Quebec's Côte-Nord region bracing for ferry strikes during construction holiday

Hotels, campsites and tourist attractions are already feeling the impact of a looming ferry strike which will affect service between Matane., Que., and the Côte-Nord.

Ferries are expected to stop operating for a week as of July 22 and another strike is expected between July 29 and Aug. 2 — all taking place during Quebec's construction holidays.

"Summer can be quite short on the North Shore," said Karine Otis, the vice-president of the board of directors of the chamber of commerce of Manicouagan, located in Baie-Comeau, Que.

"Construction period is of course the peak of our season. So we're very, very affected by that strike."

She says the region is already starting to take a hit.

"The impact is real. And we cannot assume that of course the hundreds of people that were planning to take the ferry on those days will actually do the whole tour to come visit us," said Otis.

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The ferry linking the North Shore to the Gaspé won't be in service from July 22nd to the 26th, and from July 29th to the August 2nd, because of a strike announced by the union representing ferry workers. The strike days fall right at the start of Quebec's construction holidays, a pivotal time for tourism and local business. For more on the impact on the region's economy, Alison speaks with Karine Otis, the Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the Chambre de Commerce de Manicouagan.

Without the ferry service, she notes that people are forced to drive the whole St. Lawrence corridor, as the region still lacks consistent air service.

She says residents already have complicated feelings toward the ferry network, the Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ), because of previous issues and strikes which have cut access.

"We don't want to enter in that conflict, we want to mitigate the impacts on our region," said Otis, who is also president and general manager of the port of Baie-Comeau.

"One of the concerns that we have is that the link between Matane and Baie-Comeau and Godbout is not considered as an essential service," she said, which would limit legal strike actions affecting service.

Otis says a letter was sent to the Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault to ask that the crossing be considered an essential, priority service.

Negotiations at a standstill

In an email, Guilbault's office said negotiations are the responsibility of the STQ.

"We are following the matter closely but will not react for the time being," read the email.

Patrick St-Laurent, the union representative for workers operating the Matane and Côte-Nord ferries, says the dates for the strikes were announced at the beginning of June.

And he says negotiations with the STQ have reached a deadlock.

"Of course, strikes put pressure. It's normal. It's part of the tools for negotiation. But the STQ is doing absolutely nothing and has remained a brick wall, without any movement at the negotiation table," said St-Laurent

He says the union has asked the Ministry of Labour to name a conciliator.

STQ spokesperson Catherine W. Audet says she hopes this will help move things along.

"We had 15 days of negotiation and because of a standoff today at the negotiation table, both parties just asked the Ministry of Labour for the intervention," said Audet.

"Despite the STQ's desire to see the labour conflict resolved as quickly as possible for the benefit of users and the communities that depend on it, the union shows very little openness."