After Years-Long Hiatus, CAT Ferry Resumes N.S.-To-Maine Service
YARMOUTH–The CAT sailed out of Yarmouth Harbour on May 19 with passengers aboard. The vessel resumed service for the first time since 2018, when it shut down for renovations to the terminal in Bar Harbor, Maine. That hiatus was lengthened by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yarmouth MLA Zach Churchill says the ferry is big for tourism in the region.
“People that travel on the ferry spend twice as much, on average, as people driving in or coming to our province by plane,” says Churchill.
He says there is about $70-million worth of tourism economy in southwestern Nova Scotia alone.
Churchill says he’s pleased to see the current government maintain the contract with Bay Ferries, which is set to expire in 2026.
“Especially considering they were very critical of the service while in opposition. I hope this demonstrates to all Nova Scotians that there’s value in this service and that it is a net contributor to investment and money flowing in our province,” Churchill said.
While Churchill and others 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.
In the past, 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.
Meanwhile, a great deal of work was done in Yarmouth to make sure the ferry service was ready to resume in 2022. Phase One of renovations to the Yarmouth International Ferry Terminal was completed last year.
The $9.7-million upgrade was made possible by contributions from the municipal, provincial, and federal governments.
The feds and the province each ponied up $3 million, while the Town of Yarmouth, the Municipality of Yarmouth, and the Municipality of Argyle put in the rest.
The upgrades included relocating passenger inspection booths, replacing the pontoon and transfer bridge, and upgrading the passenger waiting areas.
Mayor Pam Mood says staff did a wonderful job.
“We’ve never had a sign up, so now it says ‘Ferry to Maine.’ The toll booth for border services was also done, there was a re-fit of the terminal and the area as well,” says Mood.
Mood says Yarmouth knows what it’s like to not have the ferry and it’s important the business community steps up to make sure things are open for visitors.
“We need to be open later in the evenings. They’ll need places to eat and shop. We need to be open and able to serve our visitors, it’s very important.”
She says other than fishing, tourism is a main economic driver for our region, and the return of the ferry means so much to the area.
Kevin Northrup is a reporter with CJLS in Yarmouth, a Huddle content partner.