YARMOUTH, N.S. — Bay Ferries says it is refunding all sailings that have been booked on The Cat and it is no longer accepting new reservations for the 2019 sailing season until there is a definitive answer of when the ferry will sail.
Although for many people the question no longer seems to be when the ferry will sail, but rather if the ferry will sail at all.
“Due to continued construction and related approval processes at the Bar Harbor ferry terminal, it is anticipated that the earliest date on which any service could commence is in the late summer range,” a July 15 update from Bay Ferries states. “Efforts are being made to accelerate the start date. In the meantime, all customers holding bookings on the season will be offered full refunds on their reservations and no new reservations will be accepted until there is more definitive timing.”
Throughout the winter and early spring Bay Ferries had been targeting June 21 as a potential start date for the sailing season. It was then pushed back to July 7. After that Bay Ferries cancelled reservations up to July 18.
“Bay Ferries Limited deeply regrets any inconvenience caused to our customers and impacts on our partners and the hospitality industry,” the company says. “We will continue to make every effort to support the Southwest Nova tourism industry, and Nova Scotia tourism industry, in any way possible.”
The Cat ferry, meanwhile, sits idle on Yarmouth’s waterfront.
A discussion about the ferry service took place at Yarmouth town council’s monthly meeting last week. Councillor Wade Cleveland, the chair of the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Tourism Association (YASTA), reported that the ongoing uncertainty about the ferry had caused “some necessity to change direction.”
He noted YASTA does a huge amount of advertising and marketing in New England, along with Ontario and Quebec, which are all seen as key markets. As recently as last week Cleveland was saying even with the delay there was still hope on YASTA’s part that a good part of the season could be salvaged. But that optimism was short lived.
Following Bay Ferries’ July 15 update, Cleveland said there is further disappointment about the situation.
“Now we regroup and aim our focus – for now – on the Fundy Rose, and within Nova Scotia. We have a strong presence in Ontario and Quebec as well,” he said.
Last year the YASTA region had seen a nine per cent growth in room nights with around 72,000 room nights sold. The growth was credited to the ferry service and the filming of The Lighthouse film last spring.
The region had been hoping to build on that growth this year but instead operators are experiencing ongoing cancellations. One operator in Yarmouth, who didn’t want his name used, said he is seeing an 80 per cent decrease.
“For the most part everything is way down compared to last year, for obvious reasons,” Cleveland said about the situation.
YASTA used to staff a visitor information centre (VIC) on The Cat ferry, which provided tourists with information about the YASTA region and the rest of the province. Bay Ferries has given YASTA space to have a VIC presence on the Fundy Rose, which sails between Digby and Saint John, N.B.
Bay Ferries also says passengers who had reservations on The Cat will be offered alternate passage, where available, between Saint John and Digby on MV Fundy Rose. It said on July 15 that 51.7 per cent of passengers whose reservations had been cancelled to date have accepted passage on MV Fundy Rose.
Since returning to ferry service between Nova Scotia and Maine, Bay Ferries’ numbers have increased on The Cat during each of the past three seasons, which has helped to rejuvenate tourism in southwestern Nova Scotia. Operators have renovated businesses. New tourism adventure experiences have been started up. The Rodd Colony Inn hotel, located across from the ferry terminal that has been closed since 2011, has been undergoing a major multi-million renovation and transformation on its path to reopening. A new Hilton hotel to be built just outside of the town limits on the Acadia First Nation reserve was announced in the spring.
At last week’s council meeting, Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood suggested that people reach out to friends and family and encourage them to visit Yarmouth and the surrounding region.
“I’ve had colleagues contact me from throughout the Atlantic provinces . . . and they’ve said we understand what is going on . . . so we’re going to, they call it a staycation in Nova Scotia, and they’re going to make their way to Yarmouth,” she said.
Beyond the economic impact to the tourism sector there are also continued questions on what the tie-up of the ferry will mean to the government and to taxpayers. Aside from the $8.5 million the province and Bay Ferries are paying for renovations to the terminal in Bar Harbor, the province budgeted $13.5 million for the season’s operations. There are still costs and expenses that need to be paid, even though the ferry is not running. There are leasing agreements for terminal properties in Yarmouth and Bar Harbor, costs associated with staff, etc. And while there are expenses, there is no revenue to offset things.
NDP MLA Susan LeBlanc, who speaks for the party on Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal issues, said Monday the continued delay in the ferry schedule “is unacceptable” for the people who need to know if visitors will be coming on the ferry this summer. She said the government needs to be upfront and clear with the people of Nova Scotia and answer the question: “Will the ferry run at all this season?”
“Nova Scotians should be able to expect the services that their tax dollars pay for will be delivered,” she said. “The McNeil Liberals needs to stand up to Bay Ferries and impose fines or penalties on the company for this loss of service.”
Bar Harbor is not new to Bay Ferries – it sailed between there and Yarmouth from 1997 to 2009. In making the return back to this port, upgrades were needed at the terminal facility – namely for customs and border protection (CBP).
“Since discussions began, CBP has been transparent and consistent in communicating its requirements. CBP has been clear that facility projects of this nature and scope generally take 12-18 months to complete from design to construction,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson Michael McCarthy had said last month.
People who have seen the ferry terminal in Bar Harbor up close are not surprised by the continued delays. A resident of Yarmouth County who was in Bar Harbor last week and saw the terminal facility had her doubts about there being a season. She didn’t want her name used but said, “The ferry terminal does not look anywhere near ready for this summer. Some people here say said the middle of August, and some people are saying we will not see The Cat this summer. The grounds are all torn up. I wish The Cat was starting this summer for the economy in Yarmouth and Nova Scotia, but it's not looking good.”
Yarmouth Town Council, meanwhile, hopes visitors will still include Yarmouth in their travel plans, and they also encourage locals to explore more of what the region offers.
“You’re helping your economy because you’re staying local. But you’re also having some fantastic adventures,” said Cleveland. “I think there is more going on here than the general public realizes. Because we’re not tourists in this area we don’t look at it with those same eyes.”
