N.S. To Maine Ferry Service Returning In May
YARMOUTH–The CAT ferry that runs between Yarmouth and Bar Harbor, Maine, will set sail again on May 19.
It will run four days a week until June 22nd, leaving Yarmouth at 9:30 a.m. each day and returning around 7:30 p.m.
From June 22nd to September 7th, the service will run every day, before reducing to a six-day schedule to close out the season.
The CAT has been out of service since 2018, thanks to a combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and the construction of a new terminal in Bar Harbor.
The ferry has been a point of contention in Nova Scotia.
Many in Yarmouth and the surrounding area say visitors that arrive on the CAT are vital to the region’s tourism economy. Others argue the province spends too much money on the ferry for too little return.
In 2018, the last full season the CAT ran, a total of 50,185 passengers used the service to go between Yarmouth and Portland. According to the CBC, the provincial government gave $32-million in subsidies to the ferry between 2015 and 2019.
The province gives an operating grant for the ferry but Premier Tim Houston has been critical of the service and the amount of money the government has spent propping it up.
While in opposition, Houston sued to force Bay Ferries to publicly disclose how much money in management fees it receives from the provincial government.
He won, and Bay Ferries revealed the province had been paying it close to $100,000 a month in fees since 2016.
Bay Ferries says ticket sales for the 2022 season are now open and awareness campaigns will intensify as the season gets closer.
Kevin Northrup is a reporter with CJLS in Yarmouth, a Huddle content partner.