Study looking at ferry, region’s transportation needs

About 100 people attended the meeting in the Digby fire hall hosted by Frank Schwartz Belle Claire Consulting and James Frost of CPCS Infrastructure Development Consultants. The study is funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. “I thought the public meeting in Digby went very well,” said Schwartz in an interview afterwards. “Many people spoke and there was both reason and passion. “Our objective is to address transportation options and economic development strategy that will best serve the southwest Nova Scotia economy while providing most value to stakeholders.”

The study includes Digby, Annapolis, Yarmouth and Shelburne counties.

Schwartz noted the importance of the study was generated in Digby County concerning issues with the ferry service between Digby and Saint John. The three-phase study intends to analyze the region’s economic drivers and transportation role, looks at current and future transportation needs, and analyze transportation options that will support regional economic growth.

Following an interim report, the study authors will hold another series of meetings in mid- to late-January, said Schwartz.

One question asked from the crowd was “where are our tax dollars going in relation to supporting the local economy through transportation?”

Frost replied that he did not know a dollar amount. “These ferries are our highways and we should think of them as highways, not as a luxury, it should be part of our highway system,” said a man in the crowd. “We’ve heard that a number of times today,” replied Schwartz. Municipality of Digby deputy warden Jimmy MacAlpine said the ferry is aged and should have been replaced years ago. “This boat is a vital link to western Nova Scotia and this is the third study on whether or not it should stay here,” MacAlpine said. “I’ve got a major problem with that because if you had a bridge fall apart on the Trans-Canada Highway, there wouldn’t be a study being done on whether or not it is viable to keep that bridge there, you’d have it fixed.”

Other issues voiced at the meeting were high prices on the ferry and a schedule that does not accommodate tourists very well.

Placement of the ferry terminal was brought up as well.

One woman said if the ferry service is outside of town there needs to be some sort of connection for people who are walking off to be able to get to town. “In my view, the key issues raised for our attention by attendees were the critical importance of the Digby-Saint John ferry to southwest Nova Scotia, the accessibility, scheduling and affordability of the current ferry service, the impact of the uncertainty of living without a firm decision on the ferry service’s continuation and some issues regarding the upgrading of roads in the area,” Schwartz said.

Frost of CPCS said the study has identified a decline in Digby County population, however the county has the highest in tourism revenues out of the four counties. Regional transportation drivers such as fishing and seafood processing are users of the ferry service, while they have noticed a decline in ferry usage from the forestry industry.

Another transportation driver is agriculture such as mink exports and food imports via the ferry and Frost noted a potential user of the ferry could be mining. He said the heaviest truck traffic is found on Hwy. 101 while the heaviest traffic on local roads is on Hwy. 303.

A second Digby County meeting took place the following night in Université Sainte Anne in Church Point. Where Schwartz said a smaller audience raised similar issues. “Reiteration about the importance of the Digby-Saint John ferry service for this area, especially for commercial users, primarily fisheries and mink industries as well as others and the isolation factor if it is removed,” he said.

He said suggestions were made “that a package was needed to deal with the situation and that any package would be best if it dealt with a number of aspects of the transportation system in southwest Nova Scotia rather than just one element.”

The study will be completed by February 2010, he added. The study website is www.swnstranportationstudy.ca