Cat Ferry News and Comments

NS: Protest fails to turn the tide for Yarmouth ferry
By Carla Allen & Tina Comeau, Transcontinental Media

Source: The Vanguard, Feb. 5, 2010

[YARMOUTH, NS] — The mood aboard the buses was merry on the way up. Hopeful. However, dejection was a palpable emotion on the way back amongst those who made the long trek to Halifax Thursday morning. It was a last ditch attempt to have the provincial government reverse its decision to subsidize ferry service between Yarmouth and Maine.


Buses loaded at 6 a.m. for the trip to Halifax. — Carla Allen photo

At least 100 passengers from Yarmouth, Digby and Shelburne counties joined Bay Ferries employees, CAW members, business operators, ferry supporters and municipal politicians from other parts of the Maritimes in front of the legislature, to form a crowd of close to 250.

Ian Hurst, president and CEO of Rodd Hotels and Resorts was emcee for a line up of a dozen speakers. He said, following the announcement of The Cat service cancellation, the Rodd Grand Hotel immediately started to feel the repercussions with bus tours cancelling visits and the loss of 1,000 room nights for this season.

Overall, the anticipated job losses in Yarmouth County — between Bay Ferries employees, hotels, restaurants and other businesses that rely on The Cat — are reported to be 500 or more. The predictions are that without ferry service this year, the fallout will be disastrous on the local tourism industry and will impact all of the province, as the majority of people who travel to Yarmouth via The Cat spend their vacation in other parts of the province.

Organizers for the ferry rally had requested Economic Development Minister Percy Paris to address the crowd, which at one point surged inside One Government Place chanting “Darrell, Darrell, Darrell.” They were asked by police to go back outside. As it turned out, the premier was on vacation that day and not in Halifax.

Minister Paris refused to address the protesters but agreed to meet privately with a smaller delegation that included Town of Yarmouth mayor Phil Mooney.

“He said he’s not going to reverse his decision,” said Mooney following that meeting. “There were some very sad people that left that office.”

During the discussion Minister Paris suggested his department could help alleviate the lack of tourists in Yarmouth by putting up a sign in Digby so “maybe you can tap into the 100,000 people that go to the Wharf Rat Rally.”

“That was a disgraceful statement. I couldn’t believe it,” said Mooney. “They’ve cut the life right out of us.”
Tags:Bay Ferries, buses, Economic Development Minister Percy Paris, ferry service between Yarmouth and Maine, Ian Hurst, Premier Darrell Dexter, protest, rally, Rodd Hotels and Resorts, save the ferry, subsidize ferry service, The Cat, Yarmouth mayor Phil Mooney
Comments:
Shari Hastings Lucey
We will be driving the long way around to reach our vacation home in Nova Scotia this summer, but if there isn’t a ferry after that, we will consider selling our home. I am sure there are many others like us who will do the same thing. The summer home owners put a lot of money into the economy each year that may not be taken into account when you look at just the tourism figures. It is a sad time for Nova Scotia as I think losing the ferry is going to be devastating to an already suffering region.

Feb 5/2010
Brian
How does this idiot think alot of those people got to Southwest Nova to go to the Wharf Rat Rally in the first place…swim?!?!?!?

Feb 5/2010
Sandy
Thank you for getting that into the paper so people can see the really stupid things this man can say (and do)!
“Paris suggested his department could help alleviate the lack of tourists in Yarmouth by putting up a sign in Digby so “maybe you can tap into the 100,000 people that go to the Wharf Rat Rally.”

Feb 5/2010
Allan
I need some answers here.

This is the minister of Tourism?

He is telling the tourist industry they don’t know what they are talking about, a highway sign will solve the problem, that is why he wants to pay $3 million for the Cat not to run. His plan is to put up a sign?

I just want to be the first to say that if this sign thing really works we are going to look like fools don’t you think?

On the other hand if our new NDP minister of Tourism and Economic Development is telling us his only backup plan for destroying the south shore tourism industry and killing 500 jobs is a damn sign. I think he should be removed from office because that is not a plan.

That is stupid Percy, that makes chills run down my spine that your our guy to depend on to grow our industry? Does that sound like Darrel Dexter made a good choice for tourism to you?

The south shore is going to have a recession of it’s own this summer, like we have never seen. Low tourism, bankrupts, few summer jobs, fewer events, less people at the fewer events and tourism for us will suck. Economic development will suck.

This will all be the result of Percy Paris having a plan to use one sign to compensate for the loss of a service that has run forever in our eyes.

Does anyone else feel he was a bad choice for minister?

I do and I am going to be force to suffer threw it.

My god give us hope, for hope is all we have left.

Feb 5/2010