Nova Scotia Orders Economic Impact Study of Subsidized Maine-Halifax Ferry

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said his government is commissioning an economic impact study of the provincially funded ferry between Nova Scotia and Maine.

Houston said today that taxpayers who covered the $17 million annual subsidy would have liked to see more passengers during the just-concluded boating season.

Bay Ferries said Monday that service between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbor, Maine, carried just over 36,000 passengers and nearly 15,000 vehicles between May 19 and Oct. 10.

Houston says the company’s lease on the ferry has been extended for a year and it is expected to sail again in 2023.

But the premier says it’s time to consider whether Nova Scotians got good value for the 2022 subsidy, which was about $472 per passenger.

Public Works Minister Kim Masland said a request for proposals for a « broad overview » of the ferry’s economic impact will be released this fall.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on October 18, 2022.