PORTLAND, Maine — The Nova Scotian government has pledged up to $21 million to help restart a ferry service connecting the province with Maine, and provincial and Canadian business leaders have expressed hope their Pine Tree State counterparts will also come forward with a financial commitment to the project.
But Portland officials say an upfront infusion of cash from this side of the border isn’t likely to happen, although the city is willing to help restore the once-popular ferry service in other ways.
The province of Nova Scotia issued a draft request for bid proposal from companies interested in operating the ferry service, which ended in 2009 when that same government opted to cut off its annual subsidies for the high-speed CAT ferry which had been running the route at a loss for three years.
For the previous 35 years, ferry service connecting Portland and Nova Scotia was provided by slower vessels such as the Prince of Fundy, Bolero, Caribe, Marine Evangeline and, more recently, the Scotia Prince. Compared to the CAT, a catamaran vessel which made the commute in just more than five hours, the Scotia Prince was a monohull cruise ship which made the trip in 10-12 hours.
“It would be nice to see folks in Maine looking at this as being an opportunity,” said Chris Atwood, chairman of the Nova Scotia Chambers of Commerce. “The partnership would benefit all people around the table. The provincial government is willing to spend $21 million for up to five to seven years into the project. … From our perspective, it would be nice to see the same level of recognition of the importance in Maine, but we’re happy our government recognizes the importance of tapping into the New England market.”
That echoes a comment made by Percy Paris, Nova Scotia’s minister of economic and rural development, earlier this month to the Portland Press Herald, when he told the newspaper that “it would be nice to see the state of Maine with some skin in the game.”
Christopher O’Neil, consultant for the Portland Community Chamber, said his client will need to see more proof of the ferry’s benefit to Maine’s largest city and its businesses before supporting setting aside tax dollars for the cause in Portland.
“I don’t know of any empirical data that quantifies the economic benefit of that ferry to Portland,” O’Neil, who went on a chamber visit to Nova Scotia in 2007, said. “Before we’re asked to ante up, we’d want to assess what the potential [return on investment] is.
“Would it be nice to have if it didn’t cost anything? Absolutely,” he continued. “But at what point is it worth putting money into? That’s what we’d need to figure out.”
Charles Colgan, a professor at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service and perhaps Maine’s best known economist, told the BDN he, at one point, tried to drum up support for a study of The Cat’s passengers, but couldn’t secure enough funding for such a project.
In comparison, the ferry’s economic impact on Nova Scotia, where for years it landed in the town of Yarmouth, has been more thoroughly documented. Atwood said the Yarmouth and Shelburne Chambers of Commerce issued a report on the ferry service’s economic benefits when The Cat runs were discontinued in 2009, while a provincial task force reviewed the subject more recently and put out a 71-page paper on it in August.
In its most recent heyday, in 2002, the provincial report found that 95,000 people made their way to Nova Scotia using the Maine ferries, but that number plummeted to 55,000 by 2005 and 26,000 by 2009.
The study attributes the drop-off to a number of factors, including the rise in fuel costs, diminished capacity with the departure of the larger Scotia Prince, the economic recession and the appreciation of the Canadian dollar.
That same report predicts that, a ferry service restored to at least 2002 ridership, would inject $2.9 million in annual tourism dollars in the immediate entry point of Yarmouth and $16.3 million across the larger province of Nova Scotia.
A healthy ferry service would create 355 jobs, worth $8 million in annual income, provincewide as well, the study predicted.
The draft RFP issued by the Nova Scotia government seeks ferry operators who could show a viable plan for running the service, eventually, at a profit.
Portland Mayor Michael Brennan said that, despite hints from Nova Scotian leaders that they would like to see the city or state invest in the startup of the ferry, he can’t match their $21 million pledge. However, Brennan said he remains optimistic Portland can be an active participant in helping renewed ferry service become a reality.
“It doesn’t look the like the city is in a position to offer subsidies in the magnitude of what Nova Scotia is talking about, but we hope to be able to negotiate … there’s a fee structure we could negotiate with the ferry service provider,” he said. “It’s true that we don’t have any financial [commitment] we’re putting on the table but we haven’t entered into any discussion yet to define what might be needed or not needed to make all this work.”
The mayor acknowledged that the loss of the ferry seems to have hurt Nova Scotian communities worse than it has Portland, which is experiencing a development boom of sorts and is still easily accessible for tourists from New York and Boston.
A slate of four new hotel projects would add 500 rooms to Portland’s hospitality market over the next few years, and the Greater Portland area was recently found to have surpassed 50 percent of the state’s economy by some metrics.
“That might be fair assessment, but we’re also very anxious to restore ferry service,” Brennan said of the notion that the loss of the ferry has not hurt Portland as badly as it did its Nova Scotian counterparts. “To have the opportunity to have someone in New York City or Boston get on a train or bus to Portland, and then a shuttle to the waterfont to take a ferry to Nova Scotia … it’s a very attractive and appealing service that could be provided through Portland.”
“I don’t see this as a one-way venture,” he continued. “It certainly would have important economic consequences for us. … it’s bound to create jobs and would be important service that we could bring back to the waterfront. This is a very serious offer by Nova Scotia and also something attractive to Portland. So we’re going to be working as hard as we can to make that partnership work, and do something that’s mutually beneficial to Portland as well as Nova Scotia.”
I always wanted to ride the ferry to Nova Scotia but I could never justify the cost. I don’t remember the exact cost but I just remember thinking that there was no way they would survive with rates so high. Simple supply and demand would tell you that when you start up a service like this you need to set your rates really low to drum up interest. Once ridership increases then start to slowly increase the rates but this never happened and probably never will. I would rather have a boat full of passengers nearly breaking even than a boat one quarter full operating at a loss. With the subsidies being proposed it would be feasible to start operating with a low fare in place, with subsidies covering the potential loss. The demand for this service is in place it is just a matter of making it affordable for your average citizen.
it was like $80 roundtrip? the worst part is the town it leave you in in NS. nothing to do, run down. makes you wish you hadn’t left portland.
Yarmouth NS is a beautiful fishing village and the surrounding countryside likewise scenic. Not a lot of bars and tourist traps. If you like the city better, yeah, better off to stay there.
We took the Cat to NS a number of times from Bar Harbor. Took our camper and toured NS at our leisure. Enjoyed it and felt we rec’d value for our $$.
Sounds like a wonderful concept to renew ferry service to/from Nova Scotia.
…As much as I might like to go and see the
place , with todays economy, particularly after the election, I dont
see it happening any time soon.
….Many of the factors listed as part of the demise of the service
are still with us.
I am not aware of alot of extra money around these days.
Jobs scarce ,money tight, fuel prices high, Low value US dollar.
Combined with the Canadian confiscatory tax called the “HST” in place and our neighbors to the north are looking to boost it even higher.
….. Currently HST TAX is 15% . Add that to most every thing you buy there and the “bottom line” gets pretty steep in a hurry.
Gas over 5$ a gallon ! Smokes and beer extravagantly priced , as well.
Too pricey in todays economy.
As the Canadians well know , subsidies are the only way to keep this idea afloat.
I will be watching that boat sail away.
I’ll be on shore.
because things cost cheaper here to buy is why the Canadians are coming here. rates for the ride is more than i want to pay
Aside from the cost of using the ferry vs. driving, I wonder how much more thorough customs inspections will affect the trip? If it’s anything similar to an airport experience I’d be hesitant to take that voyage.
Your inconvenience is a small price to pay to keep a bomb-toting fanatic off a plane.
Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I totally agree that TSA security is needed at the airports for everyone’s safety. I have no choice when I go to Florida in the winter. Given an alternative- I’d rather take the Digby ferry from Nova Scotia to Saint John New Brunswick and drive back to Bangor after clearing customs in Calais. Ferries involve cars, freight trucks and people-a much larger security situation.
these boats reek of fumes! sickening!!!!!
Took the ferry to and from NS many years ago and loved the trip. We’re not interested in the “leisurely cruise” aspect, but if it was quicker than driving all the way, we’d do it again in a heartbeat!
Since NS would be the likely end destination of tourist’s dollars traveling from outside (South), then what real monetary advantage would Portland receive as a launch point? They would be akin to a bus stop along the way.
Lots of people in NS like to make a weekend trip to Portland for fun and shopping.
I would like to see bus service restored from Maine to Canada as well
Why?
A bus would at-least be more profitable then a ferry, but it would be awesome to have both restored
The best route would be direct to Halifax. As I recall, there is already a direct weekly Boston to Halifax freight ferry, that started earlier this year.
I know many folks in NS who enjoyed coming down to Portland for a few days when the ferries were running. No need for emperical data and Portland and the State should put up something. It may be better bang for the buck and a better deal than the Maine tourism office. NS and Canada in general sure do tourism better than Maine.
“Greater Portland area was recently found to have surpassed 50 percent of the state’s economy by some metrics”
That stat has me laughing everytime I hear it. When someone calls an area “Greater” anything it is the imidiate surrounding towns/cities. In Portland’s case this would be Westbrook, South Portland, Falmouth, etc… But when this study was done they grouped the “Greater” Portland area as the entire county and included two other counties (York and Sagadahoc). So by their form, “Greater” Augusta must group Lewiston/Auburn and Bangor into its metro. Best part about it 515 thousand people live in those three counties stated which is almost half of Maine’s population so is it that crazy to believe that they accounted for 50% of the economy? haha Have to love when studies and articles are twisted around to make it look like Portland means so much to Maine.
waste of money