Digby Ferry Schedules Extra Crossings

There will be extra ferry crossings this fall between Digby and Saint John, N.B.

Bay Ferries Ltd., which operates the service, will extend its peak summer season schedule for the Princess of Acadia between Labour Day and Thanksgiving to meet a 25 to 30 per cent hike in its business this year.

"We’re delighted that usage is up," Mark MacDonald, president of Bay Ferries, said in an interview.

"We’re seeing a strong year."

There are usually about 14 crossings a week during the summer before the schedule is scaled back to 11 in the fall.

MacDonald said one reason for the increased business this year may be the discontinued high-speed Cat ferry between Yarmouth and Portland, Maine. The Dexter government cut its funding because it no longer wanted to cover the Cat’s operating losses after paying more than $20 million since 2005.

"The fact that there is no Yarmouth-Maine service this year may be one factor," MacDonald said. "But it’s also been a very different year this year.

"We’ve had better weather this summer than we’ve had in about 10."

Businesses are still waiting to hear from Ottawa, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick about whether the three governments will continue to cost-share the 39-year-old Princess of Acadia. The funding agreement expires in January.

MacDonald said the seafood industry especially depends on the ferry to transport its products to United States markets.

"We’re foreseeing strong traffic into the fall both on the tourist side and on the commercial trucking side.

"We take all that into consideration."

Denny Morrow, executive director of the Nova Scotia Fish Packers Association, is calling for the Princess of Acadia to be replaced. That would cost about $40 million to $60 million but makes good business sense because a newer vessel would be faster, more fuel efficient and cheaper to maintain, he said.

Story by JEFFREY SIMPSON

The Halifax Chronicle Herald
Wed, Sep 1, 2010