[LINK] "Ontario First Nation says aging ferry must be replaced or they will be cut off"

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star carries Kristy Kirkup's Canadian Press article noting how the Beausoleil First Nations, centered on Georgian Bay's Christian Island, risks being cut off from the mainland thanks to its aging ferry.

An Ontario aboriginal community on an island in the southeastern portion of Georgian Bay is in danger of losing its only link to the outside world — an aging ferry the chief of the Beausoleil First Nation says is on the verge of sinking.

Beausoleil, about 5,400 hectares of Ojibwa territory, is located primarily on Christian Island.
The picturesque First Nation, widely considered to be one of the real-life backdrops in The Orenda, the critically acclaimed novel by author Joseph Boyden, is dependent on the ferry, which makes its hour-long round trip to the island and back 14 times a day, seven days a week.

The service is the community’s lifeline, according to Chief Roland Monague, because it’s the only way to access the mainland.

“Our people have to cross day to day to get access to all the goods and services, as well as hospitals, medical appointments,” he said.

Beausoleil First Nation is not alone in its accessibility struggle. The federal government is facing great pressure from a number of First Nations, many of them in remote locations, that are struggling to address crumbling infrastructure.