Two prongs, two standards

Yet another entry in the thick file of Do-As-We-Say-Not-As-We-Do. From the Ministry of Truth:

Minister Gives Take on Ferries
December 30, 2007

Tourism Minister Clyde Jackman says it's time for some changes to the way Marine Atlantic operates. There has been an outcry from many sectors in light of the recent rate increase on Marine Atlantic ferries serving this province. Jackman says the federal government needs to take a two-pronged approach. He wants to see consistency in the ferry service and a positive experience once passengers are on board.

Jackman says the Marine Atlantic ferry service is an extension of the Trans Canada Highway for many in this province, and should be treated as such.

It would be interesting to get Clyde Jackman's "take" on the way his own government's ferries operate.

Minister Jackman, where is your concern for the "positive experience" on board the Sir Robert Bond, a ferry service that your own government runs?

Where is your concern, when tourists and local travellers alike, spend the night sleeping in corridors or on deck benches?

Where is your concern for the "inconsistent" and woeful tourist amenities aboard the boat, including the lack of any tour guide?

Where is your concern for the late-night "partying" in the corridors and lounges that is disruptive to the passengers who can't get, or afford, an overheated stuffy cabin? Or is that part of the "positive experience" you are so anxious to create? Here are some scenes from the height of the 2007 tourist season aboard the Bond. (Digital effects and certain other measures have been applied to the first two pictures to conceal identifying details; otherwise the photos are genuine and untampered.)




Why the double-standard?

It's not as if the provincial government is unaware of the many years' worth of complaints that have accumulated on a succession of Tourism and Transport ministers' desks. Many similar complaints have been made publicly. Erica Stockley wrote in the Labradorian last January:

I've learned of a number of incidences in various tourism employment capacities that I have served in, but one that Ms. Green mentioned to me really stood out. She said about three or four years ago that upon calling the call centre regarding the Northern Ranger Marine Vessel (operating between Goose Bay-Cartwright-Black Tickle-North Coast up to Nain ports) that a call centre agent gave her incorrect information.
She was making inquiries as to how to get around Labrador from different areas and she understood from the individual she spoke with at the call centre that she could drive her vehicle to Black Tickle from anywhere and park it there for a week and go on board the Northern Ranger in Black Tickle because that it is the most southerly location served by the vessel.

In July 2006, Melody Daniels reported, for the same paper:

Sally Cumming and her husband David have just returned home to Toronto from their excursion to Newfoundland and Labrador. Avid Canadian travelers, this was the tenth province that they had visited, and they were shocked at the lack of interest the province seemed to have for promoting even the basics of Labrador tourism.

In a letter they sent to various media outlets and governmental bodies they wrote:

"But we decided to send this e-mail, even while we were still traveling (all by automobile) not to praise the natural beauty and magnificent scenery of your Province-which does not need our praise-but to record our displeasure and then growing anger at the almost complete lack of infrastructure (or even basic information) that we expect from government or government-sponsored agencies. We keep hearing-even in Toronto-that Newfoundland & Labrador "cry out" for tourism, now that the fish are gone. In Labrador, at least (where we spent the bulk of our trip) we came to think that about the last thing the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador want to see is tourists, not to mention its own citizens."

In a phone interview with the couple, Mr. Cumming expressed his disgust for the lack of road signs and the lack of information at the ferry terminals. "There were no posters or souvenirs. There were lots of people waiting several hours with nothing to do; nothing to read. There was absolutely nothing nice in the ferry building," he said.

They also complained about the night travel on the ferry, as they felt tourists lost great viewing opportunities of the splendid Labrador nature. "It was so beautiful seeing the 50 or 60 icebergs [on the journey from Cartwright to Happy Valley-Goose Bay]. It's unbelievable this couldn't happen during the day!" said Mrs. Cumming.

We think it would be fair to say that what was right about Newfoundland & Labrador was the people we met, the individuals; what was wrong-some we experienced ourselves, some we heard about from the people we met along the way-was down to Government, either Provincial or local.

The complaints continued to include a number of suggestion for supporting tourism in the area, including small details like having coffee available on the ferry and road signs.

Rosemary Dyson and David Budgell, of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, wrote in a letter to several newspapers in Labrador and Newfoundland, that same month:

We recently travelled from Lewisporte to Goose Bay. To begin with, the recording that provides vessel information indicated that passengers were to check in two hours prior to departure, which on that day would have been at 10 a.m. An hour and a half later we were able to take care of that, which by now was 11:30 and departure time was 12 noon. Needless to say, the ticket agent was getting agitated because there were still several people to check in. He mentioned that he gets there at 6 a.m. and passengers do not show up until 10 a.m. Obviously, the message is not being given correctly on the information line, if that many passengers show up at 10 a.m., when actually Labrador Marine would like to have all passengers ticketed by 10 a.m. As well, this man was working alone and had to contend with answering the telephone in addition to ticketing.

Once on board and settled in, of course the wandering about the boat begins, and the major observation that my partner and I observed was when it came to the Visitor Information Map. It was dated 1984. It is 22 years old. There are a couple of these maps placed on the walls for passengers to look at.

The following major roads are not on these maps: No road between Churchill Falls and Labrador City, no road from Cartwright on down the southern coast of Labrador. This is not acceptable. How can the Tourism department be so antiquated when it comes to providing information as important as an up-to-date map? Does no one from the Tourism department travel around to see what information is being presented for tourists? Our thoughts were, if a tourist on a whim got aboard that boat, to discover after sailing that they could only get to Cartwright or Goose Bay and not be able to travel any further, could create undue stress. I request that the maps be updated as quickly as possible.

This trip is an estimated 43 hours, including the seven-hour stop at Cartwright. Magazines and newspapers are not available for passengers to purchase or read at the canteen on the boat. We realize the paper may not be a current issue, but it would be something to read.

Where is your outcry, Clyde Jackman? When will it be time for "changes" in the ferry service you operate.

It's easy enough to fed-bash, and, given the guy in charge, never a bad career move on the part of one of His ministers. Heck, it's probably mandatory: in the lead-up to winning conditions, you can never really fed-bash too much, can you?

But, in a case where you have full provincial power not just to complain about something, but to actually do something to improve the tourism industry and the amenities and service levels aboard a ferry, why are you, and your government, doing nothing, year, after year, after year, after year?

You know about the complaints. You've known about them for years. But do you care?

It's all well and fine to call for a "two-pronged approach". But why the two standards; one for what you expect of the federal government on a federally-operated ferry, and another, lesser standard, for what you and your government are willing to provide on a provincial ferry in that supposedly integral part of the province, Labrador?

Why do you demand anything of the federal government that you aren't prepared to do yourself?

===

Postscript: 1,000th posting. 42,000th visitor. Happy New Year!