2023-05-10 01:09:14
The senior leaders of the Société des traversiers du Québec spent a tough evening on Tuesday in front of the residents of L’Isle-aux-Coudres exasperated by the poor service and the frequent breakdowns of the ship making the connection between the two shores.
• Read also: Setbacks of NM Svanoy: following the ferry and the helicopter, the residents of L’Isle-aux-Coudres return home by tug
• Read also: The residents of Isle-aux-Coudres are at the end of their patience with the services provided by the Société des traversiers du Québec
• Read also: Ferries: impatience between Quebec and Lévis
Determined to send a clear message, a large crowd expressed their dissatisfaction loudly at the Saint-Bernard church. From the outset, the spokesperson for the citizens’ committee, Francis Boudreault, indicated that trust was broken.
“I have to go to work and earn a living. A helicopter is useless in my case”, launched a citizen disappointed by the emergency measures.
“Our number one priority is L’Isle-aux-Coudres. The current situation is not the situation we want, ”replied Greta Bédard, the president and CEO of the Société des traversiers du Québec, who was booed at least once.
Each time, the islanders all had the same line. “We’ve had enough. We need a reliable boat.”
Critics
Another citizen did not mince his words towards the STQ. The latter floated the idea of keeping the leaders until 10:30 p.m. so that they miss the last boat back.
“Beautiful promises and beautiful lies, we have already heard them.”
The meeting followed the sending of approximately 1,000 letters from citizens demanding a solution to this situation deemed critical.
“We hear you. Rest assured that our teams are mobilized. We are not happy,” added Pascal Larose, vice-president of operations at the STQ.
“They say they hear us, but are they listening to us?” asked a teacher.
In Isle-aux-Coudres, the mobilization reached a peak following another interruption of service. Many are worried regarding not being able to go home.
The service resumed at 6 a.m. Monday morning, but a mandatory stop takes place between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. A helicopter ensures the discovery during this period. No crossings take place from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and the service ceases at 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, the NM Svanoy came to an emergency stop because a line got caught in the propeller. On February 17, the activities of the NM Felix-Antoine-Savard were interrupted for nearly 24 hours.
Disappointment
Citizens demand the arrival of the NM Alphonse-Desjardins, one of the ships of the Quebec-Lévis crossing. This idea, however, was discarded.
“It is the Minister’s responsibility to present a concrete plan to correct the situation in order to ensure transportation for the citizens of the island,” commented André A. Morin, Liberal MNA for Acadie.
At the dawn of the tourist season, the porpoises understood, during the evening, that there would be no other boat in the next few days.
“Your answer is unacceptable to me,” concluded a citizen.
On edge, a citizen threatened to keep the leaders of the STQ on the island for three days so that they fully understood their problem.
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