Nova Scotia orders economic impact study of subsidized ferry to Maine

Bay Ferries said the service carried just over 36,000 passengers and nearly 15,000 vehicles between May 19 and Oct. 10

CITYnews halifax \ Canadian Press

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HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says his government is ordering an economic impact study of the provincially subsidized ferry between Nova Scotia and Maine.

Houston said today taxpayers who covered the $17-million annual subsidy would have liked to have seen more passengers during the just-concluded sailing season.

Bay Ferries said on Monday the service between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbor, Maine, carried just over 36,000 passengers and nearly 15,000 vehicles between May 19 and Oct. 10.

Houston says the company’s lease on the ferry has been extended for another year, and it is expected to sail again in 2023.

But the premier says it’s time to determine whether Nova Scotians got good value for the 2022 subsidy, which amounted to roughly $472 per passenger.

Public Works Minister Kim Masland says a request for proposal for a “broad overview” of the economic impact of the ferry will be issued this fall.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2022.

The Canadian Press