Oka-Hudson ferry delay continues

In 32 years, Kathy Skye has never seen the ferry not running before May 1.

“It is utterly ridiculous,” said Skye. “There are so many people that usually depend on that ferry.”

Traverse Oka-Hudson, the company that operates two ferries that travel to and fro on the Ottawa River, has still not opened for the season due to maintenance, labour, and administrative issues, a delay which has cost the company revenue and locals their time.

“At present, without traffic, it takes about an hour to navigate from Kahnawake to Kanesatake,” said Skye, who would normally be using the ferry about three times a week at this point.

“We have so many people working and living on both sides who depend on that ferry.  With a small amount of traffic, it turns into 90 minutes and with traffic an hour up to two hours to get from one point to another,” said Skye.

Philippe Daignault, owner and manager of the Traverse Oka-Hudson, said many problems were discovered after he and his father bought the ferry business in June 2024, including mechanical issues, IT problems, staffing challenges, and administrative issues.

The previous owner did not respond to requests for comment.

Daignault said he began working seven days a week for 18 months after buying the business in an attempt to fix all the problems.

“I calculate I’ve had maybe 20 or 22 days off in two years,” said Daignault. “People don’t always realize that; they see me heading out on the boat for a three-hour trip and having fun. But sometimes the day starts at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 2:00 a.m., seven days a week. And when the ice bridge was in - while we were working on engines during the day in December - I’d be out spraying water at night to thicken the ice.”

In December 2025, Daignault began a legal dispute with his business partner over the ferry business and by January 2026, he decided to take a break and left the majority of the management of the business to his business partner.

Daignault came back officially as management of the ferry in the spring only to discover many tasks were left uncompleted, he said.

“It was a mess. I returned around April or May to find total chaos - the mechanical work hadn’t progressed as it should have, the documentation had been submitted but the IT systems weren’t set up, and the employees were fed up with being given the runaround,” said Daignault.

“I’ve been uncovering unpaid invoices and discovering vessels that were never registered. I have captains who have practically given up on everything.”

A series of issues had to be addressed: the turbine, engine, and fire systems had to be fixed, the business had to make changes to comply with Transport Canada standards, an inspection report had to be started, and registration completed for one of the boats. Many of these fixes were also delayed.

Daignault also said labour disputes arose, with the boat captains asking for higher wages of up to $38 an hour.

“My main issue is staffing. I think I’ll have two - maybe three - captains, but you need six to run two boats constantly,” said Daignault.

But things are looking up, he said.

Daignault expects the ferry to run soon. If the inspection report is completed by next week the ferry trips can begin.

In the meantime, Daignault is hiring more captains and will soon be able to operate the boats himself.

This summer, ferry travelers can expect shorter rides on the river. The new turbine will make the boats faster in the water once the trips begin.

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Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter