Hopes Raise for Yarmouth Ferry

NS: Optimism high for ferry service
By Tina Comeau, Transcontinental Media

Source: The Vanguard, Aug. 5/10

[Yarmouth, NS] – The interim CEO of the Yarmouth Area Industrial Commission says he is very optimistic with how efforts are progressing to gain local control of the ferry terminal on Water Street and reestablish ferry service.

“I’m very optimistic that something is going to fall into place here and by mid September or so we’ll be able to have a very positive announcement,” says Dave Whiting.

Since March, work has been taking place with Transport Canada to gain local control of the ferry terminal on Water Street. The terminal is owned by the federal government and leased to Bay Ferries. The divestiture of the terminal is needed to move forward with ferry service.

The local town and municipal councils chose to have the Yarmouth Area Industrial Commission serve as the lead agency in the divestiture.

“That’s the piece that has to fall into place. The difficulty is everybody has to justify everything. You have to be seen as fair,” Whiting says. “So if (the government is) going to lease the premise to us, it has to be a fair lease to all taxpayers. They can’t look at Yarmouth and say we’re going to give it to you for $1 without justifying it. So there is work being done in that regard.”

Whiting says he believes he can safely say at this point that the area will start out with a temporary resolution to the terminal issue and then move forward into a permanent, long-term resolution.

“And that would be acquiring the terminal on behalf of the people of the region,” he says.

As previously reported, there has been upwards of seven companies expressing interest in operating a ferry service. For those who have done their homework and groundwork ahead of time, Whiting says there is time to get a ferry service up and running for the 2011 season, even if the pieces only fall into place this fall.

Summing up the efforts involving divestiture of the terminal and the reestablishment of ferry service that have been taking place, Whiting says, “It’s come a long way and at this point I’m extremely optimistic. I think in the next little while we will be moving forward, getting documents prepared and getting people to actually come forward.”