Yarmouth to Maine ferry to be subject of an economic impact study

CITYnews halifax \ By Dan Ahlstrand

The Province of Nova Scotia has requested proposals for an economic impact study on the controversial Yarmouth to Maine Ferry.

“We need to know that this service is providing good value to Nova Scotian taxpayers,” said Public Works Minister Kim Masland. “We collected input from municipalities, chambers of commerce, the tourism industry, and so many others to ensure we get the level of detail we need. A study of this depth has not been done before, and it is essential to have if we are going to make an informed decision over the long term.”

The province says they will collect data from two different sailing seasons to account for fluctuations in passenger numbers.

In 2022 the ferry service handled 36,151 passengers and 14,972 vehicles on its 113 round trips. Twelve round trips were cancelled last season because of bad weather.

In 2022, the ferry operator, Bay Ferries,  received $17.9 million from the province to support its operations.

A final report is scheduled to be delivered in the fall of 2024. The current contract with the ferry provider for the Yarmouth to Maine service will end in 2025.