The shutdown of the ferry service between Prince Edward Island (P.E.I) and Nova Scotia is hurting local businesses during the peak summer tourism season, say government officials.
The ferry that crosses the Northumberland Strait between Caribou, Nova Scotia and Wood Islands, P.E.I. remains shutdown for maintenance and is not scheduled to re-enter service until the week of July 17.
The continued closure is negatively impacting local businesses, says the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I.
Currently, the Confederation Bridge is the only means of accessing the island other than air travel. Many tourists have traditionally relied on the ferry service to reach P.E.I. during the busy summer season, which many businesses rely on for their annual income.
The year 2019 was a record one for tourism on the island. With an estimated 1.6 million foreign visitors, tourism revenue surpassed $500 million for the first time ever, according to the provincial government.
Tourism employs nearly 10,000 people on the island, which has a population of 157,000 people, and accounts for 6% of P.E.I.’s annual gross domestic product (GDP).
P.E.I. Tourism Minister Cory Deagle recently raised concerns about the future viability of the ferry service in a letter to the federal government in Ottawa.
P.E.I’s tourism sector has struggled with several adverse events in recent years.
The ferry boat typically runs from early spring until late autumn, but service has been inconsistent for several years. Last summer, a fire shutdown the ferry at the height of the tourist season.
In addition to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the island was also hit by tropical storm Dorian in autumn 2019, and then tropical storm Fiona last September caused major destruction across Canada’s smallest province.
