No one pays or we all pay

A tale of two bridges — the Confederation Bridge with a $46 toll that cost tax payers $1 billion and the Champlain Bridge that cost the same taxpayers $4 billion and no toll?

There is a clear question of discrimination between the provinces of Quebec and Prince Edward Island. It seems to me either everyone pays or no one pays. I do realize we are an island and besides the bridge we have a summer ferry service at Wood Island. Nevertheless, we are paying while other Canadians are getting a free pass, and that is not how the federal government should be operating.

No one knows how much money has been made to date, as the bridge company does not disclose numbers of vehicles crossing or the total revenue. However, it would be a safe bet to say they have made a lot of money in the years of operation. At the very least tolls should be eliminated for those people travelling off island for medical purposes.

The tolls should also be eliminated for seniors and the disabled. It is very difficult understand why our premier is not raising a ruckus with the federal government over this issue. He tells islanders it’s not on his agenda? What, why not? Is it not a major issue for so many islanders?

I wonder how he would have reacted if this issue had been on the election trail. You can bet we’d have had many promises to have the tolls removed. Now though he is elected and does not need our votes for another three or four years, he probably thinks by then we will have forgotten the bridge! F. Ben Rodgers, Abram-Village