has any interest in doing it,” Sines said.

Acre still optimistic

But Bayham Mayor Lynn Acre sees it differently.

“I’m still optimistic about the whole thing and I think it could still happen,” she said, adding if dredging started this June, a vessel could be in the water in late 2007.

Acre’s optimism is shared by Grand River Mayor Chris Conley, who says most American elected officials in the area of Fairport Harbor support the ferry proposal.

On the American side, four municipalities border on the involved harbour – Grand River, Fairport Harbor, Painesville Township and the City of Painesville. The docks would be in Painesville Township with the staging and marshalling area in the Village of Grand River. The land where the docks would be built is owned by the Painesville-Grand River Dock Company. Kristensen said he has a verbal agreement to use the land and ongoing dialogue. He is also talking to Ford and UPS about using the ferry, but couldn’t reveal any details because of confidentiality agreements.

Acre travelled to Ohio to meet with elected officials involved in the venture in early April. She said there seemed to be support for the ferry, but acknowledged there were some who seemed opposed to the proposal, citing Sines name in particular.

The Bayham mayor followed that meeting with a stop at the economic development office of the governor in Cleveland. Acre said it was made clear the American government would need to come up with $17 million and she was told there were some possible funding sources.

On the Canadian side, Acre has met with Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Joe Preston and presented him with a written proposal. Meetings have also taken place with Oxford MP Dave MacKenzie and London North Centre MP Joe Fontana.

Preston couldn’t be reached prior to the press deadline, but MacKenzie said such a proposal could take the pressure off other border crossings.

“The difficulty would be convincing people it would do that and industry would use it,” he said.

MacKenzie said the federal government would want proof the crossing would be utilized before potentially investing any money. He admitted Preston was more up to speed on the proposal, though.

Acre understands talks have taken place at the federal level about the ferry. In fact, she said, when Kristensen went to Washington to promote the venture, there seemed to be a lot of prior knowledge among the federal officials there.

“They seemed to know a lot about it, things we haven’t told them,” she said. “The US must have talked to Canada.”

Port Stanley proposal an obstacle

One of the obstacles to the Seaport proposal is a similar scheme for a Port Stanley-Cleveland ferry. That plan is backed by Dutch ferry operator Royal Wagenborg.

Sines feels a Cleveland to Port Stanley ferry has a better shot at coming to fruition. He said Cleveland already has a port that can handle a ferry and federal money in place. The Fairport Harbor proposal has neither.

“You already have that started, why would you spend money on another one?” he questioned. “I don’t think we can support two.”

But Kristensen said the Cleveland proposal also depends on public money. He understands it will cost $18 million to develop the infrastructure in Cleveland, which is slightly less than infrastructure costs for Fairport Harbor.

Kristensen said Sines may not see the whole picture. He said no other place has the potential to develop infrastructure the same way Port Burwell does.

Conley doesn’t think Cleveland has the potential for infrastructure development either. He said there is no room to stage the ferry traffic now and there are proposals for residential development. In addition, he claimed there are more traffic issues travelling from the harbour to a major highway.

Conley said Grand River council is completely behind the ferry proposal. As far as he knows, Sines is the only one against it.

“What I don’t think a lot of people realize is this is bigger than Ohio or Canada,” he said. “We’re going to be helping companies down to Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Indiana as well as every major municipality in Ohio that deals with Ontario.”

Conley wants to see the jobs and additional tax assessment a ferry base would create.

He is confident the proposal will go ahead, adding state and federal officials are aware of what’s going on. He envisions the number of transport trucks the Seaport proposal could move as one of its strengths.

“You’re talking about a 20 per cent reduction in traffic on the two bridges (Windsor and Buffalo),” he said, adding he expects to hear confirmation of funding from higher-level government stateside in the next month.

The Tillsonburg News

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Glitches in Canada delay Lake Erie ferry
Sarah Hollander
Plain Dealer Reporter
June 3, 2006

The launch estimate for a Lake Erie ferry to Canada has been delayed again. Cleveland port officials now say the service won't begin before 2008.

The uncertain future of the harbor at Port Stanley, Ontario - the ferry's proposed northern terminus - is the main source of delay.

The Canadian government plans to rid itself of the harbor. But the local government, which wants to take ownership, hasn't been able to seal the deal yet.

Canada's elections earlier this year introduced new players, including a minister of transport, and slowed the process, said Rose Ann DeLeon, vice president of strategic development for the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.

She hopes to see progress toward a resolution in the next four to six months.

In the meantime, the port's board approved a six-month, $40,000 contract Friday for a customs consultant.

John Regan, who retired as director of Cleveland's U.S. Customs Office last year, will investigate the possibility of locating Customs service on board the ferry for quicker cargo movement.

He will also research details on staffing and terminal setup, as well as costs and the possibility of getting federal money to help with security.

Regan also plans to meet with border officials to see how Free and Secure Trade lane technology used at the Buffalo/Niagara and Detroit/Windsor crossings could apply to commercial traffic on the ferry.

Shippers use the technology, part of the FAST program, to register their drivers, cargo and trucks with Customs in advance.

The port authority began its most recent million-dollar push to revive a trans-lake ferry three years ago and originally hoped to start the service this year.

It chose the Dutch company Royal Wagenborg as its preferred operator in September 2004. The company is still actively involved, but won't invest in chartering or building ferries until the service is a sure thing.

Likewise, the port won't spend money to build a terminal until it's sure. Once all the approvals are in hand, it will take 14 to 16 months to design and build a terminal, port President Gary Failor said.

The port's hands are tied because the proposed ferry service isn't a one-sided venture, he said.

"There's a different form of government in Canada that we have to live with."

The Plain Dealer

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Port Stanley harbour talks scuttled
By CHIP MARTIN, FREE PRESS POLITICS REPORTER
June 9, 2006

The bid to get local control of the harbour at Port Stanley appears to be dead in the water -- at least for now.

So says a federal bureaucrat with Transport Canada, creating concern for local officials who felt they were close to a deal to take over the Lake Erie harbour after years of negotiation.

Meanwhile, Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Joe Preston said yesterday he's seeking a meeting with Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon as quickly as possible to clarify the situation and push to close the deal.

In Ottawa, Transport Canada spokesperson Robin Browne said the federal government's "port divestiture" program ended in March and is now being reviewed.

"Pending completion of that review, the department will not engage in negotiations," including those with Port Stanley, he said.

Browne said regional Transport Canada officials in Ontario have had "informal discussions (with local officials) to clarify previously exchanged information. But there are no formal negotiations and there is little chance of that happening anytime soon."

He couldn't predict when the review will be completed.

In 1996, the federal government announced it was disposing of 549 ports administered by Transport Canada. The idea was to save money and by 2004, savings of $146 million were claimed. The program was to have run for six years, but was extended twice, most recently until March. Aside from Port Stanley, 82 ports still remain under Transport Canada's control.

Negotiations with Central Elgin, where Port Stanley is located, have been on for two years, said Mayor Dave Rock.

"I'm getting all kinds of surprises," Rock said of Browne's assertion. "That's news to me. As far as I understand it, we are still talking."

He said it's "discouraging" if a deal can't be finalized within the next few weeks or months as expected.

"We will continue to pursue it," Rock said of a pact with his community of 13,000, which he's determined not to burden with costly new infrastructure.

"From time to time there will be bumps in the road," Rock said philosophically. "I'm going to remain optimistic we can get this resolved."

Preston said he was under the impression "the deal is almost done" and he'd been reluctant to interfere in the complicated talks between the two levels of government.

But word of negotiations being suspended caught him by surprise.

"I'll obviously need to have a conversation with the minister as soon as possible," said the MP. "Why would we be negotiating with the community if it wasn't possible for negotiations to come to fruition? I think a lot of work has been put into the project and I'd hate to see any of it wasted."

Preston said he understands the divestiture program ended in March, but he can't understand why ongoing talks would automatically be scuttled.

He hopes to meet Cannon early next week.

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, Ohio, port officials are blaming the protracted harbour talks in Canada for delaying the launch of a ferry service to Port Stanley.

Rose Ann DeLeon, vice-president of the local port authority, told the Plain Dealer newspaper a new Canadian government and minister meant further delay and the service which had been planned to start this year won't start until 2008 at the earliest.

The London Free Press

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Ferry to Canada plan slogs along
Passenger, truck trips across Erie aren't expected until 2008 or later
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer
June 23, 2006

CLEVELAND - Plans for a ferry across Lake Erie are slowly progressing, but service for passengers and trucks to Port Stanley, Ontario, is unlikely until 2008 at the earliest.

That assessment came from Rose Ann DeLeon, vice president of strategic development for the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.

``We're not there yet obviously,'' she told a recent meeting of the Cleveland-based Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency. ``But we want to be in position when Canada is ready.''

The biggest delay is on the Canadian side where the federal government wants to divest itself of the Port Stanley harbor. But a deal has not been finalized with the local government that wants to take it over. The process was slowed by a new Canadian government coming into office.

Legal and tax issues remain to be resolved in Ontario, she said.

In Cleveland, DeLeon's agency is looking at using Dock No. 28 northwest of Cleveland Browns Stadium for the cross-lake passenger-truck service.

Theservice -- with two ferries -- would be managed by a Dutch firm, Royal Wagenburg. There would be three sailings per day in the summer from Cleveland and Port Stanley and two sailings a day the rest of the year.

It will take about 3 ½ hours to make the 71-mile trip across Lake Erie.

The ferries would carry up to 500 passengers, 200 cars or 75 tractor-trailers.

DeLeon said officials are confident that the ferry service will attract travelers as well as heavy truck traffic.

The port authority has $7 million in federal grants: a $6 million grant to design and engineer a ferry building in Cleveland and a $1 million grant to get ferry service started.

The Lake Erie ferry is expected to be very attractive to truckers because it would sharply cut travel time, DeLeon said.

It would cut travel time through Windsor from 5 ½ hours and through Buffalo from seven hours, she said.

There are strong business ties between Ohio and Ontario, she said.

In 2001, Ohio shipped $14 billionin goods to Ontario, and Ontario shipped $11 billion in goods to Ohio, she said.

In addition, Ohioans spent 500,000 room nights visiting Ontario, and Ontario residents spent 300,000 room nights in Ohio, said port authority spokeswoman Jeri Waters.

It is too early to predict the final cost of establishing such a ferry service, although Royal Wagenburg would pay most of the cost, she said.

The design of the 30,000-square-foot ferry building costing about $11 million will involve working closely with the U.S. Customs Service and the Department of Homeland Security to determine their needs, DeLeon said.

The port authority began investigating the Lake Erie ferry plan in 1999.

There are also ferry proposals from Grand River east of Cleveland to Port Burwell and from Erie, Pa., to two Canadian ports.

Akron Beacon Journal

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