From The Vanguard

Hope remains on saving ferry
by Michael Gorman/The Vanguard
Article online since January 9th 2010, 7:00

Hope remains on saving ferry
Work towards finding some kind of solution to the region ferry woes is continuing.

During a special Yarmouth Town council meeting on Dec. 29, topics were discussed ranging from writing a letter to the prime minister, passing a resolution that would garner support for the service from the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities and whether or not it is an appropriate time to begin soliciting proposals for new ferry services.

What was clear during the meeting was that there are a number of questions that remain unanswered and time is of the essence with regards to getting answers and possibly salvaging some kind of ferry service for the 2010 season.

The region was stunned when Bay Ferries Ltd. announced on Dec. 18 that they were cancelling The Cat’s upcoming season due to a number of financial difficulties highlighted by the province’s decision not to grant a request for a $6-million subsidy.

Despite outcry from around the province and a meeting with delegates from Yarmouth, Premier Darrell Dexter resolved to hold his position that The Cat is an unsustainable service and will not receive one more dollar from the province.

Bay Ferries still has an exclusive lease on the ferry terminal in Yarmouth, something that wouldn’t be appealing to a new operator. And while there is word that several operators have contacted town officials to express interest in bringing a ferry service to the area, council decided they must first have a clear understanding of the situation with the terminal.

Yarmouth Mayor Phil Mooney said The Cat needs to be preserved long enough to get a monohulled service in place to take over, something he suggested could be ready as soon as November of this year or by January of 2011.

“That’s what everybody seems to want,” he said. “We’re about more than just tourists, (we also need) cargo and we’ve got to get our goods and services down to the United States.”

Much of what the town does next hinges on what the ACOA-funded transportation study will contain. The premier said two weeks ago that he would ask for the study, which was due in March, to be fast tracked. Mooney, who sits on the committee working on the study, said he believes the study can be ready by the end of this month.

Based on the options laid out in the study, the mayor said council would have a much better idea of what they need to do next.