It's been almost 21 years since the Confederation Bridge connected P.E.I. to the mainland, and that came at a cost to the ferry workers.

shared a segment about the "deep sadness" felt by the more than 600 ferry workers as an era came to an end.

CBC Digital Archives | The Confederation Bridge replaces ferry to P.E.I.

'It's really surreal': Bridge employee reminisces about the end of one era and beginning of another

James Hagen was still in high school when the province held a plebiscite to decide on the construction of the Confederation Bridge. When he graduated he started a job with Marine Atlantic, becoming the third generation of his family to work on the ferries crossing between Borden-Carleton and Cape Tormentine.

James Hagen is a patroller on the Confederation Bridge. June 1, 2017 will be his twentieth year in the position. 

James Hagen

James Hagen is a patroller on the Confederation Bridge, where he has been working for the past 20 years.

"You keep a smile&nbsp;on your face, and there's some days that smile is hard to put there," said one worker.

The bridge posed a threat to ferry workers' livelihood.

Bridge and Ferry

At the time the Island's unemployment rate was 16 per cent, making finding a new job a tough task. Even with training paid for by the ferry company, many workers felt they wouldn't be able to find jobs as good as the ones they had.

20 years after the bridge, Borden-Carleton aims to rebuild

The opening of Confederation Bridge 20 years ago was not kind to Borden-Carleton, but the mayor has a plan he believes can turn the P.E.I. town back around again.

Borden-Carleton Mayor Dean Sexton

Borden-Carleton Mayor Dean Sexton is working on a plan to revitalize the town.

Then and now: P.E.I. in 1997 and 2017

Certainly the Island has changed a lot since Confederation Bridge opened 20 years ago — and not just because of the bridge.

View from the shore of the Confederation Bridge taken by Victor Daigle.  

Victor Daigle Confederation Bridge

There have been big changes on P.E.I. since Confederation Bridge first opened to traffic.

And some say they won't ever cross&nbsp;the bridge.

"I would just like to leave with the ships in mind as the way I cross the Northumberland Strait, because I believe, I firmly believe, that's the way it was meant to be."

The Confederation Bridge replaces ferry to P.E.I.

A long and romantic tradition of ferryboat rides between New Brunswick and P.E.I. will end in two days.

Where the wild things are: P.E.I. forager picks wild edibles for sale

For the last six years, Sylvain Cormier has made a living with his business Everything Wild — harvesting and selling wild edibles like berries, fiddlehead ferns, sea plants and mushrooms for sale to Island restaurants.

Chanterelle mushrooms are a very popular item — and Cormier knows where to find them on P.E.I. 

Sylvain Cormier picking chanterelle mushrooms

Sylvain Cormier, seen here with his constant companion Jasper, is in the throes of P.E.I.'s fiddlehead-picking season.

Forager Sylvain Cormier with Jasper and tray of fiddleheads May 2018 

Found a fox? Run into a raccoon? How to handle close encounters of the wild kind

Wildlife officers say Islanders can expect some close encounters with raccoons, foxes and even beavers as the weather warms up, but some should be treated as "nuisance animals" and removed immediately, while others merit a more hands-off approach.

Fox kits usually emerge from their dens at about six to eight weeks old, says Chuck Gallison.

On this day: What the Confederation Bridge meant for ferry workers

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