A group of business owners in Kingston, Ontario, are preparing to file a lawsuit against the federal government over a mishandled bridge renovation that has caused congestion of vessels in the city’s inner harbour and jeopardized numerous jobs. The refurbishment of the LaSalle Causeway has resulted in construction delays, trapping several commercial vessels in the inner harbour and rendering the only drydock in eastern Ontario inaccessible from Lake Ontario. Originally scheduled to reopen on May 1, the federally managed causeway will not meet the deadline due to negligence during the construction process, as stated by the president of St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, which deemed this delay unacceptable. St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, which has operated the Canadian Empress along the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers for over four decades, generates substantial economic activity from Kingston to Quebec City. With the sole drydock in eastern Ontario inaccessible, all vessels in the area, including local ferries and those from New York state, lack access to repair facilities.
