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Photos are now available of the new Township ( Foot ) ferry are available on this site under Gallery. You can view them by clicking here.

The following notice is posted on the Township of Frontenac Islands Web Site.

Howe Islander Township Ferry Update
June 22, 2018

We appreciate residents’ patience during this period when the Howe Islander is out of service being refurbished.  The contractor has been in close touch with the Township during this process, and they are working hard to return the vessel to Howe Island as soon as possible.

This project, which has been done in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, has involved extensive work, and has been monitored by Transport Canada.  The hull has been sectioned and fortified, and the new deck has been installed, with access hatches built for each of the three hull sections. New steel railings have been attached to the deck, and new gates have been designed.  A new emergency boat will be attached to the deck by a boat davit. Previously welded seams within the hull have been fortified, and the electrical system has been upgraded and improved.  Navigational lights have been added to the cabin roof.  Finally, the vessel will be painted white, grey and red.

Although we had hoped to have the vessel back by the end of June, additional aspects of the project have taken additional time.  At the present time, we expect the vessel to leave Quebec City in the first week of July, and then subsequently undergo final adjustments and testing locally.  When the vessel – the MV Howe Islander – returns to its home, we will welcome it back with some type of celebration.  We will keep Islanders informed of its expected return to service with updates to the Township website, so please check the website as this time nears.

Rob Dillabough, CRS-I
Public Works Manager
Township of Frontenac Islands

This is a brief report to HIRA members on the Township of Frontenac Islands Council meeting which took place June 11, 2018 at the Howe Island Township Offices. One of our directors attended the meeting. Only matters with particular reference to Howe Island or of general relevance are highlighted here.

1. Alternative Voting Methods-Council passed a by-law which will permit alternative voting methods to be used at election time. These alternatives will include electronic voting machines, voting by mail and paper ballots.
2. Return of the Foot Ferry-The current scheduled return date of the foot ferry is July 1, 2018. Council was informed by the Public Works Manager that the refurbishment is 75% complete, is on schedule and is being kept on schedule. Certain welds on the ferry have had to be brought up to standard (which was additional work). The ramp work is under way and is part of the work still to complete.
3. Kayak Dock- The kayak launch dock is now situated at the foot ferry public area and can now be used. A suggestion from the public that overnight parking in the parking lot at the foot ferry be restricted to cars with Howe Island Ferry stickers, received a favourable response from the Council.
4. Severance Fees- The fees to be paid by persons seeking severances was discussed and residents are reminded to refer to the appropriate by law which sets the fees. Some are 5% of the land value depending whether the land abuts the water.

This is a brief report to HIRA members on the Township of Frontenac Islands Council meeting which took place May 14^th 2018 at the Wolfe Island Council chambers. One of our directors attended the meeting. Only matters with particular reference to Howe Island or of general relevance are highlighted here.

1. Delegation: Ferry Service-Bill Robertson, HIRA Chair, spoke to Council following up on HIRA’s several previous requests relating to matters affecting ferry service. He emphasized that transportation to and from the Island must be Council’s number one priority. He asked Council: (a) to again consider internet connected cameras at each ferry terminal which would improve service by providing ferry users with real time information on position of ferries and length of line-up; (b) to change the maintenance periods form 9:30-11-30 am to late at night; (c) to add an additional crew member at least during rush hours to speed up loading and unloading; (d) to add road lines on the roads leading to the ferry to give users some idea of wait times; (e) to place a Johnny- on- the spot in the P for park lot on the Howe Island side during the foot ferry outage period for the convenience of ferry users.Council said they had considered the camera request at the last round of budget deliberations but had considered the deck replacement on the Foot Ferry more important. They said they would consider the camera request at the next round of budget deliberations. They said they had asked the MTO to change the maintenance periods but were not hopeful MTO would make the change. They said that an additional crew member had been added last weekend at some time.

   They instructed Bob Dillabough, Public Works Manager, to put up markers or paint lines on the road at certain intervals so that ferry users in line-ups can have some idea of wait times. They agreed to look into placing a Johnny- on- the spot on the P for park lot.

2. Delegations- Spithead Road Reconstruction- Roger Ellerton, a resident of the east end of Spithead Road spoke of his objections to the reconstruction of the Road as a one-way road rather than a two-way road as it currently is now. Joe de Mora, Chair of the roads committee of the Spithead Residents Association spoke in favour of proceeding with the reconstruction of the Road as a one-way road.
3. Kayak Dock- Council voted to accept the quotation of Power Marine Center for the supply and installation of a Kayak Dock for $11,556.00. It will be installed near the Foot Ferry.
4. Foot Ferry Refit- Council informed the meeting that the timetable for the return of the Foot Ferry is on schedule for June 30^th 2018. The deck has been removed and some of the hull dividers are installed; more rust than anticipated was uncovered.

This is a brief report to HIRA members on the Township of Frontenac Islands Council meeting which took place May 7, 2018 at the Township offices on Howe Island. Two of our directors attended the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the proposed Official Plan amendment regarding additional severances for Frontenac Islands.

This meeting of Council was a follow-up meeting to the one held on April 9, 2018 on the same subject matter. See the HIRA Briefing Note dated April 10, 2018. At the April 9^th meeting of Council, staff recommended that FOR WOLFE ISLAND ONLY, the number of severances permitted with respect to a lot existing on January 1, 1985 would be changed from three to four and the number of severances permitted with respect to a lot existing on January 1, 1985 for Howe Island would remain at three.

Following a presentation by Megan Rueckwald, Community Planner with the County of Frontenac, input from the public was invited. The main thrust of public comment was that until the transportation/ferry issues on Howe Island are adequately addressed and improved, no consideration should be given to changing the number of permitted severances on Howe Island.

It was emphasized that with respect to Howe Island, planning staff must take into consideration, in priority to all other issues arising in connection with planning for the future of Howe Island, that there is but one issue that is of concern to Howe Islanders, and that issue is adequate and efficient ferry service.

At the conclusion of meeting, Council directed planning staff to prepare an Official Plan Amendment and adopting By-Law for Council’s meeting on June 11, 2018. This Amendment will reflect the change from three to four permitted severances for Wolfe Island; for Howe island there will be no change.