‘Working hard’ to find solution for ferry

Mark MacDonald, president and chief executive officer of Bay Ferries, said his company and government are focused on meeting the needs of southwestern Nova Scotia and the province as a whole.

“We all want to increase traffic, and we all want to increase visitation,” said MacDonald.

He was speaking at the Destination Southwest Nova conference and annual general meeting held at Cornwallis Park.

The future of the ferry service has been in doubt since July 2006 when Bay Ferries announced it would no longer operate the ‘Princess of Acadia’ on what MacDonald termed “a purely private basis”.

Bay Ferries announcement led to a decision by the federal and provincial governments to invest in the service for a 27-month period extending to January 2009.

Modest improvements to ferry

MacDonald said investments by the federal government and the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have enabled Bay Ferries to continue to operate the service in a stable manner, to introduce modest improvements to the ship and to more aggressively market the service.

“Our company understands and I know that the governments understand how important it is for everyone in industry to have as much certainty as possible regarding future plans,” said MacDonald.

“You can rest assured that government and industry are working hard to put in place a solution as soon as possible. We all want that certainty so we can move forward.”

Delays in finding a solution have prompted concerns from many commercial and tourism firms who have not been able to count on a continued service.

MacDonald also added his appreciation for initiatives taken by municipalities in western Nova Scotia to support marketing of the ferry service.