Province flying stranded ferry passengers stuck in Rigolet for 4 days

Passengers who have been stuck aboard a Labrador ferry in Rigolet since Monday will be getting a ride to their final destinations, but it won't beby boat.

"The Department of Transportation and Works has arranged flights for the 19 passengers on the Kamutik W in Rigolet," reads an email from the department sent Friday afternoon.

Air Borealis will transport 17 of the passengersto more northern communities on the Labrador coast, and two passengers will be returned to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, according to the email.

"I'd say it's about time and I'm glad that it happened," said Charlotte Wolfrey,AngajukKakof Rigolet.

"It's really bad that people were on there and they're eating french fries and poutine and chicken nuggets and there's people on there with children. It must be just awful."

Wolfrey said she thinks the decision to get people out by plane should have come sooner.

"Especiallywhen they came here on Monday, they knew that it wasn't going to get out for a few days," she said.

Ferry under fire

The Kamutik W's capabilities came under fire this week, with people questioning whether the new flat-bottomed boat is suitable for the rough waters off the coast of Larbador.

The Nunatsiavutgovernment met with provincial Transportation and Works Minister Steve Crocker in St. John's on Thursday to air their concerns about the vessel,and said he guaranteed them all the cargo destined for the North Coast would be delivered before the end of the season.

After the meeting,NunatsiavutFirst Minister Kate Mitchell remainedskeptical.

Mitchell's email also references a situation early this year in which the department made a similar decision to helicopter stranded passengers across the Strait of Belle Isle when the Qajak W isn't able to navigate the ice.

Both the Kamutik W and the Qajak W came into service this year and both have faced fierce criticism from people in the regions they are serving.

The vessels are both operated by Labrador Marine, a company owned by the Woodward group of companies.

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