Municipal finance committee recommends emergency funding for ferry repairs

One of five ferries operated by Halifax Transit should be taken out of service for urgent repairs, a Halifax Regional Municipality committee recommended on Wednesday.

The Craig Blake, commissioned in 2015, was scheduled for maintenance in the 2025-26 fiscal year. However, unexpected mechanical problems were identified that cannot wait until the ship’s regularly scheduled work. 

Mervin David, manager of ferry operations for Halifax Transit, told the municipality’s audit and finance committee that in September 2023, the Craig Blake began experiencing problems with the vessel’s propulsion unit. 

Mechanics made minor adjustments but in September 2024, Halifax Transit began receiving reports of water leaking from the same unit. Technicians provided by the manufacturer identified the issue as a problem with the main seal on the bottom of the propeller. They recommended installing a temporary air injection system.

“These [repairs] are only temporary,” said David. “There is permanent work and investigation which needs to be carried out to fix the problem altogether and this work can only be carried out with the boat out of the water in a dry dock.”

The transit agency was recommending moving up the vessel’s scheduled maintenance so emergency repairs and the planned dry-docking can occur simultaneously.

The costs for the combined repairs and routine maintenance is estimated at $2 million. The transit service is still receiving bids on the job, so it isn’t clear where the work will be done.

The municipality hadn’t anticipated that spending in the 2024/25 fiscal year. As a solution, the staff recommended the transfer of funds from a reserve. 

Committee members supported the recommendation and agreed that handling both issues together would be ideal. 

“Taking the boat out of the water and trying to make repairs in two separate instances wouldn’t make a lot of sense,” said District 16 Coun. Jean St. Amand.

HRM CFO Jerry Blackwood emphasized the urgency of the situation, explaining why this could not be delayed until the next budget cycle.

“If the repairs weren’t urgent, we would have brought this forward as a budget item, but we need to get moving on this.”

The motion passed unanimously, with the committee agreeing to recommend the spending to regional council.

Halifax Transit recorded 1.6 million boardings of Halifax ferries in 2023-24.