Extension for Apollo...ice permitting

Pending favourable weather and ice conditions, the Apollo ferry service connecting St. Barbe and Blanc Sablon will continue operating for the next 10 days.

The ferry service was originally slated to end Jan. 11, but will continue to run until Jan. 31 if the conditions remain clear. The provincial government made the announcement last week.

Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones applauded government's decision to extend the service.

"I spoke to Transportation and Works Minister Trevor Taylor yesterday and I want to thank him for his co-operation and quick action in extending the ferry service across the Strait of Belle Isle," Ms. Jones said. "The Apollo service is a very important connection for passengers and freight and will be of great benefit to the people living in Southern Labrador."

Travellers and shippers should be prepared for termination of the service on short notice, cautions the Department of Transportation and Works.

Weather and ice conditions will dictate the ferry schedule but Ms. Jones encourages government to continue the service as long as conditions permit.

"People in my district require a level of certainty when making freight shipments and organizing travel plans to and from the Island. The announcement of the extension to the ferry service provides this stability and will alleviate concerns that the service would be discontinued as early as this weekend," she said.

Cecil Davis, owner of Christopher's Trucking in Forteau, said the additional 10 days will give businesses extra time to ship freight onto the south coast.

"You plan it around (Jan. 11) but it's always the last-minute things that would be nice to have an extra week or so to be able to get in," Mr. Davis said. "But we do plan around Jan. 11, that's what's posted at the beginning of the year, and that's what all of our customers plan around."

Mr. Davis' business will be unaffected if the ferry service runs until the end of the month, he said.

"After Jan. 20 we're going to have all of our product in anyway," he said. "There's only so much product you can bring into the area. It's not gravel, you're not bringing it in and dumping it. We'll be finished up around that time anyway, so regardless if the ferry does extend it doesn't make any difference to us."