Federal funding may save the Yarmouth Cat
Posted Dec 29, 2009 06:49:18 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Cat may not be dead.
There’s talk from Ottawa, the federal government may fund Nova Scotia’s ferry link to Maine. A spokesperson for Defence Minister Peter MacKay says he isn’t ruling out the idea of federal funding for the catamaran ferry from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor Maine. But Dan Dugas says no decision can be made without an assessment of a transportation study.
Ottawa is likely to face mounting pressure to help pay for some kind of a ferry connection after the province decided to stop subsidizing the service. Premier Darrell Dexter announced on December 18 the government would not invest further in the service and the high-speed ferry would be shutting down this spring. The previous government had invested $18.9 million in Bay Ferry since 2007.
Speaking to people on the street, we couldn’t find anyone who’d taken the connection between Yarmouth and Maine, although everyone agreed it’s an important service because of the tourism dollars and the speedy trip it offers. However, there was a mixed reaction from people in Halifax about who should pay for the service. Some said the responsibility falls on the province. Others suggest Maine should pay a share while others say the province shouldn’t continue to subsidize a money-losing operation.
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is due to release its transportation study on the service in February.
