Panic in tiny Kootenay towns as local ferry strike escalates [Video]

A sense of panic is growing in tiny southeast British Columbia communities around Kootenay Lake over fears they will be cut off from their neighbours and jobs by an escalating ferry service labour dispute, according to a local businesswoman.

The West Kootenay communities of Harrop, Procter and Glade could see their cable ferry service reduced after a B.C. Labour Relations Board ruling permitted expansion of a strike that has already limited sailings on the major Kootenay Lake routes.

For some residents, the only alternative to the cable ferry routes that run a few hundred metres across the narrow lake is an hours-long drive, while other residents fear being cut off completely.

WATCH | Kootenay ferry job action to escalate: Some Kootenay Lake residents are concerned after the union representing striking inland ferry workers applied to extend the job action to the Harrop and Glade cable ferries. The move would further restrict access to the communities. Corey Bullock reports.

…