A second lawsuit related to the long-delayed Kootenay Lake ferry has been launched.
Albion Marine Solutions, based in Coquitlam, B.C., is suing the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure as well as former project manager Western Pacific Marine for unpaid work on the new inland ferry currently being constructed at a temporary dry dock in Nelson.
The lawsuit, filed April 23 in B.C. Supreme Court, alleges Albion is owed $515,796.64 for work completed between July 11 to Sept. 1, 2025. The company is seeking repayment plus monthly interest at eight per cent and recoupment of its legal costs.
Albion says it was hired by Western Pacific Marine in September 2024 to supply equipment, material and various services.
A lawyer for Western Pacific Marine and spokesperson for the transportation ministry separately told the Nelson Star they are aware of the lawsuit but declined to comment further.
It’s the second time in a year Western Pacific Marine has been sued for unpaid fees connected to the ferry.
In December 2025, Vancouver-based Eco HeavyDuty Repairs alleged it is owed $6.4 million for unspecified work. In a response to the claim dated Feb. 6, Western Pacific Marine denied it agreed to a contract with Eco HeavyDuty Repairs. The matter remains before the court.
Western Pacific Marine also manages the Kootenay Lake ferry operations as well as the Harrop and Glade cable ferries. The company was initially awarded $63 million by the province in 2021 to build the new vessel as well as prepare the Balfour and Kootenay Bay terminals to be solely electric powered by 2030.
The ferry was initially supposed to be completed by 2023. Last December, the transportation ministry announced it would replace Western Pacific Marine with a new company to manage the ferry’s construction. The ministry told the Nelson Star that the new project manager is KLF Project Management.
The ministry has also said the vessel will be completed in late 2026 and operational in 2027, at a cost of $117 million or at least $54 million over budget. The change of managers does not appear to have increased the project’s costs as of April 30.
Western Pacific Marine is also currently in another labour dispute with the B.C. General Employees Union, which represents about 80 ferry workers, after both sides required a provincial arbitrator to end a year-long strike and five-month job action in June 2025.
The BCGEU has filed an unfair labour practice complaint at the Labour Relations Board alleging Western Pacific Marine has refused to issue retroactive pay owed, as well as implement aspects of the collective agreement related to scheduling benefit increases and shift differentials.
Western Pacific Marine has in turn requested both parties again meet with mediator Vince Ready to resolve the matter.
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