Cancelled cruise ship season 'devastating', say P.E.I. business owners

Joan Judson was bracing for a tough year, but she didn't realize how bad it was going to get. 

Judson operates Rusty Rover Tours in Stratford, which has provided guided tours of Prince Edward Island for the past seven years.

Nearly 90 per cent of Judson's business comes from cruise ships.

When the federal government announced the cruise line industry was effectively shut down this summer, she decided to shut down her business permanently.  

The company employed five people part-time. 

"We had planned on easing back this year, we're not quite as young as we used to be," said Judson. 

'We're closing down permanently'

"We did have reservations, but once the virus started the reservations were cancelled one right after the other. So we just decided that was it, we're closing down permanently."

The federal government extended its ban on cruise ships with overnight accommodations for more than 100 people in Canadian waters until Oct. 31, effectively ending the cruise ship season for P.E.I.

Transport Canada's measures are meant to contain the spread of COVID-19. In March, the government had banned cruise ship visits to Canadian ports until at least July 1. In early May that was extended until the end of August.

Shane Campbell's restaurant, Water Prince Corner Shop in Charlottetown, is usually lined up in every direction when there is a cruise ship in port.

This year, the restaurant — which has been operating for nearly 30 years — sits empty. Instead of 33 full and part-time staff, Campbell said he's operating with eight staff focused on take-out food. 

Campbell described it as "devastating." He said they were hoping the cruise ships may have returned later in the summer season, but those hopes were dashed with Friday's announcement. 

'You're looking at a 90 per cent loss in revenue'

"We'll survive but it won't be easy," said Campbell. "No one ever would have predicted this in their wildest dreams." 

Victoria Row, the pedestrian mall in historic downtown Charlottetown, is usually teeming with shoppers when there is a cruise ship in port.   

Bill Watters owns Northern Watters Knitwear, one of the dozen or so businesses on Victoria Row.

Watters said his stress level is through the roof as he looks across at an empty store. On Saturday, Watters said he had only one customer through his door. 

"It's scary," said Watters, who has been in business for 13 years.

"Businesses like ourselves with cruise ships and bus tours, especially in the fall with the bus tours and the extra cruise ships, you're looking at a 90 per cent loss in revenue for the year."   

'A lot of hardship'

Northern Watters Knitwear usually employs 18 people with its stores in Charlottetown and Halifax. This year, it will operate with eight people.  

"There will be businesses that will not be able to recover from the last two months of shutdown because everybody had hoped that we'd get back to some kind of a good tourism [season] and it's not going to happen so it's devastating," said Watters.  

Port Charlottetown was preparing for a banner cruise ship season.  They were projecting 154,000 passengers and about 73,000 crew, which they say would have pumped more than $60 million into the P.E.I. economy.

Judson said she's one of the lucky ones because she's out of the business now. She says she is going to miss it, especially the people she got to meet while on the tours. 

But she feels for those who are still trying to keep their doors open. 

"Some of the guys that are still in are going to face quite a lot of hardship," she said.  "I guess, just dig in your heels and hope for next year." 

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