National Post (National Edition)
Pandemic may help bring island closer to rest of Canada
N.B. community’s fight for ferry gets new urgency
OTTAWA • A tiny New Brunswick island without any connection to mainland Canada, may have a pandemic to thank for finally giving it a permanent link to the rest of the country.
Campobello Island is on the southern edge of New Brunswick, in the Bay of Fundy. The island has no direct link to Canada, but has a bridge connecting it to Lubec, Maine.
Getting gas or other essentials has long required clearing U.S. customs. This has led to a number of issues. For instance, late last year border guards began searching mail headed for Campobello.
In a COVID-19 world the border has brought new challenges. In mid-March, the governments of Canada and the United States took the unprecedented step of closing the border to all non-essential travel and it has remained that way since.
During the pandemic, people on the island have been able to cross into the U.S. for some vital services, but Justin Tinker, who grew up on the island, said it’s not seamless.
“You’re being asked exactly where you’re going, what you’re doing, who you’re meeting, if you have any intention of stopping in the States,” he said. “There are island residents who have been seeking medical care on the mainland, who have been refused medical care because they stopped in the States, even for something as trivial as gassing up their car.”
Tinker has had to move away from Campobello for work as an engineer, but he still leads a group aiming to bring year-round ferry service to the community. There is a seasonal ferry in summer months, but much of the year the only way to Canada is through the U.S.
The one grocery store on the island was slated to close in March, but Tinker said the owner helped the community and kept the doors open.
“Given the state of emergency and the fact that it would really be hanging the island out to dry, the current operator had decided he would stay open on a temporary basis,” said Tinker.
The island, with a population of about 1,000 is home to a number of seniors and Tinker said adult children haven’t been able to check in on their parents because of the border restrictions.
The pandemic has brought the long-standing problems into focus, Tinker said, adding his group recently met with New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs and the province’s Transportation Minister Bill Oliver to try and address the issues.
“We’ve made more inroads in the last three weeks than we have in the last three years,” he said.
In May, Higgs said he’d look at the transportation issue.
“We are going to continue to work on a business case to look at the reality of a longer ferry service model,” he said. “As with any topic, I am always prepared to look at all the facts, put them on the table so we can make decisions.”
He said any project would require assistance from the federal government.
The cost of running the ferry throughout the year is estimated to be about $1 million, according to Tinker and he hopes the federal government will help pay for it.
“The idea of a full-time, year-round ferry has gained a lot of traction, a lot of legitimacy. And now with the province willing to sit down and discuss funding, Ottawa needs to as well,” he said.
Tinker said the community has been shrinking since the border became a major issue after restrictions grew tougher following the terrorist attacks against the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.
Incomes on Campobello are lower than in other parts of the province and Tinker said regular access between the two could help the island in the future.
“A ferry isn’t going to reverse that overnight, but it is about making a lot of projects that aren’t viable, viable.”
Conservative MP John Williamson said COVID-19 has brought the issue to the forefront, but the problem is a long-standing one and should be addressed.
A full-time ferry service would enable islanders to have the same Canadian rights as anyone else in the province, he said.
The federal government could be willing to help pay for a ferry, but the province will have to bring a full proposal, Williamson said, noting the provincial government has an added incentive to address the issue now.
There are two by-elections coming up in the province, including one in the riding that encompasses Campobello Island. If Higgs’ Progressive Conservative party loses both they will lose their slim minority government in the legislature.
“Politicians are particularly attentive to what voters are saying in that part of the riding,” Williamson said. “Elections have that impact on politicians.”