Premier optimistic about ferry service

Knowing the question would be coming, Premier Stephen McNeil was talking about the international ferry service linking Nova Scotia and the

U.S. before even being asked when he took part in a Yarmouth and Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon and ‘fire-side’ conversation.

“I am committed to it; we are committed to it, the government, and we’re hoping in the not too distant future we’ll be able to communicate what the season will look like in front of us,” McNeil said prior to taking questions from chamber president Angie Greene at the Feb. 14 event.

The Cat ferry sat idle all of the 2019 season instead of sailing between Yarmouth and Bar Harbor because renovations and upgrades required in Bar Harbor for the terminal – the vessel’s new U.S. port – could not be completed in time for a sailing season.

Tourism operators and other businesses hope not to see delays this year in a ferry season. Bay Ferries has not yet posted its 2020 schedule on its website but tells visits to “check back for 2020 schedule updates.”

While people on the ferry visit all parts of the province, the absence of the season last year is reflected in local tourism numbers. In 2018, the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores tourism region had seen considerable growth with 72,000 room nights – a nine per cent increase from the previous year. The filming of The Lighthouse film and the ferry service were credited for that growth.

Year-to-date tourism performance figures released by Tourism Nova Scotia in October 2019 showed the same region had a 23 per cent decrease in licensed room nights in 2019, which was 22,000 fewer room nights than the previous year.

“If you were a business owner in Yarmouth today, would you be optimistic about the upcoming season?” Greene asked the premier during the chamber event.

“I would be optimistic about the upcoming season for all kinds of reasons,” he said. “I’m certainly much more optimistic today about this service than I would have been last year at this time.

“We know there is a level of anxiety here when it comes to this service,” he added, saying Bay Ferries is working hard with its U.S. partners to get the service reconnected.

McNeil added that ongoing negativity about the service hurts it.

PREMIER

“The international world listens to what goes on inside of our province and the negativity is not – in any way, shape or form – positive . . . when you are dealing with south of the border,” he said. “So for those of you in this room, the louder you scream about the importance of that ferry, the better it is for your government, the better it is for the province.”

McNeil was also asked about the possibility of having the federal government provide financial support for the service. Other ferry services in the province receive federal subsidy to help them operate, it was noted.

Even though the ferry did not operate last year the provincial government still paid millions towards the service – both for the terminal work in Bar Harbor and fixed costs associated with the service.

One thing that is often talked about is conducting an economic analysis of the service. It is known how much government money is invested in the service for it to operate, but there are no hard figures to point to the economic return to the province. Aside from the tourism impact, all provisions (fuel, food, etc) for the ferry are purchased in Nova Scotia. There are also Nova Scotians employed by the service, both on the ferry and onshore.

In an interview McNeil was asked about an economic impact study.

“I can tell you the one that I know as a son of southwestern Nova scotia – when it’s not running, we feel it economically,” he said. But McNeil also said it’s been difficult to carry out an economic analysis because there’s been ongoing change since ferry service was reintroduced years ago, both with the operator and now the port. He said consistency is needed before numbers can be crunched.

“We believe when we strengthen that tie and we know that people know it’s there for the long haul, then you’ll see the benefit and then you can look at the economic analysis,” he said. “That will be a truer analysis.”

OTHER ISSUES

While in Yarmouth several issues were touched on during questions from the chamber and ones from the floor. Topics included internet service, healthcare, gravel roads, economic development, the lobster fishery, transportation and more.

McNeil also mentioned that the government intends to present its budget on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Another issue he was asked about was Web.com in Yarmouth, which will be closing this year. Layoff notices have already begun for some of the nearly 200 employees as the operation winds down in phases. Provincial and local efforts are ongoing to find another company to use the space and hopefully keep the workforce employed.

“I know that IBM has been a big part of it, others have come in and looked at it so that’s real encouraging,” the premier said. “The people who have talked to me about it have talked about how dedicated this workforce is and one of the things that is attracting interest here is based on the fact that these are long-time employees. So there’s lots of interest around that and we’re working with Karen Churchill who has been a real outstanding voice for the workers there, as well as for the community.”