The campaign begins

Van Loan, who was joined his party’s West Nova candidate Greg Kerr, said he was in town to listen to issues and concerns of the area.

He found that the ferry between Saint John and Digby and this town’s wharf still are near the top of the list.

Mike Gushue, manager of the Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency, told Van Loan that southwestern Nova Scotia is strategically located close to the northeastern United States. Those states are a market for fish and forestry products, as long as there is transportation infrastructure providing a direct link. The ferry link is also critically important to tourism.

Dean Kenley, owner of the Fundy complex, said Digby was in limbo for 10 years after the wharf was divested.

“Don’t go down the same road with the ferry that we went down with the wharf,” he told Van Loan, adding that it is critically important to the economy of the region that there be a long-term plan for the ferry.

Kerr said the importance of the ferry has been pointed out to him in other towns as he has traveled throughout the region.

Digby Harbour Port Association chair Reg Hazelton told Van Loan that the government’s support has been appreciated, but there remains a lot to do.

“If you look at wharf, you’ll wonder why it’s still standing,” he said.

Hazelton took Kerr and Van Loan for an examination by of the wharf and the work that it needs.