Cuts to local N.B. ferry services called 'St. Paddy's Day massacre'

Budget cuts have sunk ferry service in three New Brunswick communities, in what one local mayor is calling "the St. Paddy's Day massacre."

Finance Minister Victor Boudreau announced in his Tuesday provincial budget that the Gagetown, Hampstead and Belleisle ferries will no longer make their regular runs across the St. John River.

The provincial government says use of the ferries has dropped over the years and it couldn't afford the $12-million cost to replace the vessels.

Gagetown Mayor Randy Smith was aghast at the news after Tuesday's budget.

"My jaw dropped. Unbelievable," Smith said.

"All I can say is that Al Capone has Valentine's Day, and now [N.B. Premier] Shawn Graham has St. Paddy's Day. He has the St. Paddy's Day massacre on his hands. It is unbelievable."

Smith said the loss of ferry service will hurt tourism in his community.

The Gagetown and Belleisle ferries will stop their runs at the end of the month. Meanwhile, the Hampstead ferry's summer run has been cancelled.

Local residents lobby to save service

The news of the ferry cuts is coming as a surprise to many in the southern New Brunswick communities, such as Bob Bates, who operates a strawberry U-pick in Belleisle.

"In our area we do not have adequate cellphone coverage, we do not have high-speed internet, and now they're going to put the death nail in by taking away our ferry service," Bates said on Tuesday.

Up the river in Gagetown, meat shop owner Ross Whetmore said the decision will hurt business and tourism.

"There will be a petition ready to go for people to sign, that we keep the ferry. Or at the very least, keep it for the summer," he said.

But Transportation Minister Denis Landry said he had little choice, when told to reduce costs as every government department was forced to cut back to help reduce the budget deficit, which hit $740 million.

"It's really hard for me ... at the end of the day, we had to save some money and, well, this was the conclusion," Landry said.

Landry said over the last three years the average Gagetown ferry trip has only had 1.3 vehicles on it, the Belleisle ferry had an average of three and the Hampstead ferry less than one vehicle per crossing.