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MP holds out hope P.E.I.-Nova Scotia ferry could resume service this weekend

Ferry service between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia could be running as soon as the Canada Day weekend, officials say.

Replacement part for MV Confederation being delivered from Germany this week

Shane Ross · CBC News ·
A large passenger and vehicle ferry is shown at dock with its nose cone open to accept vehicles.
The MV Confederation has been sidelined since June 17 because of mechanical issues. (Carolyn Ryan/CBC)

Ferry service between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia could be running as soon as the Canada Day weekend, according to an Island MP and Northumberland Ferries manager.

MV Confederation has been sidelined since June 17 because of mechanical issues. It needed a special part manufactured in Germany.

Lawrence MacAulay, the MP for the riding of Cardigan in eastern P.E.I., sent a tweet Wednesday saying the part will be shipped from Germany this week, and the Confederation "could be running again as soon as this weekend."

The ferry service is run by Northumberland Ferries Ltd., leasing vessels owned by Transport Canada.

Mark Wilson, senior vice president of Northumberland Ferries Ltd., confirmed MacAulay's tweet in an email response to CBC News on Wednesday.

"NFL should be able to provide more exact details Friday morning," he said.

No plans for compensation

When it went out of service this spring, MV Confederation was the only ferry operating between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S. A second ferry, MV Saaremaa 1, is due to arrive on loan from Quebec in mid-July. It was intended to run in conjunction with the Confederation during the peak summer months.

A man stands at an open car door with several other vehicles ahead of him. A large passenger vessel is in the background with its nose cone open to allow vehicles on.
Passengers wait to board the ferry at Wood Islands, P.E.I., in this file photo from 2019, the last full tourism season before the COVID-19 pandemic began. (Brian Higgins/CBC)

Businesses in the area say they have lost customers due to the shutdown of the ferry service at the start of the busy tourism season.

In an email to CBC News, however, Transport Canada said it is "not considering any form of compensation to users impacted by the disruption."

The statement continued: "Across the last two operating seasons, Transport Canada has provided the ferry operator with an operating subsidy of nearly $14M per year to provide the ferry service between Wood Islands and Caribou."

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