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ferryman.ca
Amherst Island was always the low lump of land that blocked the view over Lake Ontario as we drove The Loyalist Parkway from Kingston to the Glenora ferry; there was never a particular reason to go there. But in July 2016 we finally decided to head over for a casual afternoon of biking.
We joined the queue early at the Millhaven dock and were dwarfed by three large dump trucks full of gravel, owned by Wemp and Smith, the contractor who had built our own house two years earlier.
When the ferry docked we were surprised that, although it had end-loading ramps which would allow quick loading, it moored beside the dock and lowered the side ramp. Each vehicle had to drive on, reverse and be directed by a crew member. It didn't make sense then, but a little research found the docks were designed for side loading, and there is a project just under way to rebuild the docks to suit end-loading, with completion due in 2019.
They squeezed the smaller vehicles at each end of the boat, and then managed to get the three large dump trucks in the middle in a fan shape from the side ramp.
On arrival at Stella we turned left to do a clockwise loop of the island. Though Stella is the largest of two hamlets on the island it still rates just a few houses and a couple of businesses—the population of the whole island is just 450. But it is home to , calling itself "The smallest radio station in Canada".
The island is mainly farmland, forest and marsh, with a sprinkling of waterfront homes. The eastern tip has good views back to Kingston. The land on the tip itself is a nature reserve, with unfriendly signs to keep out casual visitors.
Around the island small signs were nailed to many fence posts and trees when we visited in 2016, protesting plans to build a wind turbine farm. Much as I believe in the need to develop alternative energy generation, having seen how nearby Wolfe Island is overwhelmed by wind turbines I can fully understand the feelings of the Amherst residents on aesthetic reasons alone. And there are many other very real reasons a small community like this would feel upset at what is happening to them.
So we drove around, but nothing inspired us to get on our bikes, and when it started raining we gave up and headed home. Going back, the ferry had 5 pickup trucks and a trailer from Wemp and Smith—the work crew going home for the day. It's a nice quite place to live or have a summer cottage, but the cost of getting materials and manpower to the island to build a house must be very high.
I returned in February2017 when the lake was semi-covered in broken ice. The ferry had little trouble with this ice, but it must be more problematic in winters when the lake freezes fully. Again there were three large dump trucks, but this time belonging to Lennox and Addington County and full of road aggregate. I didn't cross this time but as I looked over at the island I could see the crane and piling work on the shore where they were already building the docks for the barges to be used in the construction of the wind turbine farm.

The electric age (almost!)

In November 2017 the Ontario government announced the award of contracts for new ferries for the Amherst and Wolfe Islands routes, and in March 2018 another announcement was made that these would be fully electric, the first non-cable electric ferries in Canada. Early 2020 was promised as the date for the new Amherst Island ferry to be in operation—in fact it entered service in August 2024.
Those 4+ years of delay of course coincided with Covid and the post-Covid shortages. Both boats spent a lot of time moored at various docks in the region while the ferry terminal facilities were rebuilt to be suitable for the new boats with the required electrical charging systems.
As I write this (March 2025) the Amherst Islander II is in service, with the ferry terminals rebuilt and in good shape. But the boat is still running on its backup diesel engines; the charging systems are currently going through a commissioning phase, causing the Amherst Islander II to be replaced in service for days at a time by the old standby, the Frontenac II.
I did get to cross both ways on the Amherst Islander II for my visit to the island in March 2025—a nice, new ferry with lots of room on it. But the Frontenac II was moored beside the dock at Stella with smoke coming from its exhausts, giving the impression it could take over at any moment. The Glenora, Amherst Island and Wolfe Island ferries all operate in the same general area and the ferries and their docks are designed and tested to ensure they can back each other up in the event of an emergency.
The Kingston and Wolfe Island ferry terminals are currently still under construction. The Wolfe Islander IV did start operations in 2024, only to suffer a collision below the waterline in December 2024. I was hoping to try her out, but as she remains in Hamilton being repaired I will have to wait.
Electric ferries consume... electricity. When I first visited the island in 2016, all the talk was of opposition to wind turbines. That battle was lost as the photos here attest. Driving around the island you keep coming across them, or their access roads with Keep out signs. There are few simple decisions in life.

INFO
Location
Ferry info
4.2, crossing time 20 minutes
Operates year-round
- from Stella on the hour (6:00 am to 1:00 am)
- from Millhaven on the half-hour (6:30 am to 1:30 am)
The boats
Cost
$10 for a car (2025 - return, collected crossing to Stella)
Operator
Loyalist Township (on behalf of the MTO)
When I used the ferry
July 2016 - for the first time
March 2025 - most recently, and several times between
External links to
Links to articles by Damen, the builder of the Amherst Islander II

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