Nova Scotia will continue to subsidize Maine ferry service for another two years
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/10/2024 (683 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it will provide financial support for at least two more years to the private ferry service that links the province with Maine.
Public Works Minister Kim Masland released a progress report today that shows all regions of the province benefit from the service operated by Bay Ferries Limited.
The report says the heavily subsidized ferry that travels between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbor, Maine, is not more expensive than comparable services.
As well, the report says that after the 2026 sailing season, the province will require new agreements for the vessel, the operator and the terminal operator in Maine.
The province’s Progressive Conservative government budgeted $21 million for the service in 2024, but the final costs have yet to be calculated.
Meanwhile, the government also confirmed today that a full economic impact study that began in September 2023 will not be completed until next spring.
“Our job with the ferry service is making sure it delivers good value for all Nova Scotians, and we continue to do the work to understand its impact,” Masland said in a statement.
“This progress report shows us ferry passengers stay longer, spend more and travel throughout the province. It also illustrates the importance of maintaining consistency with the service.”
The progress report says that during the 2023 sailing season, visitors using the ferry spent more than $20 million in Nova Scotia and stayed in the province for an average of 8.2 nights.
The study also found that 38 per cent of passengers visited Halifax, 30 per cent stayed in the Annapolis Valley and 27 per cent travelled to Cape Breton.
In 2023, the ferry carried 38,430 passengers and 15,348 vehicles. As of last Thursday, the ferry had carried 48,804 passengers and 19,711 vehicles this season.
“The 30 per cent growth over last year’s traffic is a testament to the hard work of our BFL employees and local contractors,” Bay Ferries CEO Mark Wilson said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.
